I’d have to say this has replaced “The Perfect Health Diet” as the first book I’d recommend to someone interested in the ancestral health movement (aka paleo diet), though PHD would be second.  🙂  I just received “Practical Paleo” in the mail but at 420+ pages of condensed info, that is going to take a while to work through!  It is getting great reviews, though, and I do like the Balanced Bites Podcast a lot…

I won’t review It Starts with Food as others have done a much better job than I could (Wolf, That Paleo Guy, Kresser, etc.)

But I will include their elevator pitch here, as just that is worth reading…

I eat real food – fresh, natural food like meat, vegetables and fruit.  I choose foods that are nutrient-dense, with lots of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, over foods that have more calories but less nutrition.  And food quality is important – I’m careful about where my meat, seafood and eggs come from, and buy organic local produce as often as possible.

This is not a “diet” – I eat as much as I need to maintain strength, energy, activity levels and a healthy body weight.  I aim for well-balanced nutrition, so I eat both animals and a significant amount of plants.  I’m not lacking carbohydrates – I just get them from vegetables and fruits instead of bread, cereal or pasta.  And my meals are probably higher in fat than you’d imagine, but fat is a healthy source of energy when it comes from high-quality foods like avocado, coconut and grass-fed beef.

Eating like this is ideal for maintaining a healthy metabolism and reducing inflammation within the body.  It’s good for body composition, energy levels, sleep quality, mental attitude and quality of life.  It helps eliminate sugar cravings and reestablishes a healthy relationship with food.  It also works to minimize your risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases and conditions, like diabetes, heart attack, stroke and autoimmune.