How Not to Get Sick: A Cookbook and Guide to Prevent and Reverse Insulin Resistance, Lose Weight, and Fight Chronic Disease

by Benjamin Bikman, Diana Keuilian

Prevent illness, reach your ideal weight, and feel better than ever with the ultimate cookbook and lifestyle guide companion to Why We Get Sick, from internationally renowned scientist Benjamin Bikman and fitness coach and recipe developer Diana Keuilian

With his breakout book Why We Get Sick, Benjamin Bikman helped thousands of people to understand insulin resistance: what it is, why it happens, how it affects nearly every system in our bodies.

Now, in this companion guide featuring 70 low-carb and keto-friendly recipes, Bikman has teamed up with the fitness expert and recipe developer Diana Keuilian to help the nearly 9 in 10 American adults affected with insulin resistance. Together, they  translate the latest research into actionable, easy-to-follow steps. You can make dramatic improvements in your insulin sensitivity, resist chronic illness, attain a healthy weight, and improve your energy.

In part one, learn how to assess your health with regards to insulin resistance and understand the science. In part two, discover a three-pronged approach to reversing insulin resistance or maintaining insulin sensitivity. And in part three, get the tools to put the plan into action, with exercise, meal plans for intermittent fasting, and healthful recipes that the whole family will love, including:

• BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
• Mediterranean Turkey Bowls
• Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
• Meatzza Pizza
• Crispy Sweet Mongolian Beef
• Adobo Braised Mushroom Tacos
• Sizzling Crab Cakes
• Vegetarian White Garlic Lasagna
• Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks
• Frosted Fudge Brownies
• Iced Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Illustrated with stunning full-color photography and chock-full of knowledge and encouragement, How Not to Get Sick is an essential resource for healthy living.

Genres: Health, Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, Medical, Nutrition

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2024

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Not to Get Sick is a brand-new book covering a scientistic approach to getting better health. Insulin resistance is something most of us are affect by. Only about 12% of people are in the healthy range in all metrics. The metrics included was waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, and two blood lipid measurements. In the book, they explored how to improve people’s health. They looked at the benefits to fasting and when you should fast. They explained how to prioritize protein, eating fats, and carbs and what kind to eat. They looked at movement and how much we should be moving regularly. The included a few exercises and pictures explaining the moves. The book covered sleep and how critical it is to sleep and how a lack of just two days can spike your insulin levels. The book contains a few different reverse meal plans. There is even a recipe section. Some of these included, spiced butter chicken, chicken alfredo spaghetti bake, grilled Sunday steak, creamy garlic shrimp, peanut butter chocolate layered mousse, sweet and salty dessert bark, strawberry cheesecake smoothie, and much more.



I would recommend this awesome book on tips and techniques to combat insulin and becoming insulin resistance. The book is very insightful on learning how to control our glucose. I immensely liked the healthy version of new favorites recipes and they seem like they will assist you in your overall health. It was very shocking to read how many of us are failing in the metrics and I’m including myself. This is very well researched and if you follow along and put in work and effort you can being to see positive changes.

[Carol Bakker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The winsome Dr. Bikman has written a practical guide to complement his excellent best-seller, Why We Get Sick.

His two-pronged approach to reversing insulin resistance is:
1. Lower insulin
2. Lower energy (calories)

Yes, you say, but how? Lower your carbs and you'll lower insulin. Fast and you'll lower energy. Of course, it's not that simplistic: exercise, stress, and sleep all have major roles in this drama.

Funny!! Bringing a pitcher of water to a potluck won't win you any friends.

Some takeaways which provoke me to think and dig deeper:

>> (directly opposed to other fasting gurus) What you eat is more important that when you eat. [I was minorly disappointed that, without declaring itself such, this is another KETO cookbook.]

>> How you end a fast matters more than how long you fast (focus on protein and fat)

>> Who knew? A 2016 trial pitted the classic (low-fat) DASH diet to a high-fat version of the DASH diet. Guess which one outperformed the other? Yep, the high-fat one!!

>> Every diet in the world includes drinking a LOT of water. Bikman explains that underhydration (not dehydration, but close) is a foundational feature of poor metabolic health. Insulin resistance is among the strongest predictors of being underhydrated.

