Tuesday July 9, 9:08 am Eastern Time
Press Release

SOURCE: Bay Books

Warning: Carbohydrates May be Hazardous to Your Health, According to Bay Books Author

Cookbook Offers Healthy Eating Solution

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 9, 2002--Americans have been mislead when it comes to a healthy diet. By recommending a high-carbohydrate diet of grains, pasta, rice, and bread, the government and the medical establishment may have contributed to the obesity epidemic in this country, according to Sunday's NY Times Magazine article (July 7, 2002) by Gary Taubes.

In New York for the Fancy Food Show, noted low-carbohydrate cooking expert, Linda Gassenheimer, said: "The article is a hot topic here because of its impact on the American diet. There is a safe compromise between the Atkins extreme and the food pyramid -- a balanced approach that works." Linda Gassenheimer is author of the best-selling cookbook, Low-Carb Meals in Minutes (Bay Soma Publishing; $18.95; 192 pp; ISBN:1-57959-512-X).

According to Taubes, Dr. Robert Atkins, author of the best-selling diet book, may have been right all along when he said diets high in carbohydrates contribute to obesity and even heart disease while steak, butter and eggs may be harmless. When Americans followed the government's food pyramid and ate more carbs and less fats in the early 1980s, millions began to bulk up. Today, more than 25 percent of Americans are obese.

Gassenheimer takes a healthier approach than Atkins, recommending a balanced eating lifestyle that includes the right carbs, the right fats, lean meats, and fiber. A Cordon Bleu-trained cook, Gassenheimer's book has reached number 1 on Amazon.com's best-seller list and number 2 on the Los Angeles Times' Cookbook Hotlist. Her newest low-carb cookbook is planned for January 2003.

Linda Gassenheimer is a syndicated food columnist with Knight-Ridder/Tribune and hosts a food show on National Public Radio in South Florida, where she resides. Foreign rights sales been brisk, reaching number 3 on the U.K. Amazon.com bestseller list. TV viewer ratings and book sales soared when Gassenheimer appeared on the Food Network, demonstrating tremendous interest in her plan and recipes.

Bay Books publishes cookbooks, gardening and interior design titles which are distributed to booksellers through Publisher's Group West and to other retail establishments through regional representatives.

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