30 New And Classic Diet & Health Books To Check Out

One of the perks of having a successful blog and podcast show dedicated to the subject of diet, fitness, and health is you have instant access to all the latest books that come out in this genre. I’m privileged to be able to sift through all of this information for you, personally interview the authors who would make for compelling guests on my podcast, and write reviews for each of these books that I find most interesting. When the books begin to stack up, it has become a tradition for me to share those reviews with you in one big blog post (like I have previously done here, here, and here).

Today, I have 30 more new and class diet & health books for you to check out:

The Ketogenic Diet: A Treatment for Children and Others with Epilepsy by Dr. John Freeman, Dr. Eric Kossoff, Jennifer Freeman, and Millicent Kelly

A “ketogenic” diet is nothing more than a low-carb diet that restricts carbohydrate intake to a level that produces ketones in the body through a process called ketosis. This is the basis for what many people who desire weight loss on a plan like Atkins or Protein Power attempt to attain. But research has shown quite convincingly in recent years that a ketogenic diet is much more than about weight loss–for children with epilepsy, it can control the frequency of their seizures. With medications providing only nominal aid for kids dealing with this disease while offering some unwanted side effects, a ketogenic diet truly is the “answer” that so many parents have been looking for. The diet is very high in fat, very low in carbs and protein since both of these can kick you out of ketosis in excess. The authors combine their expertise on this subject to describe why this way of eating works so well for treating epileptic patients, how it should be administered, and what the future of epilepsy care with ketogenic diets will be like. This updated edition includes sample menus, recipes, and other helpful tips for educating parents about the use of low-carb ketogenic diets for their kids with epilepsy.

The Glycemic-Load Diet Cookbook: 150 Recipes to Help You Lose Weight and Reverse Insulin Resistance by Dr. Rob Thompson and Dana Carpender

We’ve heard a lot about the glycemic index in recent years, but not many people know exactly what that means and why they should care. The problem with GI is it is an incomplete equation when it comes to figuring out what impact a particular food will have on the body. A better tool is to determine the glycemic load of what you eat and that’s something Dr. Rob Thompson has devoted himself to with his diet plan. In this book of recipes that serves as a companion to The Glycemic-Load Diet, Dr. Thompson teams up with world-famous low-carb cookbook author Dana Carpender to whip up some yummy recipes that are designed to control insulin spikes which lead to weight gain, hunger, and disease. One thing you can always count on when Dana Carpender contributes recipes to a cookbook is variety, mouthwatering dishes, and a commitment to keeping them low-carb. You get 150 outstanding recipes to enjoy for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and everything in between with this book!

The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About Using Nutrition, Exercise, Supplements, Stress Relief, and Personal Empowerment to Stay Energized All Day by Dr. Jonny Bowden

If Dr. Jonny Bowden is writing a new book, then I’m reading it! From offering advice on choosing the low-carb diet that’s right for you, eating the healthiest foods, making delicious healthy meals, and implementing natural cures, his books have been impacting the diet and nutrition industry for years. This latest offering provides more ammunition for your health arsenal by giving you 150 ways to get energized naturally through a mix of some common sense and practical techniques that entail diet, supplements, exercise, and other non-prescription methods for you to “boost your energy.” Always an engaging writer who will keep you captivated from page-to-page, Dr. Bowden has delivered yet another winner in his successful Fair Winds Press series of books.

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by Dr. David Kessler

As a former 400+ pound man, I know what it’s like to overeat. You don’t get to that level of morbid obesity without consuming food in excess and there’s a perfectly good reason why so many of us have that urge to eat like there’s no tomorrow. Former FDA commissioner Dr. David Kessler examines this issue and dives head first into explaining his theory behind why people can’t seem to control their desire to eat, eat, eat. Not surprisingly, he says we have become so conditioned to eat certain foods that drive us to eat more of those foods (can you say carbohydrates?) that we no longer eat for hunger–but instead do it as a “reward” for our accomplishments. You’ll read some fascinating research on this issue that points the finger at some of the biggest names in the fast food and food manufacturing industries for marketing to a targeted audience destined to fall lockstep into faithful obedience to out-of-control eating. This isn’t an easy read, but one worth exploring if you’ve ever felt compelled to pounce on a Cinnabon!

