Rating: 
Summary: Exceptional and Highly Recommended
Review: 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.
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Summary: The Best Starter Book for Ideal Diet
Review: 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.
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Summary: A smart, healthful diet book
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Valuable information, but don't take it too seriously...
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: The Paleo Diet is essential reading
Review: 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!
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Summary: Don't be stupid, read this book
Review: 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
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Summary: Not a panacea for fatigue
Review: 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
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Summary: This book is saving my life!
Review: 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!
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Summary: fabulous book, effective program for athletes in particular
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible satisfying and slimming diet
Review: 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.
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