Launch Day!

We’re excited! Our book is now shipping and appearing in stores, and we can’t wait to hear what you think of it.

I’ve gotten some further information on the launch dates for the various editions. The US and Canadian edition launched today, of course. The Australian and New Zealand edition will be officially published on January 7; here is the book’s page from Scribe. Finally, the United Kingdom edition is expected to be released in fall 2013, due to the time needed to customize it for a UK audience and perform pre-release marketing activities.

You may have noticed some re-arrangements to the site. I’m getting ready to launch a forum, and there are some new pages:

  • Translations of the PHD Food Plate into 9 languages can be found here. Thank you to Constantin Gonzalez, Nadia Bachi, Wout Mertens, Martin Inderhaug, Ildiko Koltai, Jarrett McAnally, Kiril Roussev, and Rafael B. for providing translations!
  • I’ve put up a News, Interviews, Reviews page – it’s under the Buy the Book tab – where you can find information about upcoming public appearances, magazine and newspaper stories, interviews and podcasts, and book reviews.
  • I’ve put up a list of our recipes on the Recipes page, and also links to some PHD-friendly food bloggers. We’ll have a Recipes section on the forum when it launches, and I expect to be spending more time on food – and, in general, helping people implement our diet and lifestyle recommendations – in the new year.

Speaking of interviews and podcasts, here’s what’s going on this week:

  • I was going to appear on Dr Lo Radio tonight, but unfortunately Lauren is not feeling well today, so we postponed it to next Tuesday the 18th.
  • But you won’t have to wait until Tuesday to hear a new podcast: my podcast with Abel James Bascom on his Fat Burning Man show will go live on Friday Dec 14. This is my second interview with Abel since he read an early manuscript of the book (first interview from August 12), and this time we got to talk about some of our more offbeat ideas. It’s a fun one.
  • I recorded a podcast with Paleo Magazine Radio, which will air in the new year. The interview had a special guest: frequent commenter erp joined the discussion, to talk about what it’s like to eat the Perfect Health Diet. Tony Federico and Paleo Magazine are looking for more personal-experience stories and would love to hear from Perfect Health Dieters, so if you’d like to appear on Paleo Magazine Radio, leave your contact information in their Call for Guests app.

Finally, let me say: thank you to all our readers for helping us get to this day. We are truly grateful for your support.

On our side, a lot of work has been invested into this book – seven years of effort. It will be very satisfying if that work pays off by bringing better health to a large public.

We think that can happen – we can make a big difference in public health and save many people from premature death or untimely disease – but we’re dependent on your help to achieve it. So if you enjoy the book, please tell your friends and family – recommend it on social media and Amazon – give it as a gift – and leave reviews on Amazon. And please do participate here, in comments and on the forum when it launches; we value your companionship and friendship on this journey.

Thank you again and please, enjoy the book and have a very merry Christmas season! The “What’s New in the New Edition” series will continue tomorrow with a look at the book’s take on weight loss and obesity.

Leave a comment ?

63 Comments.

  1. Hi Paul,

    I’m about half-way through your book and it’s been wonderful so far, however i wanted to let you know that the hyperlinks in the kindle version of the book that link directly to the references, are not properly synced. Nearly all of them go to the wrong citation. This isn’t a big deal (especially because you have all of these references on your cite), but you may want to contact your publisher and see if they can fix them for you.

    Best regards

    • Thanks Sean. I’ve written to Scribner about it. Hopefully they’ll fix that soon.

    • Hi Sean,

      Can you give me some specific citations that are wrong? A Scribner production person just did a spot check and said he couldn’t find any errors.

      • Chapter 10: Carbohydrates:

        First note goes to:

        [1] Holt BM, Formicola V. Hunters of the Ice Age: the biology of Upper Paleolithic people. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 2008(suppl);47:70–99, http://pmid.us/19003886. Cohen MN. Health and the rise of civilization. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1989.

