BOOKS
Food and Western Disease: Health and Nutrition from an Evolutionary Perspective, by Stefan Lindeberg, PhD – Dr. Stefan Lindeberg has made a tremendous contribution to the field of ancestral health with his meticulous study of the Kitavans, an indigenous population living in the Triobrand Islands of Papua New Guinea. Much of the book focuses on his comprehensive analysis of their health, most notably the conspicuous absence of the diseases seen most commonly in the developed world.
The Story of the Human Body, by Daniel Lieberman, PhD – Evolutionary Biologist Daniel Lieberman believes, as we do, that “our society’s failure to think about human evolution is a major reason we fail to prevent preventable disease.” A wonderfully stated case for the necessity of viewing modern health through the lens of evolution.
Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health, by Gary Taubes – Science writer Gary Taubes’s exhaustive exploration of the roots of our modern obesity epidemic, and an eye opening account of the dubious connection between saturated fat and heart disease.
Salt, Sugar, Fat, by Michael Moss – Michael Moss is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who has trained his muck-raking talents on the Food Industry. This book puts forth a compelling argument about how the large US food corporations have taken advantage of basic human physiology to “hook” us on sugar, fat, and salt in order to make a buck, to the detriment of our health.
Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease, by Robert Lustig, M.D. – Pediatric Endocrinologist Robert Lustig’s “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” lecture went viral on youtube back in 2009, and he has since fleshed his argument out further in this work.
Health and the Rise of Civlization, by Mark Nathan Cohen – A multidisciplinary study of how civilization has affected human health.
Paleo from A to Z, by Darryl Edwards – This Paleo encyclopaedia makes it easy to learn how to achieve better health by reducing the impact of foods and practices that didn’t exist before the dawn of agriculture. Whether you’re new to Paleo living or you’re an experienced practitioner, this is your go-to guide for living the healthy lifestyle that nature intended.
Paleo Fitness, by Darryl Edwards – Paleo Fitness guides you through the fitness and exercise plan anthropological evidence has shown to be the most efficient, healthiest way to live–work out in the real world, for the real world. A healthy, athletic physique is as easy as tuning in to how your body evolved. This book shows how to work out with functional, playful, and primal movements.
Journal Articles
Bastos, P.C., M. Fontes-Villalba, et al. “The Western Diet and Lifestyle and Diseases of Civilization.” Research Reports in Clinical Cardiology. 2011; 2: 15-35. doi:10.2147/RRCC.S16919.
Jonsson, T., B. Ahren, et al. “A paleolithic diet confers higher insulin sensitivity, lower c-reactive protein and lower blood pressure than a cereal-based diet in pigs.” Nutrition and Metabolism. 2006; 3(39). doi:10.1186/1743-7075-3-39.
Osterdahl, M., T. Kocturk, et al. “Effects of a short term intervention with a paleolithic diet in healthy volunteers.” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008; 62: 682-685. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602790.
Lindeberg, S., T. Jonsson, et al. “A palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease.” Diabetologia. 2007; 50: 1795-1807. doi:10.1007/s00125-007-0716-y.
Frassetto, L.A., M. Schloetter, et al. “Metabolic and physiologic improvements from consuming a paleolithic, hunter-gatherer type diet.” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2009; 63: 947-955. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2009.4.
Johnsson, T., Y. Granfeldt, et al. “Beneficial effects of a paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study.” Cardiovascular Diabetology. 2009; 8(35). doi:10.1186/1475-2840-8-35
Johnsson, T., Y. Granfeldt, et al. “A paleolithic diet is more satiating per calorie than a mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischemic heart disease.” Nutrition and Metabolism. 2010; 7(85). doi:10.1186/1743-7075-7-85.
Walker, D.A., E.M. Evans, et al. “Moderate carbohydrate, moderate protein weight loss diet reduces cardiovascular disease risk compared to high carbohydrate, low protein diet in obese adults: A randomized clinical trial.” Nutrition and Metabolism. 2008; 5(30). doi:10.1186/1743-7075-5-30.
Paoli, A., L. Cenci, et al. “Effect of ketogenic mediterranean diet with phytoextracts and low carbohydrates/high-protein meals on weight, cardiovascular risk factors, body composition and diet compliance in Italian council employees.” Nutrition Journal. 2011; 10(112). doi:10.1186/1475-2891-10-112.
Konner, M., and S.B. Eaton. “Paleolithic nutrition: twenty-five years later.” Nutrition in Clinical Practice. 2010; 25(6): 594-602. doi:10.1177/0884533610385702.