The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable [Paperback]

Stephen D. Phinney (Author), Jeff S. Volek (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2011

Carbohydrate restricted diets are commonly practiced but seldom taught. As a result, doctors, dietitians, nutritionists, and nurses may have strong opinions about low carbohydrate dieting, but in many if not most cases, these views are not grounded in science. 

  

Now, whether you are a curious healthcare professional or just a connoisseur of diet information, two New York Times best-selling authors provide you with the definitive resource for low carbohydrate living.

Doctors Volek and Phinney share over 50 years of clinical experience using low carbohydrate diets, and together they have published more than 200 research papers and chapters on the topic. Particularly in the last decade, much has been learned about the risks associated with insulin resistance (including but not limited to metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and type-2 diabetes), and how this condition is far better controlled by carbohydrate restriction than with drugs. 

In this book, you will learn why: 

• Carbohydrate restriction is the proverbial 'silver bullet' for managing insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type-2 diabetes. 
• Restricting carbohydrate improves blood glucose and lipids while reducing inflammation, all without drugs. 
• Dietary saturated fat is not a demon when you are low carb adapted.
• Dietary sugars and refined starches are not needed to feed your brain or fuel exercise. 
• Long-term success involves much more than simply cutting out carbs. 
• Electrolyte and mineral management are key to avoiding side effects and ensuring success.
• Trading up from sugars and starches to a cornucopia of nutrient-rich, satisfying, and healthy foods is empowering. 
• Studying hunter-gathers' diets provides clues to how best formulate a low carbohydrate diet. 

This is a great book for health-minded individuals. 

It is an excellent book for healthcare professionals. 

Best of all, it is the perfect gift for health-minded individuals to share with their doctors, dietitians, and nutritionists.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeff Volek is a dietitian-scientist who has spent 15 years studying diet and exercise effects on health and performance. He has held an academic position at Ball State University and is currently an associate professor at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Volek has contributed to 3 books, 2 patents, and over 200 papers. He received his dietetic training at Michigan State University and Penrose St Francis Hospital and his PhD in Exercise Physiology from Penn State University.

Steve Phinney is a physician-scientist who has spent 35 years studying diet, exercise, fatty acids, and inflammation. He has held academic positions at the Universities of Vermont, Minnesota, and California at Davis, as well as leadership positions at Monsanto, Galileo Laboratories, and Efficas. Dr. Phinney has published over 70 papers and several patents. He received his MD from Stanford University, his PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from MIT, and post-doctoral training at the University of Vermont and Harvard.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Beyond Obesity LLC (May 19, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983490708
• ISBN-13: 978-0983490708
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Low Carbohydrate

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

158 of 159 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars In Depth and Utterly Fascinating July 12, 2011

By CMCM

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are so very many in depth and all inclusive reviews I see no reason to parrot what they have all said, but I'll say that I agree enthusiastically. Jimmy Moore's review in particular is a gem!

As a person who is fascinated with this subject and who eagerly devoured both of Gary Taubes' books, this one offers yet a deeper and more clinical examination of the science of low carbohydrate eating from two doctors who have been immersed in this field for 30 years. This is most definitely NOT a book for the casual reader interested in following a low carb diet. Rather, this is a book that will be understood and appreciated by someone who has a great deal of personal interest in learning more about this subject and who enjoys the deeply scientific explanations and discussion, and additionally, a person who has already done a fair bit of reading on this subject. This book is most definitely targeted at someone with a scientific and medical background, specifically doctors, and there are things that I had to read a few times to fully comprehend and absorb, but if you have the inclination and interest, this is a very rewarding and enlightening discussion that is quite unique in the current low carb literature. One would be hard pressed to deny the absolutely overwhelming and glaring evidence arguing for low carb diets when the vast body of proof is presented as compellingly and clearly is it is here. Low carb's undeniable superiority as a way of eating is nothing short of amazing to read about in all its historic and fascinating glory. My own personal observation and experience (also success) with eating low carb left me with vaguely formed ideas and I was self-identified as perhaps a "carb sensitive" person, and yet I couldn't put it all together in terms of how it ultimately affected me until I read this book, which discusses this subject at great length. Carb sensitivity is apparently a matter of degree within each individual, and I now understand the hows and whys of its effects on me as related to my own independent observations over the years. It's now clear why a low carb diet works so superbly and easily for me (when nothing else works) and why it has so vastly improved my health in myriad ways.

Another important discussion was that of individual variability, which explains why not every diet works for everyone equally, why some don't gain weight on a high carb diet and why some can lose weight equally well on various types of diets. One shoe obviously does not fit all, and for some, only one shoe fits!

