Keto Diet: our 30-Day Plan to Lose Weight, Balance Hormones, Boost Brain Health, and Reverse Disease

by Josh Axe

From the author of the national bestseller Eat Dirt, a 30-day plan -- including more than 80 delicious recipes -- to burn fat, fight inflammation, and reverse disease using the keto diet.

Today, the ketogenic diet is the world's fastest growing diet, and with good reason. When practiced correctly, it has been proven to burn fat, reduce inflammation, fight cancer, balance hormones and gut bacteria, improve neurological diseases, and even increase lifespan. Unfortunately, many people remain unaware of several key factors that are crucial to the diet's success, setting them up for frustration, failure, and relapse.

In Keto Diet, bestselling author Dr. Josh Axe sets the record straight, offering thorough, step-by-step guidance to achieving lifelong health. Unlike other books on the subject, Keto Diet identifies and details five different ketogenic protocols and explains why picking the right one for your body and lifestyle is fundamental to your success.

Complete with shopping lists, delicious recipes, complementary exercise routines, and accessible explanations of the science confirming the diet's powerful effects, Keto Diet gives readers all the tools they need to say goodbye to stubborn fat and chronic disease once and for all.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Self Help, Nutrition, Cooking, Food

299 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 19, 2019

About the author

a wellness physician, popular radio show host

Reviews

[Patricia Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know how many books on the Keto Plan and every other plan. Most of them are pretty much the same and as a plant based eater, not very applicable.

This one was different. I really liked the breakdown of health issues and how this way of eating can get rid of or lessen symptoms. Along with the use of healing herbs and spices, and essential oils was very informative.

One need not rush out and buy special equipment or strange sounding ingredients, just check your pantry and toss out anything processed. Simple.

As a Crohn's patient, this diet has kept me free from flare ups for years now. And I feel better and am emotionally on a much more even keel.

This is not primarily a weight loss book, but more of a natural way to eat. This is one I will be purchasing for my reference library!

Well Done!

[Renato Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm doing the Keto diet and i have to say that it really works. I've done in the past in the form of the Atkins diet always with great results. I have no doubt that low carb dieting is the healthiest lifestyle you can adopt however, i have to say i found this book a little tedious and repetitive. It seems to me that you can skip several chapters of this without missing much, once you get the point of the diet. I also didn't appreciate the subtle hints at religion by the author (really? A medical doctor recommending prayer as a way to relieve health problems? Give me a break...)

[Laureen Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anecdotes are not evidence. If you can’t cite actual research, you aren’t scientific, nor are you credible.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Nonfiction/Health. I listened to the audio and I didn't really care for the narrator I wish the author had done his own narration.

I liked that this one focused on clean eating....the author certainly said that this type of KETO was not the KETO of old with entire plates of bacon. So yay for the clean eating. But what I noticed was how heavily this book pushed supplements.....tons and tons of supplements. It sounded expensive and it didn't seem to me that this was a healthy option to obtain so many essential nutrients in pill form.

There was also a fair amount of repetition and it took a while for the author to get to the meat of this plan. SO 3 stars. I'm sure if one has a desire to start this type of diet, they might find this one helpful.

[Brita · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Keto diet" gives an overview of the benefits of going on a high-fat; low-carb diet together with a full meal plan for 30 days.
When reading books about health and diet topics, I try to google whether the writer looks credible and either is a practitioner with papers or is truly based on research. This author was more focused on experiences and less on the proven science which makes it less trustworthy and the book must not be taken as the universal truth. It also became repetitive very quickly, although health books are mostly not valued by the writing style, but the efficiency. The majority of the book is filled with recipes and recommended meal plans for different diets so reading goes fast.
Yet, the idea behind the keto diet was quite convincing. I discovered that my current diet as well as cupboard includes a lot of carbs so I will definitely not go on a full keto diet overnight, but I will make some experiments on myself.

[Mehrnaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

این کتاب اطلاعات خوبی درباره‌ی رژیم یا لایف استایل کیتو میده، فقط اینکه اطلاعاتش خیلی متفاوت از منابع دیگه نیست و در بیشتر وبلاگ‌ها پیدا میشه و اینکه مطالب رو خیلی تکرار می‌کنه و توی رفرنس‌دهی خیلی دقیق عمل نمی‌کنه. تاکید اصلی کتاب بر روی استفاده از غذاها ارگانیک مثل ماهی وحشی که از آب دریا گرفته شده باشه و یا گاوی که علف طبیعی خورده باشه، هست که خب لزوما هیچکدوم در ایران به راحتی پیدا نمیشه... قسمت بعدیش که برای من دلیل اصلی انتخاب این کتاب بود رژیم سی روزه‌ای هست که ارائه میده. من کتاب رو خوندم که به اون قسمت برسم و وقتی بهش رسیدم با یک نگاه سرسری ردش کردم، چون باز هم دسترسی به اون مواد برام سخت و گرون هست. در کل بخش ابتدایی جذابی برای اطلاعات عمومی و ویژگی‌های مثبت این روش تغذیه داره، اما به نظر من میشه کتاب‌های بهتری رو در این زمینه پیدا کرد.

[Christina Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy to see a lifestyle book and not a diet book. And finally someone talks about PCOS and regulating hormone imbalance with food instead of drugs! Yay!!!! And for more than just one paragraph, too. I read and research a lot of different food-lifestyle plans, and this one brought back some hope I had lost. Regulating hormones is so hard once it becomes an issue, because of so many outside factors, and the body becomes so sensitive to most foods, so using food to empower and heal and change- and giving it a season of life (not just a week or two) to see results is what’s important- and what this book teaches. Even if you jumpstart with a month or two or three, depending on your health status, the approach is to consume *clean foods that will heal and nourish you. It’s not just about losing pounds or finding out ways to cheat, (because the point really should be to stop wanting to cheat on yourself at all.) But about discovering what it is to live a long term healthy, happy, and energetic life. Living healed. The foods, especially vegetables, presented and allowed here are much more than what I’ve seen for the “Keto” standard. And I loved that it gives the long-term approach as well, to tone things down and even them out after the initial “diet” part. I also really appreciated the mention and instruction for additional supplements AND essential oils. So great! I have tried everything over many years and most recently was plant based. I recently switched to this “Keto” lifestyle, and this book gave me the extra structure and a far healthier mindset. This is why I hate the word diet, and diets with names- I wouldn’t even call this Keto; just healthy. Loved it!

[Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I requested this book on NetGalley in the hope of learning more about keto-based diets, but all I got out of it was a repetitive sales pitch. I read about a third before giving up.

[AMJAAD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to follow the keto diet one day to see how it is going to work in improving my hormones, boosting collagen and reducing the migraine headache. But definitely not for losing weight. Wide variety of recipes, which suits everyone I guess and it's easy to prepare.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great keto book for beginners to explain what and how keto works. This is the kind of book I needed 4 weeks ago! I loved the outline and graphs, it was very user friendly. I'm excited to try some of the recipes too.

[Dee/ bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this book to anyone! This is FULL of wonderful information (yes, it does tend to get a little wordy) and yummy recipes. I read over some of the reviews and it is true there is a lot of information before you get to the recipes, but if this book were written any other way it would get discounted as a "fad" diet. Dr Axe goes through all the research and documentation as well as personal accounts of successes. It is the proof of why this die works and why it is different.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good info and I am sure it probably works but it stated it makes keto easy. Only if I am rich and have tons of money to spend each week on all the special supplement, powders, etc. I was expecting an approach that would work for the rest of us in the real world.

[Abbey Pipkorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best keto book for people on a budget, but definitely had some good info.

