Practical Paleo - Book Review

The title says it all.. Don't expect Masterchef creations from this book because you won't find them. 

What you will find is real, quick wholesome Paleo food for people from all walks of life.

Diane Sanfilippo holds a Bachelors degree and is a Certified Nutritional Consultant who runs a great health blog called "Balanced Bites" (and is also on Facebook) as well as having her own private nutrition consulting practice, teaching nutrition seminars throughout America and has a top rating weekly podcast "The Balanced Bites" podcast which you can download for Free from ITunes.

She is also responsible for the very popular 21 Day Sugar Detox (https://www.facebook.com/21daysugardetox on Facebook).

Below is a chapter by chapter breakdown of what the book includes:

The book starts off by explaining what the Paleo lifestyle is and how it can benefit you. 

It then goes into great detail in easy to read tables of what is and isn't "allowed" in the Paleo diet, how to budget for the Paleo diet, how to eat out Paleo as well as Paleo travelling tips.

The next section of the book gets down to the How's, why's and how to fix common health issues in aspects of the human body.

Diane then covers Leaky gut, in a very easy to read and understand way, perfect for people who don't want to wade through many medically written journals filled with jargon you need a medical degree to understand. 

She talks about anti - nutrients and  how to heal a leaky gut. 

There is a great section on Blood sugar regulation and sweeteners, and a very handy FAQ section which covers many topics people ask when considering the Paleo lifestyle.

Part Two of the book is the 30 day Meal Plans in which Diane has broken down by health conditions covering 

• Autoimmune conditions (see picture below for list of conditions covered)

• Blood Sugar Regulation (Diabetes Type 1 & 2), dysglycemia, hypoglycemia)

• Digestive Health (leaky gut, IBS, IBD, Crohn's Disease, Colitis and ulcerative colitis and Celiac Disease)

• Thyroid Health (autoimmune Hashimoto's or otherwise & hyperthyroidism)

• Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromylagia and Chronic Fatigue

• Neurological Health (Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease)

• Heart Health (Cholesterol and blood pressure) 

• Cancer Recovery

• Athletic Performance

• Fat Loss

• Squeaky Clean Paleo 

Each section includes the page numbers of the recipes best suited to each condition as well as diet & lifestyle recommendations in the way of what to add and avoid and any nutritional supplements and herbs to consider for the specific condition.

Sample of the meal plans for Digestive Health

Now Part 3 is the fun bit!!  

All the yummy recipes including really simple information for those new to cooking because lets face it there are quite a few people who don't know the basics and this book covers them which I think is great as a lot of people don't cook because no one has shown them the basics. This is why I believe it's critical to get kids in the kitchen helping from a very early age, we want them to be able to cook nutritious food for themselves when they finally do leave the nest so to speak! 

From spice blends to broths and everything in between the recipe section is categorized by ingredient (poultry, beef, pork, seafood, sides, salads, treats & sweets etc)  with each recipe having a lovely photograph to accompany it.  (Because we all love to see what it is we are making!)

The recipes use simple, easy to find ingredients (well minus the Bison we don't have too many of them wandering around) making this easy everyday food. 

The back of the book contains tear out tables (that featured at the front of the book) so you can stick on the fridge or pantry door for easy reference without having to photocopy of have the book on hand at all times.

I give this book a 10/10 and a must have in a Paleo kitchen. (and I haven't been paid to review this book!)

It's easy to use, explains things in really easy to understand language (and I've had to read some pretty full on medically written journals to learn a lot of what is in this book about autoimmune health conditions) and is something you can really easily and practically pull out a few ingredients and have dinner on the table pretty quickly. 

Having the 30 day meal plans already done for you also helps out greatly if you are new to Paleo, Autoimmune Paleo (and trying to navigate the do's & don'ts as Autoimmune Paleo is a little more restrictive with no eggs, nuts, seeds, nightshades and certain spices) or if you are just time poor and want the work done for you. 

The book is available online from a variety of Online bookstores and a portion is available to look at on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Paleo-Customized-Whole-Foods-Lifestyle/dp/1936608758.

You may also be able to find it at bookstores but I haven't come across it at any local ones but maybe the larger stores in major cities may stock it, otherwise online is your best bet shop around for the best deal.

I will be continuing to review my favourite books that I have read in the past or currently reading so keep an eye out for more book reviews.

I would love to know some of your favourite books/cookbooks?

Happy reading 

~

Kat