REVIEW for PALEO DIET: Get Started, Get Motivated, Feel Great
“I must confess, as someone who counts nurses and dieticians as part of her immediate family, I am weary of diet books and the eating/exercise industry in general. As a result, I approached Elizabeth Gordon’s PALEO DIET with some trepidation: this couldn’t actually tell me anything I didn’t already know, packaged up as a supposed amazing new discovery, could it?? Yet this accessible, interesting book really changed my mind!
The Paleo Diet book sets itself up as a guideline, not a bible which I really appreciate – I hate the standard, mocking “do this or you’re an idiot” of so many similar books. Gordon’s conversational tone is like a trusted friend, taking you through every element of the so-called “Caveman diet”. She talks about the history of food and what changing your mindset and lifestyle can do for you in terms of health benefits. As a cancer survivor myself, this is obviously on my mind a lot both for me and my family, so this was especially welcome. Gordon is also honest, saying that in the short term The Paleo Diet will NOT make your life easier, but then I think things worth doing never are. The costs of following a Paleo Diet do concern me, but the recommendation of another book at the end of this one for those who are “cash strapped” (as we are) gives me hope that we can find a good compromise on this.
There are celebrity endorsements of the Paleo Diet and whilst not a pull for me, I can appreciate why some people would be interested in these. I personally enjoyed Gordon’s references to the “dupermarket” – I believe supermarkets and big businesses are in the habit of manipulation re: commerce and particular products being good for us (when they’re not) too. I agree with Gordon that consumerism and a reliance on sugars, processed foods and wheat is not good for us, yet I’ve felt powerless to do anything but merely limit my family’s intake and make basic switches, like olive oil instead of vegetable oil.
This book is packed with tasty looking recipes that genuinely look delicious and are not just the same-old, same-old I’ve seen before – I was particularly intrigued by the Zucchini (courgette) fries. I feel like my eyes have been opened to the possibilities of a radically different diet, which does not include “rabbit food”, but a real enjoyment of tasty foods, even including desserts (and given as a family we ALL have a sweet tooth, this is VERY important!). Thanks, Elizabeth Gordon!”
Lisa Lazuli Astrology 