Book Review: Forever Strong By Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

"A New Science-Based Strategy For Aging Well"

I first heard about the book Forever Strong on one of my favorite podcasts: The Wise Traditions podcast (a podcast by the Weston A. Price Foundation). The author, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, was a guest on the show promoting her new book, which released last October (2023).

I was instantly drawn Dr. Lyon’s science-backed approach to health and longevity . . . and really, the simplicity of it. Her approach didn’t involve a lot of hoopla. No long list of supplements, no long list of expensive equipment needed like ice tubs and home saunas, no “trendy” gym or weird diet protocol.

Her approach didn’t seem too revolutionary at all, actually. It came down to two things:

An ancestrally-approved, protein-forward approach to nutrition and regular strength/resistance training for optimal muscle growth and weight maintenance.

Duh, right?

But not really because despite this approach feeling completely logical (at least, to me), it’s not the approach that the majority of Americans follow (including myself for most of my life).

Up until 2 years ago, I never counted macros, checked how much protein I was consuming daily, or focused my exercise regime on muscle/strength. Like most women, I focused on cardio instead because I wanted to be slender with no manly “bulk,” and this seemed like the best approach. I also cared about my impact on the environment (still do) and bought into the lie that cows were a huge contributor to increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Even further, I believed red meat caused a whole host of issues—from inflammation to heart disease.

This led to self-imposed meatless-Mondays in my early 20s, endless experiments with vegetarian substitutes, soy lattes (🤮), and only chicken breast and turkey in my fridge (double 🤮).

Sigh.

It’s no wonder my health suffered from nutrient deficiencies until recently.

What I Loved About This Book

Although this books looks a bit dense, I read the whole thing in about 3 days. A large chunk of the book in the back is dedicated to meal plans and recipes, which actually look really good. I will definitely be trying out a few of her recipes like the herb burger and the pork chops. All that to say, don’t let the size intimidate you.

Beyond that, I loved:

1. Her ability to explain and breakdown complex, medical concepts. From the very beginning of the book, Dr. Lyon explains all the different functions of muscle—as the largest endocrine organ in our body, this information is crucial to know. She breaks down topics like the 20 individual amino acids (and why it’s important to think about these amino acids when considering protein sources), why protein from animal sources (especially beef) are superior to plant-based protein, what health markers to look for (and why) in your annual blood work panel, and so much more. While this isn’t information I will likely retain, it’s good to know there’s a place I can quickly find the information when I need to reference back to it.

2. Her three dietary and strength training plans that are tailored toward your health goals (optimize longevity, optimize weight loss, optimize muscle). I love that she had an easy-to-follow plan around what to eat and how to adjust your macros depending on your health goals. The sample plan around what meals to eat were helpful, and I will definitely be referencing them postpartum. There are also several exercise plans near the end of the book that you can follow, and she breaks them down based on your experience level with exercise.

3. The recipes and meal plans. This is one of the few times I will actually test out recipes from a book (as opposed to an actual cookbook). Sometimes recipes in health books feel thrown together without too much thought (perhaps because the author isn’t an actual chef? I don’t know!). But the recipes in the back of this book feel very doable and delicious. I’ll report back when I’ve tried a few!

4. Her emphasis on animal-based protein backed by science. It was interesting to see how many people left bad reviews on Goodreads because she “demonized” plant based proteins. In my opinion, she did not demonize plant based proteins; in fact, there’s a line on page 99 where she writes, “You can get enough protein from plants, but this may not be an ideal strategy due to the carbohydrate and caloric load of plants, as well as nutrient density."

   So she's not saying you CAN'T get enough protein on a plant-based diet, but that it’s going to be harder and not as efficient. She even explains (which was SO helpful for me) WHY protein from plants is not the same as protein from animals on page 125-126. To reiterate in my own words, because plant foods have a different combination of amino acids compared to animal foods, 6 grams of hemp protein DO NOT equal 6 grams of protein from an egg. They may both have 6 grams, but the amino acids in those proteins will work differently/be absorbed differently/serve our bodies differently. I really appreciated this explanation, which makes sense logically. There are 9 essential amino acids and 11 nonessential . . . they’re not all present in every protein. Some proteins are “complete” because they contain all 9 essential amino acids, while most others don’t and so they’re considered incomplete proteins.

