From Atkins to The Zone, low-carbohydrate diets have taken the country by storm. But despite their popularity, they have a downside.

Many require that you give up virtually all carbohydrates-- not only favorites like bread and pasta, but healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Such low-carb diets are nutritionally unsound, alarmingly low in calories and nutrients, and dangerously high in heart-harming fat.

But breakthrough research into how and why low-carb diets work convinced Bettina Newman, R.D., that limiting the intake of carbohydrates can lead to safe, healthy weight loss-- if it's done right. Teaming up with Prevention magazine, America's premier health magazine, Bettina developed this moderate, nutritionally sound low-carb approach to weight loss.

Packed with delicious recipes, this book doesn't ask you to eliminate carbohydrates completely. Nor does it foolishly recommend feasting on pork rinds and butter, as some low-carb diets do.

What it does is to offer up a simple, seven-step plan for shedding excess pounds the smart, healthy low-carb way-- along with 200 flavorful low-carb recipes for snacks, sandwiches, easy one-dish dinners, even desserts!

In short, there's a low-carbohydrate eating plan that works in the real world. It allows you many of your favorite foods, like pasta, grains, and potatoes. It contains adequate calories, so you don't experience hunger pangs or miss out on important nutrients. And it isn't dangerously high in fat, so you won't increase your risk of developing heart disease.

Nor will you miss out on taste. One look at the recipes-- Chocolate Hazelnut Flourless Cake, Whole Grain Pancakes with Berry Cream Syrup, Pesto Chicken Sandwich with Roasted Peppers-- will convince you of that. And you'll love the inspiring, real-life stories of people who lost weight the smart low-carb way and have kept it off for as long as 15 years!

You'll also find:

* Six weight-loss plans for every need-- choose the calorie and carb levels that are right for you
* Insider tips on mastering a low-carb diet
* A "cheat sheet" for stocking the smart low-carb kitchen
* How to conquer the dreaded weight-loss plateau
* The Smart Low-Carb Food Pyramid
* Time-savers and flavor-boosting tips with recipes
* Smart low-carb food substitutions
* Seven days of slimming menus