The Stubborn Fat Fix: Eat Right to Lose Weight and Cure Metabolic Burnout without Hunger or Exercise by Dr. Keith Berkowitz and Valerie Berkowitz

Most conventional diets these days encourage you to “eat less, exercise more.” But what if you had a diet to tell you to “eat more, exercise less?” Sound appealing? Well, that’s exactly what you get from Dr. Keith Berkowitz and his nutritionist wife Valerie in their new book. They know from many years of working with patients that the vast majority of diets are destined to fail before they start because they neglect to deal with the reasons why people gain weight. And the strategy that most people have been told to shed the pounds (eat less fat, consume more “healthy” grains, fruits and veggies, lower your calories, exercise often) has just made matters worse, not better. This book identifies exactly what you need to eat to heal your metabolism from the damage done by these other diets by allowing you to enjoy delicious non-addictive low-carb foods and an occasional indulgence to help you stick to your plan forever. These nutritional tactics are combined with supplementation, controlled exercise, and stress-relief techniques to complement the “fix” you are giving your body. This book encourages the use of “real food” with a clear plan of action to make you as successful at shedding stored body fat as you can possibly be.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Diabetes by Dr. Mayer B. Davidson and Debra L. Gordon

Whenever I read a book about diabetes control, the first thing I look for is what they have to say about the subject of carbohydrates since this is the central key to this terrible disease. Plenty of research is out there that shows if you cut the carbs, you control blood sugar and insulin spikes, and clinically cure the disease. So what does Dr. Mayer Davidson and Debra Gordon have to say about carbohydates? Just turn to pages 83-84 for their take on low-carb diets. They say the “jury is still out” on low-carb for diabetes and that people who follow an Atkins-styled approach is probably too “hard core.” In referring to whether a diabetic should cut the carbs, the authors state it is undetermined and that patients should consult with their diabetes health-care provider or nutritionist to come up with what to do. But almost negating their own advice, you turn the page and you see they encourage people who do decide to cut their carbohydrates to lower their fat intake and eat plenty of veggies and fruits. Eat lean protein and whole grain pastas, cereals, and breads, too! All I can say is, “WHAT?!” Are you TRYING to sabotage a perfectly good and healthy diabetes diet that is high-fat, low-carb that will virtually bring under control blood sugar and insulin levels without the use of medications or insulin?! You really MUST be an “idiot” if you get this book and expect it to help you with your diabetes.

The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions–Today by Julia Ross

Do you know anyone who always seems to be in a bad mood (if you don’t, then have you ever thought that maybe it is YOU who has perpetual moodiness)? For whatever reason, so many people struggle with controlling their emotions and channeling them into a positive force for good. That’s what psychotherapist Julia Ross offers those who deal with mood problems in this book. It may surprise you to learn that your attitude may just be a direct result of the food you are putting in your body. Yep, what may seem innocuous to you actually could be leading to an avalanche of stress building up inside of you that is set to bring about destruction to all those around you. You learn what is getting your mood out of whack, what you can do to get your mood better naturally through a “nutritherapy” approach, and using specific tools to permanently and safely rid yourself of mood problems for life. Sound like a plan, man?

