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

~ Elizabeth Somer M.A. R.D. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"For 99 percent of the time humans have been on earth, our ancestors ate and evolved on diets of plants and very lean wild game," writes Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D. During the last few thousand years, humans converted from hunters and gatherers to farmers, and finally to automobile drivers headed for fast-food restaurants. Somer's point is that although our behavior and eating habits have changed, our basic biology remains the same as our hunger-gatherer ancestors. We are "genetically programmed to thrive on a diet of nuts, seeds, leaves, honey, and wild game, but not gorging on doughnuts, cheese puffs, domesticated beef, soda pop."

We would be healthier, says Somer, if we would eat as our ancestors did when there was no cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, or diabetes. In The Origin Diet, she describes how to translate to modern life the five "Stone Age Secrets":

• Stay strong and lean.
  
• Focus on wild (natural) foods.
  
• Stay healthy and alert.
  
• Handle stress quickly, then relax.
  
• Belong to a supportive tribe of family and friends.
  

Although the premise is unusual and interesting, much of Somer's advice is similar to what you hear from all the major health and medical associations: eat lots of fruits and vegetables, avoid processed foods, eat starchy carbohydrates and grains, eat fiber, cut back on saturated fat, drink water, exercise vigorously, and manage stress.

Somer is not recommending that you hunt your own mastodon (although wild game is only 4 percent fat, compared with 25 to 30 percent fat in domesticated meat); you can substitute chicken breast and salmon (while salmon is higher in fat than other types of fish, it's high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids). Eat more produce and fiber, she urges us. Graze, don't gorge. Exercise. "The secret to regaining our evolutionary balance is to glean the best of our ancient ancestors' eating habits and combine those with the safe, abundant, nutritious foods available today," says Somer. The book includes an appendix of recipes such as Garbanzo Cilantro Dip, Chili-Glazed Chicken, Crusty Basil Salmon, and Tofu Confetti Burritos (no bison burgers!).

Somer, contributing editor to Shape and Eating Well and former consultant to Good Morning America, has written several other books on nutrition, including Food & Mood: The Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best (with Nancy Snyderman), Age-Proof Your Body: Your Complete Guide to Lifelong Vitality, and Nutrition for Women: The Complete Guide. --Joan Price

From Publishers Weekly

"Genetically speaking, our bodies need the same amount of nutrients that were needed by our Paleolithic ancestors," Somer claims. Registered dietician, health writer and self-described "research junkie" (she spent the last 20 years reading thousands of nutrition and anthropological studies), Somer (Age-Proof Your Body; Nutrition for Women; etc.) takes a novel approach to the age-old problem of dieting and recommends readers get back to their evolutionary roots, literally, and conscientiously maintain a diet of countless fruits, vegetables, roots, water and some animal meat (although she does not favor red meat). Somer presents a workout plan that's specific, gradual and measurable, as well as recipes, menus, a shopping list and plenty of coaching, motivation and inspiring tips (e.g., people should avoid drinking alcohol when eating out because doing so makes them eat more, but for those who prefer to, she recommends that they drink two glasses of water for every glass of alcohol). It's a demanding program for weight loss and maintaining that loss for the long term, but what she says makes senseAand is convincing. Somer's program is a diet for people willing to make a definite commitment, but, as she explains, readers can make significant improvements in their overall health and fitness by implementing even some of her advice. Agent, David Smith. (Jan. 3).
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; 1 edition (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805063358
• ISBN-13: 978-0805063356
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,832,148 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For lasting and comprehensive nutritional changes, December 30, 2000

By A Customer

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.

74 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Absurd Nonsense, May 18, 2002

By	Stephen Byrnes (Honolulu, HI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Origin Diet: How Eating Like Our Stone Age Ancestors Will Maximize Your Health (Paperback)

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.

20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Origin Diet, February 21, 2001

By A Customer

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!