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A review by a2jc4life
The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body by Sarah Ballantyne
5.0
This book is HUGE. As in, college textbook-size. It's gorgeously designed, in full color, and there's so much information here I don't even quite know where to start!
The tone of the book is one of the best things about it. Dr. Ballantyne is very knowledgeable, and her information is clearly science-based. But it's also very down-to-earth - and understanding. Having "been there," in terms of chronic illness, she knows what it's like to be exhausted. She knows what it's like for food to be the enemy. She knows what it's like to be scrabbling for answers. So while her writing is firm, there's also a gentleness there that is often lacking in other health sources. (I don't know about you, but my body beats me up enough; I don't need food writers doing it, too! So this is a big deal to me.)
I really can't begin to tell you all that's IN the book. Seriously - you'll simply have to take a look at it yourself. The first two chapters talk about autoimmune disease - how the immune system is meant to work, what goes wrong that causes autoimmune disease and what sorts of things can trigger it - and about food and how it interacts with this whole process. There is a ton of science here. Many of you may even find your eyes glazing over and have to skim over it or jump forward. It's that in-depth. But anyone who is dealing with autoimmune disease, suspected autoimmune disease, or any kind of chronic illness that doesn't already have some other clear explanation, NEEDS to read this book.
Once this foundation is laid, there is a ton of practical information. What not to eat - but also what to eat. How to address other lifestyle issues like stress management, exercise, and sleep. Supporting various body systems. Supplementation - when it's called for and what to look for. And there's a very long chart of foods with a pretty thorough overview of their nutritional value.
I particularly appreciate that it what can be eaten. There is a whole list of foods that are okay. And it's fairly detailed. I don't just mean "meat & poultry." I mean "antelope, bear, beaver, beef, bison, boar, camel, caribou, deer..." - and as you can probably guess, that's only the beginning. There is so much I can't eat (and I'm not even on the AIP diet yet!) that my brain sort of "checks out" and I can't remember what I can eat, even though I know there are options, so I found this really helpful.
Definitely worth the investment!
The tone of the book is one of the best things about it. Dr. Ballantyne is very knowledgeable, and her information is clearly science-based. But it's also very down-to-earth - and understanding. Having "been there," in terms of chronic illness, she knows what it's like to be exhausted. She knows what it's like for food to be the enemy. She knows what it's like to be scrabbling for answers. So while her writing is firm, there's also a gentleness there that is often lacking in other health sources. (I don't know about you, but my body beats me up enough; I don't need food writers doing it, too! So this is a big deal to me.)
I really can't begin to tell you all that's IN the book. Seriously - you'll simply have to take a look at it yourself. The first two chapters talk about autoimmune disease - how the immune system is meant to work, what goes wrong that causes autoimmune disease and what sorts of things can trigger it - and about food and how it interacts with this whole process. There is a ton of science here. Many of you may even find your eyes glazing over and have to skim over it or jump forward. It's that in-depth. But anyone who is dealing with autoimmune disease, suspected autoimmune disease, or any kind of chronic illness that doesn't already have some other clear explanation, NEEDS to read this book.
Once this foundation is laid, there is a ton of practical information. What not to eat - but also what to eat. How to address other lifestyle issues like stress management, exercise, and sleep. Supporting various body systems. Supplementation - when it's called for and what to look for. And there's a very long chart of foods with a pretty thorough overview of their nutritional value.
I particularly appreciate that it what can be eaten. There is a whole list of foods that are okay. And it's fairly detailed. I don't just mean "meat & poultry." I mean "antelope, bear, beaver, beef, bison, boar, camel, caribou, deer..." - and as you can probably guess, that's only the beginning. There is so much I can't eat (and I'm not even on the AIP diet yet!) that my brain sort of "checks out" and I can't remember what I can eat, even though I know there are options, so I found this really helpful.
Definitely worth the investment!