Review: Myrna Robins

DELICIOUS LOW CARB by Sally-Ann Creed, published by Human & Rousseau, 2017.

The writer first leapt into prominence as a co-author of The Real Meal Revolution which started the Banting diet craze and the hullabaloo between Professor Tim Noakes and his detractors.

This new collection of low-carb, gluten-free, sugar-free recipes offer those already on a low-carb, high-fat diet further culinary choices, It combines eye appeal with all the dishes that most families cook, including sauces and  trendy pestos from ingredients like nasturtium leaves. Pizza  and quiche bases from coconut flour resemble traditional wheat flour ones. There’s a baby potato salad – surprise! – as she says our gut flora need resistant starch now and then.

Sally-Ann Creed seems to concentrate on Banting-style versions of those goodies that most families love, and are therefore are hard to give up – finger foods, breads and pizzas, snacks, cakes, cookies and desserts. There are also chapters with soups, breakfast, and main courses, and sides (which seems the preferred term today for veggies and salads). I think that nutritionists are focusing on making items like bread and pastry resemble traditional flour recipes, both in appearance and taste. Some of the early Banting  loaves tasted pretty awful and were a (pricey)  pain to make

In her introduction she relates how this diet enabled her to give up the numerous medicines she had been taking for chronic asthma. Her other culinary titles also recommend the banning of sugar, seed oils, margarine and microwave cooking. In one cookbook she  bans all grains as they “…have a devastating effect on the intestines and digestive system in general… fattening, make you sluggish and lethargic…” all of which is unlikely to go down well with a few billion Asians who consume rice twice daily.

Creed describes herself as a FINT or Functional Integrative Nutritional Therapist, which – dare I say this – I find somewhat over the top. However, as a successful clinical nutritionist in private practice, she finds joy in “seeing lives changed daily”.