Despite my own success with weight loss and good health eating low carb, I still had this nagging worry about fats in particular, especially in light of the deafening chorus of low carb detractors out there who railed endlessly about the dangers of fat. My insecurity about this aspect of low carb eating has now been entirely put to rest because of how fully the authors explain the body's use of fat in all its aspects. This alone make this book a valuable asset.

As it was when I was reading the two Taubes books, I continue to be dismayed and disgusted by the narrow mindedness and yes, dishonesty of the general scientific/nutrition community. The word "sheeple" comes to mind, but it's even more than that. It's about politics, money, influence peddling as well. It is nothing short of amazing how so many of us lay folks out in the trenches can quite clearly see all the evidence for what it is and relate it to our own experiences, and as a result we draw such a different conclusion from the so-called "experts" with regard to the merits of low carb eating. Many, maybe even most of the diet gurus continue to march down that same old highway chanting their tired mantra of low fat/high carb/grains are great, all while totally ignoring or at least remaining oblivious to decades of increasing obesity rates that are the result of their recommendations. Do they never connect any dots or examine the evidence? In the popular media, it is a continual frustration to hear them continue to hawk diets full of the very foods that keep their patients overweight, increasingly diabetic and unhealthy. Virtually everything I come across that is not written within the low carb framework is jam packed with misinformation and downright untruths, proclaiming as desirable, healthy and effective the very approaches and strategies that were long ago shown to be just the opposite. Old habits and beliefs die hard, apparently.

So if you have already done a fair bit of reading on this subject and thirst for a deeper, more thorough knowledge and understanding of the history and actual body mechanics of low carb nutrition, then this is definitely a book you will want to read and enjoy. In addition, it provides you with a huge new database of ammunition with which to make your own case and defense of low carb nutrition! Overall a very fascinating, enlightening, comprehensive and well presented discussion that delves deeper than anything I have yet to come across in this field. Despite the rather high cost of this book, it is well worth owning.

237 of 247 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Low-Carb Science IS Mainstream--Will Our Culture Ever Catch Up? June 1, 2011

By Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

What do you get when you bring together two of most brilliant minds examining the science supporting carbohydrate restriction and its beneficial impact on weight and health? It's a dream team collaboration like nothing else that's ever been seen in the low-carb community and something that has been sorely needed to cut through the continued nonsense that still persists in our culture regarding low-carb diets despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. For Dr. Jeff Volek from The University of Connecticut and the legendary Dr. Stephen Phinney, this has actually been a personal passion of theirs for many years to share what they've seen first-hand in the study participants they have observed as well as in their own personal experimentations using a high-fat, moderate protein, low-carb diet. They are both already co-authors of the New York Times bestselling book The New Atkins For A New You released in 2010 which was geared more specifically to the general public updating the Atkins Nutritional Approach to fit more within the 21st Century.

But both Dr. Volek and Dr. Phinney realize in order for a patient to be successful at implementing a healthy low-carbohydrate lifestyle change into their own daily routine, they first need a competent and educated healthcare professional who is willing to learn, understand and embrace the basic principles that make this incredible way of eating so amazingly effective as a therapeutic means for treating obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and a whole myriad of diseases. That's why they decided to write a brand new book about it in 2011 that does just that. It's called The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide To Making The Life-Saving Benefits Of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable And Enjoyable and is arguably the most important low-carb book releasing this year!

The purpose of this book is really about three main things: giving the reader the proper historical perspective about low-carb diets, explaining why low-carb diets work the way they do in the body, and then showing actual clinical application of how low-carb diets can be used to treat patients. For the healthcare professional, the information contained within the pages of this invaluable 300-page book could radically revolutionize and transform the way they interact with patients transitioning from a pharmaceutically-based to a nutritionally-based mindset for treating chronic health issues such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and more. For the educated layperson, learning more about high-fat, low-carb diets from these top research investigators will bring about changes in their own weight and health that will then have a positive impact on their friends, family, and even their physicians. Then this book can become an outstanding book to be given to the interested healthcare professional who wants to learn more about why people get better eating a diet that includes saturated fat and is devoid of starchy and sugary carbohydrates. It's a life cycle that I'm sure both Dr. Volek and Dr. Phinney would love to see happen as this book is read, re-read, passed along, and highly recommended for people who are frustrated by the failure of the low-fat diet, something they address right away in the Introduction in their "Five Discords" section.

While obesity and diabetes has gotten increasingly worse and worse with the strong recommendations of a high-carb, low-fat diet, the evidence coming out in the world of science in recent years reveals there is no longer any controversy about low-carb diets-they "have now been resolved" as the authors put it. Now the grunt work of taking the proven science to the masses is the tricky part. It is all predicated on convincing the public that a low-fat diet is not healthy because it is too high in carbohydrate, educating why controlling the hormone insulin by restricting carbohydrates will eliminate hunger and burn stored body fat, revealing the fact that there is no scientific evidence tying saturated fat in the diet to heart disease risk, sharing the truth about what really raises saturated fat in the body (carbohydrates!), and reminding people that there is no such thing as a "one-size-fits all message" when it comes to a healthy lifestyle as the government, media and all the so-called health "experts" would have us believe. Dr. Volek and Dr. Phinney are using this book to "speak up" by releasing The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living.

