Book Review: Paleo - 12 Week To Change Your Life

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Today's post is slightly different as it's about a cookbook/lifestyle book and I haven't posted a book review for a while on my food blog (oops!). It's also about a dietary change that I've heard a lot about but before I received this book I didn't really know what it was about at all!

I received *Paleo: 12 Weeks To Change Your Life and I've been slowly making my way through it. I first have to say that I'm not a fan of the title, it's seems gimmicky and self help book-like which I'm not a fan of personally. The book is a 12 week paleo diet and fitness plan as well as a recipe book.

A paleo diet/lifestyle basically means that your diet should only include ingredients that would have been available to Palaeolithic peoples; the Palaeolithic period is also known as the old stone age - around 2.5 million years ago so obviously they didn't have modern grains, modern cooking tools or modern ingredients that we have now so it's all about raw, fresh and clean ingredients that out ancient ancestors would have consumed.

The book is really well laid out, explaining what you can and can't eat as part of a paleo lifestyle and to me it isn't really a viable option on the whole as baking is such a relaxing and important part of my routine as it really helps me relax, I love baking for other people and I love eating what I've made myself but with the paleo lifestyle you can't eat yeast, flour, sugars, baking powder etc so it isn't for me when it comes to baking. Dairy products are also restricted which is fine with me as I do go through phases of having not just a vegetarian diet but a vegan diet. However the diet does focus on fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts and seeds and healthier, more natural fats which is a large part of my current lifestyle anyway. It's all about using raw, clean ingredients for a healthier and cleaner diet which I'm all for but I obviously don't eat meat or fish.

As with any dietary changes, especially such a big change like becoming a vegetarian, vegan or changing to a paleo lifestyle, I personally think that it is important to make the change gradually rather than eliminating products immediately. I think the diet could be a fantastic way of reducing and eventually eliminating processed foods from your diet if you do eat meat or a lot of processed foods but for me personally, I don't think it's that much of a change as I've been a vegetarian for about 13 years now and I do restrict my dairy intake occasionally too as it does help me to loose weight. It also encourages the reader to eat seasonally which I think would be great for more people to incorporate into their lifestyle/buying habits.

Overall, I like the way the book is written as it's well laid out, explained well and offers good advice (particularly about planning meals ahead etc) but for me personally it isn't much of a change and it' isn't that appropriate but I think if you do rely on processed foods then it could be a fantastic way of eating cleaner and healthier ingredients! There's only one thing I don't like about the book on the whole and that is that it can feel a little bit preachy at times and I don't think the plan would be 100% easy or viable for most individuals, particularly with a family or a very limited budget, in my opinion. Overall rating: ★★★☆☆, 3/5.

Have your read this book? What do you think of the paleo lifestyle?