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may_m_mountain's review against another edition
5.0
This book helped me find foods that made me feel well, and launched an eating pattern (mostly low-carb plus slow carbohydrates esp. beans) that greatly reduced my hypoglycemia symptoms.
msrxlady's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting diet perspective and some good review of metabolism.
Merged review:
Interesting diet perspective and some good review of metabolism.
Merged review:
Interesting diet perspective and some good review of metabolism.
trayceebee's review against another edition
4.0
VERY interesting concept--I really wanted to try making this change in my eating habits, but a) I'm so afraid, after being told for years and years that fat is bad and I need to count calories, and b) my family didn't seem very jazzed about me making a complete overhaul in our eating as a unit.... I'm not sure I could make that change on my own, without making the change for everyone in the house. Maybe in a few years, I'll revisit this idea!
maxstone98's review against another edition
4.0
The best thing about this book is that it is by David Ludwig, who is an extremely talented and accomplished researcher in the field. So unlike most other books with similar messages (basically low carb), I didn't have any worry that he was showcasing poor quality studies to make a point (studies that weren't peer reviewed, or didn't have appropriate controls, or sufficient sample sizes, etc). Which for me made a world of difference since whenever I am reading a book by guru X, I basically never know how much to believe the science behind it.
The second best thing about this book, for me, was that it felt balanced. Sure he has a point of view, but on a lot of topics he goes over the evidence and basically comes down in the middle (saturated fat, for example). Or on various things that he thinks aren't great, he isn't absolute about zero of it being consumed. On that note, I particularly liked the sections about how much of each broad required nutrient category (carb/protein/fat) we need, the basic message being that the body was extremely flexible and hence accommodated both meat/fat heavy Inuit diets and nearly the opposite diets in other cultures and times.
On the negative side, I thought the book couldn't quite decide whether it wanted to be a scientific description or a popular diet book. Mostly I thought it straddled those lines well (e.g. both good looking recipes and some science being the claims) but on the negative side there were very frequent customer testimonials sprinkled throughout the pages, always accompanied by the number of pounds and inches around the waist that person had lost, and that gave it an "infomercial" feel that I found jarring and I thought detracted from the book. I'd love to see those gone in a second edition.
On a minor note, I thought the very beginning of the book had an vibe of "you'll never believe this new finding: it isn't fat that makes you fat!" which might have been a reasonable way to start a book on this topic 20 years ago, but currently that view is so mainstream, at least among the population of people that will buy this book, that it just seemed weird and dated.
The second best thing about this book, for me, was that it felt balanced. Sure he has a point of view, but on a lot of topics he goes over the evidence and basically comes down in the middle (saturated fat, for example). Or on various things that he thinks aren't great, he isn't absolute about zero of it being consumed. On that note, I particularly liked the sections about how much of each broad required nutrient category (carb/protein/fat) we need, the basic message being that the body was extremely flexible and hence accommodated both meat/fat heavy Inuit diets and nearly the opposite diets in other cultures and times.
On the negative side, I thought the book couldn't quite decide whether it wanted to be a scientific description or a popular diet book. Mostly I thought it straddled those lines well (e.g. both good looking recipes and some science being the claims) but on the negative side there were very frequent customer testimonials sprinkled throughout the pages, always accompanied by the number of pounds and inches around the waist that person had lost, and that gave it an "infomercial" feel that I found jarring and I thought detracted from the book. I'd love to see those gone in a second edition.
On a minor note, I thought the very beginning of the book had an vibe of "you'll never believe this new finding: it isn't fat that makes you fat!" which might have been a reasonable way to start a book on this topic 20 years ago, but currently that view is so mainstream, at least among the population of people that will buy this book, that it just seemed weird and dated.
fufina's review
4.0
Read quite a few reviews and decided to purchase the book. Ate a banana and headed out the door for a 4+ mile run with a handful of walnuts for I understood the basics of staying away from carbs during first few weeks. Listened to two podcast interviews with Dr. Ludwig while running and making breakfast. Came back made egg, veggie and cheese omelet. Stopped eating when full. Then at lunch followed the basics with protein, lentil salad, and regular salad but no obvious carbs (pasta, grains, etc) that I normally threw in off of buffet bar. Lentils are carbs but also protein so figured it passed muster. It's now an hour past dinner time and I just realized I haven't been starving for dinner. Well, Day One and it appears to be working.
Going to continue on reading and applying.
Going to continue on reading and applying.
laurenpedersen's review against another edition
4.0
Possibly 4.5 stars. I haven’t tackled this food program for weight management yet but I am highly intrigued. The science and arguments seem biologically sound and reasonable to achieve as compared to extreme fad diets. I listened to the audiobook but if I intend to commit to this program, I will likely want to purchase a copy of the book for reference to recipes and tables.