The Paleovedic Diet

November 2, 2015
Palanisamy, a Harvard-trained physician who uses holistic methods, bases this fitness guide on the tenets of the popular paleo diet (fruits, vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats, etc.) but also incorporates the ancient Indian system of ayurveda. Presenting ayurveda as a framework for customizing the paleo diet to individual body types, he includes a quiz to help readers determine whether they need vata (movement energy), pitta (metabolic energy), or kapha (strength-providing force). The author shares his own struggles as a former vegetarian who experienced dramatic improvements with his numerous health issues when he began consuming broth, meats, and eggs. Palanisamy covers familiar topics such as carbs, gluten, fats, and protein, but takes his text into less traveled territory with a chapter on 12 spices he identifies as having particularly powerful healing qualities. Noting that paleo doesn’t emphasize medicinal spices, Palanisamy offers cooking tips about using spices to enhance health (e.g. adding turmeric to rice and soups), as well as a thorough discussion of gut health (according to ayurveda, all disease originates in the gut), a detox program, and recipes. Palanisamy, a personable and knowledgeable writer, clarifies paleo, demystifies ayurveda, and provides readers with practical methods for customizing the diet to create a compatible body-type fit. Agent: Jud Laghi, Jud Laghi Agency.

January 1, 2016

This compelling combination of the principles of Ayurveda with the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors explains how various spices lessen the toxic effects of inflammation-inducing foods. While fascinating, the book may be a bit heavy for casual readers.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.