The good carbs cookbook

Long before there were 'good carbs' and 'bad carbs' there were just carbs, and no one paid them much attention - except to enjoy them as often as possible.

As the nation became heavier and less healthy, though, nutritionists and dieticians began to look more deeply and critically at this component of so many of the foods we love to eat.

Over time, some got a 'bad' reputation, while others remained 'good' - and the eating public just became more confused. Now, finally, here is a book which should forever untangle our concerns and misconceptions.

Dr Alan Barclay is a consultant dietitian who describes himself as being 'busier than a honey bee in a field of flowers'. Author of more than 30 published scientific papers and a book, Reversing Diabetes, he is now learning to be a chef.

Co-author Phillipa Sandall is a writer, publisher, mentor and founding editor of GI News, while the book's other co-author, Kate McGhie, is a chef and champion of Australian rural producers, and writes a column in Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper.

For those of us who are keen to finetune our own diets, or feed a family more healthily, this book will become a home cook's new best friend, with its wide-ranging recipes, beautifully photographed by Alan Benson, covering everything from soup to desserts.

You will also learn how to make the best use of some of the rarer grains (such as quinoa, barley, burghul and buckwheat), as well as all sorts of legumes (yes, peanuts included!) plus nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.

Better still there are pages of helpful hints and explanations about many popular ingredients that are used in the recipes.

Then, if you want to really understand the scientific background of carbs, turn immediately to the final chapter, where there is also a nutritional analysis of each recipe in this book.

The good carbs cookbook, by Dr Alan Barclay, Kate McGhie & Philippa Sandall, published by Murdoch Books, June 2017, paperback, rrp A$39.99. ISBN 9781 7433 68169.

- reviewed by Sally Hammond

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