        Should go to:

        [1] Lindeberg S et al. Age relations of cardiovascular risk factors in a traditional Melanesian society: the Kitava Study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1997 Oct;66(4):845–52, http://pmid.us/9322559.

        Second note goes to:

        [2] Lindeberg S et al. Haemostatic variables in Pacific Islanders apparently free from stroke and ischaemic heart disease—the Kitava Study. Thrombosis and Haemostasis 1997 Jan;77(1):94–8, http://pmid.us/9031456.

        When it should go to:

        [2] Dyerberg J. Coronary heart disease in Greenland Inuit: a paradox. Implications for Western diet patterns. Arctic Medical Research 1989 Apr;48(2):47–54, http://pmid.us/2736000.

        About 90% of the note-hyperlinks don’t go to the right location. They go to the right citation number but to the wrong chapter (e.g., note 1 for chapter 10 goes to note 1 for chapter 1, etc.). The hyperlinks for the chapters (in the contents section) and for the “part” jumps within a chapter, seem to all be working. It’s only the hyperlinks for the references that go to the back of the book that aren’t working.

        Hope that helps. If you need more specifics let me know. As i said, nearly every link isn’t working for me.

  2. Paul, Many thanks for an excellent book.

    All the way from my current location: southern China! :mrgreen:

    Kristopher C.

  3. Congratulations Paul and Shou-Ching, this is great news.

  4. received my pre-ordered copy yesterday (in Germany!) and on my kindle. i’ve ordered 3 gift copies already. can’t wait to absorb all the new stuff.

    thanks so much paul and shou ching. i’m a huge fan of your work.

    p.s. can’t wait for a german translation to give all my in-laws (hint hint 😉 )!!

    p.p.s. i’m just starting my blog with recipes so i’ll update when it’s ready to go

  5. Congratulations! The new edition is so clearly the culmination of years of hard work. My review is here.

    JS

  6. The book arrived yesterday and read before bedtime. Job well done!

  7. I think the book is wonderful — congratulations. I bought several for family members. Congratulations! 😀

  8. *pops champagne*

    Congratulations both of you.

  9. Got my copy yesterday.

  10. Read the book cover to cover and enjoyed it very much. I am a long term low carb paleo adherent and am thinking of adding safe carbs primarily rice. However you make a valid point of the importance of limiting our exposure to toxins and a recent report connects rice with a high level of arsenic and recommends limiting ingestion to 1 or 2 servings a week. http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm319827.htm What is your take on this. Should we seek other sources of safe carbs or ignore this advisement ?

    • Hi Steven,

      Our main advice is to eat white rice, not brown (since the arsenic concentrates in the bran) and to obtain rice from Asia or California (where arsenic based pesticides were not used in the 19th century).

      I believe the doses are low enough that PHD levels of white rice intake should not be a problem. However, I’m keeping an eye on the papers. It is good to mix it up with potatoes and other safe starches frequently, and not get too dependent on any one food.

  11. Follow up to previous post . I meant to say Consumer Reports magazine is advising limiting our rice intake to 1 or 2 servings per week.

  12. I am looking forward to receiving my copy which I ordered today out of the Book Depository. If you live in Australia it is the cheapest option by at least one third depending on what postage you choose. Some of you are talking about a kindle edition but on Amazon I didn’t see that. Did I miss a discussion about how to get a Kindle version? Apologies if I did

    • Hi Cheryl,

      The Australian Kindle edition will come out in January — probably January 7.

    • I live in oz as well.
      I think i may wait for the release of one of the “metric editions” next month (AUS/NZ/UK).
      Save me having to convert pounds & ounces all the time.

      Having said that, i may end up buying the US version if the price of the other editions turn out to be a lot more, which would not surprise me, given the way media seems to be overpriced when located in Australia.