[Maggi Andersen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The saddest part about this book is that there's some great, accurate information, but it's hidden within a lot of bunk. The author essentially claims he cured his mom's cancer with keto (HIS keto diet program, specifically - he mentions HIS keto diet program probably a hundred times throughout the book), and insists A1C can magically be lowered significantly within 2 weeks - this is a doctor? He also dislikes citing actual studies to back up anything he's saying - more than once he states just the vague "studies show..." Yikes. There are much better keto books on the market. Taubes, Fung, Berry, Attia, Sisson, Hyman, Mercola, etc. Pretty much anyone else.

[BLACK CAT · Rating 5 out of 5]

* Include enough collage (protein) in your diet: bone broth is a good source of it and it also contains hyaluronic acid to retain moisture and collagen plus it is a prebiotic.
* Alkalize your body.
* Use pink Himalayan salt, it contains more trace minerals compared to other salts.
* Supplements: exogenous ketones. Promote the same environment as ketosis. 6 grams for the powder.
* Don't over consume protein or it will turn into glucose.
* Nootropics capsules: enhance brain performance: MTC oil, acetylcholine, Ashwagandha, Phosphatidylcholine (found in egg yolks), powdered greens for alkalizing.
* Starve cancer by doing a keto diet or at least low carb because glucose feeds the cancer (avoid sugar and starch in general).
* Swap what flower for almond flour, sugar for erythritol (100%), swap buns and tortilla for lettuce or high fiber tortilla to overset the carbs, look for 4 net carbs or less.
* Time restricted eating is a form of intermittent fasting: Consume all your meals in a window of 6 to maximum 10 hours.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t read these books for information. I read them for motivation. I’ve known all the info for years and all the books are just variations on the theme. I do feel slightly more motivated though, so yay!

[Jacqie Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading this book, even though I'm not new to the Keto space. I'll be doing his 30 day meal plan in the back of the book, and I'll update my rating after that! I really love how this book focuses on ACTUAL nutrition, how he healed his mom's cancer, and how he explains some of the power house foods (not just eating bacon and butter). I highly recommend you read this book if you have a paleo background or even if you are vegan - he has options for both of those!

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative

[Fernando Poo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buenísimo, te explica a detalle como el cambiar la fuente de energía de tu cuerpo de glucosa a cetonas te puede evitar de tener cancer y muchas otras enfermedades atroces.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author really cares about people and has close contact with cancer and cancer patients. He cares about people getting well and overall wellness. I appreciated his overall approach, especially regarding connection, spirituality, and sleep. I also liked that he put a bit in his book about IF- intermittent fasting. IF works. If you have not tried intermittent fasting, I would recommend it.

The author references research that illustrates that cancer must have glucose to flourish. By removing sugars and processed carbohydrates that fill the standard American diet (SAD diet), we can starve cancer of its fuel. After reading Gary Taubes' book on sugar, "The Case Against Sugar" - I am convinced that this is the number one issue that we as Americans need to address in order to fix our current collective health disaster in this country.

Like all wellness and diet books, do what works for you. Much of what he says in this book is helpful and will assist you in achieving a healthy weight and overall health. I would probably rank this book as a green/Keto text. It certainly isn't on the range of a carnivore keto text like so many others. He focuses on plant based foods for wellness and stays away from bacon, which to me is an essential part of getting the right kind of fat to have the energy levels essential. His input of shakes and cookies and strawberries dipped in dark chocolate certainly isn't keto. But I get where he is going with this.

His emphasis on cycling on this diet (going keto/then higher carb) indicates that he believes it is not sustainable. He even says as much at the end of the book. There are many doctors and successful people who have sustained this long term. Dr. Ken Berry is one of these, as well as Dr. Tro Kalayjian - look them up on Twitter. If this diet is so balanced at attacking obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, inflammation, and cancer, then why not stay focused on sugar/high carb avoidance?

So for the most part, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to lose weight or just feel better. If you are living in the Western world, chances are you eat a Western diet which is filled with sugars (152 pounds/year), processed & refined carbohydrates, and all kinds of chemicals and unhealthy fats (trans fats). This book is a great place to start on the path to more health.

