When a man has struggled with seemingly insurmountable challenges, impacting his health, wellbeing and expectation of a long, rewarding life – what does he do? Does he try to overcome his issues, but ultimately give in to a persuasive fatalistic instinct, and accept that “well, it’s just my genetic makeup; I can’t be expected to overcome that now, can I?”
I have just finished reading Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore and Eric C Westman MD, the follow-on work to “Cholesterol Clarity”, and both books are well-titled. In spite of having studied this field at length, I found “Cholesterol Clarity” to be an excellent resource and I learned a lot, while really enjoying the flow of the book; one reason it is so compelling is its clever trick of interspersing the narrative with “moments of clarity” – short paragraphs from established experts that pop up continuously in the text – which serve to bolster the already comprehensive content detailed by the authors. These experts, it must be said, are not the generic talking heads that occupy our trivial media – they are at the leading edge in the field, and have the intellectual capacity and technical intuition to be what they are – incisive and correct.
“Keto Clarity” comprehensively covers the subject of human Nutritional Ketosis, and it is a fascinating journey. Basically, when you limit your carbohydrate intake to a large degree, a shift occurs towards the body using ketones for fuel rather than glucose – in short, you become a “fat-burner” instead of a “sugar-burner”. This switch places you in the position of being closer to our evolutionary ideal, and achieving the far healthier physiology that goes with it. The benefits of this regime when carried out properly are huge – weight control, appetite control, mental acuity, wellness, and generally improved blood test metrics across the board; notably, it is the safest and most effective way to guard against the “diseases of modernity”. This is NOT a “fad” diet book – this is the pinnacle of human nutritional understanding gained through working with top experts in the field, and demonstrating the effectiveness of same through personal achievement, and reference to a growing mass of people who are benefitting likewise, including myself.
The book is designed to fully explain the history, science, pitfalls and benefits associated with Ketogenic living; it will cater for all, from the newbie through to the very knowledgeable – it has an excellent balance of breadth and depth where appropriate. Like Cholesterol Clarity, it is excellently structured to convey the message without ever becoming boring – when a piece is explained and referenced, it flows on, bringing you to the next interesting item.
It begins with a short section on the author’s personal discovery, and how he escaped from a prison of obesity and ill-health; this will resonate with a huge number of people in our modern world, but take note that Ketogenic living is not just to rescue the overweight – it has massive benefits for all. The following introduction to the experts on board is an eye-opener – as mentioned above, a stable of serious hitters reside here. After clearing up many of the common misunderstandings around Ketosis (this is a major issue out there, and in my mind equates to incompetence and downright anti-science), we move into a series of fascinating applications of the regime, with many MD’s describing the epiphany they had on discovering this science, and the dramatic benefits accrued to their patients. I myself have experienced these benefits, and long after my switch it is still thrilling to be adopting an evolutionary appropriate diet, to look and feel so good.
The next section of the book focuses on the technical aspects – all humans are individuals, with individual genetic makeup and response to environmental and dietary inputs. Many people who attempt low-carb ketogenic approaches are not aware of the technical basis for same, and can fail as a result – this part from chapters 5 to 12 is a great read, and will inoculate you against slipping into holes – again, spot-on; the section ends with an FAQ which addresses many if not all of the other common queries that arise. Following an uplifting series of motivational success stories, there is a further reinforcement of the key reasons why ketosis may not be reaching optimum levels in the individual – although already quite knowledgeable in the biochemistry, I learned a lot here. The latter section of the book flows into a summary of the science around ketosis benefits seen across an astonishing range of chronic diseases – this, like all the scientific content, is extremely readable and fully referenced. The closing segment has a “starter” series of recipes to help the new enthusiast get going, a springboard for the novice.
I would say that this is quite simply the best work out there for anyone who wants to transform their health in a positive direction, by essentially leveraging the science of our evolutionary development. It will cater to the novice and the experienced alike, and I’m sure will become the go-to reference in this arena. I am relatively hard-core in terms of researching this field, and have no doubt but that the vast majority of people can benefit greatly from carbohydrate restriction and varying degrees of ketosis – in the coming decade this will become more widely recognised, but one shouldn’t wait for that – a healthier, happier more productive life is available now!
So in closing, I highly recommend this book to Diabetics, the Overweight, the Health-Conscious, the Responsible – essentially to anyone who wants to remain strong, vital, and long-lived to see their grandchildren grow up – as I certainly do.
And finally, what does the aforementioned person at the start of this review ideally do in his difficult circumstances? Well, rediscover an ancient truth, with the compelling supporting research, and use his newfound knowledge not only to resolve his own predicament, but also to assist in the plight of others. And Jimmy Moore has done just that:
