Review of “The Paleo Solution”: A diet fit for a fighter or for cavemen only?

If you are a fitness fanatic, surely you keep tabs of the latest fad diets. The most popular in recent years was the Atkins diet, which actually began in the early 1970′s by noted physician and cardiologist Robert Atkins. In a nutshell, followers of this plan restricted their intake of carbohydrates and other foods that caused spikes in blood sugar levels, opting for more gradual releases of sugars through other foods and emphasized proteins as a main source of energy. People jumped on board quickly, but thanks to the untimely death of the doctor due to ongoing heart problems, pundits dismissed the diet and made the erroneous claim that it was his way of eating that killed him. This was far from the truth, but the damage was done.

It took Atkins decades before his way of thinking became popular, and much like a “crash diet”, it quickly fell apart and went back to obscurity. So what about a diet that is thousands of years old, dating back to before man had even invented the wheel? “The Paleo Solution” by Robb Wolf is essentially that, a way of life that is as old as mankind and one that seemingly worked before the wheel even existed. But then again, neanderthal man took their sweet time figuring out how to even make that wheel, so maybe it’s no wonder we don’t use this diet.

So what is this “Paleo Solution” and will it work for you to change your life, get fit, eliminate sickness from your body and make you as fit as a caveman (because those dudes were ripped)? Hit the jump and read the review to find out!

“The Paleo Solution: The Original Diet” was written by Robb Wolf, a research biochemist who changed his career path drastically to become a strength and conditioning coach and has worked with UFC alumni Forrest Griffin and wrestler/ motivational speaker Kyle Maynard. His credentials go on to include other athletes in more mainstream sports, but we are not too concerned with them. Wolf grew up in Northern California, where he watched his parents deal with all manner of afflictions, from arthritis to asthma, gall bladder surgeries and blood sugar issues. Seeing his parents like this, Wolf was seduced to the dark side of being a vegetarian, although he admits he did it for the ladies. I gave up meat for a woman too, and she didn’t take care of mine enough to make it work, but we will leave it at that.

For whatever reason, Wolf’s stint as a vegetarian increased his blood pressure and digestion problems. While this happened, his Mother had a new batch of health problems which led to the discovery that she had a problem dealing with gluten and both of their digestion problems seemed to be furthered by beans and legumes. Wolf researched about something he had heard before, a diet that was what cavemen ate, and the rest is history.

Wolf does not take credit for creating this regimen, but he does for helping push it onto a new generation. The Paleo Diet focuses on high intake of lean proteins and specific veggies, and pushes away most other foods. It’s a very restrictive diet, and a little scary to think about at first as well. Wolf backs this up with some anthropology knowledge, claiming that our paleolithic ancestors were all very healthy and fit with no malnutrition, had no near-sightedness, acne, or teeth problems, and a low infant mortality rate, as well as living well into their 60′s on average. When the agricultural revolution kicked in, things changed. Before, the hunter-gatherer mentality meant foraging for what you needed, but once farming started, our diets were introduced to starches and other unnecessary foods that, while offering some vitamins and minerals, also brought on health problems.

When you read all of that, it almost seems unbelievable, since this is a lifestyle man has known for centuries, but it was one we may not have been meant to take on an evolutionary scale as our bodies were wired one way and we forced this new way of eating on ourselves. Wolf also presents us with the French paradox as a way to help, stating that other cultures such as the French eat a higher intake of fats but do not have the health problems Americans do. In other words, fats are not the enemy, but starches and gluten. This makes more sense to me, plus the fact that my world is less bleak now that I have learned I can not just enjoy bacon but am actually encouraged to by this diet!

There is plenty of science talk here, from chemistry to anthropology. All of the discussion about cavemen felt tacked on, simply highlighting the gimmick of this diet, as life in the neolithic times were not as great as the author suggests. What got me more interested was the chemistry sections and actual nutrition facts, which validated his concepts much more than imagining a pack of Clay Guida’s roaming around a sandy plain.

The chemical breakdowns that Wolf gives are not just tech talk, but are written in a way to educate the reader. I felt like I was back in high school with a teacher who knew how to excite their students and was not preaching, but explaining; not talking down, but putting us on their level. But you probably want to know more details about the diet. Like I wrote above, it’s a pretty simple concept. Wolf breaks down the science of eating and what happens chemically to our stomachs and brains with what we ingest, and the goal here is to train our bodies to think the way we did when our ancestors were living in caves. It sounds barbaric and daunting, but it’s way simpler than you think.

