Happy Book Club Monday!

Every Monday I review a book related to food in some way. I share some basics about the book, my thoughts, and the best part, I look forward to your comments on the book or suggestions for other books. This has been a great way to share some thought provoking books and meet new readers. If you want to view past books, check out the Badger Girl Book Shelf.

This week, we are covering The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. 

Manatee and I were hearing more and more about the Paleo Diet. We were curious. Is it really just nuts and berries?

Book Overview

After a compelling introduction, Robb Wolf outlines the tenets of the Paleo Diet. Essentially, it’s meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. No wheat, no processed foods, no grains.

Wolf addresses all of the health benefits of going Paleo but he spends more time highlighting the pitfalls of not going Paleo. It’s not a pretty picture.

For him, the Paleo Solution must also include how you approach physical activity. He has chapters with beginning workouts and his theories on exercise (essentially intervals + power training + weights).

He ends the book with recipes that allow you to follow the Paleo diet and not feel like you are missing out on anything.

Authorial Voice

Robb Wolf is a hyper academic. Funny, a little condescending, and overly thorough. He believes in Paleo and decides the best way to convince the reader is to throw up as much scientific and medical evidence as possible. He separates the more technical explanations into Geek Speak sections and ends the book with some great, tangible recipes that you can try at home.

His goal is to be funny and tangible. He wants to speak to both experts who may challenge him and the everyday person who doesn’t really care about proteins, amino acids, and a detailed analysis of what happens when you eat a piece of salmon. Does it succeed? I would say not, but I am pre-disposed to dislike hyper academics.

Why You Should Read It

Read the introduction of the book.

Seriously.

It’s best part of the book. Wolf describes his childhood, growing up with two very sick and resigned parents who accept poor health as a way to live. He rebels in college because vegetarian girls are hot (his words, not mine) and the more he worships his rice cooker, the more he finds himself plagued with digestive issues. The sea change comes when his mother is finally diagnosed with celiac disease. With a name behind the problems, Wolf begins to start eating meat and cut out grains. Miraculously, all his health problems disappear. 

If the introduction doesn’t make you change your grain-loving ways, I’m not sure what will.

Okay, I may have some ideas, but hang with me for awhile. 😉

After you read the introduction, go and read the recipes at the end. Specifically, the Norcal margarita recipe.

Tequila + Lime Juice + Club Soda= the best cocktail I have had and the least amount of guilt I have felt after drinking.

Points of Contention

I don’t like being called Buttercup. 

It was cute the first time Robb, but by the end of the book, I was NOT your buttercup and I did not want a hug.

Like I said, Wolf is like a hyper academic. He is trying to be funny, trying to be witty, and sometimes I just wanted him to stop.

Maybe I read the book too fast, but the details about the medical and scientific side of it got old for me. By the end, I was skimming and skipping entire sections. It wasn’t until he started talking about booze that I regained my initial interest.

Conclusion

To answer our original question, it is more than nuts and berries. It’s eating meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and good fats.

After I read the book, I can say that I believe in a Paleo Diet but only to a point. I believe in cutting out grains and eating clean. I don’t believe in modeling my workout regiment after cavemen and some of the other more extreme interpretations of living Paleo style.

I think The Paleo Solution is a great book to read to learn more about why you should go Paleo and what that really means, but….

…..And this is a big but….

But I think there are better books out there that cover similar material and I am going to share one of those books with you next week.

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How would you describe your diet? 

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