My Recommended Books
This is a short list of books that I have read and listened to (some were audiobooks) to learn and heal myself after I left the hospital when I had my stroke, and in fact, reading, learning and following the written text helped me heal!
When I was in the hospital, the neurologist came to see me. I asked him one question: why did this happen to me. To my surprise he responded - I don't know. He later came and gave me his information so that I should go to his clinic after my release from the hospital. I decided - NO WAY! If he, a neurologist, cannot give me an answer to why I had a stroke, I embarked in a mission to find the answer. Through my research I watched movies about the ketogenic diet, read books, listened to audiobooks and heard lectures from doctors on YouTube who are willing to share from their knowledge to people like me. Below is the list of books that I used to learn about the reason for my stroke - and I must say - I definitely found the answer to my question - Why? Because my body wasn't a fat burning machine... (All the reviews are taken from their respective pages in Amazon and I do not get any commission from linking to those pages).
Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD
Renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, blows the lid off a topic that's been buried in medical literature for far too long: carbs are destroying your brain. And not just unhealthy carbs, but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more. Dr. Perlmutter explains what happens when the brain encounters common ingredients in your daily bread and fruit bowls, why your brain thrives on fat and cholesterol, and how you can spur the growth of new brain cells at any age. He offers an in-depth look at how we can take control of our "smart genes" through specific dietary choices and lifestyle habits, demonstrating how to remedy our most feared maladies without drugs. With a revolutionary 4-week plan, GRAIN BRAIN teaches us how we can reprogram our genetic destiny for the better.
The Great Cholesterol Myth by Jonny Bowden (Author), Stephen Sinatra (Author), Deirdre Rawlings (Author)
Heart disease is the #1 killer. However, traditional heart disease protocols--with their emphasis on lowering cholesterol--have it all wrong. Emerging science is showing that cholesterol levels are a poor predictor of heart disease and that standard prescriptions for lowering it, such as ineffective low-fat/high-carb diets and serious, side-effect-causing statin drugs, obscure the real causes of heart disease. Even doctors at leading institutions have been misled for years based on creative reporting of research results from pharmaceutical companies intent on supporting the $31-billion-a-year cholesterol-lowering drug industry.
The Great Cholesterol Myth Now Includes 100 Recipes for Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease reveals the real culprits of heart disease, including: Inflammation, Fibrinogen, Triglycerides, Homocysteine, Belly fat, Triglyceride to HCL ratios, High glycemic levels, and offers 100 recipes that will help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Bestselling health authors Jonny Bowden, Ph.D. and Stephen Sinatra, M.D. give readers a 4-part strategy based on the latest studies and clinical findings for effectively preventing, managing, and reversing heart disease, focusing on diet, exercise, supplements, and stress and anger management. Then enjoy delicious, heart-healthy meals from nutritionist Deirdre Rawlings, Ph.D., N.D.
The Low Carbohydrate Living and Low Carbohydrate Performance by Jeff S. Volek PDF, RD and Stephen S. Phinney, MD PHD
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.
Good Calories Bad Calories and Why we get fat by Gary Taubes
For decades we have been taught that fat is bad for us, carbohydrates better, and that the key to a healthy weight is eating less and exercising more. Yet despite this advice, we have seen unprecedented epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Taubes argues that the problem lies in refined carbohydrates, like white flour, easily digested starches, and sugars, and that the key to good health is the kind of calories we take in, not the number.
Called “a very important book,” by Andrew Weil and …” destined to change the way we think about food,” by Michael Pollan, this groundbreaking book by award-winning science writer Gary Taubes shows us that almost everything we believe about the nature of a healthy diet is wrong.
The New Atkins for a New You by Eric C. Westman (Author), Stephen D. Phinney (Author), Jeff S. Volek (Author)
Think you know the Atkins Diet? Think Again. The New Atkins is...
Powerful: Learn how to eat the wholesome foods that will turn your body into an amazing fat-burning machine.
Easy: The updated and simplified program was created with you and your goals in mind.
Healthy: Atkins is about eating delicious and healthy food -- a variety of protein, leafy greens and other vegetables, nuts, fruits, and whole grains.
Flexible: Perfect for busy lifestyles: you can stick with Atkins at work, at home, on vacation, when you're eating out -- wherever you are.
Backed by Science: More than 50 studies support the low-carb science behind Atkins.
But Atkins is more than just a diet. This healthy lifestyle focuses on maintenance from Day 1, ensuring that you'll not only take the weight off -- you'll keep it off for good. Featuring inspiring success stories, all-new recipes, and 24 weeks' worth of meal plans, The New Atkins for a New You offers the proven low-carb plan that has worked for millions, now totally updated and even easier than ever.
The Real Meal Revolution by Tim Noakes (Author), Jonno Proudfoot (Author), Sally-Ann Creed (Author)
'Scientists labeled fat the enemy . . . they were wrong.' Time magazine
We've been told for years that eating fat is bad for us, that it is a primary cause of high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity. The Real Meal Revolution debunks this lie and shows us the way back to restored health through eating what human beings are meant to eat.
This book will radically transform your life by showing you clearly, and easily, how to take control of not just your weight, but your overall health, too - through what you eat. And you can eat meat, seafood, eggs, cheese, butter, nuts . . . often the first things to be prohibited or severely restricted on most diets. This is Banting, or Low-Carb, High-Fat (LCHF) eating, for a new generation, solidly underpinned by years of scientific research and by now incontrovertible evidence.
This extraordinary book, already a phenomenal bestseller, overturns the conventional dietary wisdom of recent decades that placed carbohydrates at the base of the supposedly healthy-eating pyramid and that has led directly to a worldwide epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Both a startling revelation, and as old as humanity itself, it offers a truly revolutionary approach to healthy eating that explodes the myth, among others, that cholesterol is bad for us.
This is emphatically not just another unsustainable, quick-fix diet or a fad waiting to be forgotten, but a long-delayed return to the way human beings are supposed to eat.