I have been a little over-worked and I forgot to put up instructions for bulk orders. Shame on me! I had planned to have it up so that people who wanted to buy multiple copies as Christmas gifts could get discounted prices.
Well, there’s still a few days left to place an order and assure receipt by Christmas. So, I’m offering a Christmas special on bulk orders: $14.99 per book. Minimum order is 5 copies, and it has to go to a single address. Shipping is free to the US and UK, discounted elsewhere.
If you’d like to do this, send me an email with number of copies and your address and phone number. I’ll send you a Paypal money request which you can pay by credit card.
A Few Good Experiences
Every once in a while someone emails or comments lets us know that their health has improved because of our diet, or that they enjoyed the book. We always appreciate hearing these things.
Recently, Claire wrote:
I just received the book today and enjoying the read! I love the combination of easy-to-read plus enough scientific information to help me tailor the diet and supplements to my chronic illness, gastroparesis (started in 2003 – got sick while traveling in Brazil, slowly got worse and diagnosed with gp by breath test in 2009).
My main and most debilitating symptom is vomiting, which for example in the past 2 months has been about 75% of what I eat. In the past 4 days of applying the perfect health diet (avg. 1400 kCal, protein/carb/fat ratios 24%/18%/58%) I have not vomited once ! I realize I need to further optimize my nutrient intake, but I’m already noticing major improvement.
It sounds like Claire acquired a gut infection in Brazil, and fructose makes the germs very happy and her small intestine very unhappy. Our diet cuts down the sugar and replaces it with fat which the germs can’t eat. Starving the pathogens a bit seems to have stabilized her gut; hopefully it will bring her to a full recovery in time. Sometimes solutions are really simple and quick!
Jay wrote to talk about how a ketogenic Paleo diet had helped him run a marathon successfully, but gave him kidney stones – something perhaps our kidney stone post will help him overcome:
I jumped on the paleo diet last April. Moved to more of a Primal diet in June and then PaNu in July. I started experimenting with a Ketogenic diet in August and September. I am a runner. I run half marathons, marathons, and ultra marathons. I started serious training for the Fall season this last Summer. My whole goal with nutrition was to 1) get on a better nutritious diet. 2) Recover quicker, reduce inflammation. 3) train my body to use fats/proteins for energy instead of glycogen so I wouldn’t bonk after a couple of hours of running.
I trained by usually running in the mornings without eating anything prior to running. No matter what the distance. I found that once I was ketogenic, I could run without “hitting the wall”. I think it worked and worked very well. When I finally ran the marathon in October, I carb’d up for 3 days prior to running. I ate lots of carbs and some protein prior to the race. I knocked off an amazing 20 minutes from the previous best time. I didn’t hit any wall, although I had cramps after the race, big time.
But the point, I ate little carbs, was dehydrated a lot because of the heat, probably didn’t eat enough salt, ate a lot of almonds, etc. So based on your blog posts, I now know exactly why I have a kidney stone. Or at least, good reason to suspect….
I am going to eat more carbs and less protein than what I had been doing. We will see if I can clear this up soon.
Thanks for the books and thanks for all the information on your site. I have learned more about nutrition and my body in the last 6 months than I have in my entire life time. I definitely think we need to spread the word about the Perfect Health Diet!
Our Thanks for Your Support
I noticed that Melissa McEwen blogged about the “worst Paleo book ever” and our book came up multiple times in the comments. No, not as a challenger for the worst book!
Thank you so much to everyone who recommends our book. We hate to self-promote, but when others spread the word, we are most grateful. We believe our work can help many to find the great health that everyone deserves, but we know that the only way anyone will discover our book is through your help. So, thank you very much!
via this link:
Hello Paul. I have been enjoying reading your blog, and have ordered your book. I am wondering if there’s any way to access it as an ebook while awaiting thenhard copy’s arrival.
By way of questions, I have two main ones that I hope you will take the time to help me with.
