Top 14 Best Keto Books Updated 04 /2024

The Case for Keto: Rethinking Weight Control and the Science and Practice of Low-Carb, High-Fat Eating, by Gary Taubes

As someone who hasn't tried the keto diet, this book might give you the push to talk to a registered dietitian about how it works. Taubes, an investigative reporter, talks about why fad diets from the past don't work for most people, and why eating less and exercising more isn't always the best way to lose weight for many people.

Taubes talked to 100 current doctors who said that the keto diet kept their patients in good health. He also looked into why eating a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet could be so good for weight loss.

Still, going on a low-carb diet isn't always going to help you lose weight. A registered dietitian in Atlanta, Kristen Smith, says that the ketogenic diet can help some people lose weight and keep it off. "It's not for everyone," she says. "For some people, the ketogenic diet can be hard to stay on for a long time, so it doesn't work for long-term weight loss."

This book is a good way to think about the keto way of eating, but don't think of it as a how-to guide for following the plan.

Healthy Keto Air Fryer Cookbook: 100 Delicious Low-Carb and Fat-Burning Recipes, by Aaron Day

If you want to enjoy the ketogenic diet in a healthy way that still tastes good, get this cookbook. It has recipes for keto-friendly food that you can make in an air fryer.

Smith: "I love using air fryers to cook your food. I even own one myself." A lot of things are good for your health. Smith: "They allow you to cook recipes quickly while drastically cutting down on the amount of oil you use, which can help you cut down on calories and improve your health," he says. Plus, the American Heart Association doesn't think deep-frying is a good way to cook food, so air-frying is a good way to do it.

If you don't want to spend a lot of time making complicated keto-friendly meals or overdo it on cooking oils, this book might be right for you. It's full of recipes that you can make quickly, like chicken wings, fish, or roasted vegetables, and they're all low in fat.

The New Keto-Friendly South Beach Diet: Rev Your Metabolism and Improve Your Health With the Latest Science of Weight Loss, by Arthur Agatston, MD

South Beach is a diet that many people like. You don't have to give it up if you want to go on the keto diet. Basically, this South Beach Diet plan is based on the idea that good fats, healthy carbs, and high-quality protein are all important parts of a healthy diet. It's easier to follow than the traditional ketogenic diet.

That's what Abbey Sharp, RD, the creator of Abbey's Kitchen, tells people to do when they eat this way. Sharp says that high-fiber vegetables and plant-based sources of fat, like olive oil, avocados, and nuts, should be your main sources of fat.

 

There is a 28-day plan and 100 recipes that combine the South Beach and ketogenic eating styles. Even if you don't want to lose weight, the Mayo Clinic says that the South Beach diet is a healthy way to eat. It's also important to note that the South Beach diet doesn't allow many simple carbs like sugar, syrup, and baked goods made with white flour, the Mayo Clinic says.

Also, because Dr. Agatston is a doctor, the book has a little more credibility. Choose books written by health professionals who give practical advice and recipes, says Smith.

Anti-Inflammatory Keto Cookbook: 101 Recipes and a Two-Week Plan to Jump-Start Your Healing, by Molly Devine, RD

This is why it's important to pay attention to what you eat and how your body fights inflammation. A foreign object, like a virus, chemical, or pollen, causes your immune system to "fire up." This fires up your body's defenses, which causes inflammation. Some inflammation can be good for you, but too much of it can cause your body to hurt itself, which can cause diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. Some foods, like fatty fish and olive oil, can help fight off that long-term inflammation (though other keto-approved foods may cause inflammation, like red meat and lard).

It's important to choose foods that fight inflammation, even if you're on a keto diet. This is because chronic inflammation can be very bad for your health. It's not all bad news: There are a lot of things you can do to fight inflammation (and not creating it).

There are heart-healthy oils like canola oil and olive oil, as well as fish, that you can use in place of butter, Smith says. Make sure you choose fish that is rich in fat, like salmon and mackerel, Smith says.

Seared Citrus Scallops and Southwest Stuffed Peppers are two of the recipes in Devine's book. They are both anti-inflammatory and keto-friendly, so you can make them for your family, too! If you start the diet with her two-week meal plan and grocery list, it might be a little less difficult to do.

Keto Diet Hacks: 200 Shortcuts to Make the Keto Diet Fit Your Lifestyle, by Lindsay Boyers

While going on the keto diet sounds like a good idea in theory, it can be hard to keep it up because of all the rules. As someone who has tried to stay on a diet, Sharp says it's one of the most difficult.

If you want to make the diet easier to follow, Boyers's book has ideas for how to do that. For example, you can order your favorite burger at the drive-thru without the bun and sauce, or you can add butter to your morning coffee to get the fat you need.

While these tips may make your life less stressful, it’s important to carefully choose which hacks you decide to follow. The more processed foods you eat, the more likely you are to be full and lose weight, says Sharp. "But I don't think they are good for your health or good overall nutrition," he says.

It's better if you look for tricks that help you eat more good-for-you things. For example, a tip in the book says that you can freeze cooked cauliflower in muffin tins so that you can use it in your food right away.

Southern Keto: Beyond the Basics — Over 120 All American & International Recipes With More of the Comfort Food You Love, by Natasha Newton

You don't want to give up your favorite comfort foods, but you still want to eat healthy. Southern Keto is Newton's best-selling keto cookbook. Her new book, which comes with keto-friendly recipes for indulgent foods from all over the US and the world, is a follow-up. In this book, you'll find recipes for everything from chicken tacos to zucchini Parmesan to low-carb desserts.

If you're worried about whether foods that look like they're going to be bad for you are actually keto-friendly, there's good news: They can be. Smith: "With a few ingredient changes, you can still enjoy some of your favorite comfort foods," he says. In order to make comfort food without a specific keto recipe, Smith advises that you learn how to make simple substitutions like cauliflower for rice or potatoes. As Smith points out, "Almond flour can be used in place of wheat flour, allowing you to still enjoy baked cookies."

Keto Diet: Your 30-Day Plan to Lose Weight, Balance Hormones, Boost Brain Health, and Reverse Disease, by Josh Axe

In this book, Josh Axe, who is a naturopath, a nutritionist and a chiropractor, talks about the science behind the keto diet and why it works for some people. If you're looking for an easy way into the diet, this book might be right for you. "What I like about this book is that it comes with shopping lists, recipes, and lifestyle tips, as well as exercises." In the beginning, this might be a good place to start, says Hultin.

Even if you don't have any health problems and are about to start the ketogenic diet and exercise, you should still talk to your doctor and registered dietitian to make sure that the diet and exercise are safe for you, says the doctor.

Hultin also thinks Axe's 30-day plan is realistic because it gives your body enough time to adapt to the ketogenic diet and deal with some of the early symptoms you might have. When your body starts to adapt to the fat-burning state of ketosis, it can cause headache, muscle cramps, sluggishness, or constipation. These include the keto flu, which happens when your body gets used to the fat-burning state. These symptoms usually clear up within two weeks.

How does the plan work after you've been on it for 30 days? He says that people don't think about what comes after they go on a low-carb diet. You need to keep eating healthy after you try the 30-day plan, so you don't yo-yo and gain the weight back, she says. When you eat a lot of carbs, you might have a lot of changes in your electrolytes and fluids, which can be dangerous. You should work with a dietitian to make sure this doesn't happen.

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