Helpful Score: 1
I gave this book 4 stars and definitely think it deserves that, but I also had some issues with it. Wolf is super condescending and I was not a fan of his "voice." I know he has dealt with a lot of people that refused to "buy in" to what he's selling, but it seems that if someone has gotten as far as to read the book, they're already willing to listen, so treat them with respect. Explain your position and why you believe it and let the reader believe what they want. You're not winning friends by telling people they are stupid not to live life your way. (And I say that as someone who IS living life the way he prescribes.)
That said this book is full of good information. The beginning of the book delves deeper into the science of how certain foods such as grains and sugars affect your body during digestion. I thought this was great, though I still wouldn't have minded a deeper dive into some subjects, especially dairy and legumes. The book spends some time on basic weight training and exercise, which is good if you are just getting started with moving more and don't want to join a gym or fitness club. He then goes into meal planning and provides recipes to help you get started. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but some look tasty and I will try them.
That said this book is full of good information. The beginning of the book delves deeper into the science of how certain foods such as grains and sugars affect your body during digestion. I thought this was great, though I still wouldn't have minded a deeper dive into some subjects, especially dairy and legumes. The book spends some time on basic weight training and exercise, which is good if you are just getting started with moving more and don't want to join a gym or fitness club. He then goes into meal planning and provides recipes to help you get started. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but some look tasty and I will try them.
Tim A. (bobkittykid81) - , reviewed The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I write this book with full disclosure and revelations about its content. With Paleo being such a large diet craze right now, I checked out the book. I have been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for about a year and a half and wanted to check out the book's contents and philosophies.
Things I liked about the book included the more detailed delving into things like physiology and what things like carbohydrates and refined foods do to our anatomy and bodies. The main crux of the book is that our digestive systems have not evolved out of the agrarian age, and are therefore not equipped to properly deal with the results of pastoralization, mainly grains and refined foods and sugars. The book goes into some historical notions for why the author believes this, and fundamentally I think his evidence is solid. There is also some workout information contained in the book which is helpful.
Things I did not like about the book was a kind of odd humor and especially a snarkiness to vegetarians and vegans. Actually putting down other people who are trying to get healthy and being compassionate to animals seems a bit much, and even though he mentions it early in the book, he never gets around to discussing the issue on more than a superficial, personally anecdotal level and the occasional insult. Second, my other major issue with the book seems to be the unexplored contradiction about grass/range fed meat versus corn/grain fed meat. For most trying to go full Paleo I would assume finding major sources of meat that weren't fed the chief ingredient you're decrying would be a primary point, but it really wasn't anything more than glossed over in the text.
Overall I enjoyed the book and thought it had a lot of useful information. The author's attempt at humor and put downs of differences from his prescribed diet were the sole sticking points for me. However, considering all the damage to the environment and pain and suffering due to animals that are still caused by meat based diets, I'll stick to a modified form of Paleo that includes no meat and a reduction in grains and carbs. Other books I'd recommend or films would be Forks over Knives, Skinny Bitch or anything Michael Pollan.
Things I liked about the book included the more detailed delving into things like physiology and what things like carbohydrates and refined foods do to our anatomy and bodies. The main crux of the book is that our digestive systems have not evolved out of the agrarian age, and are therefore not equipped to properly deal with the results of pastoralization, mainly grains and refined foods and sugars. The book goes into some historical notions for why the author believes this, and fundamentally I think his evidence is solid. There is also some workout information contained in the book which is helpful.
Things I did not like about the book was a kind of odd humor and especially a snarkiness to vegetarians and vegans. Actually putting down other people who are trying to get healthy and being compassionate to animals seems a bit much, and even though he mentions it early in the book, he never gets around to discussing the issue on more than a superficial, personally anecdotal level and the occasional insult. Second, my other major issue with the book seems to be the unexplored contradiction about grass/range fed meat versus corn/grain fed meat. For most trying to go full Paleo I would assume finding major sources of meat that weren't fed the chief ingredient you're decrying would be a primary point, but it really wasn't anything more than glossed over in the text.
Overall I enjoyed the book and thought it had a lot of useful information. The author's attempt at humor and put downs of differences from his prescribed diet were the sole sticking points for me. However, considering all the damage to the environment and pain and suffering due to animals that are still caused by meat based diets, I'll stick to a modified form of Paleo that includes no meat and a reduction in grains and carbs. Other books I'd recommend or films would be Forks over Knives, Skinny Bitch or anything Michael Pollan.
