Practical Paleo release: My thoughts and thanks.

It’s late on Saturday night after two days here in Boston at the Ancestral Health Symposium. I’ve been spending time with dear friends, and making lots of new ones. I’ve been legitimately stalking my own book on Amazon.com to see what’s happening with it (it’s been in the top 20 books on all of Amazon since it released!), reviews that are posted, and where it may be ranking at any given time. I’ve been checking Facebook and Twitter to see and hear what you all have to say about the book once it gets into your hands.

All I can really say is this: I am floored.

I am floored by the responses and reactions to the book itself, based on people’s expectations, and then having them far exceeded by the content I’ve put together within the 432 pages. (I had to stop somewhere!) I guess I didn’t tell people too much about what was in the book besides teasing photos of recipes, so a lot of people thought it was only a cookbook, but it’s so much more than that.

I am floored by how emotional I’ve become this week, primarily in response to your amazingly kind reactions to the book, but also in response to the stories people have been sharing with me already about how much I’ve changed their lives. One kind gentleman at dinner tonight started to tell me I saved his life. I was already crying from someone else’s kind words, so he stopped there realizing it was going to send me into an ugly cry (watch the video clip at about 2:43 in) to continue his story, though I would honestly love to hear it. Thanks, sir. I am honored to have helped you. If I never help another person, seriously, my work is done.

I am floored at how badly it seems our community needed this book. I feel like you have all been asking, begging perhaps, for meal plans since the beginning of all of these murmurs about customizing a Paleo type of diet for your specific needs. You’ve realized that it’s not about a one-size-fits-all approach, but you have been asking for more help – for yourselves and for your loved ones. I am offering mine to you now, in this book.

I am floored by the genuine outpouring of support you all have offered for this project of mine with your comments on Facebook and Twitter and letting me know where and how you got a copy as well as how excited you are to flip through it for the firs time. Many of you know how much of my blood, sweat, and tears have gone into it. It means so much to me, makes what I do worthwhile, and begins to turn around the fatigue I’ve been feeling into the most pure form of joy and contentment I think a human being can feel. I can’t even explain how far beyond my wildest dreams this has gone into making me feel like what I do matters. It’s astounding.

I am floored by how amazingly supportive my friends have been throughout this entire process. Whether it’s some of my Paleo/blogger friends like the Grassfed Girl (Caitlin), Paleo Parents (Stacy & Matt), Cave Girl Eats (Liz), Nom Nom Paleo (Michelle), Jimmy Moore, Sean Croxton, the Civilized Caveman (George), Chloe, Jess, and so many more – or my friends at home in NJ or San Francisco – you all have been there for me and have held me up through times when I really felt like I just could not make it through this project.

And, seriously, who invites you into their home to cook recipes and shoot photos for you- when you take over their lives for a sum total of 6 weeks?!

Only The Food Lovers (Bill & Hayley) would do this. Okay, sure I was feeding them amazing food along the way, but that’s six weeks of their lives poured into helping me to make my baby amazing. You’ve seen the photos in my book by now. There are no words. Okay, wait, I thought of a few… go here now and check out The Food Lovers new (FREE!) iPhone and Android app, “my kitchen” and their new eBook here.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for what you are doing to support my work. I could not feel more excited about the way that what I do is touching and changing (saving?!) lives around the world already and for how many more lives it will touch in the near future. It’s astounding and I am beyond grateful for this opportunity to help you.

Love & bacon,

Diane