Customer Reviews

The Origin Diet: How Eating Like Our Stone Age Ancestors Will Maximize Your Health

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is the best advice from Elizabeth Somers' books compiled into one simple nutrition plan. As always, her emphasis is on high-fiber, minimally-processed foods, especially vegetables, fruits and grains (Somer recommends eating two fruits or vegetables at each of three daily meals, and at least one at each of two daily snacks for a daily minimum of eight); She also urges readers to select ONLY whole grains, and suggests strategies to help boost intake of omega-3 fats and soy-protein. While her plan challenges readers to create real nutritional changes in their lives, she helps to make these changes accessible through helpful lists of meal-planning techniques and ideas -- a personal favorite of mine is her list of suggestions for "brown bag lunches" for those of us who work and cannot be in the kitchen at lunch-time! Another helpful one for me was the "origin grocery list" designed to help readers navigate modern supermarkets for foods the closest to what our ancestors made. She also includes information on avoiding chemical pesticides and waxes in produce items, a sample five-day eating plan and recipes -- and lots more! I'm just highlighting what I personally found most useful.

Personally, I read the book for it's nutritional advice, but Somer also explores her "Origin" theme -- that returning to the diet/ lifestyles that humans evolved on (as much as possible) will lead to the most vital health possible -- from multiple angles. She includes information on exercise, environmental conditions (i.e. household toxins, getting outdoors, including exposure to fresh air in our daily lives), and stress-management. While these sections can be helpful, her nutritional program will likely pose the most rigorous challenge to readers.

Although the changes Somer encourages nutritionally are comprehensive, she allows room for "the human factor" by suggesting strategies for making changes slowly, and finding ways to include old, "forbidden" favorites in your new eating plan.

This book offers no quick-fixes. It is solidly research-based and Somer honestly endevors to guide readers gently toward a wonderful new way of living and eating.

Dietician Elizabeth Somer has done it again: she has written yet another politically correct nutrition book that has little truth in it. In this one, she's attemtping to cash in on the current interest in the Paleolithic diet--the way our ancestors ate.

Somer starts off by rightly stating that for 99% of its history, humanity lived and thrived on a hunter-gatherer diet and that widespread use of agricultural foods is a relatively recent phenomenon. She rightly states that, at the genetic level, people are still the Paleolithic eaters of yesteryear, implying that we should eat more Paleolithic foods.

After that, her premise gets thrown right out the window and she recommends such modern food items as skim milk, whole grains, low-fat cheese, and soybeans! I'd like to see evidence of paleolithic peoples eating a bowl of brown rice. It is just stupid and historically impossible. Her book is full of Food Pyramid hogwash--from misinformation on fatty acids to eating tons of grains to maintain optimal health.

Don't waste your money on this piece of unmitigated garbage. Better and more accurate buys would be Allan and Lutz' book LIFE WITHOUT BREAD, Weston price's NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL DEGENERATION, or Fallon and Enig's NOURISHING TRADITIONS.

Thankfully I was able to read this book at my local library system and did NOT have to waste money on a false premise!

When I saw "fortified soy milk" in the preview, I knew it was pretty much garbage at that point. (Contrary to what the Soy Industry wants you to believe, Orientals have not been eating any appreciable amounts of soy foods, much less for "centuries"). Conversely our ancient forefathers were herding milk animals long before agriculture (especially growing grains) was established, so regular milk is much closer to our "natural heritage" than any type of soy milk or rice milk - fortified our otherwise. That said, I would agree that pasteur-fed animals and the availability of raw milk (and raw milk products) would be highly beneficial.

Comparisons of fat percentages of "lean wild meat" to domesticated livestock today is also misleading. Number one, animal fats have been highly valued in all traditional, native cultures. Secondly, those comparison compare only the well trimmed muscle meat and completely disregard the substantial stores of subcutaneous and visceral fat the wild animals possess - and that was universally prized by hunter-gatherer socieites (see "The Preference for Animal Protein and Fat: A Cross-Cultural Survey" by anthroplogist H. Leon Abrams). That said, I would also agree that pasteur-fed animals and the availability of organic, pasture-fed meat would be highly beneficial.

Much better books for those interersted in legitimate "cave man diets" or even just "traditional native culture diets" would include "NeanderThin", "The Garden of Eating" and "Nourishing Traditions".

I applaud Elizabeth Somer for attempting to educate people and assist them in improving their diet. I also appreciate that she is encouraging people to eat less processed and refined foods and instead focus on whole foods. Outside of this, her book is unbelievably innaccurate and in many ways unhealthful.

