The Protein Power Lifeplan Gram Counter

Rating:
Summary: Beats the Atkins Version
Review: Although the Eades take the liberty of removing the fiber column from the Nuts section (carbs are removed from Meat, but that's a no-brainer), this book(let) has replaced my Atkins gram counter as the first reference I check. It has five times the number of listings (perhaps a little too redundant here, as they dumbed it down to list multiple portion sizes of the same items - duh, I can multiply by two) but, most importantly, it is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH BETTER ORGANIZED; major sections, not just the items within as in Atkins, are alphabetized. I always found it strange, in the Atkins pocketbook, that sections lacked logic sequence.

Both books are good, but THIS ONE is a Cadillac and Atkins is a Chevrolet (a Malibu, not a Corvette, with no disrepect to you Malibu owners out there).

That (above) was yesterday, but "What have you done for me today?" Well, sir (or madame), let me tell you: I'VE MADE IT!!!

This morning, I weighed-in at 160 POUNDS! THAT'S EXACTLY 100 POUNDS LOST SINCE JANUARY 27, 2003!! AND IT ALL STARTED, AFTER MY DOCTOR'S "PRESCRIPTION" TO DO THE ATKINS DIET, BY BUYING THE THREE-BOOK ATKINS SET LAST DECEMBER, RIGHT HERE ON AMAZON.COM. THANKS, DOC; THANKS, DR. ATKINS; THANKS, AMAZON.COM!!!

Rating:
Summary: limited, but easy to use
Review: I am still looking for a really good complete carb counter for home cooking. Because I would use it mostly at home, I am not so concerned with the size, but more with the ease of use (meaning that I can find the info I want quickly) and having a large variety of the basic forms of foods listed.

So far I find the The Protein Power Lifeplan Gram Counter to be the easiest book of its kind to use.

Also, there are even not-so-common varieties of fruits, vegetables, and nuts listed. In my ideal book I would like more, especially in more forms and quantities, though this is good here for a small book.

One good aspect is that in addition to carb counts the Eads book lists Omega 6 & 3 values, and has special, easily found, pages on particularly desirable foods (such as high vitamin C, magnesium, E, and biggest bang for the buck foods). I appreciate those extras when planning meals ahead, including deciding what to buy at the grocery store.

Rating:
Summary: Great Guide to Meaningful Nutritional Numbers
Review: I started the "Protein Power" lifestyle change nearly a year ago and am maintaining my weight loss by "keeping score" of what I eat. This guide is an essential reference on that count. I wish I'd had it when I started last year. It is especially handy if you are traveling on this diet; it is not as bulky as the whole Protein Power book. (See my review of "Protein Power"; "Prove Your Mother Wrong, Eat Prime Rib!")

It is arranged by food groups: Breads, Cereals and Grains; Dairy Products; Fish, Seafood and Shellfish; Fruits and Fruit Juices; and so on. I never realized how many species of fish we eat until I leafed through that section! They list lots of foods I didn't even know were edible or available.

It lists the ECC (Effective Carbohydrate Count), Fiber, Calories, Protein, Saturated Fat, Monounsaturated Fat, Omega-6 and Omega-3 fat ratios as appropriate for each category of food. All foods omit some of the categories that are not significant for them. All foods list the Calories and Omega fats.

There is a good introduction with some backround information on why each category scored for each food is important. It does not go into any detail about the whole diet plan, so this is truely a supplement to the original diet book. There is also a brief area in the back with lists of "rich sources" for several key nutrients.

If you have a thorough understanding of the "Protein Power" diet and lifeplan and why this data is important, this book will be a valuable reference. I wouldn't buy it until you have read the complete diet book unless you are just looking for a "calorie counter."

Rating:
Summary: GOOD LITTLE REFERENCE
Review: Protein Power Lifeplan graham counter

The Protein Power Lifeplan Gram Counter is a companion to Dr. Michael Eades' and Mary Dan Eades', M.D.'s recent "Protein Power Lifeplan," a follow-up to their popular "Protein Power" which was published in 1995. The Eades are a husband-and-wife team that has a joint practice where they dish out the same advice as in their books - that of a restricted carbohydrate diet. But unlike the much more popular Dr. Atkins Diet, the Eades concentrate much more on gaining the best nutritional bang for your buck on the few (at least on the initial phase of the diet) carbohydrates you can have on their diet. The gram counter is helpful as it counts not only carbohydrates, but also fiber, protein and the breakdown of different fats that make up their nutritional philosophy.

