Book Review & Giveaway: Practical Paleo

When I started blogging about my 21-Day Detox cleanse in July, I had no idea how much I would learn about diet and nutrition as part of the process of writing about my experiences. I've always been interested in cooking, but recently I have moved towards becoming more educated about the true nutritional value of the food I'm eating. I've been stocking up on cookbooks that are also educational and provide viewpoints on certain ways of eating. Since I have been moving towards becoming completely grain free, I have been very interested in blogs and books that center around the Paleolithic (Paleo) lifestyle. One blogger who I have been following is Diane Sanfilippo, of Balanced Bites and author of the highly informative Practical Paleo.

































I don't often get excited about nutrition and cookbooks, but Practical Paleo is a pretty amazing book. It's not wonder it's been on the New York Times bestseller list for 3 weeks in a row. If you haven't gotten yourself a copy, you are missing out and here are 5 reasons why:

1. It has over 120 easy recipes all that are gluten-,grain-,legume-,dairy- & refined-sugar-free.
The recipes are well organized by meal type: breakfast, sides & salads, treats & sweets, also by protein type. Some delicious recipes include Apple Streusel Egg Muffins, Nori Salmon Handroll, Baked Beets with Fennel, and Nutty Bacon Bark (yes! bacon candy)

2. It has multiple 30-Day Meal Plans to help support recovery from a number of health issues such as autoimmune conditions, digestive health, blood-sugar regulation, thyroid health, cancer recovery, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, fat loss, athletic performance, and general health

Each meal plan has a specific shopping list as well as a list of useful supplements that you could be taking for your condition. Additionally, a symptom checklist allows you to determine which diet is best for you. Finally Practical Paleo provides specific lifestyle suggestions to help you achieve your goals, such as adding more superfoods and avoiding fasting when trying to regulate blood sugar.

3. It has beautiful colorful guides such as: Guide to Paleo Foods, Stocking a Paleo Pantry, and Guide to Food Quality

If you are every confused about what you should be eating, these colorful guides help you on your trip to the grocery store. The Guide to Paleo foods even highlights items that are considered to be nightshades and can aggravate arthritic conditionals such as gout and arthritis. The Guide to Stocking a Paleo Pantry helps you make sure that you have plenty of grab-and-go foods while you are trying to establish your health, reminding you to have canned sardines, coconut milk, and plenty of nuts on hand. Having a well stocked pantry also ensures that if you happen to lose power, like many on the East Coast, you still have plenty nutrient dense foods to enjoy. I have some recipe suggestions here. Finally, the Guide to Food Quality helps explain terms like pastured-raised, cage-free, natural, and naturally raised.

4. It has really pretty pictures. What's a cookbook without amazing photography? I often spend more time looking at the pictures in cookbook then I do actually cooking the recipes. Practical Paleo has it's share of food p0rn!

5. Finally, Practical Paleo doesn't just provide delicious easy recipes, Diane Sanfillipo explains why "everything we've been taught about good nutrition is wrong."

Practical Paleo dissects all of the recent US Dietary Guidelines such as increasing low-fat dairy intake while limiting full-fat, using oils instead of solid fats, and consuming grains. She explains in layman's terms why these recommendations are causing Americans to not only be overweight but to also be very unhealthy. Diane also provides a science lesson on how our bodies process carbs, proteins, and fats and why the Paleo diet works for not just weight loss but also improved health.

I was really impressed with this book. Not only is it well written and beautifully illustrated, but it provides important, relevant information. I can attest to how much of a difference a paleo-centered diet can make. In the months that I have been grain free, I have never felt better. Practical Paleo will now be my go-to book for easy, simple, and quick Paleo recipes. Practical Paleo is available on Amazon for $23.97! You can go get yourself a copy or you can win a copy in my Practical Paleo Giveaway! 

To be entered in the contest, you must first be a subscriber to my blog. You can subscribe via email on the top right corner. Next follow Rafflecopter's easy instructions!

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