First, I am a bit wary about the recommendation to add starches back into my meals. I am someone who gains weight easily and loses with great difficulty. I have been aiming for a FPC ratio of about 80:15:5 at about 1400 calories per day, +/- 200. Don’t get me wrong, I’d gladly add starch back and happen to like rice a lot, but have been convinced that doing so will result in an irreparable stall. I have another 25-30 lbs to lose.
Second, I suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome on both sides, as well as plantar fasciitis in my left foot. I believe I had a lurking CT for a long time, but two years ago, there was a Parvovirus (aka Fifth Disease) outbreak at my kid’s school, and I contracted it. It made me miserable for a good 8 weeks (for adults, 5th disease can be like an attack of RA that goes on for months). After my recovery, however, I was left with my CT exacerbated, and chronic plantar faciitis on the left. Your idea that chronic infection and poor nutrition is at the root of much of what ails mankind by way of health and well-being makes perfect sense to me, especially as, at the time of succumbing to fifth disease, I was trying to follow “Eat to Live”, Fuhrman’s nutty nonfat vegan plan.
I am very excited about reading your book, and would be delighted if I could get a head start on the e version, if possible. I’d like nothing better than to avoid CT surgery, and to be able to move around without feeling like I’m getting stabbed in my foot every time I get up from sitting. I used to be very active, but I find my pains to be quite limiting.
(BTW, I am in my mid 40’s, have two young children, and my work is more or less sedentary. I’m a clinical psychologist. I am finding your post on mental health issues to be so enlightening, but realize with frustration that the establishment will not embrace these ideas for a while to come.)
Hi Maggy,
I’ve emailed you about e-books.
1) Re weight, that’s an issue we’re still gaining experience with. No one in our family has experienced weight gains but some people have metabolisms that are broken in various ways and even the smell or sight of foods can cause insulin release and promote weight gain in some people. So I don’t rule out that some people may find less tasty diets to be more helpful in weight loss. In particular, higher protein diets are often found to be most satiating.
However, I think our diet should be good for weight loss as long as calories are limited. If 1400 calories per day works for you, you might try something like 400 carb calories a day, 200 protein calories, and 800 fat calories, and see how it goes.
Be sure to get plenty of micronutrients through food choices and supplements, as micronutrient deficiencies trigger appetite!
2) it’s interesting that your viral infection may have triggered these inflammatory conditions.
I had carpal tunnel for a long time, and like my other problems it has gone away. I’m not sure I can credit any change in particular, and I have done a lot of things to minimize stress (like using a trackball mouse, and switching hands). Opening the shoulders, getting the shoulder back in the joint and the scapula sliding freely over the ribs, is very important to open the thoracic outlet and maintain good blood flow.
I do think carpal tunnel surgery is best avoided. It just severs a ligament, which opens up the tunnel but does nothing to relieve the inflammation.
I have heard that stretching the calf muscles can be very helpful for plantar fascitis; wearing a boot to bed, in order to keep the ankle bent 90 degrees and thus preventing the calf from tightening, can be helpful.
In general, our diet and nutritional recommendations should help reduce inflammation and improve immune function, so it should give you the best chance to heal these things. I don’t know of specific links between pathogens and carpal tunnel or plantar fascitis, so it’s hard to recommend any kind of antibiotic drug, but intermittent fasting for autophagy will help control any residual viruses.
I think mental health issues are fascinating. It is clear to me that any brain infection will reproduce many of the common symptoms of mental health conditions. I don’t know what fraction of the diseases are actually caused by infections, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s most (or all?) of them.
Best, Paul
Thanks for such a speedy response.
In terms of viral infections and depression, I can tell you that I got Chicken Pox very late in life, at 31. (I seem to have a knack for catching childhood diseases late in life, don’t I?) I know very well what a post-viral depression is like. It’s 6 weeks of absolute misery. It’s like your body is so In my case, I also suffered from a good 4-6 weeks of aversion to dairy products, and full-out lactose intolerance which eventually passed.
