Loren Cordain
1 I have read a TON of nutrition books...
...and this book is a MUST have for anyone serious about performance nutrition. I have been a serious student of health and nutrition since I was diagnosed with Cancer as a teenager. I have been cured and healthy for well over 15 years and nutrition is an enormous part of the reason I have been able to become as fit as I am now. "The Paleo Diet" is state of the art information backed by solid scientific research on how your body is designed to eat.
2 For the concept, not necessarily the execution...
As with any "diet" book or advice, I think this one needs to be taken with a grain of salt, so to speak.
Removing grains and legumes, and processed foods from the diet has proven to be highly beneficial to me. Removing dairy is logical, since the human body is not intended to process any milk other than mother's. Since making these adjustments to my diet, I have felt so much better, and when I occassionally have a piece of cheese, my body has difficulty processing it. Sugar had already been removed from my diet years before I found this book.
However, there are a few points I do not follow. I do not calculate the acidity and alkalinity of my diet. That is too much bother. I do not avoid all salt, as avoiding it altogether can cause it's own problems, as sodium is necessary in some amount. I do not restrict myself to lean meats, as a certain amount of dietary fat is necessary for satiety. I do not avoid vinegars or oils.
I use sea salt, rather than iodized salt, as it is less processed. I have changed my oil selections, in part from his recommendations, and in part from others, but I now use olive, grapeseed, coconut, and nut oils (not peanut, which is a legume), rather than soybean or canola. I eat a healthy balance of lean and fattier meats. I use vinegar when I want to.
Overall, this is an interesting concept that is not necessarily well executed. But it is a good springboard to start adjusting your diet to what your body needs.
3 The Best Starter Book for Ideal Diet
I am a medical doctor and have studied diet since I was a high school athlete. While not perfect, this book outlines the basic principles of paleolithic eating. It gives the paleolithic background, scientific rationale and practical instructions. Adoption of this diet in the USA would plummet our health care costs across the board.
There is a mounting body of evidence that diet is important in mental health issues as well. This even extends to violent behavior, particularly in our deficient omega-three fatty acids and excessive omega-six fatty acids. Here is a huge benefit that could cut down on criminal court costs and incarceration, not to mention quality of life.
My objections are few. Cooking flax is questionable. Canola is a genetically engineered alteration of a toxic substance, the rapeseed. He probably maligns saturated fats too much. The answer here is probably more moderate than the Atkins-esque and the author's more polarized rec's.
Finally personal experience... I found myself in 1999 at 230# at 6'3." I started eating low grain diet (a daily serving), moderate produce and plenty of animal protein, fat and all (meat, seafood, eggs, cheese). I cheated a few times a week and drank beer a few times a week. In two months I lost twenty pounds and was a muscular athletic looking guy again. My girlfriend said I was "hot"-at age 39. Of course I drifted off and got up to 250 this last holiday season. I have been gradually eating more this way and already lost 12 pounds and feel much better. And this while exercise is limited by multiple injuries. This may not seem very impressive, but it is when you consider I'm not really more than doing a partial version here and not getting enough exercise.
4 Weight Loss with Bonuses!
am an RN who has had an interest in nutrition for many years, and have eaten similar to the "Paleo" way for some time and have felt great for years (and look younger than my age!). The big excitement for me is the improvement in my family's health since converting to Paleo. My sister (who has been on chemo for 6 years),found this book(and told us all about it), has lost 35 pounds in 6 months, and has improving lab values with her thyroid, cholesterol. She has increased energy, no indigestion, and glows in a way she never did before. My husband, recently diagnosed with Type II diabetes, has lost 20 pounds in 3 months, and his blood sugars are totally controlled by this diet alone, and his blood pressure is now within normal limits. My daughter, having stopped the dairy products and wheat, is not longer suffering from severe reflux. She never has to take medication for that now. Ever. My mother has lost 33 pounds, has increased mobility and strength, easily controlled blood sugars (may go off meds soon, with md's supervision), and is never hungry. Along with all these benefits, you don't ever have to go hungry again.
Since I have been on this diet, all the cravings for junk food have gone. I was someone who lived for sugar and now I do not want any of it. I use to crave coffee in the morning as well but realized I didn't want that wired up feeling & acid stomach. I switched over to a caffeine-free coffee substitute made from soyabeans I found on the net at www. S o y c o f f e e.c om. It so easy for someone to tell you to eat less, but if you are craving bad foods, eventually you will fail. In the first five days I was on this diet all the craving ceased and I was already 8 lbs down. If you were like me and cannot wait for your next slice of cake and at the same time really want to change your lifestyle, Try this.
5 hokum for the credulous
After all the praise fans heap on Cordain, I was expecting a convincing scientific case for his ideas. Instead what he offers is a collection of anecdotes, fallacies and just-so claims.
The opening proclamation is that the Paleo diet is the diet humans are designed to eat, because humans evolved on this diet. Thus an ad antiquitatem fallacy is the basis of the entire concept. His evidence for our alleged adaptation to the diet is changes in gut morphology, but a single fact cannot be the basis of a scientific theory. Cordain follows these fallacies by claiming that humans are not adapted to modern diets. That's fair enough, but doesn't support his own fantasy.
The real null hypothesis to be refuted is not adaptation to modern diets, but adaptation to a natural high plant food based diet - the logical opposite of his claim. Of course, he never refutes the null hypothesis in any reasonable way, instead he makes biased remarks about problems on contemporary vegetarian diets.