This gram counter does not go into the philosophy behind their diet, so I'll try to summarize it here: it is not fat that makes us fat, gives us diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. Rather it is sugar. Starches, since they are basically the same thing as sugar (just chained together and easily broken into their component sugars in the digestive process), are counted as well. The body produces the hormone insulin when carbs are ingested. The more carbs we have in our diet, the more insulin is produced. Insulin is used by the body to remove sugar from the bloodstream, where it can cause harm. Unfortunately, according to the Eades, the insulin that removes it can also cause devastating harm, including all the above-mentioned ailments and then some. In addition, when exposed to these large amounts of insulin, the body slowly becomes more and more resistant to the hormone and the body has to produce more of it to have the same effect, so it is a vicious cycle. The end of this cycle results when the body is so resistant that it simply can't produce enough and adult onset diabetes occurs.

Of course the Eades are quick to point out that this is a theory that has not been proven via huge double blind scientific studies, but rather hinted at by smaller studies indicating the validity of components of the theory. However, they also point out that the whole idea behind fat causing all these health problems in the first place is also just that - an IDEA. It is a hypothesis that the whole medical industry latched onto 25 or 30 years ago, because it made some logical sense at the time, and has only recently started to let go on the edges despite there being absolutely no proof that low fat diets are conducive to health, and many that indicate the exact opposite.

The carbohydrates listed are based on the "Effective Carbohydrate Count" or ECC, which subtracts the amount of grams of fiber from the total carbohydrate count to give a more accurate nutritional picture, since the normal digestive process does not absorb fiber.

As far as the fat breakdown in the gram counter goes, they break fats down into mono-unsaturated fats and saturated fats, as well as both Omega-6 fatty acids and Omega-3 fatty acids. The media and medical communities have concentrated on saturated versus unsaturated fats, missing many finer points that the Eades contend are important in terms of fat consumption. According to them, the body needs all types of fat and can actually saturate and desaturate dietary fat when needed. What is more important to look at, they say, is whether the fat is one containing primarily Omega-6 fatty acids as opposed to Omega-3's. Most people get way too much Omega-6 compared to Omega-3 because most of the polyunsaturated vegetable oils used for cooking both commercially and in the home contain mostly Omega-6. Omega-3's are found in fairly less common items like some fish like sardines, salmon, tuna, and cod-liver-oil. Though they do not specify these in the gram counter, in the main book, they do continually stress the importance of avoiding "trans-fats" which are fats (primarily soybean but also other vegetable oils) that have been synthetically altered in order to stay solid at room temperatures. These are in most processed foods (look for the words "partially hydrogenated"), plus just about all mayonnaise and margarine. The body does not know what to do with these fats because they aren't natural, so it just uses them in its cells like all other fat, and this can cause many health problems. The Eades suggest using only butter (also clarified butter), olive oil, and nut oils for cooking, sauces, etc., canola-oil mayonnaise, and avoiding foods that contain anything other than these oils, and especially anything with trans fats.

Basically, the book is not of much use without the underlying theories behind it, but as long as you understand these, it is of enormous help. I would have preferred some sort of indication of trans-fats and perhaps a rating of how good a particular food was in terms of its anti-oxidant content, but I guess you can't have everything! Adding these other readings might have added too much bulk to the book. Right now it is slightly smaller than most small soft cover books, and is less than half an inch thick, yet covers all food groups in good detail. It is organized well and it does not take you a couple of minutes to sort through all the myriad varieties of different foods, the way some of the more comprehensive food counters do. I guess it depends on what you're looking for - portability or thoroughness, though even the most thorough of the other food counters do not break foods down into Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Rating:
Summary: Handy carb counter but has some drawbacks.
Review: The Protein Power Lifeplan Gram Conter is designed to be a companion to the Protein Power Lifeplan book by the Eades. However, it can be useful with any low carb diet.

The book does not go into detail on the Eades diet, for that you would want to refer to one of their other books. This book is a simple resource, designed to make you aware of the carbohydrate, protein and fat counts in different food items.

Pull out this book and at your fingertips you have the counts of a variety of foods. The book has a numerous listings including Breads, Cereals and Grains; Dairy Products; Fish, Seafood and Shellfish; and more.

When carb count is given the ECC is used. The ECC or effective carb count is found by deducting the fiber from the total carbohydrate of a food item. Most nutrition books list the fiber and carb count separately. But for carb counters, the ECC is all you need to count. So this booklet saves you from doing the math. Very handy!

There are two drawbacks to the booklet. One is the size. Though it is smaller than a standard paperback, it's still larger, 6.75 x 4.05 than other pocketsized gram counters. This makes it bulkier to tote.

The major drawback though is the manner in which the Eades decided to list counts. For protein foods they do not list the carbohydrates. The Eades feel that since these foods are primarily protein, the carb count is too small to be concerned with. But this is not true. For many folks on a carbohydrate restricted diet, all carbs count.
If you are limited to say 20 grams of carbs per day, you will want to count the carbs in the eggs, seafood and other carbohydrate containing protein foods that you eat. It adds up. And if you go over, you may not achieve the health goals you are after.

Yes, the Eades book is handy to have for a quick reference, but my preference is for the Atkins gram counter which is smaller in size and lists net carb counts for all the foods, including protein.