The Paleo Manifesto: Ancient Wisdom for Lifelong Health

As other reviewers have mentioned, this book is not just about paleo as it relates to diet. There's so much more. What I loved most were:historical information from eras that followed paleo and how they relate to humans today;that paleo can be a modern model and isn't about wearing a loincloth and gnawing on a meaty bone;the book can inspire immediate and beneficial changes in one's routine - case in point, my shower starts off very cold and takes several minutes to warm up. I always felt guilty about the amount of water that was wasted. Now I get in as soon as I turn on the faucet. Starting the day with a whoop and laughter is invigorating as well as resource saving. On sunny days I follow my shower with 15-20 minutes on the deck drinking in the vitamin D - a peaceful, meditative interlude before the busyness of the day begins.I rediscovered the pleasure of being barefoot. I got out of the habit and wore shoes indoors all the time. Now my feet know when the tile floors need mopping before I can see the dust accumulate.Being a professional cook, I found out that I have a standing "desk" and why that's a good thing. And why my approach to cooking and sharing food is so welcome and appreciated - even if my family doesn't always understand why I've eliminated so many foods they think are just fine and I've found lead to health problems.It's gratifying too, to realize that my avoidance of margarine and preference for butter all these years is finally being validated. And that as a mom I never understood the reason for running for the tylenol every time one of the kids had a low-grade fever. Instinctively I felt that the fever served a purpose, and now I know why.The book is fun, funny, informative and inspiring. I've downloaded the Kindle version, purchased a hard copy for a gift and hope the author will make a CD version. I know my husband would enjoy the book immensely, but he just doesn't have the time to read much, and we often have to take long road trips for his business. This would make a great book to listen to.

So many times I have read books that preach more than practice being practical. The paleo lifestyle is really about common sense but more than anything it's about living healthy and being our best. For many years I have struggled to find a simple and practical approach to successful weight loss that doesn't become so diluted with rules that you give up after a few weeks. John Durant is very realistic about living this type of lifestyle and I believe his approach is simple and not convoluted. The book begins with a history of man through the ages. More so how our diet have changed dramatically in just the last ten thousand years and we have not evolved to become processed food eaters. Most of us know the feeling of being in a fog and sometimes that feeling becomes a normal part of our daily life. Especially when we continually eat foods that are processed. We are constantly bombarded in a world that tells us how whole grains are the best way to live when in truth we are causing more harm eating the high carb low fat diet. I am a perfect example of this struggle through my life. Over the past several months I have accepted the Paleo lifestyle and have lost 50 pounds. I don't go the gym but I do walk. Despite that my health and energy have improved dramatically. I have much more clarity and the fog has lifted. Now I know how good it feels to eat without the carbs and how I can lose weight. Durant explains how you can live this life and still eat the high carb foods once in a while and not feel guilty. There aren't phases you have to live by to be successful. Just foods you shouldn't eat and others you should. It really is a simple way to live and one that will have just about everyone feeling much better in the long run. I am a true believer in this lifestyle John Durant has written an excellent book I believe anyone who has thought about going Paleo should read.

Simply put, this book covered a great variety of different aspects of our lives. Over 2 million years of the human evolving into what we are today, and why it is that most people are overweight, depressed, inactive, and just plain uninformed. I took many pauses during my reading to jump on the internet and see if this guy is pulling this information out of thin air. As it turns out it's not just his opinion that he's pushing on the masses, but most of it is backed by discoveries at ancient ruins, past historical observations, and/or current scientific studies.For a book that promotes a big lifestyle change, I really like that fact that John does not have a list of "YOU HAVE TO...." and "YOU CANNOT..." He shares his experience with trying new "Paleo" ways, tells you his results, and leaves the door open for you to experiment on your own. At the same time providing many useful insights to our past, and bring your attention to many other resources to help you along you path to a healthier life.Some of the negative reviews I read are quite obviously from people that have a strong disagreement with the subject, so I wouldn't take those to heart when considering this book.Obviously this information may be available in other books, but you would honestly need a small library to cover the broad range a materials, subjects, and personal trial-and-error covered in this one.I will add that during the reading of this book, I simply changed the TYPE of food I was eating, and with VERY little effort in just 2 weeks I have dropped over 12 pounds and my mood has improved 10-fold. In the 6 weeks prior to me purchasing this book I was doing the old "counting calories" routine and I only lost about 15 pounds in that 6 weeks, I haven't counted one single calorie since reading this book. (6 foot, 30 y/o male, started at 268lbs).Obviously results may vary, but this book has had an enormous impact on my life!

This is a good read. The author is very engaging and gives a good overview of a “paleo” lifestyle. I think there are some helpful lessons in here and will take these away. However buyer beware, the author does make some sweeping statements “dressed up” as science. His language often suggests an association between certain aspects of lifestyle that is drawn from an observational study. This is scientifically not valid so approach with a critical air. Having said that I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it.

A good read that will make you have a long hard look at how you live. The author made the subject matter really interesting.

Good information but could do without the rant against vegetarianism at the end.

A human history. Really makes you think. Absolutely a book everybody should read. Made me think new about a great deal.

Super read but maybe for afficienados primarily