Book Nook - Living Low Carb

Living Low Carb - Revised Edition by Jonny Bowden:




The more I read about low-carb diets, and the more I attempt to eat low-carb, the more I am convinced that it's the best way to eat.  The problem is, it's so hard to do.  In our society, we are bombarded by the bad stuff - it seems that every get-together has at least a dessert or two; every program on TV has ads for processed food; every major intersection has your pick of fast food restaurants.  I find it beneficial to keep reading and re-reading so that I'm armed with knowledge, which gives me the will-power to say no those temptations.

I really enjoyed Jonny Bowden's book because he is not trying to promote his own low-carb regiment.  Rather, he looks at low-carb from an overall perspective.  There are chapters on why low-carb diets work, fat, cholesterol & health, myths about low-carb and a really helpful Q&A section.    After reading these chapters, you might find yourself excited to give low-carb a chance.  This is where the author's analysis of 38 popular low-carb diets comes in handy - it's a great guide on where to start with low-carb.  I never knew there were so many different programs out there, and I found it really interesting to read about them and figure out which ones might work best for me.  I came away with the titles of several books that I want to look into.

The book is full of great stuff: tips on how to succeed, reasons you might experience a plateau (and what to do about it), treating yourself with non-food treats and such.  I love his low-carb life pyramid, which has joy as one of the items at the base (along with water, exercise and sleep).  This whole-system approach is so important in our well-being, and it's the approach that Bowden hits on time and time again.

In fact, just following Bowden's life pyramid is a good way to enjoy optimal health: the next level up after the base is protein, veggies and fat; the one above that is fruit and nuts, followed by nutritonal supplements.  His "optional" levels of the pyramid, the top levels, are starches and whole grains, then alcohol, then at the top, recreational foods.  You can follow any of the 38 low-carb diets he outlined earlier in the book, but for me, this is where my focus is going to lie: drastically reducing the junk, eating healthy low-carb foods, and looking at it from a holistic point of view.  If I can do that, surely I can get healthy!

I also wanted to mention that in the back of the book, there's a section on resources and support - websites, books to check out & recommended cookbooks.  There are so many great titles and topics here, that even just these few pages hold a wealth of information.

-Cheryl