Success Stories, The Paleo Diet, Nutrition, Disease Prevention, Disease Treatment

Eating a diet based on the foods we evolved to eat will naturally cause the body to normalize at an appropriate body weight. In addition, this diet will improve numerous health conditions. Every week we receive e-mails from people who have cured their intestinal problem, their asthma, their cholesterol issues, and more. Athletes notice quick recovery, greater muscle mass, and less upper respiratory tract infections. Here is just a sample of unsolicited e-mails and letters from Paleo Diet veterans and novices.

Headaches and Pain

I just want to let you know how incredibly grateful I am for your research. I own both of your books and have read through all of the research on your site (can't believe it's free!). I've been following the plan for well over a year now and have never looked or felt better. Headaches, allergies, and skin problems that used to constantly plague me have vanished and people constantly comment on my "radiant appearance." The Paleo diet combined with an excellent exercise program (CrossFit) has allowed me to effortlessly optimize my body composition. I've stabilized at a lean (single digit body fat)/muscular 160 lb (I'm 5'6). My workout performance continues to increase as well. The benefits have extended to my family as well. In the past couple of months I've managed to get my mom and dad on the wagon and they have both experienced enhanced health and vitality. The plan has helped to alleviate aches and pains and is providing a route for my mother to get back to her ideal weight. Both of them are also experiencing higher levels of energy and greater resistance to fatigue. Needless to say, the plan has been a panacea for all involved.

Autoimmune

I have been following the Paleo diet for over two years and have achieved great success. I live in the greater Los Angeles area and was diagnosed with scleraderma over eight years ago. The disease is fast moving to harden the skin and internal organs. Two rheumatologists and one cardiologist have been following my progress or lack thereof. Two years ago my sister-in-law, a nutritionist familiar with the diet recommended it based on hers and my brother's success. I started cold turkey on June 20, 2004 after advising my doctors of my decision. After two weeks there was marked improvement in my skin and nails. I continued to gain energy and lose weight. My goal was to feel better and that has certainly been achieved. I weighed over 225 when I began and have continued to lose weight down to 147. One doctor told me at the start that I would probably reach a plateau somewhere near my weight in my 20's.

This is a way of life for me and my husband and I will never knowingly eat any other way. When scleraderma was diagnosed my pulmonary function was tested at less than 50%. Last week I was tested and reported normal (for age 69). I would like to improve more and will continue my 2 mile walks and other exercise to do so. My rheumatologists were very pleased with my progress and they spent a long time last week examining me and brought in three other doctors working with them to ask me questions and check me out.

I will be happy to answer any questions regarding my progress and share my story. I am not cured of the autoimmune disorder but this way of eating really makes it manageable. We are starting a 2 month road trip in our RV next week so e-mail will be my method of correspondence for a while.

Thanks for your time,

Joyce

Intestinal Disease and IBS

Already I have noticed a huge difference in my health. After suffering from IBS for 25 years, suddenly in the last week as I have cut out all traces of 'grains' and 'beans' as best I can I seem to be cured! Can't believe it. Well done.

Regards,
Rob Buckell

I am writing to describe how the paleo diet has cured my infant son's allergic colitis ("Cow's milk protein allergy"), and since I am also an academic, I couldn't help but wonder if one of your graduate students might be interested in the connection between infantile allergic colitis and the paleo diet.

My son had bloody stool when he was three months old. He was exclusively breastfed, and the solution was to remove all dairy and soy products from my diet. When he turned six months old, I tried to re-introduce a small amount of dairy into my diet, but the bleeding resumed.

I think that allergic colitis in breastfed (and formula fed) infants is probably very common, but not often correctly diagnosed. (e.g. the blood could have been occult or the reaction to the cow's milk and/or soy could have been eczema) It could be yet another widespread health problem with the easy solution of simply following the paleo diet.

The current mantra regarding infant nutrition does not align with the paleo diet concept. Iron fortified cereal is reccomended instead of a natural source of iron like meat, and cow's milk is regarded as an essential part of the toddler diet after weaning from breast milk.

Best regards,
Christina

Thank you for the response. I should clarify that I've been on your diet for three weeks and my IBS symptoms are almost gone! Thank you!! It's confusing though since the majority of the high carb, sports nutrition information runs counter to the Paleolithic diet. I look forward to your next book.

I started the Paleo Diet 8 months ago. I have lost 52 pounds and went from a size 22 to a size 12. While I'm thrilled with the weight loss, the thing that I am most happy about is my health. I have been suffering with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) for 5 years and ulcerative colitis for 2 years. Both of these conditions have virtually disappeared since I have started eating Paleo. I used to deal with IBS on a daily basis and it was beginning to interfere with my work and social environments. Now I never (I really mean Never!) experience the embarrassing and painful attacks that I suffered after every meal. (I have to be careful with any Open Meals because they can sometimes bring about an episode of IBS that serves as an incentive to stick to the diet.) I am still taking my ulcerative colitis medication. However, I intend to discuss stopping it at my next visit with my doctor. My doctors have told me that the only cure for ulcerative colitis is surgery...I truly believe that this diet is the cure for me. My family, friends and co-workers are amazed at what this diet has done for me. Many of them are buying the book and trying it out themselves!

I thought you would be interested to know how the Paleo Diet resulted in me beginning to get to the root of a chronic health issue. For over a year and a half, I had suffered from debilitating diarrhea and abdominal pain. I began to suspect "wheat" and stumbled across your book in the process of looking for information on a wheat-free diet. This was about 10 months ago.

