Book Review: The Primal Blueprint

Mark Sisson has been a central figure in the evolutionary health community since he began his weblog Mark's Daily Apple in 2006. He and his staff have been posting daily on his blog ever since. He has also written several other books, edited the Optimum Health newsletter, competed as a high-level endurance athlete, and served on the International Triathlon Union as the anti-doping chairman, all of which you can read about on his biography page. Mark is a practice-what-you-preach kind of guy, and if physical appearance means anything, he's on to something.

In 2009, Mark published his long-awaited book The Primal Blueprint. He self-published the book, which has advantages and disadvantages. The big advantage is that you aren't subject to the sometimes onerous demands of publishers, who attempt to maximize sales at Barnes and Noble. The front cover sports a simple picture of Mark, rather than a sunbaked swimsuit model, and the back cover offers no ridiculous claims of instant beauty and fat loss.

The drawback of self-publishing is it's more difficult to break into a wider market. That's why Mark has asked me to publish my review of his book today. He's trying to push it up in the Amazon.com rankings so that it gets a broader exposure. If you've been thinking about buying Mark's book, now is a good time to do it. If you order it from Amazon.com on March 17th, Mark is offering to sweeten the deal with some freebies on his site Mark's Daily Apple. Full disclosure: I'm not getting anything out of this, I'm simply mentioning it because I was reviewing Mark's book anyway and I thought some readers might enjoy it.

The Primal Blueprint is not a weight loss or diet book, it's a lifestyle program with an evolutionary slant. Mark uses the example of historical and contemporary hunter-gatherers as a model, and attempts to apply those lessons to life in the 21st century. He does it in a way that's empowering accessible to nearly everyone. To illustrate his points, he uses the example of an archetypal hunter-gatherer called Grok, and his 21st century mirror image, the Korg family.

The diet section will be familiar to anyone who has read about "paleolithic"-type diets. He advocates eating meats including organs, seafood, eggs, nuts, abundant vegetables, and fruit. He also suggests avoiding grains, legumes, dairy (although he's not very militant about this one), processed food in general, and reducing carbohydrate to less than 150 grams per day. I like his diet suggestions because they focus on real food. Mark is not a drill sergeant. He tries to create a plan that will be sustainable in the long run, by staying positive and allowing for cheats.

We part ways on the issue of carbohydrate. He suggests that eating more than 150 grams of carbohydrate per day leads to fat gain and disease, whereas I feel that position is untenable in light of what we know of non-industrial cultures (including some relatively high-carbohydrate hunter-gatherers). Although carbohydrate restriction (or at least wheat and sugar restriction) does have its place in treating obesity and metabolic dysfunction in modern populations, ultimately I don't think it's necessary for the prevention of those same problems, and it can even be counterproductive in some cases. Mark does acknowledge that refined carbohydrates are the main culprits.

The book's diet section also recommends nutritional supplements, including a multivitamin/mineral, antioxidant supplement, probiotics, protein powder and fish oil. I'm not a big proponent of supplementation. I'm also a bit of a hypocrite because I do take small doses of fish oil (when I haven't had seafood recently), and vitamin D in wintertime. But I can't get behind protein powders and antioxidant supplements.

Mark's suggestions for exercise, sun exposure, sleep and stress management make good sense to me. In a nutshell: do all three, but keep the exercise varied and don't overdo it. As a former high-level endurance athlete, he has a lot of credibility here. He puts everything in a format that's practical, accessible and empowering.

I think The Primal Blueprint is a useful book for a person who wants to maintain or improve her health. Although we disagree on the issue of carbohydrate, the diet and lifestyle advice is solid and will definitely be a vast improvement over what the average person is doing. The Primal Blueprint is not an academic book, nor does it attempt to be. It doesn't contain many references (although it does contain some), and it won't satisfy someone looking for an in-depth discussion of the scientific literature. However, it's perfect for someone who's getting started and needs guidance, or who simply wants a more comprehensive source than reading blog snippets. It would make a great gift for that family member or friend who's been asking how you stay in such good shape.

Chushah l�ezrati - Make haste to help me!

OFTEN THE ONLY PRAYER we have is "Help!" I use this one on a daily basis, that is, whenever I am confronted with the truth of my condition.

The word translated "hasten" comes from the Hebrew word "chush," which means to hurry,

to act quickly, or to come quickly. The Psalms often plead urgently, "hasten to help

me" (chushah l�ezrati).

An old Jewish prayer says, "O ETERNAL, I know that you will help us; but will you help us before you will help us?"