When concern turns to constipation on such a high meat diet, Cordain drags up some research that completely contradicts his diet. Firstly we have an anecdote about Vilhjalmur Stefansson an artic explorer whos party were cured of constipation eating the "Eskimo" diet. No surprise, because the diet is full of oils and fats that are excellent lubricants. However, Cordain wisely advises removing fat from modern meats, to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, with his version of the diet. Ironically his second piece of supporting evidence proves his concerns over constipation wrong. When Vilhjalmur Stefansson and a friend try the diet, supervised by doctors, they report gastric problems if they consumed an all meat diet without all the fat. It seems the Paleo dieter must choose between constipation or cardiovascular risk? Ironically the Innu peoples have a god they call Matshishkapeu ("fart man"), a god capable of delivering a deadly bout of constipation. How did the Innu peoples ever know of the existence of deadly constipation, and make it a centrepiece of their mythology? The existence of constipation on a high meat diet is proof that humans are not adpated to such a diet.
Where is the evidence that the stone age diet is healthy? Again, it's not in this book. Contemporary stone age populations may not get cardiovascular disease or cancer like modern people, but they are far from healthy, with traditional remedies for common ailments from the cold to constipation. Worse, stone age peoples had terrible childhood mortality rates, and poor longevity by modern standards. Are we really to believe that bad diet has nothing to do with this? Cordain wants us to believe this, but he has once again no supporting science.
Nothing in this book is anything like science, the claims are not even annotated with their respective references.
If you want to feel good about eating a lot of meat, this is a must read. If you want a credible case for the stone age diet, you will be completely disappointed.
6 Not a panacea for fatigue
I had been highly optimistic of feeling better after reading the many reviews here that praised this diet. Unfortunately, it has not been the panacea that I had been hoping for. It has been three months that I have been following this diet very closely (except for cooking with flax oil which will destroy this outrageously expensive food). It has had positive effects for sure: less "hollow stomach" feeling without being hungry, less bloating and flatulence, need 7 1/2 hours sleep instead of 8 1/2 hours, and less need for naps. But my desire for high "energy" that I have been dreaming of all my life (42 yrs old) has not materialized. My dreams and desires are many and would require more "energy" to accomplish. I do get high energy during prolonged periods of intense physical exercise such as mountaineering, and mountain biking expeditions (See http://www.geocities.com/chris_goulet ), but as soon as I return, the old lethargy comes back and I am reduced to reading about a wide variety of subjects (ex: science, geography, computers), but I do not have the drive to get involved socially and practice an activity in depth.
Three months may be too soon for the full effects to develop, and some sources state that as much as two years may be necessary, so I will practice it much longer. This diet is much more expensive than my previous diet. For example, I used to have oatmeal for breakfast (150g, $0.30), and now have melon (400g, $1.30); Potatoes (400g, $0.30) replaced to apples (400g, $1.20), peanuts (100g, $0.40) to walnuts (100g, $1.10). This adds up to over $1500 more per year. However, this is likely to be offset with lower medical costs, and healthier life.
I have always been slim (6'2", 160 lbs), and my weight has not changed on this diet. I'm still often hungry, so I eat two big snacks in addition to the three meals. In the first few weeks, I had slight nausea during intense exersion, occasional irritability, and cravings for pastries and cookies, which I successfully resisted. These side effects have largely subsided.
Just needed to warn those that expect to turn into superman overnight on this diet; the effects can be subtle and take years to develop. However, this diet is guaranteed to be way ahead of the "Standard American Diet" and even ahead of the vegetarian diets for long term health.
chris_goulet at yahoo dot ca
7 Don't be stupid, read this book
I grew up believing that all the things I was eating are good for me. Surely white flour products like bread, bagels, cereals (especially coco puffs) are good for me. All the advertisers told me so. But reading this book and others by (Melissa Diane Smith, Burton Berkson, Jack Challem etc...) my paradigm changed. This and the other authors give you just the facts, it's well documented, meaning it is the truth. On April 28 (my weight was 173) my doctor told me my cholesterol was almost 300. He suggested "Crestor" to lower it. Thank god to never took the drugs. You next questions should be "well what is you cholesterol and weight now". Well, after about two months, July 1, my cholesterol was 137 (actually this is to low, but I didn't think it would work so fast) my weight was 153. My fasting glucose is 79; my Blood pressure is 110/120 over 60/70. I'm 48 and feel like 28.
When I read other comments stating that this author is wrong, misguided and just plain wrong, I just had to write. Just look at the facts, they speak for them selves.
I had the misfortune of telling my friends who are on medication that they to can be drug free, feel better, never be hunger, live longer, etc.... they just ignore it and go on doing the same thing.
Don't be stupid, read this book, follow it for just 3 months, even if you don't believe it to be true. After the 3 months you will know who telling the true.
shakercuda@yahoo.com
8 At least one of the 'editorial' reviewers didn't read it
... or maybe s/he simply didn't understand what s/he read. I'm talking about the one that made the stupid statement about the lifespan of paleo humans being only 30 years. Cordain's research shows that if the paleo human was able to avoid childhood mortality and accident, he or she was typically a healthy and productive member of the tribe well into the 60's or 70's, and that the agricultural 'revolution' substantially shortened the human lifespan. Skeletal remains of elderly paleo humans are common -- plus they don't usually show signs of degenerative diseases (or even crooked teeth). Both Cordain and Audette make this observation, so I'm assuming the reviewer simply relied on what somebody else said about the book when writing the 'review'.
Cordain's diet recommendations have two big plusses: 1) they make sense, and 2) they are simple enough for anybody (except maybe the 'reviewer' in question) to understand and implement.
In addition to this book, I recommend Ray Audette's NeanderThin.
9 horribly misguided, error-filled, and toxic
Cordain's book is long on speculation and error and very short on data.
He would have you eat protein at levels just a hair short of toxicity for your entire life! Don't do this if you value your health.
