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5th out of 136 books
—
108 voters
The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight And Get Healthy By Eating The Food You Were Designed To Eat
"We can't recommend The Paleo Diet highly enough "
- Michael and Mary Dan Eades, M.D.
authors of Protein Power
"The Paleo Diet is at once revolutionary and intuitive. . . . Its prescription provides without a doubt the most nutritious diet on the planet."
-Jennie Brand-Miller, Ph.D., coauthor of the bestselling The Glucose Revolution and The Glucose Revolution Life Plan
"Fill...more
- Michael and Mary Dan Eades, M.D.
authors of Protein Power
"The Paleo Diet is at once revolutionary and intuitive. . . . Its prescription provides without a doubt the most nutritious diet on the planet."
-Jennie Brand-Miller, Ph.D., coauthor of the bestselling The Glucose Revolution and The Glucose Revolution Life Plan
"Fill...more
Paperback
Published
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published September 7th 2001)
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This book is a long list of statements that should all end with [citation needed]
In order to distinguish his work from competing diets, Cordain spends an inordinate amount of time in the early chapters dumping on the Atkins diet, but he does so in a way that skews the research. He complains that the Atkins diet does away with fruits and vegetables, "Cancer-fighting fruits and vegetables![citation needed]" A lot of the book is like that. He goes deep into anti-salt and anti-fat, which I supposed...more
In order to distinguish his work from competing diets, Cordain spends an inordinate amount of time in the early chapters dumping on the Atkins diet, but he does so in a way that skews the research. He complains that the Atkins diet does away with fruits and vegetables, "Cancer-fighting fruits and vegetables![citation needed]" A lot of the book is like that. He goes deep into anti-salt and anti-fat, which I supposed...more
Wow! Reading people's comments and reviews of this book really surprise me.
This book basically says: humans, in one form or another, have been on the planet for 2.5 million years and we've only had agriculture for the last 10 thousand. The author spends most of his time trying to explain to people how our ancestors would've eaten prior to the start of agriculture. Back then, salt would've been scarce, most things that people would've eaten would have been lower in fat (than today's modern diet)...more
This book basically says: humans, in one form or another, have been on the planet for 2.5 million years and we've only had agriculture for the last 10 thousand. The author spends most of his time trying to explain to people how our ancestors would've eaten prior to the start of agriculture. Back then, salt would've been scarce, most things that people would've eaten would have been lower in fat (than today's modern diet)...more
In my opinion, the most important book on nutrition ever written. There are, however, problems with it. For one thing, it is written in that stupid lose-weight-on-this-diet genre (which, I understand, was not entirely Cordain's decision) and it can be really grating to read. Second, it is a little fluffy, at least for a geeky analytical fellow like me.
But even so, the basic tenant and program of the book is fantastically important. Here is how to think about the picture. Nutrition and health st...more
But even so, the basic tenant and program of the book is fantastically important. Here is how to think about the picture. Nutrition and health st...more
One of the most disappointing books of the year. I loved the idea of it, eating the way our ancestors did but this... isn't it. This is a DIET book, a how to lose weight book, not a how to be healthy and eat the way your body was designed to eat did book. I was looking for a reason that Paleo was "better" than Nourishing Traditions / Weston A Price's ideas on eating native diets and this doesn't hold a candle to WAP.
He doesn't even address things like raw milk and soaking grains! He claims the...more
He doesn't even address things like raw milk and soaking grains! He claims the...more
I'm a big supporter of the Paleo diet concept and the idea that we need to eat the traditional foods our genes need to be healthy.
This book claims to be the last word in explaining what our ancestors ate, and to not be just another book full of fads, but it is seriously flawed. The author seems to be trying to merge information on what the caveman diet consisted of with as many modern food fads as possible. He is particularly ignorant about healthy fats and oils.
The book is also not very convinc...more
This book claims to be the last word in explaining what our ancestors ate, and to not be just another book full of fads, but it is seriously flawed. The author seems to be trying to merge information on what the caveman diet consisted of with as many modern food fads as possible. He is particularly ignorant about healthy fats and oils.