      • Phooey – I hadn’t thought about metric vs US – oh well

        • no biggie,
          my copy of the 1st book, which only came in US version, is full of my notes, including some unit conversions when needed

          I have no idea what a pound of anything looks like anymore

  13. A technical note: My copy of the book from Amazon arrived yesterday, and the paper is terribly warped throughout. I’m wondering if this is weather related (I live in Florida) or if this is the publisher’s doing–(too) hot off the presses 🙂 Anyone else have the same experience?

    • Hi Art,

      My author’s copies were in excellent condition. Perhaps you should contact Amazon.

    • My copy is in excellent condition (northern US).

    • I agree, my copy also has warped pages. Its as if the paper stack has had an extremly heavy uneven weight placed on it causng the pages to become wavey. Also the paper is of low quality and very thin, even compared to previous version, certainly a downgrade in physical quality in this version. But great upgraded info though.

  14. My copy arrived yesterday. I am enjoying it and hoping to put it into practice. I’m not trying to get into religion here but I am of the Eastern Orthodox faith and fasting is very much a part of our faith so it is very challenging when it comes to lenten time with the meat restrictions. Any suggestions?

    • Hi Paul,

      We do consider fasting to be very healthful, and PHD should make it easier to fast.

      I’m not familiar with the Eastern Orthodox fasting regulations, so you’ll have to give me more details if you want specific advice. But if it is simply meat restriction, the idea would be to follow a vegetarian diet with similar macronutrient ratios to conventional PHD.

      • Thanks Paul for such a rapid response!

        It is more vegan during the lenten period which is 3/18/13-5/4/13. I may have to evaluate with my spiritual father and look at modifying if vegan during that time period is not possible.

  15. I have all my carbs in the evening (typically baked sweet potatoes) very shortly post workout. I try and take advantage of the insulin-independent translocation of glut-4 primarily in muscle cells. Does it make sense to cook sweet potatoes in the oven at high temperatures, and not use an acid or much fat with the meal, in order to have a quicker release of glucose and a faster absorption primarily by muscle cells? I do this with the intention of preventing a slow release of carbs in the evening in turn from preventing a strong growth hormone release during sleep. Since with low-glycemic carbs the body will not release growth hormone during sleep until roughly two hours after blood sugar and insulin levels return to normal. On rest days, I would use an acid an lower temperatures. Does this logic make sense, or does doing this put me at risk for the negative effects of hyperglycemia? Thanks

    • Hi Zack,

      Well, interesting idea. I don’t think it’s optimal for health. Conceivably the higher glycemic response could slightly hasten the adaptations to training, but you could get an even better (and healthier) response to the exercise by simply eating more food/carbs. Boil your sweet potatoes, and eat twice as much. Also, consider eating some white potatoes, which have more carbs per pound.

  16. 😛 Very hapy for your book launch. I just finishing reasing the 20120 book. hope to read the 2012 soon. regards Rafael B.

  17. Excellent job well done, Paul and Shou-Ching!

    My pre-ordered from Amazon arrived late Monday eve and I dove right in. I do so love your clarity of thought and writing style. And there’s an Index! Too soon to comment on the content except to say:

    I must admit I have always been one to jump ahead to reading the last few pages of any book. Your sentiments are beautifully expressed in the Acknowledgements; Thank you both for being so very generous.

    Best wishes with the launch,
    and for Perfect Health, indeed!

    KKC

  18. A quick ps to Art:

    I’m in South Florida; my copy from Amazon arrived in perfect condition. By all means do contact them via e-mail, or Ph# 1- 866- 216- 1072. Best, KKC

  19. my copy arrived today.

    but your plate has no
    Chinese translation!

    i believe your work deserves to be translated to > 9 languages!

    regards,

  20. I understand why you’re doing a separate UK edition (metric, I guess?) but why will it take until Fall (Autumn 😉 ) 2013? Also, right now, I have no option to purchase the US edition in Kindle format. Will there be any Kindle edition available in the UK before Fall?

