Which book to buy?
 

Hi,
I was just diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes a few days ago and I would like to try the Schwarzbein Principle diet. I see there are 3 books available online not counting the cookbooks. Her most recent one is "The Program." Then her first 2 books are "The Schwarzbein Principle" and "The Schwarzbein Principle II."

I found this info on the Schwarzbein website about the newest book: "This book gives you an easy and practical application of the information Dr. Schwarzbein has presented in her first two books."

But I read in an online review somewhere that there was a lot of helpful information in the first book that was not included in the new book. So....my question is, does anyone have any suggestions as to which book would be best for a newbie with diabetes? If necessary, I will buy all 3 if people think each book has its own merits. Just looking for some opinions here. (I also plan to buy the cookbook, which looks really good.)

Thank you!

Cathy B.

I see that no one has responded to you yet, and I am not the best person to answer your question....however, I have read the first two of her books and found them to be very informative and worth purchasing. It's been a while since I read them, so I can't remember if one was better than the other....

I have not read her new one or the cookbook. I do like her plans, but I was looking for weight loss and I ate too much while on her plan and didn't lose anything, so I switched over to Atkins at the time. But I do think she has a good plan(s) and someday if I ever get to my goal weight, I plan to re-read her books.

Good luck! :)

Thanks for the reply. After not getting any response to my post, I went ahead and bought her second book, her newest book, and her cookbook. I find her newest book quite confusing. And I was disappointed to see she recommends going gluten free for the first month or more. I am having a hard enough time just adjusting to the reduced carbs. I might have to ease my way into gluten free. I have lost 3 pounds in 5 days, so that is encouraging.

3 pounds in 5 days? Excellent! I hope that the books will be of help to you. I don't remember her wanting anyone to go gluten-free in the first two books, so maybe that is just a newer thing...but I have to admit, I think she's got a valid point in going gluten-free. If I eat too much gluten, I pay the price in stomach cramping, gas, etc. (sorry, TMI :o )

My only regret is that I had not heard about or tried going gluten-free earlier in my life! Once you can wrap your brain around the idea that bread and noodles and crackers are NOT FOOD, it's not that difficult to live without it. If I'm ever tempted by a piece of crusty bread or a croissant or whatever, all it takes is for me to eat some of that food with gluten in it to remind me that I don't ever want to spend the rest of my life with stomach aches and cramps like I used to do!

Hi Cathy and Mrs. Skip,
I have read all of her books also, and I always seem to go back to the first one, but her second one is great too, just lots more info. I have had a lifelong addiction to caffeine, especially coffee. But I believe it stems from being gluten intolerant, and the feelings and fatigue that go along with that. I haven't been tested for gluten, but I seem to react to all gluten grains, even things like kamut and spelt. So I am back to starting to more closely follow Schwarbein principles again.
Whenever I relapse into coffee drinking, my weight stalls, I have the abdominal thing going on. I am also dealing with a slow menopause, it's not really started yet, but I have all these female type imbalances. I really think it's messed up hormones that relate back to insulin problems. So sugar, caffeine, and alcohol are what I am working on eliminating, and eating balanced meals as she suggests are my current goal.
Losing 3lbs in 5 days is quite encouraging!
I really like the chapters on low serotonin state and how it can be helped with diet.....yes I am dealing with depression big time, but maybe the light is starting to come on?

PS
Her cookbooks are really good. I have made the beef stroganoff, the eggplant parmesan, and a risotto recipe in them and have made them each several times. The risotto calls for brown rice, and it usually comes out sort of underdone, but I am working on finding the right cooking time to make it more "authentic" al dente....but it has asparagus, feta, basil, lemon, it's really yummy! I need to try more of the other recipes....

agree about caffeine + gluten
 

I strongly agree about the caffeine addiction being linked to fatigue from gluten intolerance.
I've been gluten-free for only three days and already I'm amazed at how much higher my energy levels are, and how I have almost no interest in tea (my poison of choice!) now.
Before giving up gluten, I felt like I was wading through mud, with caffeine as my only support.

Do you share your kitchen with gluten eaters, by the way? If you want to go really and truly gluten free (I had to, in the end), then you need to be a bit more careful than you would normally be about having wheat around in your kitchen.

I didn't start recovering properly from gluten intolerance till I got my own toaster and a few other utensils.

Just a thought.

I'd be curious to hear more on your GF experiment, so keep us posted!!!

amanda

Buy the Schwarzbein Principle II, it has all the important stuff from the first book(s) and explains everything better. Good luck, it takes a while but you will feel so much better and lose weight too.

ok, you all have me curious now, I never heard of the Schwarzbein Principle or reducing gluten. I am going to google it now. I do drink a lot of coffee and am tired all of the time. I have gotten some tips from this site that have helped. I always have some type of protein in the afternoon, that seems to help.

anyway thanks for the info. This may be just what I need.

This is my 5th week on Atkins and have only lost about 6lbs.