[LUCAS H. GOLDING · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is Keto right for you? I picked up this book because I was interested in the science behind the ketogenic diet. I figured that this book would dive deeply into that science. Unfortunately it did not. Dr. Axe sites multiple studies but does little to elaborate on such studies. There is no doubt in my mind that utilizing ketones instead of glucose(the body’s main source of energy) has multiple positive benefits both physiologically and mentally. I just hoped that it would delve deeper into the biochemistry of how it works. I do understand that this is a diet book so he has to appeal to a mass audience, but it’s a very boring read in my personal opinion. I want to be clear, I’m not knocking the Keto diet or Dr. Axe. I think the Keto diet definitely has its place and Dr. Axe seems genuinely concerned about his patients and people in general. I just think that this book is pretty much exactly like any other diet book, with random people who have benefited from the diet scattered throughout and recipes at the end of the book and very lite on the science. If you’re looking for a book that outlines the way of life Keto diet, this book is right up your alley. If you want to understand the science behind such a diet look elsewhere.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a number of books on the benefits of a ketogenic diet, and I certainly haven’t read them all, but in comparison to those that I have this book deserves the most attention. Dr. Axe is a practitioner of Functional Medicine and he has created a great guide to understanding ketosis, with solid research on its benefits in combatting or preventing numerous conditions (other than obesity, which gets the most attention), including diabetes or other blood sugar disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, heart disease, or just low energy.
This book is different from others as he has created a diet plan based on whole, nutritious food. I can’t forget the first book I read on Keto which recommended endless butter, bacon, and cheese. Dr. Axe emphasizes healthy fats, avocados, ghee, bone broth, and lots of vegetables. He even gives loose guidelines on Keto-cycling, which turns this into a very practical book for anyone who wants the benefits of ketosis but cannot maintain it for long stretches.

That said, there is a bit of self-promotion in the book that could potentially muddy the great research for skeptics or newbies to the subject. But overall, this is my top book recommendation for going Keto. I also recommend his book, Eat Dirt.

[KarenC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been mulling over switching to a Keto lifestyle for some time, and some medical test results last week have made my decision for me. I had already read Dr Axe's Collagen book, and know him to be one of the experts in the field.

There is a lot of information here, as well as meal plans and recipes. Because some of the ingredients are very specific, I would've liked some "real world" swaps (can I use KerryGold butter or do I have to use grass-fed?). In addition, there are so many vitamins and supplements mentioned and how they affect the body and the eating plan, and they all sound important, but what do I REALLY need? I would've liked a comprehensive chart listing all supplements and the priority order of starting them. I doubt that many people could drop hundreds of dollars at once.

But overall, there's a lot of great information here and I'll probably reread the book several times on my Keto journey.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was in parts informative. It was also repetitive, and spent a great deal repeating what he stated a few chapters ago. He's very focused on herbs and supplements and organic things. I've been on this diet for 2 months now, I've read several books and cookbooks, and still haven't heard of half of what he was talking about. I'm loosing anyways, so I'm ok with absorbing some of the science-y things I read, and not stress about the fact that not everything I cook or make is organic or grass fed. His plan isn't for the people on budgets. His 30 day plan was only briefly touched on and not really gone into detail, and the 80 recipes weren't anything that I would ever fix.

So basically it was informative but nothing I would bend over backwards to change what I'm already doing.

[MariWabiSabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good reference guide for anyone who wants to incorporate the keto diet into their life. Instead of reading it from cover to cover (as it can get repetitive), I would recommend reading the first section, then focusing on the areas that apply to you, and keeping the book handy for recipes and meal plans. Even if you disagree with the “science” referenced in the book, there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with eating better, incorporating more diverse nutrients, and getting more sleep.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great idea but not easy to implement. I read enough of this book to realize it is not a feasible diet plan for me long term. Frustrating but true. If I had a staff like the celebrities who support this plan, I could do it. :(

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Dr. Axe and his newest book Keto Diet doesn't disappoint. It's chockful of information and medical studies. I've read some other books on Keto and this one takes the cake. I also love how it's not all about weight loss (though it is a big part of it) but he discusses keto's benefit for brain health, hormones, and cancer. He also shares various plan options for your needs whether you are a vegan or battling cancer. I also liked there is a section on intermittent fasting and how it works well with keto. At the end of the book, he talks about keto cycling which I have heard both sides from different sources. I think it's a good plan for the long haul. I don't know if cycling carbs twice a week will work for everyone. I think for me it will end up in disaster lol. Maybe twice a month.... I think everyone will be different with that.
I am going to start his plan in March and I will update with how it goes. BTW I have PCOS so I am really curious to see how it helps.