>> Too *little* salt can *cause* insulin resistance.

>> All the sweet recipes include Swerve (erythritol). At this point in my life, I trend towards eliminating sugar substitutes in my diet; having a very occasional treat with real sugar.

I have great respect for Dr. Bikman's work on insulin resistance; I'd unreservedly recommend his first book, Why We Get Sick.

[Isabel Hinen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded down. I more so flipped through it for the recipes (which weren’t great honestly). As far as the “science” they were preaching, I’m really skeptical of anything and everything these days. I DO believe that the low-fat push was always a scam, my family has always eaten full-fat everything and were extremely healthy. “Too much fat” has never been the real problem with our diets. But this new trend of cutting out carbs to the extreme, I’m not really on board with either. Yes we should all be eating fewer carbs than what we have been as a culture. Carbs should not be the main event of our meals. But am I going to sub almond flour for regular flour (when I can just choose to eat fewer baked goods and enjoy the real thing when I do have a baked good)? No. Am I going to refuse to eat apples and bananas and pineapple because they are “high sugar” fruits? NO. An apple is always going to be better than a bowl of Mac and cheese.

Anyway, rant over, let’s move on with our lives and stop pushing everything to the extreme!

[Zoë Sapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg this was so interesting to learn about.

[Sariah Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buying this. All the things you need and the recipes look to die for!

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you BenBella Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This book has a lot of health and wellness as well as exercise information, but the recipe section was not what I was expecting. It has many meat and dairy recipes, which felt disjointed from the health and wellness section. It was an ok read for me.

[Padmajha [PJ] Me and My Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book serves as a focused guide for individuals dealing with insulin resistance, offering not only a clear explanation of the condition but also practical strategies to help reverse or manage it. It begins with an accessible breakdown of insulin’s role in the body, how to get tested for resistance, and the lifestyle factors—such as sleep, exercise, stress, and nutrition—that influence insulin sensitivity.
The strength of this book lies in its holistic approach to health within the context of insulin resistance. It covers everything from the importance of quality sleep (highlighting how just two days of poor sleep can spike insulin levels) to the benefits of fasting and choosing the right kinds of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. The inclusion of step-by-step exercise instructions and a movement plan adds further practical value.
I felt that some of the information was repeated, which made parts of the book a bit tedious to read.
The recipe section—featuring around 70 low-carb, keto-friendly dishes—is another highlight. These recipes are simple, satisfying, and generally easy to follow. The only thing that could have made this book even better would be the inclusion of more vegetarian recipes, which would broaden its appeal and make it more accessible to a wider range of readers.
The reverse meal plans and food lists (helpful vs. harmful foods) also make it easier to implement the advice in everyday life.
However, this book is targeted at a specific audience. It is not a general wellness guide, as the title may suggest, but rather a resource for those navigating insulin resistance and its related conditions. It includes important disclaimers recommending that individuals on medication consult with their healthcare provider before adopting the suggested plans.
Additionally, those with other health conditions or those seeking a more balanced, long-term diet may want to exercise caution before following a high-protein, low-carb regimen. It's always a good idea to check with your doctor before beginning any new diet plan.
Overall, this is a useful, well-structured resource for anyone looking to understand insulin resistance and take actionable steps toward improving their metabolic health.

[Adrianna Heaney-velu · Rating 4 out of 5]

“How Not to Get Sick,” by Diana Kevilian

I did like this book and there was a lot of good information, but I didn’t realize it was just for insulin resistance and I hoped the title of the book would have made it clear by being in it. There were a few inconsistencies like how it’s unhealthy to skip breakfast but during the fasting section is said to skip breakfast or dinner. The author does repeat the same information several times in the next sentence, and it got a little tedious. Other than that, it was a good book. I have a bunch of recipes and workout ideas that looked good and useful. The recipes looked like they weren’t too complicated, and I will be using them. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

[Sam Stoddard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and BenBella books for this E-ARC.

It is so extremely interesting how we work out, do our health care routine, take care of our outside body. But we really don’t know that much about what we eat.

