Paleo Eats by Kelly Bejelly

Kelly had a collection of health problems common to many Americans. Her diet was high in carbohydrates, lacking in protein, and she had a dislike of going to the doctor. She tried being a vegetarian, and found that the best foods she could get were once again high in carbohydrates. Obese and having anxiety attacks, she bit the bullet and started eating meat.

One of the main points of this book is that the grains you buy in stores today are nothing like the grains of old. Today’s breads are made from genetically modified seeds, with enzymes added to keep the bread from going stale. Processed foods contain corn syrup, soy additives, and a host of other chemicals that don’t help. Kelly Bejelly’s book advises using raw ingredients, but doesn’t go completely “paleo” like a caveman. There’s still room for fruits, and it has healthy alternatives to milk.

For example, there is a recipe for sweet potato fries, and since sweet potatoes are more like healthier than Idaho potatoes, they fit the Paleo diet more closely. Unlike most French fry recipe, she calls for frying them in lard, which is not on the list of the healthiest fats. However, if you eat them in a small portion, say just enough to fill a teacup, that will NOT destroy your health. If you eat coarse greens beforehand, it will slow the digestion, and keep you full longer.

As for milk, the book advises the use of almond and coconut milk, which doesn’t have the same irritation on the system as cow’s milk. For flour, or any of the cookie and cake recipes, she uses almond flour. Dates are used as a substitute for sugar, and they add flavor of their own. For rice, she uses chopped cauliflower, which takes on a resemblance to white rice.

I suppose the problem with vegetarian diets is that they ignore the basic tenet of eating, which is that nobody wants to eat things that don’t taste good. Indian cooking is on the vegetarian spectrum, because meat and poultry were not widely available in India, as opposed to Northern Europe and Britain, where the terrain and climate are conducive to raising cattle and pigs. Indian cooking relies heavily on seasonings, which are used well in this book. Bejelly also pushes for experimentation with different ingredients, to replace the less healthy grain and hormone-infused dairy products that we’re accustomed to.

If you’re considering a no-bread diet, this book will definitely help. While some might not enjoy the lack of milk and cheese, there are alternatives, and it can definitely help with weight loss.