The authors have taken every measure possible to insure the low-carb principles they share in this book will stand the test of time. It's why a low carbohydrate approach is considered a lifestyle change that's permanent and lasting-not just a diet. They have done this by examining three primary keys to making that happen: Safety, Individual Specificity, and Sustainability.

Dr. Volek and Dr. Phinney have over a half-century of research/clinical experience with low-carb diets using them on a variety of study participants/patients and they are "confident that a well-formulated low carbohydrate diet offers improved low-term health and well-being" for people who struggle on high-carb diets. Therefore, the safety question hasn't really been an issue because it's just not a relevant factor. Plus, the whole idea of "carbohydrate intolerance" is something that's rarely if ever discussed by mainstream conventional wisdom but it is arguably the biggest reason why people turn to low-carb diets to help them when everything else they've ever tried has failed. If there was a genuine problem over the safety of low-carb diets, wouldn't we be hearing about people experiencing these complications? That ain't happening.

Another concept that rarely gets any attention is the fact we are not robotic machines that operate in the same way. Humans are indeed unique, especially when it comes to how they respond to the foods they consume. The authors point out that anyone with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and/or diabetes already have carbohydrate intolerance and would be best fitted for a low-carb diet change. Otherwise, doing a low-fat diet is like "forcing a square peg into a round hole." Even more interesting is the observation that even if a low-fat diet is working for you now, your tolerance level for carbohydrates will inevitably get worse and worse as you age-so eventually pretty much everyone will need to start livin' la vida low-carb! This is why Dr. Volek and Dr. Phinney state that the Dietary Guidelines from the USDA need to have "a separate path from the `high-carb, low-fat' mantra."

As for the sustainability of a low-carb lifestyle change, the authors note that this is a "complex" issue that serves as the basis for why they wrote this book to begin with. The "casual approach" (as they describe it) to eating low-carb is what gets most people who try to do it in trouble and puts them on the inevitable if not predictable pathway to failure. You can't just cut your carbohydrates and expect to be eating what Dr. Volek and Dr. Phinney would define as a low-carb diet. They detail all that is involved with creating a "well-formulated low carbohydrate diet" that will last for a lifetime within the pages of this book. As they put it, "This topic is clearly more deserving of a book than a sound bite."

Some would say that a book about low-carb diets from a couple of low-carb researchers seems self-serving since they obviously have a vested interest in promoting a nutritional plan they've committed their careers to. But the authors address this by asking a simple yet poignant question:

"What is the proper response when three decades of debate about carbohydrate restriction have been largely one-sided and driven more by cultural bias than science?"

Indeed. And that's precisely what Dr. Volek and Dr. Phinney have done with The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living making a solid case for low-carb diets just as a defense attorney would argue a case before a judge and jury. The evidence is presented with appropriate citations of key scientific studies. Plus, the authors call on three key witnesses for special guest chapters to further embolden their arguments: Dr. Eric Kossoff to share how ketogenic diets are used in controlling seizures and other brain health issues, Jacqueline Eberstein who has experience working with patients using carbohydrate-restriction alongside the late, great Dr. Robert C. Atkins in his complementary medicine clinic in New York City for three decades, and me (Jimmy Moore) providing the unique perspective as a patient who discovered and thrived (losing 180 pounds and coming off of three prescription medications) on a low-carb diet despite the objections of those in the healthcare profession. By the time you make your way through this informative and practical book, you'll realize as the authors so succinctly state in their closing argument that "it just feels right" to be eating low-carb. The verdict? NOT GUILTY!

86 of 88 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, Unabridged, Hard-Hitting Nutrition Science May 28, 2011

By Shelley D. Schlender

Format:Paperback

This is a rigorous, detailed, technical, practical, and at the same time, often surprisingly witty book. The chapter on paleolithic diets persuasively argues that fat was a bigger part of them than most anthropologists realize. The section on how saturated fats track with overall health is intriguing, and the theories and observations provided about how low carb, high fat diets reduce inflammation and the stress of free radicals and oxidation is fascinating. So is the explanation for why someone on a low-carb diet may want to increase their intake of sodium and magnesium. Note that this book WILL be controversial. As the authors write, "If you want clear, unabridged, and hard-hitting nutrition science, buy this book. If you want the mainstream consensus view, put it down gently and tip-toe quietly away.