★★★★★ 5
A treasure: surprisingly easy read for being so well researched and referenced
Format: Paperback
was recommended by Chris Kresser (Healthy Sceptic blog). I admit I was skeptical: the titel, at first glance, comes across as pretentious, and the front page has a weird 80s feel to it. Anyway, Chris knows his stuff, so I bought it.
The PHD book is priceless. Yes, this is the best book about diet. I had been on a Paleo diet for a month when I got the book. I was motivated to change my diet, but after reading the book, first quickly once, and then more carefully a second time, I was even more motivated. I was convinced that I had to make a change for life.
Other reviewers have summarized the contents well, so I will not. Eliminate processed foods, grains (except rice), legumes and most sugars. Stick to high fat diary. Bottom line in terms of macronutrient ratios is: not too much carbs, plenty of good fats, and ideally some protein restriction.
I believe better authors could not have been found. Even though Shou-Ching Jaminet is a cancer researcher, none of them came to this from a medical or nutrition background, which is probably an advantage. They have experienced chronic disease themselves, and were committed to find solutions and understand pathways that were not well understood. They have enormous intellectual capacity (scrutinizing studies from PubMed the way they do is, well, impressive). They are open minded. And, not the least, I think they are driven by not only intellectual curiosity, but alturism, which, gives the whole project a very humane and caring feel to it.
What is the difference between this diet and the Paleo diet?
There are many variations of the Paleo diet, but Cordain at least recommends lean meats, which is the opposite of what the PHD recommends. The PHD "allows" full fat diary and rice, which is not recommended by most other Paleo diets. The PHD also has a rather specific macronutrient ratio recommendation.
The results?
Well, I started on a Paleo / GAPS protocol about a month before I got this book, so I cannot really say that all the improvements I have had can be attributed to this book. And after 48 hours without any processed foods, grains, legumes, sugar (apart from low carb from starches) and diary, I went from standing, sitting and walking with great joint pain, to only slight pain. A skin condition I had improved as well.
Two weeks after I got the book, I tried using almost only rice as my carbohydrate source for 10 days. That increased my joint pain slightly. I think I in any case might have been in the high range of the carbohydrate intake during this period, which might be the reason for the change to the worse, rather than the type of starch I ate. The other thing though, is that once I started eating rice, and maybe too generous portions, my carb cravings were significantly elevated. I will try to stick mostly to sweet potatoes, taro, pumpkin, carrots, zucchini, berries and fruits (in the morning) for carbs.
I have started implementing their supplement regime. I was skeptical at first, because, like many people, I prefer getting micronutrients from food, not supplements. But I decided to try since I had some heath issues and blood panel results that had to be improved. After about two weeks, I feel a bit better. I have a bit more energy and my head feels clearer.
Am I skeptical to anything? Not much.
- As I said, they convinced me to try their supplement regime and I do not regret it. I think anyone with an autoimmune condition, chronic disease - even a suspected chronic infection - should do so. For those who are fortunate to be 100% healthy and full of energy, well, maybe they do not need to take all the supplements if the diet is very dialed in.
- At first I thought the macronutrient ratios were a bit too rigid. After reading the book a second time, I felt they presented a convincing argument. I will never weigh and measure my food, so I do not know exactly what my macro ratios look like, but the book provides very useful guidance.
- Then, rice. I would have liked to see a bit more on why they think rice is a "safe" grain. Also, since it is not very nutrient dense, I think it gets a bit too much favorable mention. Eating food with low nutrient density and then taking lots of supplements does not sound like a perfect health diet. But this is a detail - people do not have to eat a lot of rice on this diet, and it is good to know that it is pretty okay to eat it from time to time.
I have used their blog a lot, for tweaking my supplement regime, for recipes etc. It is an excellent companion to the book.
For the next edition, I have the following wishes:
- An index
- Improvements in lay-out (sorry, but it is incredibly ugly): margins needed, footnotes can be smaller, table of contents more reader friendly etc.
- A chapter with summary recommendations for common autoimmune conditions and chronic infections.
- A bit more info on diary. Why high fat diary is okay for most people, and for what conditions diary should be eliminated completely (and why).
Conclusion:
I honestly think this book is such a treasure. I have translated and adapted the main recommendations into my native language for my family. It is difficult to persuade anyone about diet, but it is difficult not to try with people you really love. I do not doubt for a second that following the recommendations contained in this book can go a long way in reversing, even curing diseases, and definitely preventing diseases. I feel very grateful to Paul and Shou-Ching Jaminet. Thank you.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2011
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