The Paleo Cure: Eat Right for Your Genes, Body Type, and Personal Health Needs - Prevent and Reverse Disease, Lose Weight Effortlessly, and Look and Feel Better than Ever Paperback by Chris Kresser (Little , Brown and Company) (IBRCookBooks)

I find all Chris Kresser's writings and talks very interesting (I just started to pay attention to him this last year), but I wasn't planning to buy his new book. Luckily, I was selected to receive an advance copy, and I am very glad that I got it.

First off, I am a sucker for someone with a personal inspirational story, and when I started reading the book, I learned that Chris Kresser has one. I am always impressed with someone who spends years trying to heal themselves, and winds up pursuing a career to pass on what was personally discovered to help others. Chris Kresser spent ten years beginning in his twenties trying to recover from a devastating illness that he contracted swimming in polluted sea waters. After consulting many mainstream medical specialists, as well as pursuing alternative health avenues, and finally, finally discovering a nutritional path that helped him, he then pursued studies in integrative medicine, and now has his own clinical practice.

Second, I love good writing. Chris Kresser is an excellent writer, and just seems so down-to-earth. What he says makes sense...good, common, sense. Like when he says that two patients with ulcerative colitis need two different diets - one with absolutely zero dairy and the other with fermented dairy - because one can't tolerate dairy, and the other is actually aided by eating yogurt or kefir. It is so logical that one should listen to one's own body to figure out what works best.

Third, I like people who challenge accepted ideas. When my first child was born, I was given the book How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor, and it had some ideas (like antibiotics are not a good treatment for every ear infection) that made sense, but were not accepted medical practice. I remember being yelled at by my daughter's pediatrician when I refused antibiotics one time...and now the latest medical findings corroborate my book's recommendations. Chris Kresser does the same thing with nutrition, but he also backs up his information with the latest medical findings (or lack thereof). There is plenty of conventional wisdom that is simply not accurate, or, as Chris Kresser puts it "Warning: Conventional Wisdom May Be Hazardous to Your Health." I think this book does a very good job of presenting controversial material with the scientific data needed to support his arguments. So hopefully, someone reading this book who is ready to debunk the "paleo diet" might find the information in this book compelling.

Okay, there is a lot of great information in this book, but what I was interested in testing were the recipes. I went straight to the Seven-Day Meal Plan and was sooooo happy to find seven different breakfast recipes. I am always on the lookout for variety in breakfast (especially when you eliminate stuff like pancakes and French toast) and this book has a nice variety: Baked Eggs en Cocotte Florentine-Style; Poached Eggs with Swiss Chard; Green Smoothie; Green Plantain Fritters with Sausage; Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs and Asparagus; Taro and Bacon Hash; Cauliflower-Stuffed Acorn Squash. They sound interesting and they are - quite delicious. The only reason I gave the book four-stars instead of five-stars is because I think the prep time on some of the recipes is just a bit too optimistic. Granted, I am not a quick cook, but Poached Eggs with Swiss Chard - really yummy - required five cups of chopped Swiss chard, with the stalks peeled, and a medium shallot peeled and finely chopped. The prep time was ten minutes! Heck, it takes me five minutes just to get all the ingredients out and set on the table. But I do want to emphasize that if you are a foodie, you will enjoy these recipes. I was also happy to learn that once I had mastered the incredible variety of recipes on this seven-day plan, I could go to Chris Kresser's website and access an additional three weeks of meal plans and recipes. There are even shopping lists for each week, which can simply be printed when needed - and I have a feeling I will find those incredibly handy.

This is a great reference book not just for food. I am enjoying all the lifestyle chapters - "Move Like Your Ancestors," "Sleep More Deeply," "Cultivate Pleasure and Connection," "Go Outside," "Get Serious About Play." I think a lot of people will enjoy reading this book.