    • Hi Joe,

      Well, Scribner sells the local rights in different countries to local publishers and they have their own schedule. They seem to want to customize the text a bit for the local audience (units, also replacing references to American experience or government recommendations with their own country) and to go through a multi-month prerelease marketing process where they distribute copies to journalists and try to get publicity. The UK rights were just sold and the process is just starting and that’s why they think Fall 2013 is a realistic timetable.

  21. To clarify, I can actually get the new edition in hard or soft cover, in the UK:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Health-Diet-Regain-Weight/dp/145169914X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355477372&sr=8-1

    Just not the Kindle :-/

    • Hi Joe,don’t know If this is useful but you can get it on iBooks.also I got the hard cover from the book depository uk.
      Cheers
      Chris

      • Oh by the way the Amazon softcover link takes us to the 1st edition,a very annoying thing by amazon that I picked up on publishing day
        Cheers
        Chris

  22. I don’t see your Dec 14 podcast with A.James up yet.
    Is it still on for today?

  23. Thanks! You now seem to recommend salmon only once a week vs. previously 2X per week up to 1lb. Is this a change; why?
    Also, do you have thoughts on the Omega 6/3 ratio and Omega 3 index test?
    There are so many who think polys are the way to go.

    • Hi Steve,

      Well, we recommend a similar amount 0.5 to 1 lb, but that matches our daily recommended meat or fish intake, so it seems to make the most sense to call it one day.

      What we think is optimal in terms of tissue abundances is discussed in the book, and how to design the diet to achieve that. It’s a bit complicated: the tissue optimum is omega-3 HUFA = 3x omega-6 HUFA; the diet optimum is about omega-6 PUFA = 3x omega-3 PUFA; but dietary PUFA should be low. See the book for more.

  24. Paul.. love the new book! Happy Holidays to you and Shou-Ching

  25. in your starch recs, you say 2 cups of white rice per day. is that cooked or uncooked?

  26. Hello,

    I have been waiting for this book for awhile, as my son is autistic and I was interested in trying your keto diet with him (I asked you a question by email about that a few months back).

    I also have neuropathy and have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (I was particularly sick with this when I conceived my autistic son). I had originally improved on a low-carb paleo diet, but the improvements were not maintained, I think partly because I would periodically fall off the no-wheat wagon due to cravings and low-energy.

    So anyway, I am so happy to have finally received your book! I fell of the no-wheat wagon again about a month and a half ago and I have been really sick ever since (neuropathy symptoms, palpitations, shortness of breath, lightheaded/dizzyness and extreme fatigue at the slightest exertion).

    I had major doubts about safe starches after being very low carb for several years, but your arguments are so convincing that I have decided to implement the diet immediately to see if it has an effect. In the past I have had problems with “moderate carb”, as upping carbs tends to make me binge on them, but I am really going to try to stick to the amounts you prescribe and see what happens!

    Mary

    • Hi Mary,

      Often, after you’ve been low-carb for a long time, bingeing is a temporary phenomenon in the first month as your body feels a need for glucose to build up compounds it lost during the low-carb diet. Once you are replete with those compounds, the desire to binge may go away.

      Please keep me posted how you and your son do!

      Best, Paul

  27. The other thing that I wanted to mention is that I’ve read lots of paleo-type diet books, and this is the honestly the only one that I would confidently recommend to a doctor. It’s serious, research-based, to-the-point and very well-organized and argued.

  28. I live in Dublin, Ireland and I asked Santa to bring me a copy of your book. He listened and I am very happy with it, I devoured it over Christmas. I haven’t really noticed anything in need of ‘customizing’.

    Thank you very much and Happy New Year.

  29. Hi Paul,

    Just some feedback for the Kindle table of contents. It shows only the high-level Part sections and a few times now I wished the chapters were listed, too, to more easily get to certain chapter topics.

    Thanks,
    Mark

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