Tag Archives: books

When people ask me about low carb or Paleo/Primal, I find I recommend the same resources over and over. I decided to compile them, so I’d have a good place to send them for the details.

Blogs I highly recommend

The first two are written for the lay person. They present a fair amount of science, but they’re still strongly skewed toward a lay audience.

• Mark’s Daily Apple (The Primal Blueprint) — My favorite on a daily basis. For basics about the Primal Lifestyle, however, I think you’re better off reading his book.
• Robb Wolf (The Paleo Solution) — I find this one kind of hit or miss on a daily basis, but overall there are more hits than misses.

These next three blogs have a more science-heavy bent. I think they’re still (mostly) accessible to a lay audience, but they go into a lot more depth. DOn’t be scared off, though. The information is FANTASTIC.

• Gary Taubes
• Dr. Peter Attia: The War on Insulin
• Dr. Michael Eades

Blogs that are sometimes helpful

• Healthy Diets and Science — a compilation of scientific research that supports low carb dieting. I don’t always love how the person who runs the site summarizes the results, but the studies are fascinating. Includes links to the studies themselves, if you want to delve into nitty gritty.
• Chris the Kiwi — the guy behind “Athletic Greens.” Defnitely for the lay person. Not as good as Mark’s or Robb’s sites, but occasionally interesting.
• The 4-Hour Life — based on Tim Ferriss’s 4-Hour Body. Not all of that book agrees with Paleo/Primal, but there’s still some good info here. I *think* this site is written by a doctor.

Books

If you want an intro with lots of science but still written for a lay person:

• Why We Get Fat: And What To Do About It, by Gary Taubes
• Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes

If you want the in-depth science (written for doctors by doctors), this has become my BIBLE:

• The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable, by Drs. Stephen D. Phinney and Jeff S. Volek

Other books

These two outline the diet principles, but don’t delve exhaustively into the science behind obesity:

• The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy, by Mark Sisson
• The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet, by Robb Wolf and Loren Cordain Ph.D.

This one, again, doesn’t agree entirely with Paleo/Primal, but it has some AMAZING tips and tricks:

• The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman, by Timothy Ferriss

Finally, if you’re not interested in Paleo/Primal, but are still open to low carb, check out these two:

• The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle: The Simple Plan to Flatten Your Belly Fast!, by Drs. Michael R. Eades and Mary Dan Eades
• Protein Power: The High-Protein/Low-Carbohydrate Way to Lose Weight, Feel Fit, and Boost Your Health–in Just Weeks!, by Drs. Michael R. Eades and Mary Dan Eades