Cordain suggests that no vegetarian diet could come close to the nutrient levels he provides in his sample diet plan. This is spectacularly wrong--any plant-based diet that centers on dark leafy greens rather than whole grains will provide more of everything (except B12) with fewer calories, more fiber, more good carbohydrate, and less saturated fat, in a way that is more health-promoting, and will result in much better blood lipid profiles and is far more likely to reduce incidence of certain types of cancers.
Cordain would also have you cook with flax oil. This is also spectacularly wrong.
The idea of reducing grains is not bad--simply because they are not as nutrient dense as vegetables and fruits, but the idea of jacking up animal flesh to ridiculously toxic levels to take their place is a very very bad one--not only for one's health, but also for the planet.
If you want to try something health-promoting, consider a 10% animal, 90% plant diet--center your calorie needs around dark leafy greens and purples, non-starchy non-leafy vegetables and fungi, starchy roots and tubers, raw fruit, and raw nuts and seeds in descending order, lightly supplemented with lean and fatty fish, other lean seafood, and perhaps some cultured nonfat dairy and modest quantities of sprouted grains and legumes. Emphasize genetic diversity with a wide variety of bright colors on the plate. This is a much healthier option to follow.
10 Another miracle diet, sigh
I'm very interested in natural nutrition, but I was a bit disappointed with this book. There are so many "musts" in it. It's not true that everything invented after the stone age is not healthy for us. I live in Sweden and we drink lots of milk and digest it well. Some low fat milk promotes a good health, I think. The author also says "Absolutely no peanuts". Well, I read in the paper today that a substance found in grapes, peanuts and other vegetables is likely to extend your life span and slow down aging. And in Asia they do well on eating lots of soy bean products.
How old did they get back then? I've heard they had an average life span of 40 years. Was that only because they had no doctors or could their diet have been less than perfect after all? And I wonder why the Japanese, who eat a lot of rice, and Swedes, who eat a lot of milk and rye bread, become twice as old in average.
Italians get old too, and they eat a lot of pasta.
But I've learned at least one thing from the book: Eat more protein. I've started to eat more fresh fish and vegetables and I feel really fine. I already seem to need less sleep. I've tried to cut down on pasta, white bread and sugar for a long time, but the book encourages me to go on doing so. (My teeth like the new diet too. If you are strict with it you could almost skip tooth brushing!)
I agree that wheat, corn etc and products thereof are not nutritious. Too much energy, too little nutrients. But you don't have to skip it altogether!
Read the book, it has some good points. But please don't forget to use common sense. We can of course use some farm products and still be perfectly healthy and have long lives. We can have the best of both worlds. Why not listen to your stomach? Only your stomach can tell you what foods you digest well. No book can do that. Your stomach is a good, personal guide.
11 A Major Milestone in Nutrition
This book is about the diet of man from 2 million years ago until modern hunter gatherers today, and is the diet we evolved with. It's easy to read and gets great results. It is excellent for weight loss and for most health problems. It teaches many important things about food, to know forever. Hunter gatherers don't get most of the diseases of modern civilisation, mainly because of their diet. Virtually all topics in nutrition are covered in the one package! The author is the world's leading authority on the topic and has a down to earth no-nonsense approach. ...
12 It works
Since I'm not a nutritional anthropologist, I can't swear that the author's theories are solid science. However, I can say for certain that the Paleo Diet works. In the beginning, it's difficult to banish bread and pasta and dairy and potatoes from your diet ... and it seems like there's high-fructose corn syrup in everything. However, it's worth the effort. Six months later, I've shed almost 40 lbs and have taken on the lean and fit look mentioned in the book. I'm in the best shape of my life, and I feel good all the time. I neither need nor miss caffeine, anymore. As a skeptic who is now a believer, I really can't recommend the Paleo Diet strongly enough.
13 Paleo success
This is a great plan. Not your typical starvation diet. This plan makes great sense. You can adapt this to your everyday life and make it a habit for the rest of your life. Create muscle and loose weight and feel great doing it. It was recommended to me by my boss who is a diabetic and it has helped him stay off insulin injections and maintain his blood sugar. It helps with cholesterol problems also. I have recently begun the program and am feeling better each day. I like it so well that I have bought a copy for my salesman and his family.
14 An incredible satisfying and slimming diet
I love protein -- fish, chicken, lean beef and lean pork. And I have missed fruits and vegetables. How terrific that Dr. Cordain has shown that the proteins I love can be combined with non-starchy fruits and vegetables -- while I'm still losing weight. This is a clear, simple, effective weight-loss plan that has helped me in my daily eating plan and I'm sure it will help you as well.
15 Sadly flawed
It is a shame that Loren Cordain who has undoubted scientific ability has fallen into the trap of the fat/cholesterol hypothesis. This completely unsupportable hypothesis (and it has never ever been more than an hypothesis) is a poor vehicle to show off his interesting research on the paleolithic diet. The credibility of the book is further compromised by his clear lack of knowledge about edible fat composition and cellular biology and the importance of both saturated fats and polyunsaturated fats (together with cholesterol) in the generation and maintenance of cell integrity, not to mention hormone manufacture.
The tables that purport to show relative food values (eg protein and or fat values) are highly suspect and do not match any of the standard references I have consulted. The values are usually wildly astray, some laughably so (if it was'nt so serious). What the source of these tables are is never specified.
As for recommending flax oil for cooking!!!
Reading this book made me feel sad for Cordain and his colleagues who have compromised the value of their research by slipshod thinking and sloppy research outside of their main field of interest.
