The Low-Carb Fraud by Dr. T. Colin Campbell & Dr. Howard Jacobson

The first-named author is most well-known for “The China Study”, and the work here is consistent with that, albeit from the opposite angle.

While critical of low-carb diets in general (as low-carb diets tend to be de facto low-fiber diets—they don’t have to be, but the way most people do them, they are*), it’s quite clear that one of the main purposes of this book was to serve as a rebuttal—refutation, even—of the paleo diet.

*This is, as presented, the low-carb paradox. People promote low-carb diets because high-carb foods with minimal fiber will zip straight through the digestive system and set up camp in the liver and visceral fat, but the problem is that if a low-carb diet is pursued without adequate fiber (and usually with too much saturated fat), this will not be an improvement. Thus, per Drs. Campbell & Johnson, the answer is not avoiding carbs, but rather, prioritizing fiber (which almost always comes with carbs, while low-carb foods usually have quite little, or in the case of animal products, none).

The style is old-school pop-science, but the science itself is sound, and referenced heavily with a proportional bibliography. Speaking of proportions, it’s worth mentioning that this book is one fifth the size of The China Study, making it a much quicker read.

Bottom line: if you’re considering a low-carb diet and want to know the counterarguments without investing a lot of time into it, then this light book will present it for you clearly and in a well-sourced fashion.

Click here to check out The Low-Carb Fraud, and enjoy the right carbs instead!