Although the ETERNAL sometime tarries, He declares, "I am SOVERIEGN; in its time I will hasten

it" (Isa. 60:22). But still the anxious heart sighs, �Is it time, ETERNAL? Will you now restore

the kingdom to Israel?� But as Yahushua said, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority" (Acts 1:6-7). We are left waiting for the ultimate Elohim�s answer: His glorious coming to fulfill our salvation.

Living in the �already-not-yet� state of redemption is a soul-building venture that helps us

to acquire the precious middah (quality) of patience: 

"In your patience possess ye your souls" (Luke 21:19).

Suffering produces endurance (Rom. 5:3), but the ETERNAL surely is faithful "to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding

joy" (Jude 1:24). May He come speedily, and in our day. Omein.

Morning Prayer - Modeh Ani

When we wake in the morning, YHWH graciously restores our soul (neshamah or nefesh) within us in order to experience another day of life. This awakening is an analog of the resurrection from the dead:

Just as YHWH revives us from the depths of our sleep and enables our eyes to once again receive light, so will He ultimately revive the dead from their state and bring them into the glorious presence of His Light. The Modeh Ani, one of the first blessings a Jewish child is taught, expresses gratitude to YHWH for the gift of a new day of life.

Modeh ani l�faneykha, melech chai vekaiyam,

shehechezarta bi nishmati bechemlah, rabbah emunatekha.

I thank you, living and eternal King,

for returning my soul within me in compassion,

great is your faithfulness.

Interview on Bizymoms

I recently did a written interview for the website Bizymoms.com. It was the first time I had been invited to do an interview, so I figured what the heck. They bravely posted the interview, despite the fact that my responses could be seen as controversial. You can find it here.

Shabbat Shalom Mishpochah!

Co-op offers Passover foods

Many  Jews find it challenging to prepare meals for the Passover holiday, beginning March 29, because of the temporary dietary restrictions Passover creates.

Last year members of the Chapel Hill Kehillah Synagogue found a solution, and they are bringing it back with their second annual "Passover Ko-oP."

They have worked with national vendors to bring a wide variety of reasonably priced Passover items to the Triangle while helping needy families and raising money for their religious school.

For a Ko-oP joining fee that is 18 percent of the order up to $36, community members can select kosher Passover items from a catalog featuring a variety of candies, desserts, matzo, teas, cake mixes, jams, gefilte fish and wine. Most are below retail price.

Included on the order form is an option to donate a basket of Passover food or a monetary amount to a needy Jewish family through Jewish Family Services of Durham-Chapel Hill or Jewish Family Services of Raleigh-Cary. Every year, both organizations distribute Passover baskets to local families so that everyone will be able to celebrate the holiday.

Friday is the deadline for placing orders that can be picked up March 21.

The reason Passover food is different from all other foods lies in the story of the biblical exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Because they had so little time to prepare for their leaving, bread had no time to rise, resulting in a flat, crackerlike food called matzo. To commemorate the eight-day festival of Passover, Jews eat matzo and avoid leavened foods, grains and other foods that have historically been used to make bread products.

These temporary dietary restrictions leave  Jews searching for special food for the holiday.

Whole Wheat Matzo

Look what I found!  Whole Foods Market Kosher for Pesach-
Whole Foods Market grocery and meat purchasing teams have been hard at work making our stores a Passover destination. We know that many of our customers are looking for kosher for Passover products that meet our strict quality standards for packaged foods that are free of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners and hydrogenated fats. We also know you are looking for kosher poultry that weren�t given antibiotics in their feed and were raised with plenty of room to roam around. Meeting all of these requirements can be quite a challenge, but we persevered and made it happen for you!


Did you know that many kosher suppliers still use artificial preservatives and other ingredients that we do not allow in our products? Our grocery buyers partnered with kosher food producers to help them reformulate their products and then our stores and customers provide a market for their natural products. In December, we blogged about our partnership with Streit�s, the only family owned and operated Matzo producer in the U.S, who have now removed the artificial additives and preservatives from many of their products. Our partnership with Streit�s is having a nice ripple effect on the kosher food industry as a whole. Andrew Lansman, head of kosher distributor A&L Foods, says: �Five years ago, kosher manufacturers didn�t even care about being all natural. Now, most are trying to reformulate their product line so they can be all natural. Many new items have been developed because of Whole Foods Market�s influence, including many whole grain and organic products.�


Aviv Organic Matzo


Certified organic, this traditional recipe is crafted with organic whole wheat flour and water. Exclusively available at Whole Foods Market.

Yehuda Organic and Whole Wheat Matzo




Yehuda Matzo is a favorite for Passover. With a great flavor and a crisp crunch it�s also good for matzo brei! Choose from Organic, Whole Wheat, Minis and egg. Exclusively available at Whole Foods Market.