Molly Johnsen

I received a copy of this book through the LT member giveaway program.

I don't know much about the paleo diet, but it sounds interesting so I was looking forward to seeing what this book might offer. From very early on it was obvious I was in for a disappointment. The introduction is so generalised it basically says nothing beyond "paleo is really popular so why not try it, also it can fix all your health problems". No studies or figures are presented, nor does the author mention any credentials for their own knowledge. Instead we get statements like "a great deal of the ingredients can be bought at the same time, with only a need for in season produce to be obtained for most of the dishes" that completely overlook issues of availability in different regions of the world. I also find it pretty incredible that the introduction claims "there are no known allergens contained in this program mainly due to the fact that casein and gluten ... are not included in the foods..." I don't know if the author is truly unaware of for example nut and apple allergies being common or just confused with terms and actually meaning lactose and gluten intolerance, either way statements like that don't add any credibility to this text.

The lists of foods you can or can't eat are a bit baffling as well: for whatever reason, for some animals it also includes cuts (but not for all), the list of fish is relatively short (is there a reason for this, or are they just examples?), sweet potato is on both lists, and I'm sure you'll be relieved to hear that the following land animals are ok to eat: lobster, New York Steak and salmon. Also "no sweets, no sugary drinks" would have been adequate instead of long lists of trademark names . The FAQ is so short it barely deserves a mention and didn't answer any of my questions (like what about tea or coffee?)

I have to confess that at this point I wasn't very keen on flicking through the actual recipes. I'm trying to be forgiving and think that I can probably just substitute bison meat with moose but a depressing amount of the recipes seem to include coconuts and almond paste (neither which are local or reasonably priced for me and I have no idea how to replace). Some of the veggie and fish recipes looked promising and I could imagine trying out some. There also also some more imaginative recipes like paleo apple pancakes and paleo cookies. I got a bit excited again seeing there's a 30 day meal plan at the end of the book... but those don't seem to necessarily correspond to the recipes in the book and given the less than convincing introduction, I kinda doubt how balanced that plan is.

Altogether the book felt like a first draft. I'm really interested to see someone who knows more about this diet to review the book to see what they think. Until then, I think I'll look for other sources for more information about paleo.… (lisätietoja)