The System For Health & Weight Loss by Thomas Fox

When you consult the National Football League, National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer on fitness and health, it’s a pretty good bet you know what you’re talking about regarding those subjects. As a professional exercise physiologist, Thomas Fox is out to prove to people that weight loss and health are both attainable when you know what to do to make them happen. Many people attempt to tackle losing weight and getting into shape with a one or two-pronged approach. But Fox says you must develop a multi-faceted and interrelated plan that includes diet, exercise, genes, stress, and other essentials to improving your health. Easy-to-read and well-documented, this book is a quick read that will give you guidelines for making the best choices for your particular health & weight loss needs. My major problem with this book is Fox’s insistence that low-carb diets have some of what he describes as “serious nutritional shortcomings” which could lead to “serious health problems.” He repeats the lie that you’re robbing your body of essential vitamins and minerals, claims you only lose only water weight, and describes those of us who are livin’ la vida low-carb as “religious zealots in their faith and devotion to eliminating carbohydrates.” Well, Mr. Fox, there’s a reason we are so passionate about this way of eating–it has changed our lives forever for the better (I lost 180 pounds in 2004) and we’ll forever be grateful for the improvements to our health, namely stabilized blood sugar and insulin, greatly improved HDL and triglycerides, and a whole array of potential health issues that are brought on by excessive carbohydrate consumption. Your concerns over this way of eating are greatly exaggerated and unnecessary.

Freedom from Disease: The Breakthrough Approach to Preventing Cancer, Heart Disease, Alzheimer’s, and Depression by Controlling Insulin by Peter Morgan Cash and Jay Lombard

It’s becoming more and more commonplace, but Peter Morgan Cash and Jay Lombard want to make sure people know about it loud and clear–INSULIN is at the heart of most of the preventable diseases in modern society. Until we get this hormone under control inside of our bodies, no progress will be made on such health issues as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, depression, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and more. We are people who are walking around with insulin in excess which leads to inflammation and disease occurring in epidemic proportions. To attain “freedom from disease,” the authors draw from current research on this subject and interview some of the biggest names is health today–to the detriment of the message, I believe. What starts off as a good premise for a book with a spot-on message quickly turns into more of the same we’ve always heard. Eat less fat. Eat more “good” whole grain-based carbs. Yadda yadda yadda. If the authors truly wanted to share information that would help to bring insulin under control for good, then they would have included much of the breadth of research that has been done on carbohydrate-restriction over the past decade in this book. But if you look up “low-carb” in the index at the back of the book, you’ll come up empty. That’s too bad because I think they have correctly identified the problem…they just missed the ultimate solution by a long shot!

Fix-It And Enjoy-It Healthy Cookbook: 400 Great Stove-top and Oven Recipes by Phyllis Pellman Good

The back of this book boasts, “Yes, it is possible to combine tasty, quick, and healthy!” We’ll see about that. This cookbook comes from the Mayo Clinic, so I really didn’t hold out much hope that it would offer much in the form of “healthy” recipes–and it held true to form! They might be tasty recipes for the stove top and oven, but it’s because they are LOADED with carbohydrates. It’s all about limiting the fat, cutting the calories, and eating tons and tons of carbs for your health. YIKES! We shouldn’t be surprised to see this from the Mayo Clinic, but it’s a real shame to see low-fat recipes dominate a cookbook when there is just as much (if not more!) compelling evidence in favor of low-carb being healthy, too. I guess you don’t get to have that option if you listen to the Mayo Clinic.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Fibromyalgia by Lynn Matallana

Millions of people are walking around with fibromyalgia and don’t have a clue about how to deal with the complications that arise from this mysterious disease. But Lynn Matallana offers various ways people can cope with it by sharing what they can do and avoid doing to keep from exacerbating the problem. Not surprisingly, some of the best ways to handle fibromyalgia is taking care of your emotions, getting adequate sleep, eating and exercising right, reducing stress, don’t sweat the small stuff, get support, and be pro-active about your condition. On the subject of diet, I was curious to see what the authors would say about low-carb. And sure enough, they commented on the Atkins diet on page 221. They maintain that getting a good balance of carbs and protein will provide the right level of neurotransmitters in the brain, but to avoid eating too many carbohydrates lest your blood sugar gets knocked off kilter and leads to fatigue and moodiness. My wife Christine deals with fibromyalgia and it’s not a pretty sight when she eats too many carbs. Overall, not a bad message, although I think the condition would be improved greatly by going full-fledged livin’ la vida low-carb.

