Book Review: It Starts with Food

By : admin | 0 Comments | On : June 25, 2012 | Category : Nutrition 101

I was one of those people who looked healthy but on the inside I was miserable. I appeared thin and fit, but in reality I was just steps away from type 2 diabetes. Three weeks on the diet that Dallas and Melissa promote changed my life. It will change yours too. In fact, it changed my life so dramatically that I am now dedicating my professional life to evangelizing this nutrient-dense way of eating and helping other people recover from a life on the Standard American Diet (SAD).

It Starts with Food is written in a friendly, non judgmental yet firm tone. They’re not saying a food is “off limits” but teaching you how to make better choices. “There is not guilt with food, just consequences” according to Melissa and Dallas. They’re not saying you “can’t” eat certain foods on special occasions, like drinking some wine at a friend’s wedding. What they’re saying is that food will either make you “more healthy or less healthy”. They very clearly explain how your body’s hormones work in response to food in a healthy and unhealthy metabolic situation. Their science is solid. You can dive into it and understand more than most doctors about human nutrient metabolism, or you can skip to chapter 8 where they dive into which foods are optimal for our bodies. I honestly believe that this is the way ALL people should eat, not a fad diet or a diet for people with a certain blood type. Human bodies were designed to eat REAL food, and this book explains how it all works.

In the “Meal Map” section at the end of the book, I really enjoyed how they chart out master recipes to “teach” you HOW to cook instead of listing lengthy complicated recipes. Essentially, the paleo diet is extremely simple. There are some great paleo recipe books out there, but what Melissa and Dallas are trying to do is to give you the tools to figure out how to cook what you have in your fridge, which is how we naturally should be cooking. Basically, you take some animal protein, add vegetables, good fats and some seasonings and there you have it. I also like how they break down breakfast lunch and dinner into “Meals 1, 2 & 3”. I see a lot of people new to this diet who can’t get past breakfast. Who says breakfast has to be cereal and bagels, or eggs all of the time? The “Master Recipes” give you a great foundation to build on.

One small criticism I would make is their suggestion that vegetarians/vegans eat edamame and tofu for protein sources. Their suggestion to consume fermented soy and properly prepared legumes like lentils is much safer in my opinion.

It Starts with Food is a total and complete roadmap to changing your life. It will give you all of the tools you need to make smarter decisions about your nutrition. I will absolutely recommend it to all of my clients as a must read. Click here to buy it on my Amazon store.