Customer Reviews

Life Without Bread: How a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Can Save Your Life

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Life Without Bread is an important addition to the growing body of literature on the benefits and importance of low-carb diet. Written by Christian Allan, Ph.D., and Wolfgang Lutz, M.D., the book is based on Dr. Lutz's experience using carbohydrate restricted diets with thousands of patients for over 40 years. It is also based on extensive research in the medical and scientific literature, and provides ample references. The book presents a more or less unified theory of how high (and even "moderate") levels of dietary carbohydrate cause or exacerbate various health problems, and how carbohydrate restriction can help people to recover from those problems. Although obesity is one of the problems, this is not primarily a weight-loss book. There is only one short chapter on weight loss. Other chapters deal with heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), auto-immune disorders, and so on. There is also discussion of dietary carbohydrate from the perspective of humanity's adaptation to the conditions of the long Pleistocene era.

Life Without Bread accomplishes a number of important things. First, it collects a body of evidence for the low-carb way of eating that is carefully thought out, and based on sound research and extensive clinical experience. Second, it debunks the pervasive cholesterol neurosis that has made much of the developed world phobic about fats. This is very important, since there are still relatively few scientists willing to put their reputations on the line in opposition to the cholesterol theory of heart disease. Allan and Lutz join their ranks. Third, it offers good arguments for the positive virtues of saturated animal fats, perhaps the most maligned dietary suspects of the past 100 years. The authors are careful to distinguish levels of support for their claims; when they are somewhat speculative, they say so. They also point out some of the limitations of the low-carb program, and do not claim it to be a panacea. Fourth, they refute the many lame and ill-informed criticisms of low-carb diets that one encounters again and again in the popular (and, unfortunately, sometimes also in the scientific) literature -- such as the claim that these diets harm the kidneys or cause muscle wasting.

For anyone who wants to gain a clearer understanding of the benefits of low-carb diets, or to explain them to someone else (such as a family physician, perhaps), this book is a valuable resource.

I've read every low carb book under the sun, over 20 in all and this one takes the cake! Not only is it lacking in hype but is the most informative low carb information available. These authors say more than the Eades book, Protein Power Lifeplan. I'm convinced that a low carb diet works from personal experience, but the reasons to STAY on a lower carb diet are explained here. A lot of the information gets technical but for readers who want more explanation than what's usually in Atkins or other style low carb books, this is the book to choose. I'll reread this book many times.

I'm 41 years old and recently had a heart cath and 23mm stent implant in the LAD. My Cardiologist, who is from Poland and not tainted by American political dieting correctness, told me I needed a diet considerably lower in Carbohydraes than what I was typically eating. I wasn't sure exactly what he was referring to and luckily I found this book. I was astonished at what I was reading. Everthing I was ever tought about nutrition was wrong. I've been excersizing and keeping my Carbs below 50g a day and I feel phenominal. I've lost 16 pounds in 4 weeks and all of my lipids are way down except my HDL which has risen slightly. My Triglycerides have also went from 291 to 120 in just 3 weeks! This book has given me enough information to lead a healthy life and I thank the authors of this book for saving my life. My four year old son thanks you too!

I evolved into a lower carb nutrition by finding first that I needed more protein than I had thought and that I reacted strongly to sugars. I bought this book when I decided to lose a few pounds, but wanted to understand any health implications related to a low carb diet. I was already having gall bladder and liver issues. I bought this book first and 2.5 years later, it is still the best reference I have. The chapter on hormones is a bit technical, but this chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

Within three days of eliminating grains from my diet, I no longer cared whether or not I lost weight. My awful blood sugar drops and painful bloating were gone, my energy increased significantly and within weeks I noticed that the gall bladder pain was gone (and it hasn't come back). Within three months my intense hot flashes disappeared and I started sleeping better.

The book first describes what low carb nutrition is, then goes on to discuss hormones and how insulin impacts the overall balance of the body's hormones in different ways. It addresses overall energy, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, vitamins and minerals, and weight control (one chapter - the rest is on health issues).

The story of a German doctor (MD) who put himself on this diet in middle age based on his health problems common to his age and his own scientific reasoning. His own results were quite good. He applied the diet successfully to a wide variety of patients with success.