Get The Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar Out of Any Diet (Revised and Updated) by Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman

What’s not to love about the amazing Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman? The queen of sugar-shunning has revised and updated her classic book on the importance of removing sugar from your diet by adding even more fuel to the damning fire that this sweet stuff is destroying the weight and health of millions of Americans on a daily basis and they don’t even know it! As only she can, Dr. Gittleman gives you 501 practical tips for dealing with the sugar rush that comes from flooding your body with excessive carbohydrates, even ones that aren’t necessary made from sugar. Expert tips on dealing with sugar cravings, how to read food labels, why artificial sweeteners may not be a good alternative to sugar, recipes galore, and so much more can be found in this book. Get it, absorb it, and live it!

The Younger (Thinner) You Diet: How Understanding Your Brain Chemistry Can Help You Lose Weight, Reverse Aging, and Fight Disease by Dr. Eric Braverman

Whenever the subject of weight loss comes up, most people just automatically assume it has to do with your diet, the calories you consume, how much exercise you get, and the genes your parents passed along to you. While all of those things may play a role in determining how you fare at shedding the pounds, Dr. Eric Braverman says the reason people fail at dieting is because it’s all in their head–because their brain chemistry is messed up. That’s right, when people tell you a problem is “all in your head,” apparently it’s true when it comes to weight loss. Why? Because weight loss happens first in the brain and struggles mean your brain is aging. If you can fix the issues with your brain first, then the weight loss will come. As an expert neurosurgeon, Dr. Braverman has identified four brain chemicals–dopamine, acetylcholine, GABA, and serontonin–that allow the brain to fire at just the right moment for your body to function at optimal level. When one of these four chemicals is out of balance, your brain will compensate by sending signals for food cravings that further destroys your health and weight and aging your brain even more. It’s a ruthless cycle! This book shows you how to replenish your brain with fresh, new cells that will restore your brain so your metabolism can run at full capacity. The plan suggests specific foods, spices, and other components to bring about these changes. This is arguably one of the most unique nutritional concepts I’ve ever heard of and worth an investment in learning more about.

Dying to Change: My Really Heavy Life Story, How Weight Loss Surgery Gave Me Hope for Living by Katie Jay

Katie Jay is like a lot of Americans who have struggled with being overweight or obese for most of her life–unhappy about her weight, wishing there was something she could do, feeling desperate to do ANYTHING to shed the pounds that plague her, concerned about what is happening to her health, and feeling powerless to bring about the changes that need to happen in order for the prize of weight loss to come. The best thing about this book is Katie has LIVED what she writes about and all the complexities of dealing with the changes that have happened to her in her life, including one of the biggest decisions she ever made–having weight loss surgery! But while many look to going under the knife as their saving grace, she realized that it was merely the beginning of a journey to better health that continues to this day. What she found through this life-altering experience was that we all must embrace the responsibility for our own weight and health and find support from others going through these same issues to keep us accountable and motivated to keep going. Today, Katie Jay has taken all the lessons she has learned about the weight loss surgery journey to become the director of the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery.

The Dietary Cure For Acne: A Dietary Plan That Can Actually Eliminate Acne by Dr. Loren Cordain

Don’t eat too much chocolate, fatty foods, or sweets or you’ll have zits all over your face! I heard that for most of my life and who was I to question it. And yet even when I avoided all those things so dutifully, I still dealt with acne into my 30s. Using every over-the-counter acne-fighting wipe and cream I could find, nothing at all worked to clear up the blemishes on my face and body. Dr. Loren Cordain, creator of the famous low-carb Paleo Diet, understands this problem and created a dietary solution to a very common problem. Like most health conditions, acne is a direct result of our modern diet and we need to eat like our early ancestors to restore the natural beauty and complexion that they had way back when. He identifies the causes of acne, what foods you can eat to “cure” it, and what foods you should avoid to keep it from coming back. There are 174 scientific references to back up every single recommendation provided in this 120-page book–this will give you plenty of evidence-based proof to be convinced!