Fortunately, at the time of my chicken pox, I had a very attuned internist who realized that even after the lesions resolved and I appeared to be back to normal, and she insisted that I not return to full activity for another 2 weeks.
In terms of which mental illnesses are caused or exacerbated by infections, it’s an interesting question. I like “diathesis-stress” models that can take many factors into account, where infection might contribute to both sides of the equation. Also, there’s something to be learned from the fact that some psychotropic medications can predispose people to infections, skin rashes, and other sorts of “side-effects”. The connections are very little understood, and I believe, hold keys to how we treat mental health issues in the future.
Hi Maggy,
Interesting. I would suggest that the psychotropic medications may not be predisposing people to new infections, but rather promoting existing infections which are then able to generate acute symptoms. The “side effects” may arise through immune suppression or through “feeding” the infection (e.g., providing tryptophan/serotonin to bacteria).
There is certainly much to be learned!
Marilyn, I’ve switched to potato starch to coat the liver. Works fine, but is a little messier to handle. Thinly sliced potatoes sauteed in the bacon fat with the onions and liver is delicious too — served with a spinach salad (hot or cold) garnished with bacon bits. Yum. 🙂
Paul, it would make sense that the medications are promoting existing infections. In the case of one medication that’s prescribed for Bipolar disorder, if the dosage isn’t closely monitored, an individual who is put on it can get a skin rash that, if not caught in time and treated, can spread and become debilitating or fatal. This is supposed to be a “rare” case scenario, but I’m not so sure how rare it is.
BTW, thanks for the email and the advanced read. I’ve been skipping around quite a bit to see if my questions are addressed before I start posting them. But I’m really learning a lot. Thanks again.
I have been trying to think of ways to get more egg yolks into my son’s diet. I ran across this recipe and tried it to day. All I can say is WOW! I’m going to have to stay out of it because it is just too good. I hope others enjoy it also:
Ingredients:
* 4 cups basic chicken stock
* 6 tablespoons (90 g) Carolina or other long-grain white rice
* 8 egg yolks
* 1/4 cup (65 ml) fresh lemon juice
* coarse salt, to taste
* freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Stir in the rice and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a large bowl.
When the rice is tender, slowly ladle half of the hot broth into the yolks to temper them, whisking constantly. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the broth and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, just long enough to thicken the soup. Do not boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
From this website: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Avgolemono-15607
Does anyone have an opinion on chia seeds as a way to boost the omega 3 ratio? Are there any other known problems with chia seeds?
Here is the data from http://getchia.com/about-chia/chia-seed-data-and-facts
Serving size: 20g (About 2 tbs):
Calories (Kcal) = 66
Protein (g) = 4.14
Total Fat (g) = 6.56
Saturated Fat (g) = 0.64
Trans Fat (g) = 0
Monounsaturated Fat (g) = 0.44
Polyunsaturated Fat (g) = 5.44
Omega-3 (ALA) (g) = 4.2
Omega-6 (Linoleic Acid) (g) = 1.24
Cholesterol (mg) = 0
Carbohydrates (g) = 7.5
Total Dietary Fibre (g) = 8.25
Soluble (g) = 1.07
Insoluble (g) = 7.18
Sodium (mg) = 0.42
Potassium (mg) = 140
Calcium (mg) = 142.8
Iron (mg) = 3.28
Phosphorus (mg) = 213.4
Magnesium (mg) = 78
Hi Steve,
I’m not aware of known problems, but they’re not well studied. They do have significant protein so they probably have some toxins. I would probably guess they’re similar to flax seed in toxicity, but don’t know.
