I've just finished Fran McCullough's book. She discussed the health benefits of red wine and dark chocolate and how they could be incorporated into a low-carb diet. Has anyone does this with any success?

Amy

Hi there,

I am in the process of checking out the Montignac Method.

Red Wine and Chocolate are allowable as long as you follow the rules for them. The wine at level 1 (weight loss stage) is really discouraged and if taken should be kept to 1 small glass - toward the end of the meal - not on empty stomache- At a later stage of the diet more wine is permitted.

The Chocolate, is dependant on the sugar content of the cocoa and the details are in the book - I havent checked out that part yet.

The whole method seems quite complex at first but the more I pore through the book the simpler it becomes. Its based on consuming whole unrefined carbs, protein and less fat than atkins. The carbs are measured not so much by carb count but by their scale on the glycmic index.

I wouldn't get over excited about the red wine and chocolate though - it's not really encouraged in the weight loss stage and his advice about it is a bit silly - if given a drink in a social situation - wet your lips and pretend you are drinking!!!!! - dump it in a planter!!!! oh cmon now- as for desserts - we are to push them around the plate - That didn't work when I tried to fool my parents into thinking I'd eaten my fish when I was a kid -

But if you can stick to one glass and find the right kind of chocolate - he has recipes for making things with it - then it is allowed.

Yes. I never gave up the occasional glass of red wine. Make sure you count it in your carb count though. Also try to eat a protein with it. If I go over more than a glass ( and it can happanlol ) then I'm stalled for a few days. ( at least I think so) On the chocolate front, dark chocolate is a very occasional treat. It can trigger cravings big time. Go for the highest quality dark chocolate you can. There are also some nice chocolates out there sweetened with malitol. It can cause stalls in some people. If you eat too much it can also cause the runs. Not pleasant. So the answer for both depends on you. Some people are affected more than others. Also how strict do you want to be. A life with out ever having wine or chocolate would be awful to me so I still have them. Maybe my loss is slower than it could be but this is a wol not a diet. If it takes two years to reach goal, that's ok. Try it and see.
Gin