Dr Neil McKinney’s Top Ten Diet Books

30 min episode
Beyond advocating for a healthy, balanced diet, how can we use diet as a therapeutic tool? And where is the best place to get this information? We sought out the help of one of the leading experts in the therapeutic application of diet, Dr Neil McKinney ND, and invited him to share his Top Ten most important books about the treatment of chronic disease through diet.

Dr McKinney ND is a doctor, a teacher and an author with 30 years of clinical experience. He's a pioneer and a leader in naturopathic integrative cancer care. He's the founder and professor of naturopathic oncology at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, and he's written several books, including four books on naturopathic cancer care, including four editions of Naturopathic Oncology, An Encyclopedic Guide for Patients and Physicians. He is also an avid and eclectic reader! What follows is Dr McKinney's Top Ten Diet Books.
 

Dr Neil McKinney’s Top Ten Diet Books
 

#1 | Kalamian | Keto For Cancer – Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy as a Targeted Nutritional Strategy (2017, Chelsea Green)

Miriam Kalamian is a keto specialist with a wealth of experience.  The foreword by the notable Dr. Thomas Seyfried informs us that this is the definitive translation into action of his foundational research.   This is a very comprehensive introduction to KD diet, testing and management.   I find it the most readable of all the books on the subject.  It has recipes, vacation tips, tips for dining out, and many other useful additions. She also provides lots of valuable online resources and books.
 

#2 | Davis | Fight Cancer With a Ketogenic Diet – Using a Low-Carb, Fat-Burning Diet as Metabolic Therapy, 3rd edition (2017, Gutsy Badger)

Ellen Davis also translates into action the work of Seyfried and D'Agostino.  A very practical and useful introduction to the KD.  Ms. Davis also provides online resources of great merit.
 

#3 | Harper & Drewery | BioDiet: The Scientifically Proven, Ketogenic Way to Lose Weight and Improve Your Health (2019, Page Two Books)

David Harper has a Ph.D. in nutrition and considerable experience with the ketogenic diet.  He brings his own experiences of the benefits of a keto diet together with the research and science behind it.  It is focused on weight loss and metabolic benefits.  Suitable for a layperson.
 

#4 | Winters & Kelly | The Metabolic Approach To Cancer: Integrating Deep Nutrition, The Ketogenic Diet and Non-Toxic Bio-Individualized Therapies (2017, Chelsea Green)

Nasha Winters is a very prominent naturopathic oncologist with a focus on metabolic management of cancer, via the cancer patient’s terrain.  Jess Higgins Kelley is a nutritional therapist who provides a great deal of organization and clarity, such as tables of contents of most foods.  Together they have provided a clear and comprehensive introduction to what they call “deep nutrition” - with an emphasis on KD.
 

#5 | Stengler and Anderson | Outside the Box Cancer Therapies - Alternative Therapies That Treat and Prevent Cancer (2018, Hay House)

Two leading naturopathic oncologists introduce the KD as part of an integrated approach to the metabolic control of cancer.  Adjuncts to KD for advanced cancer cases are given, based on their research and considerable clinical experience.
 

#6 | Eaton, Shostak, and Konner | The Paleolithic Prescription – A Program of Diet and Exercise and a Design for Living (1998, Harper Collins)

This classic book was a game-changer, pointing out the damage done to the human race by a shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural lifestyles.  While a “paleo diet” has come to mean a rather restricted diet, this foundational book explored how to find the traditional diet elements in the modern supermarket.  Clearly directed us away from the Standard American Diet (SAD).
 

#7 | Diamond | Guns, Germs and Steel – the Fates of Human Societies (1997, W.W. Norton)

Jared Diamond certainly deserved the Pulitzer Prize this book earned. One of the most fascinating books I have ever read, it showed how we transitioned from hunter-gatherers to agriculturists across the planet.  This eminent anthropologist examines how the timing of these events regionally and the food selections available locally are clearly linked to the rates of development of various races and cultures.  The entire geopolitical world we inhabit is the result of food advantages in various cultures.   Wheat and based cultures invaded and largely annihilated corn-based cultures, but not rice-based cultures, for example. 
 

#8 | Christofferson | Tripping Over the Truth: The Return of the Metabolic Theory of Cancer Illuminates a New and Hopeful Path to a Cure (2014, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)

Travis Christofferson has written one of the most important books in oncology.   This review of the rise, fall and resurrection of the concepts introduced by Otto Warburg of the metabolome of malignancy is brilliant.  He brings forward the works of Seyfried, D’Agostino and other modern luminaries, and translates them in easily understandable language.  Clearly, cancer cells are metabolically corrupted, but he gives hope they can be healed, not just destroyed by harmful therapies.
 

#9 | McKinney | Naturopathic Oncology-An Encyclopedic Guide for Patients and Physicians, Fourth edition (2020, Liaison Press)

A groundbreaking book by a leading naturopathic physician in oncology, notable for being comprehensive and clinically useful.
 

#10 | McKinney & Jones | Ketogenic Diet and Ketosis Supplements: Metabolic Therapeutics in Primary Care, A Clinical Handbook (2020, NFH Inc.)

This introduction to the ketogenic diet is succinct and clinically oriented for naturopathic physicians and other integrative, functional medicine practitioners.   Based on current research, it is a practical tool and guide to further resources.  Free through NFH.

BONUS
 
#11 | K. Rheaume-Bleue | Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox – How a Little-Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life (2012, Harper-Collins Publishing)

Dr. Rheaume-Bleue has assembled and translated a trove of evidence for the clinical application of vitamin K2.  Misunderstood and marginalized as a therapy, K2 turns out to be a lost treasure.  With important ramifications in cancer, bone health, cardiovascular health and more, this is a gem for primary care doctors.

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