“Leverpostej”, which is a Danish liver pate, is a favourite among Danes. I read that 92% of Danes like it, and even children love it – there’s a reason for that: it really is good 😉 (Most people buy it rather than make it themselves, though. Tsk)
I did several searches and found sooo many variations, so I’ll give you some different links, translated by Google (we’ll see how that turns out).
http://translate.google.dk/translate?sl=da&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dk-kogebogen.dk%2Fopskrifter%2Fvisopskrift.php%3Fid%3D7584 NOTE: Use the number to the LEFT of the listed ingredients. The other numbers (to the right) are for when you wish for different portion sizes – the original are the left ones.
http://translate.google.dk/translate?sl=da&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dk-kogebogen.dk%2Fopskrifter%2Fvisopskrift.php%3Fid%3D6051
If you want to freeze it, do it prior to baking. When you need it, thaw, bake and eat. Can be enjoyed hot or cold – bacon is a nice addition 😉
Make liver taste good? ha -Sorry, won’t find any suggestions here. I grew up on a farm with organic liver – never did like it, even when 7 other siblings and my parents were enjoying theirs (breaded and fried with fried onions). Even organic fresh elk liver is nasty to me. When I was 5, it made me sick and I wasn’t pushed to eat it again! I’ve tried liver many times since, and it’s just one of those foods I never could learn to eat. And, I generally can eat anything! Happy to eat kidney, heart or oxtail. Just not liver! 😉
Now, that said, some guest on the Dr. Oz show tried “his” liver spread after completely turning up her nose on any liver – she actually liked it. Sorry, I couldn’t find the recipe however.
I have been looking at online liver recipes, and it was recommended to soak the liver in milk for at least 1-2 hours which supposedly takes away the unpleasant taste, before dredging in flour and frying. I have never eaten or cooked liver before my first attempt at it this way which, with only half an hour in which to soak the liver, seemed moderately successful (but then I wasn’t sure what to expect). However I am concerned as to what degree the taste relates to the nutrient content and how much of the latter will leech out simultaneously when soaking, therefore undermining the whole point of incorporating liver into the diet. Any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for the tip. I’ve put a link to it on the recipes thread.
Most of the liver nutrients are inside cells and shouldn’t be released in a milk soaking. I would expect that to remove mostly blood. That will reduce iron content a bit, but most people aren’t deficient in iron.
So I think it’s a good tip!
Best, Paul
I’ve never been able to stand liver no matter how cooked, was the source of many fights with my mom.
However, I always liked liverwurst. Can’t explain that, I’m afraid. I mean, it DOES taste liver-y, but not bad like liver itself.
Braunschweiger (with bacon) is even nicer. Course, everything is nicer with bacon. 😉
Speaking of everything being nicer with bacon… I just made an easy-peasy bacon braised cabbage that is seriously to die for!
1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded
2 thick slices of dry rubbed bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
Place cut-up bacon into heavy-bottomed pot and cook over low-medium heat to render. Place shredded cabbage into pot, stir well. Cover pot, reduce heat. Stir occasionally until cabbage is wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.
This would be an excellent side dish or even a simple lunch or supper served over white rice. My 8-yo daughter is enjoying it as I type.
BTW, got some really good wild salmon today and thinking of making gravlax. Any good recipes out there? I’m thinking salt, light sprinkling of sugar (don’t know of a good substitute in this situation), dill, and dry sake. Thoughts? Ideas?
Dear Paul,
Regarding beef liver, I have found that substituting calves liver is the best choice. (I give the dog beef liver occasionally.) Calves liver is milder tasting, has a better texture and presumably less toxins, since the calf would be younger upon slaughter than a beef.
I simply use a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook recipe (the one with the red and white checked cover!) that I adapt by using a coconut oil and butter mix to fry the calves liver.
My husband and I enjoy the taste and look forward to liver menu nights. I consider it a “fast food,” as it takes less than 20 minutes to put together the whole menu from scratch if you have frozen beets put up from the garden as I do!
Menu: Calves liver with onions, Harvard beets (sweetened with stevia), and rice. The sauce is nice over the rice.
Mary
“The PHD diet is my last stop to find health!”
Hi Mary,
Thanks for the calves liver & beets suggestion. Sounds like a great meal!
