Turkey’s Karatay Diet is back with new recipes in recent book

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Canan Karatay

Professor Canan Efendigil Karatay’s new book “Karatay Mutfağı” (Karatay Cuisine) was written in response to her critics’ claims that her recommended diet is a protein diet, leaving no room for vital portions of carbohydrates. Offering several recipes based on different seasonal options and with enough variety to cover all 12 months of the year, the book exemplifies Karatay’s cooking principles.

The recipes do not compromise Karatay’s suggestions about natural food, while a great many of them include healthy carbohydrate content. Of course all of the carbohydrates used in the recipes are in the low glycemic index (GI) category.

New book launched
Speaking at a press conference for the launch of the book, Karatay said she was strict about keeping the book’s recipes, on which she collaborated with her editor Nihal Doğan, suitable for Turkish eating habits. The foods included in the menu are all easily accessible for the Turkish consumer, which is another principle Karatay follows strictly.

KARATAY DIET

“My patients and readers kept asking for more recipes, and this book is designed to meet this demand. They wanted to have a larger variety of options, quite understandably, and this could only be accomplished by writing a book which is largely based on recipes prepared according to the principles of the Karatay Diet.”

Karatay and Doğan first worked to determine the recipes that best most suit the diet’s principles. Doğan prepared the food and Karatay calculated their glycemic index. Those that passed the test made their way into the book. The new book is mainly intended to exemplify how to keep and cook food without spoiling its nutritive value, Karatay said.

“Turkey’s cuisine is among the most healthful in the world. Of course we should make room for some gourmet touches in our daily nourishment, but we really don’t need to look beyond our own horizons to live healthily.”