He gives an interesting history of the low carb diet as do many books in this genre. His theory on the catabolic-anabolic hormone balance is quite interesting.

Living this diet is rather simple and effective. The allowed carb level is more liberal than Atkins and hence easier to follow. I was far from perfect per carbs, but kept at 90 grams most days, figuring that my large body size of 230# could handle it. I lost fat and felt good. More energy, better sleep, better mood. And without the Atkins side effects (poor sleep, carb craving, thirst, excess urination, rotten fruit breath).

I got out the old biochem book and searched the actual scientific literature. It adds up on all counts. This is one diet that you can actually do, enjoy and benefit from.

I developed PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) due to a largely vegetarian, grain based diet I was subjected to growing up. I basically had a hormonal imbalance that caused me to gain weight, and rapidly.

To deal with PCOS effectively, one must correct the imbalance and also the diet that caused it. Reading books by Dr. John Lee on natural hormone therapy, I came to the realization that the imbalance was essentially "estrogen dominance" (very common in the US) and later verified this with a saliva test from ZRT labs (more accurate than blood testing, which wasn't showing the imbalance) Estrogen dominance needs to be balanced with USP grade progesterone - preferably a sublingual version. Creams containing progesterone tend to deposit in fat cells, which is not good in the long run.

In addition, a diet low in carbohydrates is necessary. Most MD's only treat the symptoms of PCOS, not the underlying causes. In other words, get off the prescription meds (including birth control pills) and use progesterone and a low carb diet and see how you feel.

If anyone reading this has PCOS please note that it is not safe for you to eat any animal products that are not hormone free - synthetic estrogens are still used to fatten cattle and other animals. Just being "estrogen dominant" puts one in a high risk category for cancers such as breast cancer, according to Lee.

Atkins in his earlier work mentioned the phenomenon of certain thin people who could eat mostly carbohydrates and would remain underweight. Lutz goes over this in more detail and recommends a low carb, high fat diet which will correct this problem of underweight by bringing the body back to a normal, healthy weight. He also details why humans should eat primarily fat and protein (our stomach and intestinal tract is more like a dog's - and nothing like an herbivore's) and explains that the heart's preferred energy source is saturated fats.

The best saturated fat I have found so far is coconut oil (organic and virgin from fresh coconuts) - it is composed of medium chain triglycerides which apparently do not go into fat storage but get burned as energy while raising the metabolism. I use about 3 tablespoons a day while low carbing and in 10 days lost a considerable amount of weight. I prefer coconut oil for that reason and also because it is somewhat safer than animal fat, which stores toxins. Mercola.com gives good info on the wonders of coconut oil.

Overall, Lutz's program is simple and workable - you can have an unlimited amount of fat and protein, unlimited amounts of certain watery vegetables and avocados, and up to 72 grams of other carbs, which can include a few pieces of bread, several servings of fruit, etc.

I would also recommend that to see maximum results that food separation (a la Suzanne Somers "Somersizing") is the key. It works. In addition, even though Lutz states that you can eat however much you wish, I have found that calories still count. A user of the Active Low Carb Forum, going by the name of A-Z Dean lost a lot of weight Somersizing with a fat intake of around 65%, but kept his calorie intake around 1500 a day. You can find his rather detailed and scientific log of his weight loss journey by doing a search on Google. I am using his example to lose weight, and it so far is working. He uses a little too much artifical sweetner and diet soda for my taste, however.

You may also want to read "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" by Mary Enig and "Eat Your Cholesterol" by William Douglas.

I was on the diet this book recommends before I got the book. Suspecting that I might have diabetes (as my mother does) I got myself a blood glucose meter, and I found I did have a glucose metabolism defect. "Eating to the meter" as some of the diabetic support groups recommend, I reduced my fasting blood glucose from 120 to below 90 and kept it from spiking into the over-140 toxic territory that causes cumulative tissue damage, especially to the nervous system and pancreas.

