Life Without Bread: How a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Can Save Your Life
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by Christian B. Allan, Ph. D. and Wolfgang Lutz, M.D.
This book is a little different than most of those written about low-carbohydrate eating, in that it has no menus, no recipes, and focuses mostly on the health-restoring and -maintaining qualities of good, low-carb nutrition.
The diet is in wide use in Europe, and has had excellent results, as one might expect. Dr. Lutz, who first wrote the original "Life Without Bread" book in Germany ("Leben Ohne Brot"), had about 10,000 patients suffering from various disorders and diseases who were CURED (not just a remission of symptoms) by a careful use of the low-carbohydrate diet.
The book includes numerous graphs and even some photographs to illustrate the beneficial aspects of the diet. In one set of photos, a grossly obese youth aged 13 is shown before starting the diet, then another at about 3 months into the regimen. Obvious signs of fat loss are visible. The third photo of the boy shows a slim, well-proportioned body of a 16-year-old boy after 2 1/2 years of careful low-carb eating.
The other set of photos was submitted by a young man who had been a vegetarian. The first photo shows an emaciated man who looks to be about 45 years old and quite scrawny and ill. The second photo is the same person after the diet, and shows a handsome young man of about 25. The testimonial from this young man was unsolicited. He was thrilled with the results and sent the pictures to Dr. Lutz to thank him for saving his life. In his case, the low-carbohydrate diet was not used to remove fat, but to repair damage from a long period of fat-free, carbohydrate-loaded food. External signs of physical restoration consisted of a rebuilding of muscle, hair regrowth, and smoothing and plumping of the skin, giving a return to the natural youthful good looks of the subject. These are all marks of good health.
I was very impressed with the careful research in this book, and I recommend it very highly. If you are like me, you prefer a "diet" that isn't really a diet...just give me the guidelines and I'll cobble up something of my own. Dr. Lutz gives his readers credit for being smart enough to do this, and uses the pages other writers use for menus and recipes to include even more evidence in favor of low-carbohydrate eating.
Enjoy your life without bread!