The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance

I am 69 years old and looking to race an ironman. I know that I cannot train at the level I want to achieve the result I want. I cannot recover fast enough or train long enough. My first goal is to run a good for age time for a marathon to get an automatic place in the London marathon. I have been looking at the low carb diet as a possible way of achieving this. This book answered all the questions I was asking about LOCHF and now I feel ready to try it out. So with LOCHF I start my journey to ironman wish me luck.

Where to begin, Giving bad reviews is not something I enjoy but alas , I’ll attempt to argue my points against this book using other doctors and physicians knowledge from previous books.But first let me state that I’m not against low carb, I actually advocate for it.I’ll split this review into sections to make it easier for you to to jump to parts that are relevant.a) contradicting scienceb) book read : was is easy/difficult to readC) wrong advice & informationD) my bias conclusionA) There is contradicting science in this book. For example, as you can see from the photos (on page 59) it’s stating ASPARTAME as an alternative to Sugar because it has zero carbs. Ok, lets take a little step back.The whole reason we restrict carbs or lower them, as mentioned in several other books and this book( see photos page 10, 68 ) , is because we want to lower insulin.INSULIN: Is the barrier preventing us access to our fat for fuel.⛽️The lower the insulin (barrier) the easier it is to tap into the fat Storage/tank.So what has this to do with Aspartame? Apart from it being a contributor to brain degeneration ( can cause memory loss and Alzheimer’s ) it Also triggers an insulin response in the body ( read the obesity code ~ jason fung).So following this scary advice, we would essentially be leaving our bodies in a Carb burning state ( high insulin) with no access to Fats as fuel all whilst depriving the body of sufficient Carbohydrate for fuel. Basically you’re starving yourself but now with added toxins ( aspartame) in your brain. 🧠This is the very opposite of what a low Carbohydrate diet sets out to achieve. Ketogenesis which comes from low carb diet or naturally produced because of healthy fasting, ALLOWS our bodies to access the fats for fuel because the barrier ( insulin) has now been lowered. This all tells me, that the authors of this book are just reiterating the low carb diet without sufficient knowledge or fully understanding how the mechanisms of the human body work in accordance to the effects of foreign substances (aspartame).B) This book was not an easy read although containing very few pages. It reads more like a Science academic book than something trying to explain what the whole ketogenic/ low carb lifestyle is about to the general public.The summaries of each chapter are weirdly placed at the beginning of every chapter instead of the rear ( see photos page 79)Also there was a sense of lack of confidence, they were not firm with their ideologies but instead, used sentences and words like : You could probably try this or that.As a reader I want affirmation. I have no time to waste on experimenting on myself like a guinea pig. This is the job of YOU as doctors & scientists to provide us readers, with the solutions, if you expect us to buy a book with our money. This book has failed to address this.C) Wrong advice & information: To add insult to injury, they are classifying mushrooms as a vegetable ( see photo page 58). I know generally speaking, we classify them as vegetables, but this book snobbishly attempts to make it self clever by stating that tomatoes 🍅 are fruits ( which is true) but then does the atrocity of classifying something from the Fungi kingdom 🍄 as a vegetable. Epic fail !It also states to take bullion cubes as an easy solution ( see page 81) to cooking , but they lack the understanding that also these manufactured bullion cubes contain artificial ingredients, additives, preservatives and sometimes sugar that contribute to triggering an insulin response.This takes us back to section’s A,B and makes me question the accuracy of the information provided in this book.D) my bias conclusion:Why haven’t I rated this book 1 star then? Because this book at least provides us with real life testimonies and stories of people who have made it.But in all sincerity, this book lacks in what others have to provide. It being a book about Athletic low carbohydrate performance DOES NOT once mentioned how to DEAL with the transitional phase of the body switching over from Carbohydrates as a source of fuel to fats. They briefly mention keto adaptation but never HOW TO DEAL with it. I think that this is the most critical point not mentioned in this book.Personal Back story: When I first attempted a low carbohydrate diet, I was cycling on my bike and could not do 12 miles ( I usually do 30 miles with ease) because my body had no carbs to burn and still had a high barrier (insulin) preventing me access to my fats for fuel. After that ride, I quit the diet and said to my self that low carb was not for me.Not until I read books that explained this critical transitional period , did I then comprehend that I had to take things steadily during this transitional phase.( note to the dvanced nutritionists: I’m fully aware of the glycogenesis and liver producing glucose even if I have not eaten carbs. But there was just not enough to sustain my high rhythm of cycling and therefore “ bonked”.A low carb diet is not about committing carb deprivation on one’s self, but about lowering the barrier (insulin).I’d recommend reading other books on the topic such as ( the obesity code ~ Jason Fung) or ( the fast diet~ Dr michael Mosley) but highly recommend the former for it’s ease of writing style and vast amounts of knowledge.Only after having read those books, would I then recommend reading this book for the useful minuscule nuggets of information found between the lines.

If you are serious about Ketogenic Living and proactively involved in frequent and intensive exercise routines, then don’t hesitate and enhance your understanding and knowledge of Ketogenic Dieting.I would recommend reading their other publishing first: The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living

This excellent book provides many practical suggestions to support leading a physically active life on a low carbohydrate diet. The information is presented in a clear manner that makes following those suggestions a simple task. For example, purchasing ketone strips for straightforward self-testing. I particularly found the sections on fat and protein percentages to be a very useful reminder that some dietary supplements are incompatible with the goals of low carb performance. Recommended.

Perfect companion to The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable!I can only repeat what I've said about the book listed above.Having been interested in the topic of "how does food intake relate to physical health and optimum body chemistry" for more than a quarter of a century now (Yes! 28 years+ to date, to be precise!) both my husband Gordon Kay and I would without hesitation recommend this book (and its twin!) since following the preachings and lessons therein has led to a total change of our eating habits with amazing results to both of us. We thought we were already in "pretty good nick" (something which was confirmed by a full medical with full blood works during the summer of 2013) but we decided to switch to the "ketogenic Diet" for at least 6 months to see what it would do to our bodies and our wellbeing in general. All we can say from a personal point of view - and I do speak for my husband too - is that we have never felt healthier! Considering that we were already on top of the world before, I suppose that's put us now out there, in the stratosphere-of-good-health!Although perhaps a trifle "scientific" for the ordinary lay-person, the book perfectly complements its companion, and for anybody who is interested in a more technical explanation behind it all, the book will be a didactic eye-opener.With all the material that is nowadays availabe to help us on the way to optimum health, the teachings in these books have most certainly had a tremendous impact on our wellbeing and anyone seriously considering a change of lifestyle toward improved wellbeing can only benefit from them.Smiles, Emm :) :)Illustrator of  Provost: The Unfinished Manuscript

Great read! Quite technical in its explanations but very informative. I've been reading everything I can find since starting the Keto diet to help keep cancer away and lose weight and this book is invaluable. Highly recommend!!

I found this useful. I learnt some things i didnt know, but for me the recipe section wasn't needed. I dont find that using dairy that much is helpful. I still gave it 5 stars based on the rest of the book, and it will be especially useful to someone who is at the beginning stages of learning about this diet.