Customer Reviews

Health Secrets of the Stone Age, Second Edition

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book thinking that it would offer some new insights on health and diet. It ended up being far from it and it's just the same old stuff that's been written elsewhere. Get some exercise, eat more fruit and veggies and cut way back on the sugars/refined carbs. There, I just saved you the cost of this book. He suggests a Mediterranean diet and lifestyle that has grains at the bottom of its food pyramid. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking that stone age humans didn't eat much grain, but that's what's at the bottom of the pyramid and what your are supposed to eat the most of. He uses the research of Alan Keys, research that was nicely discredited by Gary Taubes in his MUCH better and more scientifically researched book "Good Calories, Bad Calories", to demonize saturated fat. Don't waste your time on this one.

The author uses the diet and activity levels of prehistoric man as a contrast to the nutrition and physical excercise levels of mankind today through the introduction of two characters, SAM (Stone Age Man)and SAL (Stone Age Lady) which are used to help illustrate his premise: The way we have changed our diet and exercise has had a profound impact on our overall health. Dr. Goscienski has the unique perspective of a practising physician who has regularly observed the physical effects of todays lifestyle. To provide additional credence, medical citations are included for those interested in further research. However, the reader is not swamped with technical information, rather useful insights and a plan for better health are presented in an easy to understand format.

Anyone interested in looking at better health through the prism of thousands of years of human activity will find his book both exciting and informative. Well worth the time and money to read!

Before the current trend in dieting, Dr. Phil Goscienski was putting together the first of its kind book about eating the way we were designed to eat. "Health Secrets" is more thorough than my project, The Evolution Diet and promotes a lot of the same central points like: why dieting is not supposed to work, why we're meant to exercise, and generally how unnatural most people's diets are. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Goscienski is entertaining as much as he is thorough and interjects witty remarks while surveying the benefits of eating like Sam and Sal (Stone Age Man and Stone Age Lady). Would stone agers have been chocoholics? Why is yo-yo dieting like the myth of Sisysfus? How did the average breakfast muffin nearly quadruple in size from 1957 to 1997? Goscienski answers these as well as many other interesting facets of our eating habits.

"Health Secrets" is more than just a diet book; it is a collection of concepts that promote healthy living in general. In fact, Gocsienski makes it clear that 'dieting' as it is conducted these days is unhealthy, but that there is great wisdom in the way our ancestors ate.

Sensible diet advice in simple language from a medical doctor who practices what he preaches. Contains whole-body care guidance including exercises that anyone can do at home.

I learned something from this book although it was a lot of the same information published in other books.

Hmmm...I had a review written for this book previously which was up for quite some time and has mysteriously disappeared. And oddly mine was the only one that didn't give it 5 stars. Hmm...mighty odd.

Here's a brief synopsis of this book: it's a waste of your time and is a farce trying to masquerade as a "Stone Age Diet." Research from scientists such as Weston A. Price and Dr. Loren Cordain disprove nearly every point Goscienski makes. He has a few good points, but you'll find them elsewhere. Avoid this book.