Getting Your Kid On A Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet by Susan Lord

With the onset of Celiac disease and autism in children around the world, it’s important for people to become educated on the benefits of implementing a gluten-free, casein-free diet into their child’s life. These diets are well-known to improve cognitive function, settle down unruly behavior, help with speech impediments, and give a sense of well-being to young autistic sufferers. The author is dietitian Susan Lord who knows this works firsthand because her own daughter was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder when she was five years old and has eaten this way ever since with spectacular results. Changing a child’s diet can seem like an impossible task with such finicky likes and dislikes, but Lord shows how you can make it simple and stress-free with delicious meal plans, shopping lists, ingredients to look out for, and ways to incorporate this way of eating into a “normal” life. Although the foods recommended in this book aren’t necessarily “low-carb,” it’s difficult to argue with the success people like Lord are seeing in their own children placed on a diet free from gluten and casein.

Secrets of Gorgeous: Hundreds of Ways to Live Well While Living It Up by Esther Blum

Wanna be gorgeous? Sure you do! That’s what nutritionist Esther Blum aims to do with this cute little pink book full of 200 down and dirty “secrets” to making it happen for you. You’ll get diet advice, supplements to take, exercises to do, attitudes to take on, and foods to stay away from in this fast-paced book that’s perfectly-sized for bathroom reading. And best of all, you’ll quickly notice Blum is NOT afraid of fats and telling people to reduce their carbohydrates to look good. You gotta love that!

The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Boosting Your Metabolism by Dr. Joseph Lee Klapper

We all hear people talking about revving up and boosting their metabolism, but what the heck does that mean? Dr. Joseph Lee Klapper sets out to explain it in this book which gives you diet-based strategies for doing exactly that. Since much of my focus is on low-carbohydrate nutrition, I looked to see what he had to say about it in this book. Turning to pages 171-172, he deals with it directly. Unfortunately, Dr. Klapper falls into the trap of believing complex carbohydrates are somehow immune to the negative impact on health that we know them to be. Instead, he turns his ire and disdain to the “adverse physical effects” of low-carb itself. He incorrectly claims that important healthy foods are “eliminated” and that people should be eating three to five servings of fruit daily to give you plenty of fiber and “smaller spikes in blood glucose levels.” Dr. Klapper, do you know what would happen to my blood sugar and insulin levels if I ate that much fruit, even in the form of low-sugar ones like blueberries and strawberries? It would be through the roof and out-of-control. That’s why I need to limit my intake of those supposedly “healthy” foods in my diet. He also promotes white potatoes as healthy because they’re low-calories. Big whoop! Just like the fruit, these wreak havoc inside my body and I’m better off avoiding them. Finally, he says not to add any fat to your diet. Well, it’s my fuel source in the absence of carbohydrates, so that’s not good advice. I suppose I’ll just have to stick to “boosting my metabolism” with what I know best–low-carb all the way, baby!

The Amazing Adventures Of Dietgirl by Shauna Reid

It’s a bird, it’s a plane…no, it’s just Dietgirl Shauna Reid! The ever-present and uber-popular weight loss blogger has decided to write a book about her amazing journey to lose half of her weight and rise above all the circumstances that got her to be morbidly obese to begin with. VERY inspiring story for anyone who has battled the bulge!

Fat-Hater’s Club by Tanya Attebery

Are you a fat hater? Tanya Attebery used to be as a kid and she’s been on both sides of the issue–as the fat kid and the skinny one. This story includes several characters which make up various parts of who she was growing up and how she matured out of being a member of The Fat-Hater’s Club.