The book is also not very convinc...more
8 likes · like · see review
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Feb 11, 2012
Christopher Sears
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
borrowed-from-mc-public-library,
nonfiction
The Paleo Diet outlines Dr. Loren Cordain's view of an optimal diet. The Paleo Diet is a low carbohydrate diet which focuses on eating lean meats, fruits and vegetables, and some nuts. The foods that are not allowed on the diet are legumes and beans, grains, and dairy. The reasoning behind the diet is that human evolution has not caught up with the agricultural revolution. Thus, people should eat like hunter/gatherers for optimal nutrition.
I tried the diet last summer. I managed to lose 30 pound...more
I tried the diet last summer. I managed to lose 30 pound...more
After reading many online sources on Paleo Diet, Stone Age Diet, Primal Diet, and Meat only diet, and only now getting this book, I was sorely disappointed: in comparison this book seems to be obsolete, oversimplified and superficial, for healthy people only. Critical for all others issues were played down quietly, but unnecessary details were provided in full length.
If you like to be told in terms what is good for you and what is not, if you are able to digest mass produced meat, eggs, farmed...more
If you like to be told in terms what is good for you and what is not, if you are able to digest mass produced meat, eggs, farmed...more
I think this book should have been titled, "The Paleo Solution for Celiacs". It's a new year, and I've been wanting to drop some pounds, so I decided to give this book a look-see. The premise of the Paleo diet (or 'primal' diet-- There's a few books with these words in their title) is that our distant hunter-gatherer ancestors over
5,000 + years ago ate mostly meat, seafood, fruits/veggies and were healthier than their farmer counterparts. It was only after the agricultural revolution with the i...more
5,000 + years ago ate mostly meat, seafood, fruits/veggies and were healthier than their farmer counterparts. It was only after the agricultural revolution with the i...more
The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat by Loren Cordain is one of the first books on the subject, and one of the few I've been able to get from my library. Personally, there are things in the book that I don't agree with, based on the readings I've done (the focus on lean meat, warning against saturated fat, fear of salt and complete elimination of dairy products), but I'm also more of a Primal Blueprint / Mark Sisson kinda gal (Check out Mark's...more
Another tool to utilize and further understand how to be the healthiest possible.
My only concern with this book is that the true paleolithic many ate about 80% vegetarian diet and about 20% (on a lucky day) protein (this consisted of bugs and small rodents most days).
The modern day interpretation is more of a "healthy" atkins philosophy allowing for processed meats (as long as they are nitrate free and if you can afford to buy them direct from a farmer) and most practitioners of the diet have a...more
My only concern with this book is that the true paleolithic many ate about 80% vegetarian diet and about 20% (on a lucky day) protein (this consisted of bugs and small rodents most days).
The modern day interpretation is more of a "healthy" atkins philosophy allowing for processed meats (as long as they are nitrate free and if you can afford to buy them direct from a farmer) and most practitioners of the diet have a...more
Although I have not finished the book, there is enough of a pattern established that I feel compelled to comment on it. First of all, I don't like that this is touted as a weight loss diet instead of a plan for getting healthy. Second, I agree that there should be much more research support for some of the author's claims. Although he refers to an occasional study, my fear is that because the author is also a medical doctor, many people will take what he says at face value instead of maintainin...more
I've been doing Paleo diet (or some milder variation thereof) and it has completely changed me. Because of the diet (and Crossfit), I'm in the best shape I've ever been, and I'm even seeing muscle development I've never seen before. Highly recommend this book.
