When I decided he wanted to lose weight, I found that keto just made sense, but there was still a learning curve.
Reading books is a great place to start when learning the keto ropes. Books can provide details about how things work and why, plus many books share real-life stories and experiences. Hearing about what others are going through, especially when you’re going through similar things, can be both comforting and inspiring.
Learning what you need to do is essential for success and is always the first place to start. Then once you’ve gotten that down, it can be informative—and even fun—to figure out the how. If you’re just beginning your keto journey, you’ll find plenty of good keto books. Miriam and I have read countless books that have been helpful.
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Our Favorites
Our favorites, in order of containing basic information to more in depth, include the following:
- Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It by Gary Taubes
- End Your Carb Confusion: A Simple Guide to Customize Your Carb Intake for Optimal Health by Eric Westman and Amy Berger
- The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz
Stay Informed
Gathering good information can help us make better decisions about how we live, so reading books can be incredibly valuable as you focus on making lifestyle changes. I actually credit The Big Fat Surprise with helping me want to commit to keto eating for life. Miriam enjoyed that book too. Teicholz talks a lot about history, who came up with different diet theories, and why we do the things we do—super cool stuff!
Of course, we live in a world of information—sometimes too much information. When you’re learning about something new, it’s easy to be bombarded with false information, so finding credible sources is critical. We’re always on the lookout for new research by Dr. Benjamin Bikman, who is recognized for his work as a diabetes and obesity scientist.
I also like the work of Amy Berger and Eric Westman; they’re extremely clear and take the time to explain concepts in a fantastic way. Conveniently, they wrote End Your Carb Confusion together!
Miriam follows Amy Berger, a researcher/nutritionist who has a simple chill attitude but tells it like it is. She’s not flowery, and she always has resources to back up what she says.
She also questions even the simplest keto information, which helps us figure out a sustainable way of keto because no one is perfect all the time, right? If you follow her blog, (as well as the blogs she writes for us at Keto Chow) she shares research and posts videos to keep people informed and up-to-date.
Cookbooks
Miriam is also a recipe book enthusiast. She enjoys exploring different ways to cook keto. Top on her list of recipe books include:
- Keto for the Holidays: 53 Scrumptious, Fat-Burning Recipes So You Can Thrive on Delicious Keto Food Through the Holidays by Carrie Brown
- The Keto Ice Cream Scoop: 52 Amazingly Delicious Ice Creams and Frozen Treats for Your Low-Carb High-Fat Life by Carrie Brown
- The 30-Day Ketogenic Cleanse: Reset Your Metabolism with 160 Tasty Whole-Food Recipes & a Guided Meal Plan by Maria Emmerich
- Dairy Free Keto Cooking: A Nutritional Approach to Restoring Health and Wellness with 160 Squeaky-Clean L ow-Carb, High-Fat Recipes by Kyndra Holley
The knowledge we gain through books is incredibly useful; it can be especially helpful when Aunt Martha or Uncle George start pestering us about our “dangerous” way of eating. (Funny, they didn’t have a problem with us eating an entire package of Oreos. . . .) But seriously, learning all we can about keto has made a huge difference in our keto journey. So pick up a good keto book and join us!
Other Suggestions on Our List
- The Salt Fix: Why the Experts Got It All Wrong—and How Eating More Might Save Your Life by Dr. James DiNicolantonio
- Keto: The Complete Guide to Success on the Ketogenic Diet, Including Simplified Science and No-Cook Meal Plans by Maria and Craig Emmerich
- Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health by Gary Taubes
- Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease—and How to Fight It by Benjamin Bikman
- The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung
To Conclude
There are plenty of other sources of keto information besides books. You can find websites, YouTube videos, and social media posts containing loads of material about keto. Tread carefully; remember everything online isn’t always accurate. We’ve found the keto subreddit to be a surprisingly good source of information, particularly the FAQ thread.
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