1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes by Dr. Carol Fenster

One thing is for certain–you get your money’s worth out of this 2-inch thick book that contains 1,000 recipes in its nearly 700 pages! Can you say War And Peace for gluten-free living?! If you are on such a diet and need to find a recipe for any occasion, you’d be hard-pressed not to find what you’re looking for in this cookbook.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Natural Remedies by Chrystie Fiedler

Reading through this book, I couldn’t help but compare it to Dr. Jonny Bowden’s The Most Effective Natural Cures On Earth–and there’s no comparison! This one is woefully inadequate and missing some key “natural remedies” that include low-carb diets for blood sugar control, weight loss, and other key aspects of health mentioned in the book. Were these scientifically-based all-natural remedies simply overlooked or ignored?

The No S Diet: The Strikingly Simple Weight-Loss Strategy That Has Dieters Raving–and Dropping Pounds by Reinhard Engels and Ben Kallen

Most people like the old KISS adage of “keep it simple stupid,” so here it is: no snacks, no sweets, no seconds…except on days that start with S. That’s pretty easy to remember, right? Leave it to software engineer Reinhard Engels to come up with what he calls “the simplest and most effective diet ever to sweep the Internet.” Engels quickly grew tired of all the miracle diets promising gobs of weight loss if you cut this, added that, or did something spectacular with the way you lived your life. He noticed many of these would work for a while, but none of them were sustainable for life. His No S Diet grew out of this frustration with the diet mentality and encourages sensibility over obsession about every morsel of food that you consume. He includes quite a few success stories, tough love answers to your burning questions, and a writing style that draws you in to this introspective man’s commitment to living healthy–his way!

Joy’s LIFE Diet: Four Steps to Thin Forever by Joy Bauer

We all want to Look Incredible, Feel Extraordinary (LIFE), don’t we? That’s what Today Show nutrition and health expert Joy Bauer wants people to believe can happen for them, but how? Here’s what she says–”Forget low-carb, no-carb, low-fat, high-misery diets. How about a diet that’s just no-gimmick and low-fuss?” Well, Ms. Bauer, what’s so miserable, gimmicky, and fussy about livin’ la vida low-carb that you have to label this wonderful way of eating so many of us enjoy in such a disparaging manner. She offers four secrets to LIFE that all start with the letter “r”: Release, Relearn, Reshape, and Reveal. So, what’s the diet? Although she eschews low-fat diets in that quote from her book I shared above, she admits it is a low toxic-fat diet that is moderately high in carbohydrates from fiber-rich sources. Hmmmm, a low-fat, high-carb diet…that’s not very new at all, Joy! Sure, you allow more fat and less carbs than Ornish, but this is still essentially the same old conventional diet advice we’ve always heard along with mindless exercise that has been proven time and time again to be ineffective over the long-term. If this is LIFE, then I think we need some oxygen!

Keto Kid: Helping Your Child Succeed on the Ketogenic Diet by Deborah Snyder

Does you child need to be on a ketogenic diet to control epilepsy or obesity? Then this is the book you need to read from cover to cover and follow exactly for important information about making meals you kid will eat, deal with special events like birthdays, helping your child understand why he can’t have certain foods anymore, and a detailed diary account of the author’s success at implementing this low-carb approach with her four-year old son who was having constant seizures. Two years later, he is seizure-free because of a high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet.

The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat by Dr. Loren Cordain

As one of the classic diet and health books to ever be written, this one surely stand the test of time because it is based on the diet of our “hunter-gatherer” ancestors. Or, as Dr. Loren Cordain puts it, this is “the diet you were designed to eat.” Health and weight loss await you as you take your eating habits literally back to the Stone Age consuming foods like fish, meats, fresh fruit, and non-starchy veggies in virtually unlimited quantities can bring about weight loss and prevent such health calamities as heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, and more. Although there are a few subtle differences between the Paleo Diet and more mainstream low-carb diets such as Atkins, the premise is the same–reduce your carbs, control the insulin, and improve health dramatically! You’ll get a history behind why all those other diets have failed, a detailed explanation about why the Paleo Diet will work, lists of foods you can eat as well as foods you shouldn’t eat, and a plan of action that includes six weeks of sample menus and recipes that will have you eating like a caveman. In fact, this diet is so easy even an American can do it!

