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BioDiet: The Scientifically Proven, Ketogenic Way to Lose Weight and Improve Health
Think you're eating healthy? Think again.
For the past fifty years, we have been slowly eating ourselves to death--and doing so based on government recommendations about what constitutes a healthy diet. Our traditional low-fat, high-carb food choices have led to epidemic-level increases in obesity and related health consequences, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancers.
It's time to hit the reset button. In BioDiet, academic and scientist Dr. David Harper offers a new approach: a low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat plan that works with the body's natural processes to improve health and reverse decades of damage wrought by our collective carb addiction. Drawing on the latest research in nutritional science, BioDiet isn't a quick fix designed to help shed ten pounds before beach season; it's a lifestyle choice that will leave you happier and healthier for life. No hype or gimmicks: it's what the science says.
For the past fifty years, we have been slowly eating ourselves to death--and doing so based on government recommendations about what constitutes a healthy diet. Our traditional low-fat, high-carb food choices have led to epidemic-level increases in obesity and related health consequences, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancers.
It's time to hit the reset button. In BioDiet, academic and scientist Dr. David Harper offers a new approach: a low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat plan that works with the body's natural processes to improve health and reverse decades of damage wrought by our collective carb addiction. Drawing on the latest research in nutritional science, BioDiet isn't a quick fix designed to help shed ten pounds before beach season; it's a lifestyle choice that will leave you happier and healthier for life. No hype or gimmicks: it's what the science says.
248 pages, Paperback
Published May 7, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 4, 2019
Okay, Full Disclosure: David Harper is my highly intelligent brother-in-law. So rating this book was obvious!
I am not an expert on biology nor dieting, so I cannot comment on the science of the book. Basically BioDiet is divided into two sections. First the author tries, in laymen’s terms, to explain our body and its relation to food. What is required to keep the body well fueled? How to face the challenges of obesity and related illnesses? In this section Harper challenges the accepted notion of low-fat, high carbohydrate diets than underpin traditional Food Guides (e.g. the Canada Food Guide). Instead he proposes a ketonic approach, which severely limits carbs, eliminates sugars, and stresses fat rich foods (this is an oversimplification but you get the idea).
The second section offers a twelve-week transition from one’s current eating habits to anew ketogenic lifestyle. Included are recipes, a daily food schedule and what to expect during the transitional phase.
I think the book could be called “BioLifestyle” instead of “BioDiet”, because what is proposed is a fundamental and permanent change in one’s eating habits. David Harper warns against other fad diets, where rapid weight loss is often of short duration. This book provides a guide towards more lasting results.
I am not an expert on biology nor dieting, so I cannot comment on the science of the book. Basically BioDiet is divided into two sections. First the author tries, in laymen’s terms, to explain our body and its relation to food. What is required to keep the body well fueled? How to face the challenges of obesity and related illnesses? In this section Harper challenges the accepted notion of low-fat, high carbohydrate diets than underpin traditional Food Guides (e.g. the Canada Food Guide). Instead he proposes a ketonic approach, which severely limits carbs, eliminates sugars, and stresses fat rich foods (this is an oversimplification but you get the idea).
The second section offers a twelve-week transition from one’s current eating habits to anew ketogenic lifestyle. Included are recipes, a daily food schedule and what to expect during the transitional phase.
I think the book could be called “BioLifestyle” instead of “BioDiet”, because what is proposed is a fundamental and permanent change in one’s eating habits. David Harper warns against other fad diets, where rapid weight loss is often of short duration. This book provides a guide towards more lasting results.
July 29, 2019
Well written. Good examples. It has a food list at the end. Good arguments. Well worth a try and a read.
September 24, 2023
The first part of the book around physiology is very interesting. I like learning about diabetes, the causes, and opportunities to reverse it. I’m not diabetic but I think with our western diets, we are all very close to it. The book provides detailed scientific evidence about diet and the impact on our health. I’m not willing to follow the diet outlined in this book due to the significant changes I would need to make to my diet. I understand the benefits of making some changes to my diet and I’ve been implementing some of those. The idea from this book is to move from burning carbs to burning fat for energy. It sounds great, but I still like my carbs from time to time. I like knowing there are opportunities and research based options out there that make sense.