Rice-Syrup-Sweetened Coconut Rice Pudding
(This is a phenomenal recipe that utilizes rice syrup in place of sugar, thus eliminating fructose, and making an all-time favorite PHD compatible. I modified the original recipe Rice/Rice Pudding that I found on line. I think the fragrant basmati rice, the hint of Indian flavors of cardamom and cinnamon, and coconut take it to a whole new level of yum.)
2.5 cups water
1 cup white basmati rice
.25 teaspoon salt
1 whole cardamom pod
1″ piece of cinnamon stick
3 cups whole milk
1/3 cup rice syrup (I used Lundberg’s Organic)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2-1 cup cold coconut milk
Bring water to a boil. Add rice, salt, cardamom pod, and cinnamon. Simmer until water has been absorbed. Remove cardamom and cinnamon and discard. Add milk, vanilla extract, and rice syrup. Raise heat to bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often as with a risotto. Turn off heat when consistency is creamy but still soupy. Add shredded coconut and stir well. Allow to cool. The pudding will be quite thick in consistency at this point. Add 1/2-1 cup cold coconut milk to bring to desired consistency. Pour into a large bowl, or small individual serving bowls. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Chill well and enjoy.
Thanks, Maggy. I put a link on the recipes thread.
First some food-related questions. What do you think of other coconut products like coconut flour and coconut butter; (Artisana, Nutiva (called manna) and Let’s Do Organic (called cream). Does their carb content count as starch? Granted, the carbs are very low, especially in the butter. Lots of fiber in both.
I made these Gnocchi (potato dumplings) the other night and they were delicious and so easy, a kid could make them. I used one potato (about 220 grams) boiled in the skin for about 30 minutes, left it to cool, then peeled it and mashed it up. I added one beaten egg, a little sea salt and 20-30 grams of tapioca starch (the amount needed depends on the moisture content of the potato. You want a fairly stiff dough). Put it in the fridge til just before dinner, then took out the dough and using a board dusted with more tapioca starch, rolled it into a “rope” about 1 inch thick and then cut it into pieces about 1 inch long. Dropped it into gently boiling water for about 2-3 minutes (the dumplings float), drained it, threw in chopped, fresh garden herbs and a lot of butter and had it with roasted chicken. Really good, very versatile and a recipe that could be tweaked in numerous ways.
Hi Cathryn,
All coconut products are fine. Coconut is mostly fiber, a little sugar, no starch.
Your gnocchi comment is well-timed, Shou-Ching was planning to do a post about gnocchi today. I’ll put a link on the Recipes thread.
Best, Paul
Hi,
I’m a new here. I just bought your book. Found you by way of The Western Price Foundation. I am enjoying the book so much. Could not put it down. I’m almost finished so I don’t know if this question will be answered later in the book, but really want to know:
How to get menu plans and can you recommend a cookbook that would be an excellent compliment to your diet and lifestyle.
thanks so much
Isa
Hi Isa,
Thanks for letting us know you’re enjoying it!
We’re working on a cookbook with meal plans. It should be out in late spring or summer 2012.
In the meantime, you can click on our “Food” category and see some of our meal ideas. Every week, usually on Sunday, we put up a new recipe.
Best, Paul
Many years ago I waitress-ed in a deli that had chopped liver on the menu. I don’t usually like liver but I found that I really like chopped liver so I went online & got a recipe & finally used up that lb of liver that’s been sitting in my freezer. It turned out pretty good so I thought I’d share. This is my new (ok, only) favorite way to eat liver:
Soak 1 lb beef liver in milk for an hour or two, which is supposed to remove some of the strong liverish flavor. Drain the milk & cook the liver however you like (I fried it in bacon dripping). Cut it up & put it in the food processor. Add one peeled hard-boiled egg. Chop about half a large onion, fry it & add it to the mix. Use enough fat so that you end up with 5 – 6 TBSP in the mixture. Traditionally, rendered chicken fat was used, but butter, coconut oil or or whatever you have on hand will work. I also added about 1 TBSP of spicy kimchee, and a little salt & pepper. Process until smooth, cover and refrigerate. Today I had some for dinner on rice crackers – yum! I’ll probably use more kimchee next time to make it a bit spicier, and more onion. It took about 15 minutes to make, not counting the soaking time.
