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The Lazy Caveman Reviews the Practical Paleo Nutrition Guide Book by Diane Sanfilippo of BALANCED BITES

I had the pleasure of meeting Diane at a healthy holiday cooking class that she and Chloé Lauer of Zest For Life Today co-taught. It became quickly apparent that this was no ordinary cave woman; she truly embodies the Paleo lifestyle and has found a way to take the simple concepts of the Paleo lifestyle and apply them to our modern, hectic lives. Her latest effort, The Practical Paleo Nutrition Guide (Practical Paleo Nutrition Guide Book, $34) is a realist’s approach to a healthier way of living while providing a great selection of recipes that, from first-hand experience, are bound to knock your socks off.

Diane’s approach centers around The Paleo Pyramid, and upon first glance, it reminds us of the familiar food pyramid of grains, veggies, fruit, meat, dairy and fats/sweets that the USDA has been brainwashing us with for decades. But upon close inspection, there are no grains, dairy or sweets in Diane’s pyramid. Instead, the base is built upon lean meats, with fruit and veggies making up the middle, and nuts and berries rounding out the top. It’s a novel way to think about Paleo eating while still drawing parallels to an image with which we are so familiar.

From here, she has made great strides in aggregating all the information for you about the science behind the Paleo lifestyle, citing the greats like Loren Cordain and Robb Wolf, so that you don’t have to waste precious time scouring the original sources when you should be busy changing your life.

I often get questions from friends looking to understand more about Paleo eating like “well that all sounds good in principle, but how do I do it on a budget?” Thankfully, Diane has an answer for that too with a list of priorities for purchasing fats, protein and carbs. The other big question I get is on eating out at restaurants, and while Robb Wolf documents this well in his “Road Forager” series, Diane’s suggestions are far more practical and a little kinder than being a pain in the neck to the restaurant staff.

The FAQ and the lengthy recipe sections round out this well-put-together eBook and are treasure troves of information in their own right. The FAQ covers many of the questions I had when I first started Paleo, like “Won’t Eating This Way Raise My Cholesterol?” and “What’s the Deal With Fish Oil?” The recipe guide is quite literally mouth-watering and I had to stop to prepare a snack (sardines and hazelnuts for the curious) part way through the book as I was getting excited from all the new food combinations I had yet to try. Though Diane will say that she’s not one for recipes (really she’s being modest) her creations aren’t overly complicated to prepare, but do have complex flavors at every corner. I’m particularly partial to the Butternut Squash Soup and the Pumpkin Pie Custard.

All in all, this is a very good resource for those curious about Paleo or just starting out, and a great recipe bank for those with a little more experience, but looking for some variety. It also serves as a great primer if you know someone out there who needs a friendly kick in the pants to make a change in the way they live. Check out more of Diane at Balanced Bites