I realize that not everyone wants to read 10 books to figure out what to eat for dinner. But I found that the following books helped me wrap my mind around the science and the practice of a ketogenic way of eating. You might find all you need for free on the Internet, but books curate and organize information in a way that often makes more sense, at least to me.

My Top Picks for Ketogenic and Low-Carb Books

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

I think the title of this book neatly sums up the biggest diet issue: Sustainability and enjoyment are key issues for food and life. If we are miserable on our diets, we can’t stay on them. Not to mention (and this is important): Low-carb eating is not so much a diet as it is a long-term way of life. This book explains the science behind and the medical benefits of low-carb eating as a permanent lifestyle change.

Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health
Gary Taubes

Gary Taubes is not a doctor or a nutritionist; he is an award-winning New York Times science writer with a flare for storytelling, which made this a compelling read. I was especially stunned by the whole history of how our government-approved dietary recommendations came to be so wrong. The bottom line: According to this book, pretty much everything most people assume when they say, “I’m making healthier choices” is dead wrong. If you think you are “being good” when you choose low-fat over full-fat, eat oatmeal instead of bacon and eggs, or skip the prime rib in favor of skinless boneless chicken breast, you need a complete sea change in how you view food and health.

Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It
Gary Taubes

News flash: According to this book, we aren’t fat because we have no will power and are lazy; we are fat and don’t have any energy because we are suffering the consequences of a perfect storm. The combination of a predisposition to metabolic system and the standard western diet is a recipe for disaster — and largely responsible for the obesity epidemic. Taubes explains how being overweight is less a cause of disease, and more of a symptom of a metabolic syndrome gone awry. And he tells us what to do to change our metabolic fate.

by William Davis, MD

Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, Revised Edition
Robert Atkins M.D.

Low-carb eating is not new…. some say our paleolithic ancestors ate this way, and that it is high-carb grain-based eating (dating only several thousand years) that is new — and unsuited — to humans. That said, the Atkins diet brought low-carb eating into the popular lexicon in the 1970s, just as the “food pyramid” was gaining traction as the medical establishment’s diet of choice. Lambasted as faddish, unhealthy, and even dangerous, the Atkins diet was shot down again and again but somehow never died. Today, it is the foundation of most ketogenic diets. Atkins was not an opponent of sugar substitutes (which have since been shown to impact blood sugar and hence insulin levels because they activate the part of the brain that thinks “I’m getting sugar!”) Nor was he an opponent of processed foods. (The current Atkins corporation bought the name and sells processed foods, which I, and many others following a ketogenic way of life, avoid.) Atkins’s books were often publicized as permission to be as gluttonous as you wanted, as long as you were scarfing down steak and bacon and not potatoes and cake. My own version of ketogenic eating follows a more moderate of avoiding sugar substitutes, avoiding as many processed foods as possible, and limiting protein to reasonable sizes based on an individual’s weight, height, and activity levels. Nonetheless, Atkins’ books are the grand-parents of modern ketogenic thinking. This one has simple, clear explanations, easy science, and an encouraging “you-can-do-it” tone that millions of people have found inspiring.

The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss
by Jason Fung

Dr. Jason Fung is a nephrologist (nephrology refers to kidneys, which are frequently damaged or destroyed by diabetes. Diabetes is in turn associated with obesity). This book explores the relationship between insulin, carbs, blood sugar control, and obesity, and puts insulin resistance squarely at fault for most “diseases of civilization.” In addition to a ketogenic diet, Dr. Fung is a proponent of intermittent fasting. Quite frankly, fasting does not appeal to me. However, the 18-hour fasts that are a starting point (often running from an early dinner to late breakfast the next day) are something that seems to almost happen naturally and easily for me. Many mornings (including this one), I find myself on an 18-hour fast, whether intended or not. Even if you aren’t interested in fasting, this book offers clear explanations behind some of the science of low-carb eating and metabolic system disruption that occurs when the insulin cycle goes awry.