It was a true honor to have recently received an advanced copy of Diane Sanfilippo’s new book, ““.  And the minute that I held it in my hands, I knew that doing a review was going to take some time due to the 400+ pages of information, charts, graphics, recipes, stunning photos and illustrations.  But it only took a few minutes to know that this was a book I was very excited to have in my collection!  As Ron and I flipped through it, he just kept saying “It’s a friggin’ encyclopedia!”

The book is divided into three major parts, but there’s a wealth of information just in the introduction:

“Common doesn’t necessarily mean normal.”

Many of the strongest advocates of the paleo lifestyle have a similar story.  Their health started declining, conventional wisdom and modern medicine didn’t help, so they decided to take responsibility for their own health.  Diane’s story is no different, and my own history is similar to hers.  Like Diane, I gained the “Freshman 15″ and then started dieting (carrot and celery sticks), ended up being told I was borderline hypoglycemic, and for years, experienced drops in blood sugar to the point of passing out.  These symptoms are so common among young women that we have begun to consider them normal, but in Practical Paleo, Diane shows us how these and many other “common conditions” are the opposite of normal.

“What I didn’t know about grains was hurting me.”

On page 13, Diane writes:

It wasn’t until several years later that I discovered the root cause of my chronic systems.  At first, I thought it was preposterous that bread–innocent old bread–could be the source of such hefty problems.

“Pills and pain are not necessities for everyone in life.”

I absolutely love that Diane wrote this book especially with those in mind who have been diagnosed with conditions and told “that’s it”. They’re lead to believe that the only thing they can do is take some pills because there’s no cure.  Well, in many cases, there is something you can do to feel better.  As Diane puts it,

You get to choose what you eat, and that is the most powerful medicine of all.

Dianne’s own 90 year old grandmother was able to eliminate the abdominal pain she had experienced every day, likely for decades, by eliminating gluten!

Part 1: “The Why — Food and Your Body”

This section is full of beautiful guides like these:

But there’s also plenty of solid reading and debunking of conventional wisdom and government recommendations on topics like “healthy whole grains” and “unhealthy cholesterol containing foods”.

Diane is also very mindful of the fact that when cheap foods with little nutrition like rice, beans, bread, pasta and cereal are replaced with more nutritional ones, it can impact the budget.  She not only provides tips for stretching your grocery dollars but also helps you prioritize so that you truly get the most benefit from the food you purchase.

Diane is a woman on the go (follow her if you have any doubts!) and her tips for eating out and eating on the road come from experience.  But the real “meat” of this section is the discussion of each part of our digestive system, what can go wrong, and how to fix it.  And even if you’re already eating healthy fats, have eliminated grains and legumes, and are not experiencing obvious digestive issues, you’re still likely find a few surprising tweaks you can make for even better health.

If, like me, you only had a single biology course and that was a few decades ago, this part of the book is a great refresher chocked full of practical advice based on real science, written in common everyday language.  I plan to revisit this section often, and so will you if you or someone you love is suffering with any of these conditions:

Before leaving Part 1, Diane tackles blood sugar and getting your carb intake right, leaving no stone un-turned.  Not only does she guide you in determining how many carbs YOU need, but she also addresses FODMAPs, nightshades, alcohol, coffee and some of the natural sweeteners that make it into “paleo treats” but really should be avoided.

Part 2: Meal Plans

In part 2, Diane has put together 11 different 30 day meal plans for the following conditions and/or goals:

1. Autoimmune Conditions (many including Asthma, Celiac, Eczema, Lupus, Psoriasis and Rheumatoid Arthritis)
2. Blood Sugar Regulation (Diabetes 1 & 2, Hypoglycemia and Dysglycemia)
3. Digestive Health (Leaky gut, IBS, Crohn’s and others)
4. Thyroid Health (Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism)
5. Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Fatigue
6. Neurological Health (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease)
7. Heart Health (including Cholesterol and Blood Pressure concerns)
8. Cancer Recovery
9. Athletic Performance
10. Fat Loss
11. Squeaky Clean Paleo

Part 3: Recipes

See what I mean?  Well, maybe not, because my photographs of Bill’s photographs don’t really do the book justice.  But Bill works his magic and really showcases Diane’s recipes.  You are not going to believe how many of the over 120 recipes have a prep time of  15 minutes or less!  I haven’t tested any of them yet, but I have no doubt that most of them are doable in the time frame given.  Once you learn some basic kitchen skills, stock your kitchen properly with healthy ingredients and a few key pieces of equipment, and learn to plan ahead for a few meals, you may find that you’re actually spending less time in the kitchen that you were before Paleo (unless you spent all your time at Wendy’s or something).  Practical Paleo has a slew of  pointers and suggestions to help you in all of these areas.  And in case you are wondering, yes, there are some desserts.  Pretty spectacular looking desserts!

Mission Accomplished!

Not that the book needs any additional selling points but the forward is by , proud new daddy and best-selling author of .  And the illustrations in Practical Paleo are by another fabulous paleo foodie, the very talented .  Finally, after the index, there are some very helpful tear-out guides to post on the fridge.  (My favorite one is the list of cooking fats and their smoke points.)

will be released on August 7th, 2012 and has a list price of $39.95.  But you can and get the book for a significant savings!

Diane stated that her goal with Practical Paleo was to create a practical and useful resource for everyday life, explaining the basics of how food works in the body, and giving examples of how to create and customize meal plans for individual nutritional needs. She certainly accomplished that goal and in my opinion, much more. Practical Paleo has a voice that can reach the masses, and can positively impact the health of every person that will take the time to read it.