A word of advice: kicking high glycemic index foods (e.g. "bad carbs") is hard, especially for those accustomed to having desserts. Other people I've talked to who've changed to the Paleo lifestyle say that it takes 1-2 weeks to really "we...more
A word of advice: kicking high glycemic index foods (e.g. "bad carbs") is hard, especially for those accustomed to having desserts. Other people I've talked to who've changed to the Paleo lifestyle say that it takes 1-2 weeks to really "we...more
So not convinced. I could see certain aspects of this diet, but I am just not convinced. It felt kind of like the author had dumbed down the information so much that we, the readers, are supposed to be like lemmings and just follow along. The author really doesn't go into a good explanation of why to do this. I mean, so what if our ancestors 333 generations back or whatever ate this way? Their lives were TOUGH. They ate that way because it was do or die. Eat or be eaten. Not quite the same now....more
"The modern dietary regimen known as the Paleolithic diet, also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various human species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era, that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetable...more
As someone who's successfully kept over 100 pounds off for several years, I believe the best diet/eating plan is one you can maintain long term. This diet is ridiculously restrictive; I don't believe -- and googling recipes and meal plans supports this theory -- that most people claiming to follow it are actually doing so. The amount of money and work involved in following this diet to the letter would be very hard to sustain, even if the food tastes good enough to provide incentive, which I hig...more
I was hoping for more from this book. I'm very interested in the paleo diet (since I have gluten, carb, sugar, etc. intolerances), but after reading this book I've decided not to follow it so extremely. I was excited for the menu plans included in one of the chapters, until I read through them. Most did not sound appetizing to me and/or are quite pricey.
I realize the author was just spelling out the actual diet, but it was not motivating to me at all. For those wanting a clear-cut book about th...more
I realize the author was just spelling out the actual diet, but it was not motivating to me at all. For those wanting a clear-cut book about th...more
This book was well worth the read. Although I don't necessarily agree with the entire Paleo Diet concept, there are a lot of great points in this book. The general guidance that the author offers is that we are a nation of incredibly unhealthy and malnourished people, and we should look to those who were/are healthy, namely paleolithic hunter-gatherers, and try to copy what they do/did.
The author talks about many important points, including the need for large amounts of vitamins, minerals, anti...more
The author talks about many important points, including the need for large amounts of vitamins, minerals, anti...more
I've been following Mark Sisson (marksdailyapple.com)and Robb Wolf's (The Paleo Solution) advice about how to do Paleo. Since the author of this book is a mentor to Robb, and I really enjoy what Robb has to say, I figured I would like this book. Not even. I think a lot of what he's advocating is outdated. No salt? Really? I'll keep my sprinkle of Celtic sea salt, thank you. And I will cook with saturated animal fats and use some butter in moderation. I've only been following the Paleo way of eat...more
This is the first diet/nutrition book I've read, so I can't really comment on how it compares to other such books, but I did enjoy reading this. The Paleo Diet definitely seems worth trying out and a lot of what Cordain says makes a lot of sense, but I did get a tad annoyed when he would outright say things like, "Rice is bad for you." Of course, then he'd go on to explain why he believes this and would back track a tad, but, come on, eating rice isn't exactly like eating a candy bar. Despite th...more
The writing style was on par with other diet/fitness books I have read. It got a little preachy at times, especially in knocking the Atkins diet (which is similar to the Paleo approach in several ways). I liked the idea that the Paleo diet encourages you to eat fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. I know that I am not the type of person who would give up all grains forever, but I could see doing so for a period of time and then adding back in the healthier grains as a "sometimes" food. We are cur...more
A powerful argument for eating in the way our bodies have evolved to expect. The unfortunate conclusion is that our bodies perform at their best, and with least illness on a strict diet of lean meat, veggies and fruit—the diet our ancestors ate for over 2 million years; the modern agricultural diet of grains, livestock and dairy has only been around for 10,000 years (333 generations) and even less for ideas like refined sugar and grain-fed CAFOs. Although a little salesy at times, the book refer...more
A re-read for me to remind myself of the underlying science behind this approach to eating. Other books on this eating approach are an easier read & provide a more structured "how to" framework when about to implement, but this is one of the better ones if you are looking to understand the "why" behind this eating philosophy. It's probably slightly stricter too as Dr. Cordain advocates no added salt to your food in addition to avoiding other sub-optimal foods, whereas I have not found this t...more
Very interesting read! I didn't bother to double check the studies he cites, although I would like to do that at some point. Instead, I actually tried the diet! I'm now on week five of a strict paleo diet. By week two or three, I was positively bouncing with energy and no longer suffered my once-frequent energy slumps throughout the day. The tiny fat tire I had around my waist melted away. I very rarely have digestive issues anymore, in contrast to the frequently stomach aches, bloating and gene...more
Apr 12, 2010
Caitlin Singer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone willing to experiment with their diet.
