Our Review Team member, Amelia, is back again today to review the new book The Calorie Myth, by Jonathan Bailor and we are also excited to GIVEAWAY a copy! Although most of the books we recommend are Paleo books, there are a few that we have in our library that are not specifically Paleo, but definitely worth reading because of their valuable information as it pertains to modern science about nutrition. After all, that’s what being Paleo is all about! We push ourselves to always keep learning about the SCIENCE behind our lifestyle choices.
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The Calorie Myth by Jonathan Bailor is not a Paleo book, but much of what he advocates overlaps quite nicely with an ancestral outlook towards diet and lifestyle. I have been a fan of his work for some time and listen to Jonathan’s extremely informative podcast consistently. I have also followed his exercise recommendations with great success. As a result, I was excited to dive into this new book.
Jonathan Bailor relies heavily on the wealth of scientific evidence backing a nutrient dense/high quality diet to support his recommendations. He is not asking us to just trust him as some sort of diet guru, but is there to analyse and synthesize this information in a way that makes sense and can be applied in a practical manner. He is also great with analogies, often likening our clogged metabolisms with a clogged sink. The answer to our obesity problem is no more about putting less food in than the answer to a clogged sink is to just put less water down the drain. You need to fix the clog and by this he means our messed up hormonal environment. That is why, he asserts, dieting only results in short term success. If we want optimal health (and weight management) for life, we need to get the system working smoothly again so it can regulate itself.
This outlook appeals to me on a personal level. I have yo-yo dieted since the age of 10, when I first went to Fat Camp. If cutting calories worked, I would be its poster child. Instead, each attempt left me heavier and more despondent. Not until I started focusing on the types of food I ate rather than the amount, did my body and attitude begin to change for good. I am still on that journey and reading this book has given me new tools to tackle the next stage in improving my health.
The New Year is when many of us recommit to changing our lifestyles in the hope of self-improvement. It’s easy to get jaded and/or confused by the sheer volume of advice out there, much of it contradictory. However, I appreciate the real food/Paleo/Ancestral movement, because even if the small details differ, the core message remains: quality, not quantity. I enjoyed reading both Your Personal Paleo Code and The Calorie Myth. Although the authors get there by different means, the message is the same. All of our modern attempts to control what should be a natural system have proved to be counter-productive. Eating real food and moving our bodies in ways that it expects and requires results in resetting our own innate self-regulation. It’s as simple as that. Putting it into practice is the hard part and getting a wide range of perspectives can only help. Finding the one that works for you and resonates with the way you think is key. This book can help in that process.
If you enjoy great scientific explanations for why eating whole, unprocessed foods and moving in a way that activates our fat burning hormones works for optimal health or are interested in a fresh point of view, this is a helpful book to pick up. It is also going to appeal to folks who do not resonate with the Paleo message for one reason or another. Jonathan Bailor is passionate about changing the way we think about food and movement — this book goes a long way in promoting the paradigm shift we are looking for in the world of nutrition and health. I highly recommend reading The Calories Myth and sharing it with your friends!
GIVEAWAY: Win one and we guarantee you’ll love it!
How do you enter? Simple! Do one, or all of the following! No, you don’t HAVE to do them ALL, however 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 Jonathon Bailor 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 The Calorie Myth
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 Sunday, January 5, 2014.