Repeatedly she tells us to eat whole grains, legumes, low-fat dairy products, fortified soy milk, and only lean meat, all while proclaiming that we should eat like our ancestors. Our ancestors ate none of these products. Lets look at the facts:

Our ancestors ate a diet composed principally of animal fat, animal organs, and animal meat, usually accompanied with small amouts of non-starchy vegetables, nuts and seeds, and wild fruit (as opposed to the sugar-laden monsters that dominate most supermarkets, which have been bred to taste like candy). They did eat wild game, however, when they did they ate the entire animal which contains significantly more fat than muscle meat that people commonly buy in supermarkets. Somer tells us to avoid red meat, even though the large game our ancestors ate essentially was red meat - low-fat poultry would have been completely foreign to them. All paleolithic cave art is dominated by pictures of rhinos, lions, reindeer, bears, mammoth and other large animals. Animal bones that have been found in caves all come from large animals - there is nothing remotely resembling a chicken bone. Just about every tool that dates to the paleolithic era is quite large and clearly designed for cutting big animals. Next time you find someone cutting a chicken breast with a machete I will give your "lean meat" a reconsideration.

Our ancestors did not consume legumes (beans, which includes peanuts), grains (including corn), dairy products, or starchy vegetables until several thousand years ago. Our body is a machine that evolved over millions of years of principally animals parts and lots of animal fat. We are designed to eat these things. Somer says saturated fat is bad even though there is no evidence to support this and ample evidence that suggests it is good for us. Consider that the only food nature has specifically designed for us is breast milk which happens to be loaded to the gills with those great dietary evils saturated fat and cholesterol.

Somer tells us to include fiber in our diets even though our requirement for it is zero. Many of our ancestors ate no fiber and were incredibly healthy. Consider that fiber is simply undigestable plant matter. Our bodies cannot digest it so it excretes it from the body. Unfortunately, most modern dietary gurus hold the view that is is some kind of holy nutrient...and Somer wholeheartedly bought into their views.

I am also troubled that Somer lists Dean Ornish as a reference, someone who promotes vegetarianism which is the complete opposite of what our ancestors ate. Their have historically been no vegetarians until recently. Consider that vegetarian Hindus in India have have 13 times as much heart disease as as Indians eating the fattiest diet (almost all of which is animal fat). In Crete, consumtion of animal fat has been increasing for decades yet heart disease has been declining during that time. In France, obestiy rates were very low up until 1995-1996. The only thing that changed was that they began consuming less animal fat and more carbohydrates, thereby moving away from what they are genetically programed to eat. As a result, diabetes and obesity have been skyrocketing. This is on top of the fact that they are on average conuming less calories than before. Vegetarianism is as natural to humans as donuts are to a lion.

Somers diet is more like the modern low-fat USDA food guide pyramid than an Origin diet. Save your money. For better resources look for the writings of Michael Eades, Loren Cordain, Weston Price, Mary Enig, and Sally Fallon. They truly understand what our ancestors ate and base their writings on facts.

I've been interested in nutrition and weight issues for most of my adult life. The Origin Diet really put things in perspective. When I eat in sync with my body, putting in the kinds of foods that our bodies are designed to use, I experience a sense of healthy balance that allows my weight to stabilize or decrease. (I don't have experience with needing to gain weight but I assume that would happen if the person was underweight from restrictive dieting.) Anyway, this book explains the concepts from an evolutionary point of view that just make sense. The author uses that point of view to explain why vegetables are healthy for us, why saturated fat in red meat is not and why we crave chocolate but not chard. I'm using this book to learn why and how to work with my natural instincts to lose weight, have more energy and curb cravings. I've always hoped I could feel this good! Best of all, the advice in the book is practical and up-to-date with modern life. I usually don't like menus and shopping lists but I have the sense that these were created for "real people." The recipes are really good! As with Somer's other books, The Origin Diet is research-based but the information is clear and easy to apply. I highly recommend The Origin Diet for people who want to jump off the fad diet bandwagon and get on with losing weight for good. For good health, that is!

