On Tue, 14 Mar 2000, matesz wrote:

> There are some interesting points made in the book.  Although it is not
> strictly paleo, the basic dietary suggestions are very close to paleo and
> very practical, particularly for those who have dieted, under-eaten, skipped
> meals, eaten refined foods, not eaten rea (nourishing) meals or on a regular
> schedule, made poor food choices for many years, craved and eaten sugary and
> processed foods, etc.  Her plan is far simpler than the zone and is easily
> made paleo.  I have recommended it to others and think its worth reading,
> particularly for those in helping professions or wanting to improve their
> own relationship to food/body/weight.

It sounds similar to Diana Schwarzbein's book, which also
is near-paleo and simpler than the Zone.

When it comes to recommending books to people who are interested
in weight loss, my current favorite is Protein Power Lifeplan,
since it has lots of information about paleo but also offers some
guidance for people to determine their own level of paleo-purity.
More important, the authors have a lot of experience treating
obese patients.  Schwarzbein's book is a close second, although
it is not strictly about weight loss and does contain some
misinformation (e.g., false aspersions against ketosis).  I do
not recommend Neanderthin because it perpetuates the fantasy that
calories don't matter.  This is a tempting but dangerous notion.
The idea that one can eat "unlimited amounts" of paleo foods and
continue to lose weight is not supported by scientific evidence
and also not supported by my own experience or the experience of
others who have come and gone on this list.

I remember a couple of years ago reading with glee the suggestion
(I think it was Ray's) for pork rinds in almond butter as a paleo
snack.  Well, I lost no time trying that out.  It's quite a
delicious combination, and I easily consumed an extra thousand or
more calories per day this way.  It didn't take long for the
scale and my waistline to show the result.  I also tried an
experiment similar to what another list member did, about a year
or so ago.  I ate nothing but large amounts of chicken drumsticks
and fatty beef ribs, with greens on the side, for several weeks.
I didn't watch the amounts but just ate as much as I wanted.
These are good-tasting foods, and I wanted a lot.  Again, the
scale and belt buckle told the tale.  As far as I am concerned,
the theory that eliminating neolithic foods from the diet cures
obesity is just wrong.  I do think there are good reasons to
eliminate or minimize these foods, but it's no good to tell
people who are struggling with obesity that this will solve their
problem.

No single book on nutrition has all the information in it that I
would like to see.  Neanderthin is a wonderful read and a good
source of information about paleodiet ideas in general, but many
obese people (and I speak from experience here) are simply too
vulnerable to the "unlimited amounts" promise.  Obesity is a
complex problem, and not yet well understood.

Todd Moody
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