16 This Is How The Cavemen Ate? Uh, I Don't Think So!
When I first heard Loren Cordain was finally authoring a book on paleo nutrition I was quite excited, for Cordain has conducted a lot of very insightful research into the eating patterns of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. When I finally got to examine the book though, I was sorely disappointed.
Cordain evidently seems to have ignored much of his own research. The most alarming error is his frequent recommendation to use flax oil when cooking meat dishes. Recipe after recipe calls for marinating cuts of meat in flax oil before cooking - a very bad idea! For those who don't already know, you should NEVER cook with any type of polyunsaturated oil. Their high degree of unsaturation makes them extremely prone to oxidative damage, and this process is greatly multiplied by exposure to high temperatures (e.g cooking temeratures). Omega-3 fats, like those found in flax oil, are the most vulnerable polyunsaturates of all. When eaten, these 'healthy' fats trigger a chain-reaction of nasty free-radical activity in the body, leaving one open to the development of all sorts of degenerative ailments. Cordain should be well aware that liquid vegetable oils simply did not exist back in paleotlithic times.
Cordain also denigrates saturated fat in his book, which once again is rather pitiful considering his background. The anti-saturated fat doctrine is a product of agenda-driven 20th century researchers and beaureaucrats, eagerly supported by commercial interests and their cheerleading squad of ignorant nutritionists, health authorities, and authors. Cordain claims that a single experiment where saturated fat raised cholesterol levels in young men is proof that this fat is bad. Big deal! Such an assertion assumes that the cholesterol theory of heart disease is a valid one. Considering the numerous absurdities inherent in the cholesterol theory, that is a rather risky leap of faith. Hunter-gatherers ate lots of animal fat, which is around 50% saturated. And no, just because an animal is wild does not mean it is low in fat - I had the pleasure of sampling some camel steak last week, and you can be sure I enjoyed every bit of the backstrap fat covering the steak! Even the leanest animals have fatty portions of meat, and if observations of recent hunter-gatherer societies are anything to go by, these would have been the most valued and preferentially eaten cuts.
Cordain also jumps on the anti-low carb bandwagon, even though his own research shows hunter-gatherers were far more likely to consume a low carb diet than a high carb diet. In fact paleo nutrition, with its emphasis on animal foods and starch poor plant foods, and low carb nutrition are a perfect match.
The whole book reeks of an attempt to squeeze paleolithic nutrition into currently fashionable and politically correct guidelines. Only problem is, back in the stone-age there weren't any pompous cholesterol researchers who thought they knew better than mother nature, and there were no advertising campaigns to let people know of the `heinous' health effects of saturated fat - so people ate it, and lots of it!
Paleo eating is still the ultimate nutrition in my opinion. It is the only eating plan that cannot even begin to be accused of being a 'fad'. Subsistence patterns that dominated for over two million years can hardly be considered a fad. Cordain's book does contain some useful info, but Neanderthin by Ray Audette is a far better, and cheaper, book on paleolithic nutrition. Buy that instead.
17 The Holy Grail
This is one of the most influential books I've read - definitely in the top 5. In following the doctrines outlined here, I've lost about 12 pounds of bodyfat, gained ridiculous amounts of energy, and can lift more weight in the gym than ever before - all in about 2 months. The title is slightly misleading - this is really less of a "diet" book and more of a "lifestyle" book. On the three or four times I have departed from this Paleo lifestyle (usually just for a meal or two), I noticed a dramtic decrease in my energy level. For the first time in my life, I believe I "get" the whole nutrition thing. Don't confuse the Paleo approach with Atkins - although there are similarities, the differences are critical (ie., salt, quality of fats, etc).
18 Am more than merely intrigued by 'The Paleo Diet'
In watching my sister endure the merry-go-round of Atkins, I think Cordain's 'Paleo Diet' makes a lot more sense.
His proposal of fresh, natural foods and omitting grains, sugars and salt makes much more sense than consuming heinous quantities of saturated fatty meats and expecting pounds to shed without consequences. I am much more intrigued by this book than the ramrod approach of gurus like Atkins and, I think, this is the ONE diet plan I will be very happy to try out for real.
I would have to agree that the pre-cultivation diet was likely more healthy than the cereal-based diet that began some 10,000 years ago. This grain-based diet has created [my opinion] havoc and its effects have made itself felt since.
Another reviewer cited that this will likely offend everyone. I know very well that the purveyors of all grain-based items will be screaming at what is proposed in this book. They will have fewer buyers if more will take on this lifetime eating plan and will lose money. Some reviewers have correctly brought up the kinds of meat permitted. Dr. Cordain advocates free-range and grass-fed but a budget like mine won't permit this luxury. I'll have to settle for plain ol' storebought in that department. Any nastiness from chemical buildup I think will pale compare to what would be there if I didn't omit grains, sugars and salt.
If it honestly works [don't see where it cannot] Dr. Cordain will have another very happy convert. Then, my only concern will be in convincing my relations that Atkins is more detrimental in the long-run than going back to paleo-foods.
19 fabulous book, effective program for athletes in particular
I laughed out loud when I read the customer review that said "I lost too much weight". What, are people jealous?
I've been on this diet for about four months now and have lost 30 lbs, and regained my fitness and health, as well as putting more muscle on than I've ever been able to do before. Sure, don't go on this diet if you don't like being incredibly fit.
I was a sub 3 hr marathoner at age 35 when I started to inexplicably gain weight. I was eating very little protein at the time, around 20 grams a day, despite running about 100 km a week at the time. Dumb, I know, but it worked for a long time. I wasn't getting injured, nor did I have any health problems (except a problem with acne that started at age 30). I ate a lot of grain-based foods, which is typical for endurance athletes.
