Dr. Eric Westman is a leading proponent of the low-carb diet paradigm, and co-author of "End Your Carb Confusion: A Simple Guide to Customize Your Carb Intake for Optimal Health." He relates how he was a young physician at Duke University Medical Center—renowned for the ultra low-fat Rice Diet Program—when he first heard about the Atkins Diet and began a fruitful decades-long collaboration with the Atkins Foundation. He’s developer of the Adapt Your Life Academy Keto Made Simple Master Class. His research has validated the safety and effectiveness of the low-carb diet. Why has prevailing nutrition science disparaged low-carb and keto diets? How strictly must you adhere to low-carb to reap its benefits? Is criticism warranted that, while it may produce weight loss in the short term, it may be harmful in the long-run? What about all those “keto” products out there? Is it necessary to use sophisticated gadgets to gauge whether you’re in ketosis? Should transient rises in LDL cholesterol dissuade people from adhering to a low-carb diet? Can you implement a low-carb diet if you don’t eat meat? Are low-calorie sweeteners allowed?