"I got an advance copy of Practical Paleo to review for my blog and spread the word about Diane's upcoming 50lb Paleo Encyclopedia (maybe not quite THAT heavy). It's a huge book and I knew it would take awhile for me to get through it. Instead of a traditional book review I want to do more of an outline or list of what stood out to me in the book. This should give you a good idea of what you get when you buy Practical Paleo.
Pre-order HERE!
1. From the very beginning the cover catches your eye and lets you know what is awaiting you inside. There are tear out guides (mine came with a magnet to stick them to my fridge), over 120 recipes, and 11 different 30-day meal plans!
2. Diane's intro is touching and relatable. She discusses her own struggle with decreasing health and increasing weight which is all too common today. She also talks about helping her 90 year old grandmother realize that she was intolerant to gluten after suffering from this allergy for decades. I'm sure that most of us in the fitness/health industry have older relatives that we wish we could help with similar issues.
3. Diane outlines a list of Paleo basics which are easy to understand and implement. She basically tells you what to add and what to subtract for optimal health.
4. "Everything we've been taught about good nutrition is wrong." The section on nutritional myths will rock most people's perceptions of what a healthy diet is and is not.
5. According to the Framingham Study, "the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person's serum cholesterol. We found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most saturated fat, and ate the most calories, weighed the least and were the most active."- source: "Cholesterol and Mortality: 30 Years of Follow-up From the Framingham Study." Journal of the AMA April 1987. Vol 257, No 16
6. The Guide to Paleo Foods and Stocking the Paleo Pantry makes it easy for Paleo newbies to know what to eat. It is also good for long time Paleo eaters to branch out and try new things. I know we all tend to get stuck in a rut of eating the same 10-20 foods each week.
7. The Food Quality Guide helps clear up label confusion and distinguish between government sanctioned labels and marketing ploys.
8. The Guide to Fats and Oils and The Guide to Cooking Fats insure that the Paleo eater enjoys a wide variety of healthy fats instead of just feasting on bacon all the time (mmmm, not that there's anything wrong with that....). The Cooking Fat Guide also specifies correct usage of each oil, breaks down the fatty acid profiles, and gives smoke points.
9. There is a Budget Priority section that can help save the Paleo eater $$$, specifies what foods should be purchased as organic and which ones don't matter, tells how to save money by shopping farmer's markets, and refers the reader to her less expensive recipes.
10. Paleo in Public helps diners stay gluten-free in a flour saturated world, make healthy choices, how to interact with wait staff without being a pain, and how to stay paleo with different ethnic cuisines.
11. Paleo on the Go leaves no excuses to eat garbage when traveling by car or plane.
12. Diane gives you more than you ever wanted to know regarding your digestive system, what can go wrong, and how to fix it.
13. An entire section on leaky gut, what foods can cause it, and how to heal your leaky gut if you have one.
14. The blood sugar regulation section talks about good carbs, bad carbs, and if you're carb loading for your desk job!
15. The Guides to Dense Sources of Paleo Carbs can help all the Paleo athletes get enough fuel for their workouts without resorting to sugar or grains.
16. The Guide to Sweeteners lets you know which sweets are good for treats, and which to avoid at all times.
17. The FAQ section discusses counting calories, staying gluten-free, nightshades, FODMAPs, protein powder, weight loss, weight gain, and much more!
18. There are 11 different meal plans that each have 3 meals per day for 30 days mapped out. Each plan also tells you what to add, what to avoid, and may give certain super-foods depending on your goals.
19. The recipe section has basics like how to chop an onion, how to chop anything, spice blends, bone broth, baked bacon!, clarifying butter, and homemade sauerkraut.
20. There are over 120 recipes but the stand-outs for me are grain-free porridge 2 ways, fiery jalapeno buffalo burgers, crispy curried sweet potato coins, creamy cauliflower hummus, baconnaise, nutty bacon bark, and flour-less mocha-bacon brownies!
In conclusion,
pre-order Practical Paleo. Do it now!!!!
My wife cooked and posted a couple of recipes on her blog as well:
http://memrierounsaville.blogspot.com/2012/07/zucchini-pancakes.html