My health deteriorated, and I gained 35 lbs in less than six months. I also got pneumonia twice, and developed asthma. My LDL level was twice the maximum that is acceptable. All of these problems are accounted for in this book.
I first saw Cordain's work mentioned in Joe Friel's Mtn. Bike Training Bible, and followed up.
All of my symptoms have disappeared. Not only have I lost the weight, my blood work is excellent, and I'm putting on muscle faster than I did even in my early 20s (I'm 38 now). I'm up to 200 crunches, for example, only two months after barely being able to manage 5. My average run pace has dropped from 8:30 per mile to sub 6 minutes per mile in only two months, on 3 hrs of training a week. After only 3 sessions on my track bike (all around 10km in length), I was able to crank out 36 km/hr over 10km on my track bike. That's on ZERO mileage over the past three years.
Others have asked me how I did it, and they are getting similar results and feeling great.
This research makes a tremendous amount of sense, and it's given an athlete his body (and hope) back. Thanks, Dr. Cordain.
20 Second thoughts
Since I reviewed this book here several months ago, I've surveyed a number of other nutritional guides and found that this one does not hold up so well. Several current diet books discuss saturated fats much more thoughtfully than Dr. Cordain does with his dismissive "artery-clogging" epithet. As he points out, animal fat today--at least in most commercially available meats--is not the nutritious animal fat that Paleolithic people ate, but his solution to this problem can create more problems. I tried restricting my meat consumption to eating only lean meats, as he recommends, and I lost too much weight. He also recommends range-fed/free-range animal foods (a better solution), but so do numerous other nutritional guides, most of which don't advise cutting the skin off poultry as Cordain does.
Although this book's 20-page bibliography as well as its endorsements from authors of other diet books indicate that Cordain is not the mere exercise professor that Sally Fallon (in her review here) claims he is, he has not, in my view, presented a diet for everyone. His diet may help people who need to lose weight, but for improving one's health I've found better guides elsewhere. I'm sorry I rushed to recommend this book so highly in my first review; before I recommend any other diet book or nutritional guide, I'll wait until I've used it for a while.
21 Low-carbohydrate Paleo Diet? -------- NOT------
Dr. Cordain has attempted to jump on the "low-carb" popularity trend but has missed the mark by a mile. I am personally on a truly low-carb diet and eat lots of saturated fats which have given me AWESOME health. My previous high risk cholesterol ratios, blood pressure and weight have returned to PERFECTLY NORMAL. He claims his diet is low-carbohydrate but it certainly is NOT at 30-40% carbs. He also attempts to make a connection between the hunter-gatherer Paleolithic people and his diet, which it is NOT. The hunter-gatherers ate a very high-fat, low-carb diet, and he is proposing a low-fat, high-carb diet. As an example: Dr. Cordain says correctly that wild deer, which he used as an example of Paleo food, is 40% protein and 60% fat. Yet, he suggest people eat a low-fat deer roast cut of 19% fat with all the exposed fat trimmed off. Paleo people ate the high energy fat that threw away the lean meat. His diet is basically the same as the Zone 40-30-30 (c-p-f). It is well known that this diet works for thin, younger people only. Older people or those with a existing over-weight problem will actually get fatter on this diet and develope age-related degenerative diseases. Dr. Cordain says the Paleo people would eat eggs but rarely had the opportunity. Yet, he suggest that eating fruit shipped to your local store from worldwide sources and available 365 days of the year is a Paleo diet. The truth is the Paleo people ate lots of fat and preferred the fat. They wasted the lean meat in times of plenty just as primitive people have done in recent years. The Paleo people had very limited availability of carbohydrate foods, a very limited varity and a very limited season. Some primitive people had NO carbohydrate food available 9 months of the year in northern locations. Dr. Cordain taught in the past that the Paleo people were vegetarian, and he was also a vegetarian at that time. Dr. Cordain's book is full of contradictions which lack logic. He provided a list of reference books but not one reference scientific study to support his assumptions. If you want to read great books about the TRUTH in a healthy diet, healthy fats and primitive peoples, try the following:
Dr. Robert C. Atkins' New Diet Revolution Revised and Updated.
Dr. Mary G. Enig's Know Your Fats.
Dr. Weston Price's Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.
22 Politically incorrect enough to offend almost everyone
The Paleo dietary theory is looking better and better as time passes. I've been successfully losing weight by following principles similar to Cordain's, even before I read his book. Cordain should be commended for defending a thesis that is politically incorrect on many levels.
The Paleo theory offends Creationists, because it assumes an evolutionary explanation for human origins and why our bodies seem to thrive better on hunter-gatherer foods than on "our daily bread."
It offends free-market zealots, because it implies a criticism of the way American capitalism produces the toxic waste it calls "food."
It offends the charlatans in the weight-loss industry, who offer the simplistic explanation that Americans are getting obese because they are "eating too much," instead of scientifically looking at the consequences of WHAT they are eating.
It offends the American medical and pharmaceutical industries, because it argues that a proper diet to prevent cancer, "Syndrome X," and other degenerative diseases makes more sense than developing exorbitantly expensive (i.e., profitable) therapies and drugs to treat them after the fact.
It offends the social-engineering goody-goods (mostly on the Left) who had the government dictate carbohydrate-heavy nutritional guidelines to us which have proved disastrous in practice.
It offends vegans, because it argues that humans need to eat animals for optimum health.
It offends technological cornucopians of the Julian L. Simon school, because it challenges common beliefs about "progress," and whether our planet can produce enough of the proper sorts of foods for human well-being. Cordain points out that with current technology, only about ten percent of the world's population could be adequately sustained on a Paleo-compatible diet. Unfortunately, the world's impoverished billions have to take their chances with their suboptimal grain-based diet.