Now, why 4 stars instead of 5.... If I could I would give 4.5 stars but Amazon doesn't allow that. In his recipes especially the smoothies he recommends his keto collagen, keto protein powder, bone broth power etc. That's great and all but what if we can't afford it or don't like it, or we run out. It would have been nice if he would give us another option where we don't have to buy a blend or what happens if we are out. Like if he could have written next to it "or 2 tablespoons of college and 1 tablespoon of MTC oil."

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated how well he broke down the science behind the diet and supported it with different published studies. I have read many books on keto and this is one of the better ones in explaining that aspect. I also greatly enjoyed how he broke down chapters based on various health concerns/goals and gave suggestions for how to amplify results for those conditions. The tailored meal plans were a great addition to the book as well as the recipes.

I have two main complaints with this book however. On occasion he seemed to repeat himself throughout the chapters. Mildly annoying, but I could look past it. I can see where some people may be put off by his recommendations for supplements too because of his standing as head of Ancient Nutrition Supplements. I took it more as recommendations and moved on. The thing that bothered me the most is that the recipes do not contain the nutritional breakdown of macros- so it makes it challenging to ensure that one is hitting their goals each day if they deviate from the set plan. I would have loved to have had those included!

That being said I really enjoyed this book and felt like it had sound advice. If you want to gain health on keto, you still have to include greens!! I felt that it was very intuitive keto and just plain made sense. I am excited to add in some of his recommendations to amplify my health.

[Elle Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've browsed many books on the keto diet topic but none I've seen so far have been as accessible to readers as this one is. It is easy to read, very informative, and doesn't scare you off with too much medical jargon. It breaks down the way ketosis works in a way that makes some sense and I think I learnt a lot.

Having said that, there are some misses here or maybe an an opportunity for a follow up book.. As a vegan, this diet is very hard to stick to and the alternatives are few and far between. After seeing one vegan with health problems, his advice was for her to take an animal based supplement. This gnawed at my nerves slightly. Even as a vegetarian, things aren't super easy following a ketosis plan and perhaps more information there would be helpful.

I also feel that there should have been way more information on actually starting a keto diet, especially the initial 30 day full on plan. I got that it is strict and will be hard to stick to but there was very little else said about it. For someone advocating a great new way of eating to help people heal, the transition period and the first 30 days should have been the bulk of this book.

[Dil Nawaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is FAT your enemy? Really I don’t think so

An eye-opener book for us because of how we believe in propaganda against FAT.

This is basically a KETO Diet book but this book covers all the main points on a healthy lifestyle.

Here are a few points I have taken

Sugar is like Patrol which burns quickly and gives you quick energy but suddenly dropdown

Fat is like coal which burns slowly and gives you energy all-day

Fasting is very healthy to fight against many diseases and cancer ( studies have proven)

60% of your brain made up from Fat

Fat based diet is best for cancer patients

Keto diet is the best way to lose weight

The Keto diet was invented in 1920 to treat epilepsy and seizures

Your brain works well on the fat-based diet

Keto diet based on 75% fat 20% protein and 5% carbs

Heart disease is caused by inflammation, not by fat

All things you know about cholesterol is wrong

There is a big scam against Fat to benefit big pharmaceutical companies

Last but not least this book is amazing amazing amazing

5 out of 5 stars

A must-read

Dil Nawaz
Co-Founder
The Lion Studios
www.thelionstudios.com