This book was awesome. It was pure facts, and answered every question I could think of. And then I thought of more, of which he answered on his website. I haven't experimented with my diet too much, I was a vegetarian for 2 months, and then quickly transitioned to this diet. I feel great on this meal plan, and have lost a bit of weight. I think that vegetarianism/veganism are moral diets, and this diet is for health.
This is the first meal plan I've tried that is based on scientific evidence, he...more
This is the first meal plan I've tried that is based on scientific evidence, he...more
Hmm...read this in order to understand what some of my patients are following.....and found yet another biased food fad based on obsessivly and blindly marching down a path marked out by dogma and cherry-picking the literature.
It does deserve a couple of stars in that a portion of it is sensible and clearly better than the current North American highly processed diet of frankenfoods.....but the so-called genetic basis for us today still needing a grain and dairy free diet is just a theory. Plus...more
It does deserve a couple of stars in that a portion of it is sensible and clearly better than the current North American highly processed diet of frankenfoods.....but the so-called genetic basis for us today still needing a grain and dairy free diet is just a theory. Plus...more
Not a bad book just not great either if you want a diet book something akin to the Abs Diet book then this is for you. Not a great read but not dry either.
The biggest negative for me is his reference to research but not really follow through, I guess think was intentional as some may feel intimidated by hard science. For me I just felt it was to general.
The recipes did not look that great so I left them alone completely.
I have started reading other Paleo books because I think there is somethin...more
The biggest negative for me is his reference to research but not really follow through, I guess think was intentional as some may feel intimidated by hard science. For me I just felt it was to general.
The recipes did not look that great so I left them alone completely.
I have started reading other Paleo books because I think there is somethin...more
Great book, if you want to understand what the Paleo Diet is all about. It's not just a bunch of "inspirational" fluff followed a meal plan, like some other diet books I have looked at. He gets into the scientific research that supports WHY this diet is good for people, in a way us non-science folks can understand. He explains how Paleo is different that other diets. He also explains how to do it correctly. And there are some recipes in there too. I did skim through some of the parts that got in...more
Several of my friends have told me how great the Paleo Diet is and how it has changed their lives so I was interested in reading what it's all about.
The theories behind the diet certainly seem logical, go back to eating as our ancestors did before the introduction of grains, highly processed foods, and sugars into our diet. Since the relatively recent emergence of these foods we have been plagued with obesity and health problems. Eliminating these foods from your diet and eating lean protien an...more
The theories behind the diet certainly seem logical, go back to eating as our ancestors did before the introduction of grains, highly processed foods, and sugars into our diet. Since the relatively recent emergence of these foods we have been plagued with obesity and health problems. Eliminating these foods from your diet and eating lean protien an...more
My husband has decided to (mostly) follow the Paleo diet, and I wasn't satisfied with what he could tell me about it, so I bought this book to read on my Kindle.
There's a certain level of persuasion to be expected when one reads a book about a diet, but this one slides into condescension pretty quickly. I wanted to shake the author and tell him, "Tone it down, man! Don't you realize that the people who read this book aren't on the Paleo diet yet?!" It wasn't very welcoming. I plowed on, and some...more
There's a certain level of persuasion to be expected when one reads a book about a diet, but this one slides into condescension pretty quickly. I wanted to shake the author and tell him, "Tone it down, man! Don't you realize that the people who read this book aren't on the Paleo diet yet?!" It wasn't very welcoming. I plowed on, and some...more
Fascinating idea that we should return to hunter-gatherer eating habits. Not sure I agree with every part of the philosophy, but Dr. Cordain makes a very compelling case for improving our health by altering our food intake. At the heart of the argument is the notion that we return to basic, non-processed food items, which I wholeheartedly embrace. Since reducing grains and sugars as prescribed in this book, I have lost a pound a week - 10 lbs. total. Most importantly, I have LOTS more energy tha...more
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Loren Cordain, PhD, is one of the world's leading experts and researchers in the area of evolutionary medicine. He is on the faculty of Colorado State University and the author of The Paleo Diet and The Paleo Diet for Athletes. He has been featured on Dateline NBC, in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other media."
More about Loren Cordain...
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