In light of this, about the only ideologues this theory doesn't offend are the neo-Malthusians who have been arguing all along that the world is way over-populated. It's not often that a diet book presents a worldview radically at odds with the usual range of beliefs in our society. Cordain's message deserves a wide and thoughtful hearing, for what is more important than our health and the food we eat?
23 The Stone Age Diet brought up to date
Before I found this book, I'd heard of the Stone Age diet and wished I could adopt it. The restrictions--no grains, legumes, dairy products, or processed foods--sounded formidable, as did the requirements--fresh meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit, the wilder/more organic the better. But my health problems have recently goaded me into adopting a rough form of this diet, and I've needed a diet manual to focus and refine my new food choices. Voila! I found The Paleo Diet just yesterday and am already convinced it's the right diet book for me. I do feel better since I started eating more animal protein and no starch a few weeks ago, but I've been having trouble with fatty meats, and Loren Cordain's book explains why.
The reviewers here who argue that saturated fat has been getting a bum rap, that our Stone Age ancestors undoubtedly ate the whole bird and not just the breast, etc., appear to have read the book cursorily, if at all. Cordain clearly explains that the animal protein prehistoric people thrived on had nowhere near the amount of saturated fat found in today's domestic meats, poultry, and dairy products. Quoting from the book, "Paleolithic people couldn't eat fatty meats if they tried--they had nothing like the tubby grain-fed animals that produce our steaks today." Readers who want more science may consult the 20-page bibliography in the back of the book.
The Paleo Diet is primarily a diet manual, a nutritional primer, and a cookbook, loaded with practical information (e.g. "How to Be a Savvy Shopper for Fish," "Dining Out, Travel, and Peer Pressure," etc.) for readers who want to adapt the Stone Age diet to the 21st century. What's more, the book is engagingly written and extremely readable. Above all, Cordain makes the Stone Age diet seem simple. If I could give his book an extra five stars, I would!
24 unsubstantiated assertions
are easy to make. 'Dr' Cordain asserts that hunter/gatherers ate low carb diets. Exactly what would be in 'lots of fruit and vegetables' if not lots of carbohydrates ? There's plenty of sugar in both fruits and vegetables. Not to mention that grains have always been available since the dawn of time, and fermented grain alcohol is a part of every recorded culture: so grains were indubitably a part of the hunter/gatherer diet (there's my own unsubstantiated assertion - see how easy it is ? )
The diet is mostly a good idea, but the reasons given why it might be, are mere speculation.
25 This book is saving my life!
I have tried every diet known to man. At least I thought so until I read about the PALEO DIET. It just makes so much sense! Haven't you ever noticed that when you see people in old pictures that there are so few "fat" people. And the older the pictures, the less likely you are to see people who are overweight. This books explains how our diets have changed through the centuries with inventions, discoveries, and "improvements" in our lifestyles. I have tried before to "get back to basics" as far as my eating was concerned, but NEVER got it right. This outlines everything very clearly. I am actually enjoying coming up with new menus and recipes using Dr. Cordain's suggestions. I can hardly wait until my next health checkup when my family doctor sees how much weight I have lost! My muscle tone has improved and I have more energy too!
26 Solid Research
This is a wonderful book. I have a degree in dietetics, and I have tried to follow the Food Guide Pyramid for years. For years, the weight has just kept on piling up. This book really does make eating easier. You don't have to count calories, carbs, or anything else.
As a nutritionist, I know the dangers of high protein, high fat, no carb diets. These dangers include calcium loss from the bones, excess ketone buildup, constipation and other problems. For those reasons, I do not recommend high protein diets and would never go on one. But this book is different. You can eat all the carbs you want, as long as they are the right kind *fruits and non-starchy veggies*. You get lots of fiber and adequate calcium. This diet is truly healthy. I analyzed several days worth of meals with the FoodWorks program, and this diet is very high in vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber. It has also cut my calories in half, and I've lost four pounds this first week. For those who are worried about giving up favorite foods forever, the diet allows two open meals a week, at which you can eat grains and dairy.
I also ordered "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy" by Walter Willett, an M.D. at Harvard who heads up some long term nutrition studies. I recommend this book to those who are interested in research or a second opinion. Many of the paleo diet points are echoed in Dr. Willett's book. After reading these two books, I don't see how they could fail to convince anyone.
27 simply THE book to read on proper nutrition
I would like to write this review for 2 reasons:
1)I just want to say that I first started to lose weight when I switched to a low-carb diet, but continued to eat lots of dairy and soy, as I was a vegetarian. I have always been a size 12-14, and was quite pleased when I dropped to a size 10 by eliminating bread, pasta and sugar from my diet. I still experienced occasional fatigue and lots of digestive upset, though, and it wasn't until I took an allergy test and found I was allergic to grains and dairy - and subsequently cut both completely out of my diet - that I started to feel the energy and vitality for which I have been searching for years. I'm also allergic to most beans, so my only alternative source of protein was meat. I started to eat lean, unprocessed meats and fresh fruits and veggies, and my energy was not only soaring, but my depression lifted, my skin became smoother and softer, and I dropped down to a size 4 without even trying to lose weight! (I've never been less than a size 10 in my life!) Anyways, I effortlessly maintained that level of vitality and a size 4 until I started to eat rice flour, oats, processed meats and candy. I quickly gained 15lbs and fell into depression once again, leading me to realize that once on a paleo diet, it must become a way of life. The foods that Dr.Cordain describes as detrimental to our health (grains, dairy, legumes) are indeed factors in all sorts of health problems. If you are a possible buyer of this book, please take note of this, you cannot expect to lose weight and then go back to your usual style of eating. Buy this book and undertake Dr.Cordain's suggestions only if you are ready to change your lifestyle - it will be well worth it, I promise! In any case, I have since started back on the paleo-lifestyle route (feeling better already and have lost 5lbs in one week), with the help of Lauren Cordain's book, and it has been an invaluable resource for me. I have beeen waiting for him to write a book for a while now, as I have been reading interviews and papers written by him on www.beyondveg.com since I first started on the paleo nutrition route 2 years ago. This brings me to my second point in writing this review:
2)In response to the reviews that mention disdain at the apparent contradiction with Dr.Cordain discouraging the use of saturated fat while promoting the idea that humans' natural diet contained lots of meat, known to be rich in saturated fats, I have read research that sheds some light on this, at least for me. It seems that the saturated fat found in lean game meat - buffalo or wild boar that has been running around the jungle or the plains all day - has a different composition entirely than the saturated fat found in your average piece of supermarket meat - cows, chickens, even free-range game. There is a more favorable ratio of omega 3:omega 6 fatty acids in the lean game meat, as well as other aspects that I can't remember offhand, but you can read more for yourself on this subject in interviews of Dr.Cordain on beyondveg's website.