You can eat any lean meat you want, organic and grass-fed preferred, all the way from chicken to duck to steak and elk, and even jerky! You can eat fish still, but only some specific ones with little natural fat and no shellfish, due to mercury levels. You are still good on your veggies too as long as they are not starchy, but beans are now out. Your fruits are your new carbs, and nuts and vegetable oils are your fats. Breads of all kinds are gone, not even gluten-free or whole wheat flour – all gone! It sounds very limiting at first, but that is if you think of all meals partnered with a carb or starch like pasta or a potato. What about vitamins, minerals and fiber that you need from veggies and dairy and bread? Wolf meets that inquiry head on and offers a chart explaining why your proteins and fruits contain more than enough of what you really need in your body. This is no easy task, but the author implores the readers to try it out just for thirty days and see how they feel, which brings me to the next point.

The important question I found myself thinking about when I read this book was ‘who is it targeted for’? The answer seems to be for very hardcore people. When I am not writing about MMA, I am a foodie. Unlike a caveman who eats to live, I live to eat. Giving up certain foods would make me no a foodie no more, and that is something I enjoy a great deal. Could I ever do this diet for more than 30 days? No sir. Could a professional athlete? Absolutely, and no reason they should already not be. This is the kind of diet that is meant for a serious life change and takes an abundance of will power and self-control in the beginning.

After reading it, I decided to try my best to eliminate certain things just as a small test. I began by cutting out my complex carbs like breads and pasta. Breakfast was easy, an omelette and bacon. Lunch was more of a challenge, but it worked out well with Shrimp and Cauliflower doused in curry powder, and a chicken breast. Then my own caveman instincts kicked in and without even realizing it, my hand was in a tin of pretzel sticks. A minor slip, but I got back on track with dinner – chicken sausage with a side of broccoli and roasted potatoes. I was feeling good so far, especially with so few complex carbs. I went out for a walk after dinner, and that’s when the carb withdrawals began. My blood sugar was spiking low without pasta or bread, and I had to mentally challenge myself for about 30 minutes to not give up yet. I bought myself some beef jerky and mixed nuts, and I was out of the woods of day one. And then came day two… and I totally botched it from the start. Damn tacos.

I have been slowly cutting out carbs for myself to begin with, a difficult task for a seasoned eater like me. But I can say, I feel a difference when I do, and I am aware of the blood sugar spikes I feel through the day. While I can not commit to everything in the Paleo Diet, I will be integrating many of the principles within it for my daily routine. If you are a serious athlete, or are ready to take a leap with a diet that is more of a life change, go for it and give it a try. If you are not ready to throw out the bread, I still suggest you read it and take the information for yourself and put what you can into your own diet. Even though I can not commit to every aspect of it, the knowledge I gained from it on a chemical level helped me think more about what I eat and what it does to my body, and for that info alone it is worth the cover price.

If you are ready for the challenge, the author gives you a thirty day meal plan to get you started, lists what you can and can not eat in great detail, gives you exercise routines to follow as well, and even offers a good variety of very simple and very tasty recipes (which I will be trying in a different review with the companion book to this one). When I say simple, I mean it – very few ingredients, very little prep time, and easy on the wallet. In other words, you are not diving into this diet without someone holding your hand a little, and it’s very welcome after reading the limitations. It seems less frightening once I see the options in front of me.

I give “The Paleo Solution” by Robb Wolf the Fight Nerd seal of approval, and I recommend this book for people who are ready to get serious, as cliche as it may sound. If you plan on following this, be ready to do it all the way or not at all. This is not a crash diet where you do for a few weeks and stop, this is a way of changing the way you think, eat and digest your food. For people like me who are not ready to give up culinary pleasures, I still suggest it for the information it gives. You will still find yourself implementing some of these changes in your diet, and it will make you excited to do so. You can grab “The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet” from Amazon.com for under $15, and for that price, how can you say no? You can spend more then that eating out a restaurant in one night, as opposed to the cost of this book that will feed you for life.