I found Life Without Bread through some of those online forums for diabetics. So THAT'S why it works! In one month I have lost 20 pounds, my blood sugar has gone from borderline "get treatment now" to high normal, my blood pressure has also gone from 167/119 heart attack land to high normal, and I have more energy than I have had in years. I would probably never have taken this book seriously before testing my own blood glucose and seeing how it reacts to carbohydrate-laden foods. I can easily see myself sticking to the LWB diet for the rest of my life, and for the first time in years I have hope that that will be a fairly long time. I cannot recommend LWB and the theories and evidence within highly enough. I think it really can save your life.

I found the original English publication of this book in the chemistry library at the University of Texas more than 10 years ago, I hope it will change your life the way it changed mine. I wanted to post a review only for those who fear what a low carb diet will do to them over the long term. Recently I was approved for a new life insurance policy by Transamerica Occidental Life at their lowest rate. I have eaten more than one stick of butter each day for the past ten years along with the fatty meats recommended by Dr. Lutz. Here are my critical results from the blood testing and urine analysis from samples recently submitted for my life insurance application, remember these are ten year results, at Age 50. Maybe it will comfort those of you who fear kidney disease etc from eating plenty of saturated animal fats, as much protein as you like and low carb.

Blood: glucose 79, BUN 15.0, Creatinine 0.90, Trig 76, HDL 58, LDL 122.
Urinalysis: glucose NEG, Protein 5.00, Creatinine 67.70, Hemoglobin NEG. My blood pressure pre-diet was 140/90 and the doctor wanted to medicate me, now my blood pressure routinely comes in 110-115/60-65 when I visit the doctor or dentist.

In less than three months my (10 years ago now) my weight dropped from 205 lbs to 166 lbs (at a height of 6'), I now weigh 179 lbs, this is three pounds over my peak high school weight of 176 lbs, the same weight that I played basketball at. I added weight training some years ago. But did zero exercises for the first two years on the diet. I feel it is hard enough switching your diet to low carb fare, exercise can make you so hungry that you might be tempted to cheat. I didn't start exercising until I felt comfortable on this diet, which took a little over two years.

I have had many friends try this diet, a very very few have succeeded over the long term. One of those that tried but failed was migraine free for several months while on a low carb diet. Sadly being free of migraine was not incentive enough.

My incentive was watching my mother-in-law live with diabetes and heart disease over a long period of time. In the end the doctors tell diabetics to minimize their sugar intake from food, but not until you get to that point of no return.

I recommend buying book Protein Power if you can only buy one such low carb book, it has advice on dealing with constipation that occurs initially in some low carb dieters by taking fish oil and avoiding fatty red meat and egg yolk. The constipation can continue until you lose all your excess fat, it's all explained in the Eade's first book.

This book will help the reader to understand why we need to increase good fat (including saturated fat) and reduce carbohydrates in our diet. The authors carefully outline the science and follow it up with many case studies.

After 15 years as a vegetarian, my hypoglycemia had gotten steadily worse until I found myself having to eat every two hours or so - not out of hunger, but to control the shakes. I read this book while traveling to England on a business trip. I got off the plane and had bacon and eggs for breakfast, no toast. Amazingly, I was able to go nearly five hours before hunger struck. The change was immediate! I have continued to eat protein and fat, limiting carbs for the most part to under 100 g. per day, and the difference in how I feel is all positive.

This "one-star" review - I don't think he read the book carefully. Saturated fats are good for us. The push for polyunsaturated fats and low fat diets and the revision of the old "food wheel" to the pyramid heavy on carbohydrates correlates with an INCREASE in obesity and diabetes. So why is that carb-loaded low-fat diet good for you?

This is great book, that will explode many of the myths in your head about what is "good" and "bad" for your health. Contrary to many of the reviews written here, I did not find it "overly technical" at all, in fact it was very easy reading and I read it in a couple of days. The dietary recommendations are very simple to follow, and all recommendations are backed with rock-solid evidence, and most importantly, the evidence is based ON REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE OF ACTUAL PATIENTS unlike so many other books out there. This must have been an amazingly brave book when it first came out... in 1968! It is still a pioneering work, and if you are interested in learning about low-carb diets with an open mind this is really a must-have for your collection. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
btw, the "72 carb/day" recommendation is based on their studies of how many carbs/day diabetics can consume without affecting their blood sugar, and is also how much carbs per day the brain needs to run on (the brain cannot run on fat). that explains the figure. they explain this and everything else very thoroughly in the book.