Okay, so I mostly review fiction, not diet books.
I have read a lot of diet books over the years. Most start by extolling the health benefits of their particular eating plan, which is always convincing. Okay, so most of them sensibly focus on the importance of prioritising fresh fruit and vegetables over processed food (as an aside, this is one of my biggest issues with a lot of vegan and vegetarian food—it’s highly processed. I can’t believe eating a highly processed GM soy product is can be healthier than eating grass-fed meat, or ocean-caught fish).
Typical diet books then move onto the specifics of the eating plan, complete with recipes. And that’s where the ones I’ve read fall down: the recipes are usually for a family of, but I’m the only one on the diet. Yes, I guess the logic of the four-person recipes is that no one wants to cook themselves separate food to the rest of the family. But it means that the diet recipes have to suit everyone in the family … and they never do. I’ve tried.
The Keto Zone Diet is the same, but different.
Yes, preaches the benefits of the keto eating plan, it emphasises fresh food, and it includes a handful of recipes. But it’s not prescriptive, which means it’s easier to follow, and easier to integrate into a family.
What is a keto zone diet?
Put simply, the idea is that the low-fat and low-calorie diets dominating the industry don’t work (as anyone caught on the diet-weight gain treadmill knows). The Keto Zone diet is a variation of the famed Atkins diet, which focuses on losing weight by limiting carbohydrate intake and eating moderate amounts of fat. Fat makes us feel full, while limiting carbs help us not to feel hungry between meals.
In practice, this means no bread, pasta, rice, corn, cereals, potatoes, sugar, or alcohol, limited fruit and limited starchy vegetables (like sweet potatoes and beans). It means moderate protein and fat (e.g. meat, dairy, and nuts), and unlimited low-starch vegetables. He also emphasises the importance of using good fats (such as avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil, or butter from grass-fed cows) not bad fats (such as canola oil or soybean oil).
That’s it.
And that’s what I like about the Keto Zone Diet.
It’s workable. I can cook and serve the whole family the same food. We just choose our proportions. I eat lots of vegetables, a little meat, and no pasta or potato.
It’s simple, it’s workable, and it’s sustainable.
I won’t go into the science—you can read the book for that. I recommend you do, because this diet does go against a lot of the mainstream dietary advice. If following a low-fat, high-carb diet works for you, then great. Go with it. But I feel constantly hungry on a low-fat diet. I lose weight, but gain it all back again (sound familiar?). I don’t get so hungry on a low-carb diet, which has to be a good thing. If I’m not hungry (and can withstand the temptation to eat when I’m not hungry), then it’s going to be easier to lose weight.
There are a handful of simple recipes at the end of The Keto Zone Diet book, with an emphasis on simple. They are all for one person (well, except for the mayo and seed bread, but both will keep).
It doesn’t matter that there aren’t many recipes.
The internet is full of #Keto options, including cauliflower rice, cauliflower hash browns, and cauliflower pizza base, and a bread substitute or pancakes made from egg and cream cheese (the pancakes are a little sweeter than my regular recipe, but that means I don’t need the maple syrup).
If you’re curious about the keto diet, then Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet is a good introduction. If you’re a keto ninja, then this probably isn’t the book for you—although it might be a good book to own in paperback, to show your unbelieving friends that there is some real medical science behind your diet.
Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
You can find Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet online at:
Amazon US | Amazon AU | Amazon UK | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong
You can read the introduction to Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet below:
Sounds practical but not appealing. I like my steaks, chicken and the grass fed beef are dry, tough and no flavor. I like bread, but higher fiber. I eat pasta and rice occasionally. It would be boring to eat oils and fatty foods all the time. I like more than a 1/4 cup of berries or nuts also. I guess we must be made to eat undesirable foods.
I live in New Zealand, and have been raised on grass fed beef. It has occasionally been dry, tough, and with no flavour … but that’s generally the fault of the cook, not the cow. I also love my ice cream and cheese from grass fed cows (no, ice cream is not keto – too much sugar!).
I’m not sure we’re “made” to eat undesirable foods, but they taste good. Thanks for stopping by!
I am not a lover of beef and I do not eat pork, not for religious reasons, just because I do not like it. My diet is pretty good with salads most days, but I do a lot of grazing when I come home from work. Over the past 18 months my weight has really increased. The broken knee didn’t help.
I am also Gluten intolerant.
How do you think this diet would suit me? and does Keto diets leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and a bad breath?
The Keto diet could well help. You don’t get hungry on the Keto diet, but it can be a challenge to cut the grazing habit and only eat at mealtimes. We can also substitute whatever we’re grazing on with a healthy option (e.g. carrot or cucumber sticks instead of potato chips or cookies). Your gluten intolerance might actually make it easier, as you’re already used to avoiding wheat and other food containing gluten (most of which is carbohydrates).
I haven’t had a bad taste in my mouth, and I don’t think I’ve had bad breath! The key is to still eat regularly, and maintain good dental hygiene. Skipping meals can lead to bad breath no matter what you eat.
If you have health issues, this is probably something best discussed with your healthcare professional.
I am on a very tight budget and I cannot afford the Keto Diet. That is the problem with these diet plans they are only for the rich.
The Keto diet doesn’t require any special food, just salad ingredients, vegetables and meat from the supermarket. But I do know fresh vegetables are often more expensive than less healthy options. That can be frustrating, especially when you have a family to feed. I try and focus on buying in-season local vegetables as they are usually cheaper.