Rating: 
Summary: simply THE book to read on proper nutrition
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Another miracle diet, sigh
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: The Paleo Diet Made Simple
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Am more than merely intrigued by 'The Paleo Diet'
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Sadly flawed
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: I am confused
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Second thoughts
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: It works
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: It works
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Unecessarily Ridiculous
Review: The basic premise of this book - that paleolithic people ate mostly meats, fish, fruits, and vegtabeles, is probably true, and has even been advanced by other authors, e.g. Artemis Simopolous, who don't advocate as drastic a plan as Cordain's. In my opinion, we could all do better by eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer refined carbs, and its hard to argue with lean meat and beneficial fats (omega-3, monounsaturated). This book, however, suffers from numerous flaws: 1. Like another reviewer, I find Cordain's suggestion to cook with flaxseed oil extremely distressing. The flaxseed oil manufacturers themselves (including the ones named in the book) advise against this, as do other authors touting the values of omega-3 fatty acids. This recommendation seriously damages Cordain's credibility. I am also concerned about his suggestion to take 200-400mg of selenium, since the tolerable upper intake from all sources is 400mcg (see NIH Office of Dietary Supplements web site). 2. Cordain suggests increased sun exposure as a source of vitamin D. He's probably right that some sun is helpful. I don't really think we should avoid all sun exposure as some advise. Cordain, however, never really deals with the issue of skin cancer risk, especially since the ozone layer has become depleted in modern times. 3. Cordain has an annoying habit of citing one study to support one or another point he's making and acting as though the matter is definitively settled. ("This was proven by Dr. Smart Guy at Impressive University.") It leaves the impression that he is cobbling together various studies to support his plan and presenting the entire plan as scientifically verfied. He makes no attempt to refute, or even acknowledge, contradictory studies. A certain arrogance pervades the book. For example, he calls the idea that legumes and whole grains are healthy a "myth." Well, it may or may not be right, but it's certainly not a "myth," having been supported by reputable studies performed by reputable scientists at reputable universities. 4. He paints a picture of the Paleo diet as a miraculous cure-all, leading to everything from decreased cancer risk to healthier skin and hiar. These kinds of miraculous claims are always suspicious. He also asserts that Paleolithic people were models of good health. Since they dind't live that long, it's really hard to know how healthy they were. He also makes a comparison between his diet and what he calls the "typical" American diet, and the example he gives would be shunned by everyone from Atkins to Pritikin. This is a false compariosn. There's a big gulf between the Paleolithic era and our obese times. For most of modern history, people have not been this fat; indeed, in many parts of the world, people are still not this fat. Cordain ignores healthy post-Paleolithic diets such as the Mediterranean diet, the Okinowan diet, etc. There are some good points: 1. Cordain refuses to endorse saturated fats, as do other low-carb authors. (I have a feeling that this is sold as a low-carb book only to market it to the huge audience for low-carb books. While the diet is lower in carbs than the usual American diet, Cordain does not attack "carbohydrates" per se, but food groups such as grains and legumes that are higher in carbs.) As Cordain points out, paleolithic people could not have eaten a high-fat diet if they tried. Even if paleolithic people ate all the fat from the animals they killed, the saturated fat content would be lower, as it is in grass-fed animals and wild game today. Cordain also differs from other low-carb books by advising us to eat much less salt and avoid processed meants. 2. He is correct that fruits and vegetables are vital and a better source of carbohydrates than sugar and starches. This could have been a good book. It's a pity that Cordain had to write it the way he did.
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