I haven’t been able to find rice crackers that aren’t made with canola oil so I try not to eat too many. More liver, less cracker! Town Square brand, cracked pepper & olive oil flavor made by Want Want Foods, are my current favorite, but I’m still looking for one that’s made with a healthier oil.
Enjoy!
Hey all,
Does anybody have any ideas of PHD compliant meals I can prepare for work in an office environment? I have a microwave so can reheat.
I am sick of eating Chilli and rice now…
Thanks, Leila! I’ll put a link on the recipes thread.
Mark, you might have better luck getting a response if you post that question on the recipes thread.
Oops! Will do Paul, thanks.
I clicked on the recipe sharing thread link and this is where I ended up…
To make beef liver taste good, make it into a pate. Rinse and gently boil the liver with 1 chopped onion until just done. Let it cool and then trim away all the chewy/hard bits. Then place in a food processor and start blending. Process it until it’s paste. Then add 3/4 cup of butter (I like kerrygold). Add a little salt and maybe a clove or two of garlic. Process until it’s paste. Take out of the processor and you can refrigerate it. Tastes great on celery or just eaten plain. Watch out, it’s very good, almost addictive.
I learned how to live beef liver from this recipe: salt and pepper the liver and sauté onion and liver in lots of butter! It’s that simple and so delicious!
>> I haven’t been able to find rice crackers that aren’t
>> made with canola oil so I try not to eat too many.
Edward and Sons Brown Rice Snaps (Tamari Seaweed, Tamari Sesame, Onion Garlic, Unsalted Sesame, Unsalted Plain) are made without canola oil or any other bad oils. The other flavors seem to have safflower oil, though, so avoid those.
I personally prefer Tamari Seaweed.
http://www.edwardandsons.com/es_shop_snaps.itml
I have used onions and balsalmic vinegar with oil. The vinegar turns sweet and it is a nice dish.
Fried liver ‘n’ onions is a simple, solid, go-to recipe, but it my opinion it’s missing one thing: mushrooms. The mushrooms compliment the strong, astrigent flavors while moderating them and really complete the dish.
For lunch today, I sliced 3 onions, half a pound of liver, a jar of shiitake mushrooms, two or three cloves of garlic, and threw cumin, turmeric and ground pepper generously all over it. Stir-fry that in a wok. This will do three people. Expect to spend about 20 minutes in the kitchen.
Err on the side of overcooking rather than undercooking. Overcook a little and you get less of a liver taste, crispy mushrooms and soft onions; undercook and you get strong liver, slimy mushrooms and lip-puckering onions.
The immune-modulating, cancer-fighting effects of shiitake and similar mushrooms is a whole topic in itself.
Hi, Paul,
I am a heart failure patient, post massive MI in 1981 at age 34 with subsequent CABG six months later. I have survived, much to my surprise and the surprise of all cardiologists I have been attended by! I have aspired to follow Dean Ornish’s method of very low to no fat, no dairy with mostly veg and fruits. I have eaten no meats, except occasional tiny portions of chicken and now understand why salt is my enemy. I am, however, very interested in your diet. I have not read your book yet, only pieces and comments by others. My question is, because of my chronic disease, is your diet not for me? If it can help me, I would like to read your book and adopt your methods, as I feel when I understand your thinking, it might help my quality of life more and arm me with good advice for my family, who are “normal.” I have an implanted ICD and actually am doing well so far. Thank you for being candid.
Hi Rita,
I do think our diet is for you, but please tell me more about what caused your heart attack. At young ages these often occur due to infections. (For instance, Chagas disease often causes heart attacks at a young age.) Were you obese, did you have diabetes or smoke or other risk factors for heart attacks? Did you have atherosclerosis or high coronary calcium?
Dean Ornish’s diet is very different from ours, so it would be a big adjustment. I think it would be good to read our book, and also to carefully look at our Food Plate.
Best, Paul