This book was a game changer for me. I have celiac disease, and along with it many, many food sensitivities, and this diet has helped me a ton. I found nuts and grains were the big problem. They were making me sick, but I would continue eating them because they're healthy. Also, because of the limited diet I was able to rule out other sensitivities, like red meat and maple syrup.

I don't know if Ballantyne's conclusions are going to be vindicated (the leaky gut hypothesis is still up in the air, I thought) but either way she provided more than enough evidence to get me to follow the approach — and I was a vegetarian. It's been about 5 weeks and I do not see vast improvement yet. However, I haven't had the super major flare up that I have had for the past 2 years at exactly this time of year. I will definitely give it the recommended 6 months.

The science does drone on, but I'm glad I read it all, and I like that I have complete descriptions of how all the immune processes work handy.

overly informant

Hoping to find some answers to help lessen the effects of Lupus on my life.

Exhaustive and very scientific text on the paleo diet. Initially highly skeptical, thinking it was more of a fad than anything, my husband and I have seen and felt the benefits (vastly improved digestion, clearer skin, and little brain fog) after a short time of mostly following the protocol. I'm sure we'd be feeling even better if we had more discipline.

Lots of good info. I appreciated the comprehensive and thorough approach.

I am passionate about this book. It is literally lifechanging. I had the honor of reviewing a copy of my new favorite book, The Paleo Approach, this past week and I am so excited to share it with you. This book is like the "bible" of Paleo eating. It is like a complete life manual that answers every question you could ever think of about Paleo or Primal eating. I am amazed at the author, Sarah Ballantyne, for her extreme dedication in writing this book. I have no idea how many hours she spent pouring over the research for this book, but I assure you, it has to be in the thousands at least. She thought of every single detail. I want to choose a few quotes for you, but it is so hard...I just want to quote the entire book because everything written is so important to the healing of your body.
The book is set up in almost a textbook fashion, except that she writes in a way that makes the book enjoyable to read. It is literally filled with information, but it never leaves you feeling overwhelmed or bored. She makes it all sound so fascinating. She also has an amazing way of "speaking" to the reader. She writes so that the average person can clearly understand what she is saying, but not so simple that it feels like she is being condescending. I think that is very important and impressive because she is clearly a genius. 
The first pages show a Table of Contents with everything divided neatly into chapters and sections to make it easier if you are looking for something specific in the book. The book is divided into two main parts - The Cause and The Cure. The Cause focuses on Autoimmune Diseases--what they are, dietary factors that contribute to them (for example: foods that do not digest well and genetics), lifestyle factors that contribute to them (such as lack of sleep and medication), and how to move forward to heal your body and add to your life. This part of the book is very interesting to me because most of it is all new information to me and I really enjoy learning. There is a three page list of all the known possible autoimmune diseases, many of which surprised me. I think it's great that she includes this because many of them are not diseases that I would think of as being autoimmune diseases...which means that without this information, many people may not try the Paleo Approach because they are not even aware that it could help them. This list fixes that problem! She goes so in-depth with her explanations that she makes you feel like an expert after you are done. My husband loves to learn, but he has a very short attention span and this book also kept him intrigued. 
The Cure focuses on the lifestyle changes that you can use to help heal your autoimmune symptoms. Sarah writes, 
"Healing is complex. You are not only trying to heal the tissues attacked by your autoimmune disease; you are also trying to restore the barrier function of your gut (that is, fix your leaky guy) and reestablish a normal gut microflora. Your body will need extra nutrition (and sleep, which is discussed in the next chapter) to get started on this process, so the more nutrient-dense your diet is, the better. By eating according to the Paleo Approach, you will flood your body with the nutrients it needs."




When Sarah begins writing about the foods, she makes it clear that she wants you to succeed. She doesn't just write "DO NOT EAT THIS" "DO NOT EAT THAT", she goes in-depth about each food item and why that food is bad for your body. I think that is so important. It makes it harder to follow through with any big change in life if someone just gives you a list of things to avoid without telling you the reasons. When you are given the reasons, it helps to motivate you to make the right choices.








Every single thing about this book shows Sarah's dedication. I just cannot say enough good things about her dedication to this book. You can clearly see that everything was so thoughtfully added. This was not some book that was just thrown together. I hope that if I ever write a book, it is half as wonderful as this one.




This book isn't just for people with autoimmune diseases, this book is for everyone. Everyone should want to learn more about their bodies and understand how every choice they make affets their health.

Very detailed and informative about the science behind autoimmune issues, the body, and various food interactions. Useful to me as I continue my research, and I really appreciate the inclusion of lifestyle tips as well, since that is just as important as, and interconnected with, diet.

A plethora of information, an in depth look at the science behind autoimmune disease and diet, and loaded with easy to understand directions. I’m a science nerd so I loved all of the science in this book! It’s well organized and extremely educational.