The Diet Cure: The 8-Step Program to Rebalance Your Body Chemistry and End Food Cravings, Weight Problems, and Mood Swings–Now by Julia Ross

Leave it to someone like a “nutrition psychologist” to come up with the REAL reasons why we struggle with losing weight and then sharing the ultimate “cure” for dealing with this ever-present problem. Julia Ross does just that in this book by explaining quite methodically why we have actually conditioned ourselves through poor dieting habits and other destructive behaviors to keep ourselves from being successful. Through a rather unique 8-Step Quick Symptom Questionnaire that tailors a plan for your specific needs, Ross arms you with ways you can take on the obesity monster by bringing back balance to your body and showing you how to eat best for YOUR body. We’re not all the same, so applying a monopolistic dietary approach to everyone is silly. She guides you through each of the steps of the “master plan” giving you tips and strategies for dealing with whatever obstacles you think might hinder you from completing this. Is it a “cure” for your diet woes? You’ll never know if you don’t give it a try!

The Great American Heart Hoax: Lifesaving Advice Your Doctor Should Tell You About Heart Disease Prevention (But Probably Never Will) by Dr. Michael Ozner

Dr. Michael Ozner is obviously passionate about this subject and provides some interesting food for thought in terms of the subject of heart health. Unfortunately, he is so dogmatic in his belief that the Mediterranean diet is so far superior to all others that his thinking is completely jaded. He ignorantly blasts away at healthy low-carb diets by describing them as a “fad” diet devoid of any long-term data to support them. On pages 101-102, Dr. Ozner goes through a laundry list of health conditions you will supposedly suffer from if you go on a low-carb regimen–none of which have happened to me in the five plus years I’ve been eating this way. Do yourself a favor, Dr. Ozner! Open your mind to the idea that the world of diet and health doesn’t revolve exclusively around the Mediterranean diet alone!

Feed Your Skin, Starve Your Wrinkles: Eat Your Way to Firmer, More Beautiful Skin with 100 Foods That Turn Back the Clock by Allison Tannis

Highly recommended by Dr. Jonny Bowden (who writes for the same publisher Fair Winds Press), this book on skin health shares some of the best anti-aging foods you can eat. Not surprisingly, many of the 100 foods you see featured in this book are livin’ la vida low-carb friendly and probably already a part of your diet anyway. Find out why they are good for your skin to make you look young and beautiful while enjoying the familiar format that you get from Dr. Bowden’s books.

Dr. Cohen’s New Hippocratic Diet Guide by Dr. Irving A. Cohen

Reading through this “diet guide” from Dr. Irving A. Cohen certainly reminded me of when I was reading Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution which promoted a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate nutritional approach. And while Dr. Cohen promotes eating healthy high-fat, low-carb foods in his plan, he dismisses the Atkins low-carb diet because it put the emphasis on protein. With all due respect, the Atkins diet does not do this. Contrary to popular belief in most media accounts and from so-called health “experts” in their description of the low-carb lifestyle, it is not and never has been a “high-protein” diet. At best, you can call it a moderate and even low-protein nutritional approach. More accurately, it is high in dietary fat which is very similar to the method of eating outlined in Dr. Cohen’s book. I wish for once people who comment about low-carb diets would at least do the minimal research activity of reading the book first before assuming they know what it is all about. Overall, this book is outstanding for anyone wishing to follow an effective high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. I’ll just have to forgive Dr. Cohen for his haphazardness on what the Atkins diet is.

Read a good diet and health book that you think your fellow readers would be interested in learning more about? Share it with me anytime by e-mailing the title and author to me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.