   Unfortunately, despite Dr. Lyon’s explanations and the research she cited to support this, the plant-based aficionados on Goodreads weren’t happy 🤷🏽‍♀️ You can’t please everyone! In my opinion, two things can be true at once: we can accept that proteins are not created equal and enjoy an animal-based, protein-forward diet that supports sustainable agricultural practices (i.e. regenerative agriculture) and do our best not to intentionally harm the environment (i.e. not purchasing conventionally raised beef, dairy, eggs, etc. because of their destructive practices that negatively impact the health of soil and livestock).

A delicious combo of animal protein for a satisfying lunch. So good.

A Few Things I Didn’t Love

Despite everything I loved about this book, there are a few things that made me furrow my brows. Among them are:

1. On page 154, while she doesn’t say we shouldn’t eat saturated fat, she does recommend switching out saturated fat for polyunsaturated fats whenever possible, mainly for the lower calories. I’ll be honest, I think this is pretty bad advice. Even worse, her “research” in this case comes from the American Heart Association for their “review of evidence” around polyunsaturated fats lowering the incident of cardiovascular disease. But we already know that saturated fats don’t cause heart disease . . .

   And beyond that, the American Heart Association calls all industrial seed oils “healthy cooking oils.” But what you might not know is that The AHA also has a huge conflict of interest as laid out in this journal. Here’s an important excerpt from the journal: “It is worth noting that the AHA had a significant conflict of interest, since in 1948, it had received $1.7 million, or about $20 million in today's dollars, from Procter & Gamble (P&G), the makers of Crisco oil. This donation was transformative for the AHA, propelling what was a small group into a national organization; the P&G funds were the ‘bang of big bucks’ that ‘launched’ the group, according to the organization's own official history. Vegetable oils such as Crisco have reaped the benefits of this recommendation ever since, as Americans increased their consumption of these oils by nearly 90% from 1970 to 2014.”

   These oils are highly destructive in our bodies, so I’m disappointed that Dr. Lyon recommends them over more stable fats that come from animals. It’s a little confusing though because throughout most of the book, she does recommend the “good” oils (like avocado and coconut), so I’m not sure why she made this recommendation here.

2. I’ve yet to read a health related book that distinguishes between unprocessed dairy and processed dairy. Most books written by functional medicine doctors (like Dr. Mark Hyman, Josh Axe, and Dr. Lyon) talk about dairy being inflammatory, and therefore worth avoiding. Now, I will say, I agree with this line of thinking. I do think pasteurized dairy is worth avoiding for most people. It doesn’t have the nutrients present in raw milk, they often contain synthetic vitamins (in an effort to replace what was lost in pasteurization), they often come from cows living under awful conditions, and so on. If I couldn’t access raw milk, I wouldn’t drink milk, kefir, eat cheese, etc. To this day, eating cheese from a restaurant makes my stomach hurt, while my raw dairy at home doesn’t affect me at all.

   I wish these doctors would explain why dairy is inflammatory. Because it’s not due to the nature of the food, but the processing of the food. I think a lot of people are missing out on all the great benefits of unprocessed dairy because of this lack of understanding. I get why these doctors might not talk about raw dairy—because they’re afraid of the “food-borne illness” argument—but I think consumers deserve to have all the information available so that they can make informed decisions on their own.

   In place of milk, Dr. Lyon uses plant-based milk like Almond milk (I don’t think she’s 100% dairy-free but she definitely wrote about it being inflammatory). No big deal, except plant-based milks are often full of seed oils, synthetic vitamins, and natural flavors. If you do find the one brand that is “clean,” it’s like $100 for a pint. Just silly to me for something without many nutrients to offer in return!

3. Finally, I wish she would have dedicated even one, small paragraph to recommended protein adjustments and strength training for pregnant and nursing women. I obviously care about this because it’s my current season of life, but I think it would be helpful for all women around the world, too.

   

   A little peek inside.

Overall, Closing Thoughts

While the polyunsaturated fat recommendation is pretty bad, in my opinion, I still gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

Overall, I think it’s a really well-rounded book on the importance of muscle building, muscle maintenance for longevity, and does a fantastic job educating readers on why protein matters and how to get enough in their diets to support a healthy lifestyle.

This book inspired me to more carefully evaluate how much protein I'm getting in each meal (especially while pregnant) and to focus more on strength training to build and sustain muscle. I encourage you to check it out and let me what you think in the comments below!