July 13, 2019
Enlightening Read!
An easy to read and understand approach to the Ketogenic diet. The science really makes it clear how sugar and over-eating carbs has a dramatic impact on your health. I really liked his approach to easing into this way of eating and then maintaining so the weight and all that comes with it doesn't come right back like all the diets I've been on.
An easy to read and understand approach to the Ketogenic diet. The science really makes it clear how sugar and over-eating carbs has a dramatic impact on your health. I really liked his approach to easing into this way of eating and then maintaining so the weight and all that comes with it doesn't come right back like all the diets I've been on.
April 24, 2024
For those who don’t know, David Harper is a university professor. For one of his courses, he forces students to purchase this book when its contents hardly ever come up in the class. I estimate 75% of the books sales are students of the course who were forced to buy it.
The book is alright.
The book is alright.
June 14, 2020
Overall, a decent introductory book on the Ketogenic diet/lifestyle. If you’re already keto, there isn’t a lot to learn here.
August 18, 2019
This was an interesting read. I have been using a Keto diet for seven weeks before I picked up this book.
It seems like the author wants to rename, rebrand or somehow branch off traditional Keto dieting by calling it a "Biodiet" : but it's basically a keto diet.
There are several insights that I found interesting and new, I liked how the book outlines a strategy to adapt to a ketonogenic diet. There is some good advice in the book and there is a lot of food for thought.
What I didn't like was the overall layout of the book: there was a lot of quotes from sections of the book, one or two sentences that were blown up and took up whole pages. I'm not sure why this was done this way in the book, some of the sentences felt like they were picked at random to add pages to a book. A few sections were blocked off and I think that it would be useful if it wasn't just dropped in the middle of a section that I felt like I had to finish and go back or pause on the point to read over. I don't know if this is how the ebook is organized, since I picked up a physical paperback, but I would find it frustrating if I had to remember to go back and forth like this on an electronic format. Maybe it's just me, but I found it distracting and a pain.
The appendixs were useful and some of the sections of the book that were dropped in the middle of other sections could have been added to the end of chapters rather than randomly inserted.
Great content and material, painful format of how the book was put together. I actually wanted to give it three stars just because of the format, but enjoyed the content
It seems like the author wants to rename, rebrand or somehow branch off traditional Keto dieting by calling it a "Biodiet" : but it's basically a keto diet.
There are several insights that I found interesting and new, I liked how the book outlines a strategy to adapt to a ketonogenic diet. There is some good advice in the book and there is a lot of food for thought.
What I didn't like was the overall layout of the book: there was a lot of quotes from sections of the book, one or two sentences that were blown up and took up whole pages. I'm not sure why this was done this way in the book, some of the sentences felt like they were picked at random to add pages to a book. A few sections were blocked off and I think that it would be useful if it wasn't just dropped in the middle of a section that I felt like I had to finish and go back or pause on the point to read over. I don't know if this is how the ebook is organized, since I picked up a physical paperback, but I would find it frustrating if I had to remember to go back and forth like this on an electronic format. Maybe it's just me, but I found it distracting and a pain.
The appendixs were useful and some of the sections of the book that were dropped in the middle of other sections could have been added to the end of chapters rather than randomly inserted.
Great content and material, painful format of how the book was put together. I actually wanted to give it three stars just because of the format, but enjoyed the content
May 20, 2019
Biodiet, by Dr. Dave Harper, is an excellent book for those of you who don't know why your family, friends, and neighbors have embraced a ketogenic lifestyle. For those of you who are considering changing your lifestyle, Biodiet provides you with a gradual introduction to the ketogenic way of eating. And finally, for those of you who need a refresher course, this book reminds you of why you began this journey in the first place. Dr. Harper's writing style allows even those of us with limited science background to fully understand the health benefits that the biodiet will provide its followers.
November 9, 2019
Recommends a diet high in saturated fat. Doesn't even try to convince you about all previous studies correlating saturated fat intake with heart attacks being B.S. Just says that those previous studies have been proven to be wrong. How? He doesn't care to explain.
June 11, 2019
Good overview of the keto diet. Detailed explanation of the science behind it.
August 19, 2019
There are a few pearls of wisdom to be found in here
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews