The Paleo Cure

December 2, 2013
A practitioner of integrative and functional medicine, Kresser began following the Paleo diet as a way to cope with his own debilitating medical issues, tweaking the plan to fit his individual needs and constitution. He offers three steps—Reset, Rebuild, and Revive—geared to help individuals use Paleolithic foods as a baseline while personalizing the diet. Kresser focuses on the high nutrient balance of various Paleo foods (meats, vegetables, fruits, and tubers), and details how agriculture has been harmful, pointing out that the hunter-gatherer diet was in many ways healthier than the way we eat in our contemporary world (though they faced many dangers, such ailments as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease were non-existent for our cavemen ancestors). Though Kresser is pro-Paleo (including “nose to tail” cooking and the consumption of organ meats), he admits that “there’s more to life than food,” and suggests following the guidelines for just 80% of the time. With his customized options for thyroid disorders, high cholesterol, and diabetes, Paleo followers will welcome this flexible and informative science-infused text. Agent: Richard S. Pine, InkWell Management.

February 1, 2014

There has recently been a fad for a diet equivalent to what our hunter-gatherer forebears ate: mainly plants and fruits, no grains, and the occasional haunch of wildebeest. Integrative medicine practitioner and blogger Kresser (chriskresser.com) enlarges upon this theme with a diet plan that is somewhat more flexible. His three-step "Reset, Rebuild, Revive" program purports to fine-tune the basic paleo diet in order to fit individual body types and physical problems. He begins by eliminating all the processed foods to which our ancestors had no access. Then, gradually, he reintroduces such things as dairy and grains, which were among the earliest forms of cultivated foods. Then he provides a wide variety of diet plans and recipes that can be tested for their effect on individuals' bodies. The author also allows occasional forays into the forbidden zones. This diet is rather complicated to follow but is based on sound physiology. While there is nothing here that can hurt you, the diet will only appeal to the truly dedicated--people who are looking to feel better rather than simply to lose weight. VERDICT Well done, but with limited appeal.--Susan B. Hagloch, formerly with Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, OH

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