One more note for those of you trying to decide between Dr.Atkins or something similar, or a book such as this one or Neanderthin: speaking from the point of view of a person who has developed IBS and multiple food allergies as a result of the Standard American Diet, I wholeheartedly agree with the low-carb way of life, but must offer my 2cents that any diet that fails to caution the consumer on the downfalls of consuming fake foods such as artificial sweetners and salty, processed meats, cannot be healthy for the long-term. I would eat fresh cream or whole milk before I put MSG, nitrates, sulfites or Splenda into my body. I have tried Atkins, and I felt a big difference in my general health from that program to one of eating more natural foods as advocated by Dr.Cordain, Diana Schwarzbein and Ray Audette.
If you are undecided, please take your long-term health as well as your short-trem weight into consideration. Any of the above-mentioned authors can help you lose weight and feel great, but unlike Atkins or Eades, they will help you do it for life. As far as deciding between the above-mentioned authors, "The Paleo Diet" is written by a well-respected professor and expert in the field of paleolithic nutrition, and if you were to go with one book on low-carbing, this would probably the healthiest, most sane and moderate approach I have seen out there.
28 Some good information, but flawed
This book has a lot of useful information, particularly on the effects of grains and excessive carbohydrates on the human body. When people replace animal foods and fats for grains, degeneration sets in as the fossil record shows.
Where the book goes wrong is in its explanation and role of fat in human diets. Cordain erroneously believes that saturated fats cause heart disease and other diseases--totally wrong. Because of this belief, he also writes that our Paleolithic ancestors did not each much saturated fat from animal sources. The evidence he gives to support this, however, is very selective and misleading.
For accurate information on saturated fats, see Uffe Ravnskov's excellent book THE CHOLESTEROL MYTHS, as well as Fallon and Enig's NOURISHING TRADITIONS.
29 The Paleo Diet is essential reading
I found Dr. Cordain's presentation very credible and well done. He presents the basics and then offers a plethora of references to support his claims and for additional reading. I never felt bogged down in detail. The recipes and meal plans are thoughtful and delicious. They have allowed me to stick to this new approach without hunger or "cheating." Best of all, I feel great. In the future, this is how we all will eat.
... after increasing protein consumption and lowering carbohydrate consumption in my diet, my blood lipid analysis improved (i.e., HDL, triglycerides), but my LDL cholesterol remained elevated until I also cut back on saturated fats. Many of my friends had the same experience. I don't speak for everyone. But in my case, Dr. Cordain has it right!
30 Valuable information, deserves to be taken seriously
This is the best book on paleo nutrition since Ray Audette's Neanderthin. It brings Audette's information up to date with science from this burgeoning area and will serve as an introduction to the only diet that is totally attuned to our physiology. That's what's so neat about it.
But it is also what is so difficult for people to get their minds around. As Robert Ingersoll said: "In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments, merely consequences" and we are inclined to regard our dietary preferences as matters of taste (in all senses), or even of ethics - as do vegetarians and those who point out that grain-based diets are far less demanding on the environment than meat-based diets such as those advocated by Dr Cordain.
But this misses the point. Cordain is telling us what is natural, not what is ethical. If a meat-based diet takes more land for each consumer than a grain-based diet, that is a consequence of human population numbers, it is not a reason for dismissing a paleo diet.
It also misses the point to say that, if we are to adopt a paleo diet, we should return to stone tools and a totally paleo life. Cordain's thinking is clearer than this and the book has many stimulating ideas and insights about our evolutionary inheritance.
Cordain also tells us that the human species has barely altered since grains were first cultivated 10,000 years ago. We are hunter-gatherer bodies in a post-industrial world. Much of the book is devoted to explaining how diabetes, cardiovascular disease, food intolerances, osteoporosis, asthma, heartburn, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and many other modern diseases derive from the extent to which we have departed from the evolutionarily-proven lifestyle. For this reason alone, this book deserves to be taken seriously. As Ingersoll implies, there are natural consequences to our behaviour; our cultural preferences are irrelevant to the truth.
The author also contrasts modern activity levels with paleo activity levels and presents an exercise routine to complement his dietary advice.
Dr Cordain devotes a part of the book to pointing out how meat, fish and fresh vegetables can be contaminated and he gives some guidance in avoiding such contaminated foods and whether the contamination levels are serious.
I'm a paleo eater and exerciser myself and I've been looking for a book like this for ages that I can pass to my friends to explain why I eat and exercise the way I do. I bought two copies. Great stuff!