The Origin Diet is a breath of fresh air after all those ridiculous fad diet books. The research and reasoning behind this book makes perfect sense. But, Somer isn't a food faddist that wants you to eat baked eel or gather weeds for dinner. The book is loaded with great brown-bag lunch ideas, breakfast and dinner suggestions, shopping lists, fast-food ideas, recipes, menus, you name it. The Origin Diet has everything I needed to get started in finally taking care of myself the way my body needs to be cared for. I've lost weight, but more importantly, I feel better than I've ever felt! Shannon in Gardnerville, Nevada

Elizabeth Somer's plan doesn't even come close to the diet of early humans. Humans have only consumed grains for a few a few thousand years with with grain making its way to Northern Europe a mere 5,000 years ago. For the other 2.6 million years, humans consumed no grains whatsoever. Why, then, would a diet based on the diet of early humans contain grain? It wouldn't. A modern version of the paleolithic diet also would contain far more than 20% protein. Legumes (peanuts, soy, navy beans, etc.) would not be allowed either as they, too, are very recent additions to the human diet. Yet Somer promotes tofu and other soy foods. Did you know that all legumes contain lectins, a protein which has been shown to cause rheumatoid arthritis? Not only that, but soy has been shown to promote breast cancer in women, reduced cognitive function in men and developmental disabilites among infants fed soy-based formulas. As for grains, wheat is one of the most common food allergens. There's a reason; the human digestive system was not designed to consume grains. Bread is not the staff of life. According to Amazon's own review, "much of Somer's advice is similar to what you hear from all the major health and medical associations." That itself is the problem. The US government is required by law to promote the USDA food pyramid, a grain-based, low-fat, low-protein diet. In order to recieve the government's blessing (and research grants), major health and medical assocations must do the same. The almighty dollar has more to do with the USDA food pyramid than unbiased research; the USDA depends only on its own research for dietary recommendations and is only allow to conduct research on dietary prototypes that support the USDA food pyramid. Not only that, but major food producers spend millions on lobbying efforts. Even the American Dietetic Association, of which Ms. Somers is a member, recieves major funding from such corporate giants as Monsanto, makers of Equal (aspartame). The US government and mainstream health professionals have promoted a low-fat grain-based diet for decades now. US fat consumption is at its all-time low with obesity and diabetes both at their all-time highs. The food pyramid doesn't work. But it is literally the law of the land. While someone who lives on Coke and Twinkies would do well to follow Somer's plan, he or she would only go halfway there if the goal is optimal health. If this person was insulin resistant (three out of four Americans are), this diet would get barely get him past first base; all starch turns to sugar in the bloodstream. Ms. Somers has no right to refer to the diet of early humans in her book; her plan is nothing more than the USDA food pyramid in a caveman's suit.

Finally, a nutrition book that makes sense. The Origin Diet is so well researched and the information is so thorough and practical, it has made it easy for me to incorporate healthy habits into my life, lose weight and still enjoy food. Somer takes age-old wisdom adn finetunes it for today's busy lifestyles so that you don't have to eat woolly mammoth or live in a cave, You can still enjoy yummy foods while boosting your health and losing inchces off your waistline. I just had to write something after reading a few of the bad reviews on this book. Obviously, these comments came from people who haven't read this book and have not yet discovered tha you don't need to follow dangerous fad diets. Elizabeth Somer is among the top nutritionists in the country, if not the world. Readers should take advantage of her vast wealth of nutritional and weight loss expertise and eat this book up--as well as every nugget of nutritional information in it.Carole Jacobs Senior Editor, Shape Magazine

While the book may have been marginally useful when it first came out, it has since been eclipsed by a wide selection of far superior materials advocating a return to a diet of our ancestors. Furthermore, the book is full of wrong information. For example, it heralds carbohydrates as having more satiety than fats (just think about your ability to eat a plate of pasta versus your ability to eat a plate of fat). The book advocates many foods that have nothing to do with our "origins," with a heavy emphasis on post-agricultural foods (grains, legumes, etc.). One of the recommended snacks is brown rice with honey (why not a plate of pasta covered in corn syrup?). First chapter wastes nearly 30 pages with layman's retelling of evolutionary theory. Last 1/5 of the book consists of non-unique recipes and sourcing. Lots of trees died in producing this drivel. Don't waste your money.

If a reader has subsisted on packaged, processed, junk and fast food all their lives, this book may offer a good starting point towards eating a little more healthy. She simply doesn't take it far enough. Besides the annoying and endless references to the unproven theory of human evolution, in her meal ideas she offers corn products (really? hunters and gatherers had cornfields?), cooking spray (tell me that's better than olive oil?) and artificial sweeteners. When I got to that section I had to return the book to the library. Much better reads are 7 Principles of Fat Burning and Eat Right for your Blood Type. Maybe I'm missing something, but there were so many grains of salt I had to take with her advice that my blood pressure went up.