Today, Amelia Dodson of our Review Team, shares with us a detailed review of the new book Your Personal Paleo Code, by Chris Kresser, and we are also excited to GIVEAWAY a copy to one lucky reader! We have been a long time fan of Chris Kresser’s work, and we have enjoyed listening to his podcast. You might also remember that our team member Monica recently reviewed Chris Kresser’s Healthy Baby Code here on the blog. Chris has published many ebooks and online programs, and we are excited about this new book that fully explains his personalized approach to better health through the foundations of a Paleo template. Stacy loves this book so much, that she is traveling to Berkley next week to celebrate with Chris and company for his book release party!
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Your Personal Paleo Code by Chris Kresser is the answer to Paleo Purists who advocate a strict set of rules that are meant for everybody. Although those guidelines are a great jumping off point, most of us need to either tighten it up (in the case of the Autoimmune Protocol, for example), allow for more wiggle room (such as to allow some dairy, if tolerated), or some combination of both in order to make this lifestyle work for us long term. As this movement gains traction, it’s become quite clear that a more individualized approach is needed.
I especially enjoyed how the focus of the book was not necessarily on weight loss. The general information was given first with the assumption of being generally healthy, then with modifications for things like blood sugar regulation, weight loss goals, or other disease management. This is truly an approach for lifelong health, instead of a quick fix diet. The book starts with the big picture and the interventions that create the broadest strokes of change for maximum impact. From there, the advice gets more and more specific and customizable for the individual.
The beauty of this layout is that you can get started right away with Step 1, which is a very basic, straight up Paleo dietary reset. This will help you clear out the junk, reset your tastes and metabolism, and get a boost of motivation from feeling so much better after just 30 days. By following this elimination diet, you create a base from which you can customize your own approach to health and well-being.
Since Chris has worked in clinical practice for some time, he brings this experience to bear not only on the dietary and lifestyle advice, but the practical nuts and bolts of how to implement it in real life within the context of your own challenges. The process of reintroducing and testing foods is very methodical and explained well. Since many reactions can take time to manifest, it’s important to only test one food at a time. I also liked that he laid out exactly which foods within a given category you should try first (i.e. try the dairy products with the least lactose first, for the greatest chance of success).
Another focus of the book is on the nutrient density of food, not just eliminating the problematic ones. He advocates the inclusion of organ meats, bone broths, oily fish, fermented foods, and other healing foods in the quest to reverse the damage our poor processed-food laden diets have created. I also liked the emphasis on nose to tail cooking, which is so much healthier, not to mention better for the environment (Beyond Bacon, for the win!) Paying attention to the state of your gut flora, an often under-emphasized issue, is another highlight of this book. The end of the book is filled with a seven day meal plan, including delicious-looking recipes that I’m eager to try.
Many times, Paleo is pigeonholed as simply another “diet”. Sure – it does tackle food, often as the first line of defense. However, so many other factors play into our overall health and well-being and Chris Kresser touches on several in this book, including the importance of movement, sleep, stress management, pleasure, sunlight, and time for play. These various lifestyle factors all work in a beautiful synergy, allowing us to realize our full potential.
Finally, I love the addition of access to an online resource collection of supplemental chapters, cheat sheets, worksheets, online seminars, E-books, and more. There is even a forum set up. In this increasingly interactive online environment, it’s great to have these types of things available, which would never fit into a traditional book. I particularly found the online chapter on Weight Loss helpful – it distilled all of the advice offered within the book into one place, where I can refer to it on an ongoing basis.
This book from one of the most well-respected and knowledgeable experts in the Paleo sphere has been long-awaited and is well worth the investment. I have read almost all of the major books that have come out within the last several years on the subject of Paleo and this one is a welcome addition. I was a little surprised by how much new information I gained from reading it. My main takeaways include some new weight loss strategies, ways to incorporate more healing food and pre- and probiotics in my diet, and a clear road map to figuring out which of gray-area foods make the most sense for me, personally. I truly hope that you enjoy this new resource as much as I did.
P.S. – Stacy loves it too!
Amelia isn’t the only fan of Your Personal Paleo Code! Stacy loved reading her copy while getting a little R & R during a mani-pedi session.
Are mani-pedi’s paleo approved? As you can see, Chris Kresser is a fan of “self-care”! Score!
GIVEAWAY: Win one and we guarantee you’ll love it!
How do you enter? Simple! You can do one or all of the following. No, you don’t have to do everything, BUT the more things you do, the more chances you have to win!
To enter:
- Leave a comment for subscribing to our newsletter
- Leave a comment for liking the Chris Kresser page
- Leave a comment for all the forms of social media you follow us on (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.)
- Leave a comment if you place a new review for our podcast, The Paleo View, in iTunes
- Leave a comment if you have left a review for Beyond Bacon and Eat Like a Dinosaur or Your Personal Paleo Code
Up to 5 entries per person. No purchase required!
Remember Matt’s rules of giveaways:
- Please use a valid email address when entering. I cannot use my dowsing rods to attempt to find which bytes form your contact address!
- Please follow all the rules so I don’t get frustrated by invalid entries. Nothing makes more of a sad panda than picking a winner who I have to disqualify.
- Please respond within 48 hours or I will have to pick a new winner! I have a certain set of skills that make me a nightmare to people who don’t respond: the ability to randomly draw again.
- Please be a US resident. My mana is too low to cast a Teleportation Spell!
Giveaway will end on Friday, January 3, 2014