Growing up in Sweden and then moving to America was weird. The things that are allowed to be in American food versus what is banned in most other countries is wild.

I have just changed my eating habits to being vegan. There was mostly meat recipes in this book but I will be trying them without the meat for sure.

[Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads.com in exchange for an honest review. I liked that this book “had it all”- background information, exercises and recipes with pictures. There was a lot of good background information in this book. However, some of the exercises may be more than challenging for older adults (like me). The recipes were made gluten free - using coconut flour and almond flour. Recipes used granulated sugar substitute (which they talked about in the background) as well as other items that I’m not sure where I would purchase.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information, wish for small changes

4.5 stars, rounding down to four.
I like that this one went back over some basic information that was included in the first book. Mostly I loved that this book included some basic recipes that can then be expanded on.
I do wish more of the recipes could have been dairy free or dairy light, but others of them could easily have some substitutions made without changing it too much.
The food list at the end was interesting, though I disagree a
with some of the foods in some of the categories.
Overall, great read with good information.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great follow up on the first book, Why We Get Sick. Includes just enough of the detailed scientific theory to understand the changes and recommendations they give, while also giving very concrete suggestions. Also the recipes look very appetizing and not nearly as intimidating as many of the health-conscious recipe books I’ve encountered.

[Rachel Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the beginning of the book very much but the recipes had me scratching my head. I don't do dairy, so that was part of it, but it seemed like so much alternative sugars in the recipes. I try not to eat those either

[Haley Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally feel motivated to try intermittent fasting now! This would be a good companion read with glucose goddess. I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet but I saved a few that looked good!

[Nick Salenga · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book on how to prevent chronic disease, reach your ideal weight, & feel better than ever.

[Lynn Zoia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this here, and it's a good one! More a lifestyle book with recipes than the cookbook it sounded like. But good combo of exercises, recipes and tips on keeping healthy.

[Daa_of_night · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three recipes successfully followed, tastiness achieved. I knew much of the information already, but this is a fantastic compilation of the data... AND OPTIONS!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy the technical health information as well as how to advice for dietary changes and the recipes.

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first part of the book.

[Elsbeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s helping me on my healing journey.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Bikman‘s first book, this basically all boils down to insulin levels for him and it’s mostly a low-carb and keto book with some stuff thrown in about exercise and sleep and such. It felt very light to me. There was nothing I didn’t already know (though I read a lot of health and nutrition books) and he focuses solely on insulin levels.

It’s annoying for me to have just finished a book about gut health and how important various prebiotic and postbiotic foods are, and then there’s no word about these things here and it’s totally different foods that are dangerous or vital. This is true for all of these books on any other topic too — how important it is to eat at least 30 different plant foods a week for gut diversity according to three other books I’ve read recently and neither author said a word about these.

Anyway, this is more of his first book and then a short cookbook section with decadent low carb recipes featuring lots of meat and dairy and keto sweeteners. There are photos and nutritional information for those recipes.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.

[Dave Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really helpful book. I was mainly interested in learning more about Insulin Resistance, which is the root cause of so many illnesses. And while Insulin Resistance was addressed, I think it could have gone further. From the readings, I don't recall much mention about Glycemic Index, with charts listing foods in the Low-Medium-High categories. Of particular interest, and I thought it was well covered, was the topic of Intermittent Fasting. Because this book included SOME carbs in its approach, I thought it was a welcomed perspective to improving diet: not hard-core Keto or South Beach. The recipe section was really helpful as well. It was the first time I had heard of Cauliflower Rice... Who knew?

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of information, ideals, and health wellness and I was expecting it to be more of a how to cookbook. There were some recipes and all finally near the end but it was not what I was expecting. It was an ok read for me, decent but not awesome.

Thanks to edelweiss for the arc!

[Thebestdogmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topics covered in this book. Lots of ideas about how to eat and the section with exercises was nice. Recipes were nice but doubt I’d make any.

[Joi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Básicamente este libro es un resumen del anterior con recetas.
Si estas leyendo a Bikman sabes que se trata del nivel de insulina, dieta baja en carbohidratos, ejercicio y sueño.