31 Valuable information, but don't take it too seriously...
I enjoyed reading this work, and found the author's ideas and insights useful and thought-provoking. However, one must never take advice of the nature presented too seriously. For example, hunter-gatherers who were able to capture fowl certainly wouldn't forego eating the whole bird, skin, fat, and all. In addition, the total dismissal of grains is, in my belief, extreme. Logically, if we must return wholly to the Palaeolithic in diet, then why not return to stone tools, too? Human evolution has seen humankind adapt *to* our environment, and, we have *adapted* our environment. Grains -- rice, oats, maize, and the like -- have a multi-millenial tradition with countless societies. I believe where we have gone wrong is in adulterating and denaturing our foods, not so much in cultivating them. This also brings to mind the fact that meat, the staple of the Paleo Diet, is one of the most pollutant-contaminated food products on the market. Hence, I'll be choosy about using advice from this work, and so should you.
32 Good Book but Leaves Out Cordain's Great Research
Dr. Cordain has written an excellent book for the general public. I would have like to see the book cover more of the technical aspects of Cordain's work as there is considerable "data" supporting this diet.
This book makes an important distinction between high protein diets vs. high fat diets. Atkins, Protein Power, and Zone can all be paleolithic diets but in practice are probably not. The protein intakes are too low in most cases. They may be too low on Atkins as he recomends fatty meat. Protein Power recommends minimum intakes that would be too low and if someone has free choice of fat intake like on Protein Power that may feel full on lower protein intakes. The Zone would provide sufficient protein if someone were to ignore its 1200-1500 calorie recommendations. The zone usually becomes a high fat diet as protien and carb intakes stay the same if you follow Sears recommendation to use fat as a caloric balast when you don't wish to lose more weight.
In response to the question of protein intakes by another reviewer here. The 55% represents aminal intake, not protein amount. However, protein intake on Cordain's diet is up to 35% of total calorie intake.
Cordain's diet is not a starvation diet like the Zone and the carb intake is much higher than most low carb recommendations This should prevent ongoing ketosis and potassium losses so commonly found on Protein Power and Atkins.
33 Mostly Right
The book is a great overview of the human body's natural diet. Dr. Cordain does a great job explaining in detail the concepts of a Paleolithic Diet and how it translates into modern day eating. I agreed with most of Dr. Cordain's concepts except when it came to eating fat. Fat, and more specifically saturated fat, has been unfairly villainized by modern paradigms and this book does nothing to clear this misinformation. There is some evidence to suggest that our ancestors preferentially ate the fat from the animals they hunted. Cordain's diet seems to skirt this issue and combine a true paleo diet with a modern day, politically correct, low fat diet.
34 The Ultimate Diet
This plan really strikes me as the best possible way of eating. I am familiar with a number of other popular "low-carb" plans, and most are either too high in saturated fat and too low in fruit and vegetables, or simply too complicated and full of unusual foods. This book describes what seems to be a very reasonable, tasty, and healthy eating plan based on lean meats, fruits and vegetables, and some healthy fats. The author explains in simple terms how this is the diet that humans are genetically programmed to do best on. I'm convinced; I'm going to try it!
35 Exceptional and Highly Recommended
Dr. Loren Cordain is one of the top researchers in the field of human nutrition. This book represents the distillation of his extraordinary knowledge and long career. This book cannot be recommded highly enough. The plan he outlines is simple, yet thorougly backed by research. As a nutritionist, I have admired his research papers for years. At last I have a book I can give to my clients that will tell them from one of top authorities how they are supposed to eat! If you have to lose weight, lower your cholesterol, or gain control of your diabetes, this book can offer you tremendous help, and give you and eating plan you need to regain your health.
36 I am confused
Overall I liked this book. It is easy to read and contains some solid nutritional facts. However, on page 21 and 22 it seems to contradict itself big time. On Page 21 it shows the protein content of the plan to range from 19-35%. However, following this analysis of the diet he says it is not necessary to count calories, but if you did that one would find 55% of the calories on the Paleo diet come from protein. I would dearly love to know if I have misinterpreted something here or that there is a misprint or something. Too much of a discrepancy for me. Maybe the publisher could clear this up. Is the protein 19%, 35% or is it indeed as much as 55%.
In any case the diet itself is simple, easy to follow and well laid out, however, one may just have to calculate the protein content for oneself. Personally I like to know the analysis of any diet that I am trying.
37 The Paleo Diet Made Simple
If you're new to the Paleo Diet concept, I suggest you pick up this book first. It is a straight forward, easy to understand book that does a good job of showing that the Paleo diet is not a fad diet, but the politically correct diet of this age (high carb, low fat) IS.
For those who are familiar with the Paleolithic style of eating, I might want to give it a star or two less. Why? Well, Dr. Cordain is THE leading expert in the anthropological aspect of the Paleo diet, and quite frankly I was expecting more in depth discussion, research...and a lot more numbers. For the frustrated dieter who simply wants a diet THAT WORKS though, this is probably not a concern.
38 The Paleo Diet
Don't miss these delicious recipes! Dr. Cordain's diet helps you lose weight while eating foods your body was designed to eat, such as meats, nonstarchy vegetables, and fruits. While learning about an optimal diet, you'll also find fascinating facts about our ancestors and our Paleolithic roots. The combination is not only interesting, but will help you lose weight!
39 A smart, healthful diet book
I am fascinated by this diet book -- it makes so much sense! Eating lean meats and fish, veggies, and fruit, and cutting out all the other stuff that is so unnatural and unhealthy for you -- processed grains, refined sugars, and dairy products -- it's a really healthy way to eat and live, even if you don't need to lose weight. And the recipes and meal plans are so helpful and delicious; this book is a real inspiration to begin eating healthfully once and for all.