As a nutritionist, I thought my problem may be "celiac disease" and my physician and I began a long route of testing - first celiac, then IBD, all negative. The ONLY thing that eliminated my symptoms was beginning to eat "Paleo," which I did. When I went on vacation in August, I went "off" my Paleo eating and became SO ill!! Since I have a past history of serious food allergy (anaphylaxis - papain enzyme, used as a meat tenderizer), I decided to see a specialist in oral-allergy syndrome to see if I was actually allergic to wheat.

It turned out that I am very sensitized to wheat, and rice (no wonder considering my past diet!!). Testing has revealed very high levels of IgE antibodies to peanut, even though I have not (yet) had an anaphylactic reaction to it. Needless to say, I will not eat peanut again. Since soy is a major cross reactant to peanut, I found the motivation to give up my substitution of dairy with soy milk. Even as a nutritionist if it were not for finding your book it may have been years more before I got to the root of my digestive problem.

Unfortunately, I am also sensitized to tree nuts (especially walnut and filberts) and most raw fruit (I can eat fruit if I cook it first, except berries and grapes which I can still enjoy raw.)

Your paper on rheumatoid arthritis and the explanation of molecular mimicry has enabled me to understand the mechanism of my food allergies and sensitivities.

Thank you for your contribution to my understanding of this process.

Best regards,
Joy

P.S. I had to smile when I read in my local newspaper the headline "Corn sweetener linked to rise in obesity, U.S. researchers find" (referring to Dr. George Bray’s upcoming April journal article in AJCN. I heard this from you first in past email dialogue (as well as a brief reference to it in your first book)!

Cholesterol and Blood Chemistry

Dramatic blood sugar drop...(date: 11/08/07)

Dr. Cordain, I just want to thank you so much for writing The Paleo Diet. I have had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides for years and was just recently diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic. Just a few days later, I was on the Paleo Diet and within a week, my blood sugar has dropped from the 200-300 range down into the 130-180 range, already. I am noticably losing body fat and I feel 100% better. I wish I had read your book years ago! Thank you!

Gary
Oklahoma City

The change is remarkable...(date: 6/28/06)

I started following this diet 5 weeks ago after it was recommended by an oestopath I was seeing. I am about to turn 65 and have been struggling with BP for about 4 years and elevated cholesterol for about 15 years. Until very recently I was taking 25 mg of the diuretic and 40 mg of lisinopril.

The first 2 weeks were not easy, because I was especially weak until I adjusted my blood pressure medication; first cutting out my diuretic and then lowering the dosage of my lisinopril. I monitor my blood pressure daily and with my doctor’s supervision I am now keeping it is within a normal range, usually about 110/ 75, with only 10 mg of lisinopril daily.

As to my lipids, the change is remarkable. On March 7, 2006 my total cholesterol was 263, HDL 48 and LDL 158 with a ratio of 5.4. My TRG were 284. My results today were: total cholesterol 163( in my entire life I have never been this low) with an HDL of 53, LDL of 94, and ratio of 3.1. My TRG are 76.

Prior to following this eating program, I was a fairly health conscious person who exercised regularly, yet was never able to control my weight or other health issues. I have tried for 20 years to lose my last 10 pounds and have never been successful. I have already lost at least 8 pounds and hope for 5 more.

Most importantly, I am very excited to finally find a program that keeps me off of medication.

Thank you so much,

Marilyn Perlman
Boulder, Colorado

Before I started The Paleo Diet, my total cholesterol was 160, HDL was 37, LDL was 110, and triglycerides were 63. After six months on The Paleo Diet, my total is 180, HDL is 59 (hurray!), LDL is 107, and triglycerides are 67.

I'm so happy with the huge increase in my HDL. Thanks again, Dr. Cordain!

I have just discovered your page and think you are doing a wonderful job.

Having struggled for many years with various patterns of eating I decided to look to nature for an answer. Nature showed me the correct foods to eat. Not only that I observed and listened to my own body. My body told me when it didn't like what I ate by producing various symptoms. Allergies, heartburn and high blood pressure to name a few. My doctor prescribed medicine for my high blood pressure, but I declined to take it knowing that drugs are not the answer. I bought a blood pressure monitor and noticed that my blood pressure increased when I ate mainly starchy foods, but when eating what I call nature's diet my blood pressure was normal. When I had a kidney infection my doctor persuaded me to have my blood pressure monitored over a 24 hour period. I had refused this on three occasions, but this time agreed. I knew that if I ate my natural diet that my blood pressure would show normal over the 24 hour period. So, I ate nature's diet and my blood pressure was normal...The final thing that made me agree to a 24 hour blood pressure test was the fact that I had a very bad kidney infection and needed antibiotics. Although I hadn't knowingly had a kidney infection during the time prior to this I had felt rather poorly on a few occasions. Eventually, it dawned on me that this happened during a period when my starch levels were increasing...I recognized when the low fat diet with all that starch was recommended that it would only make me fat so I avoided it as much as possible. Neither does my body like a very high protein, high fat way of eating. However, it does like nature's fruits and vegetables together with fish, meat etc. It has taken me a long time, but I finally got there through trial and error.

Anyway, the point I am getting at is that through trial and error I have discovered that the paleo diet is the very best. I didn't call it the paleo diet; I simply called it nature's diet. It is one thing to read about it, but quite another to actually know it through trial and error and observing one's own body.

It is so good to see that you are spreading the word about this way of eating.

I wish you every success.

Thank you for your work on paleolithic eating. Here is my experience with removing virtually all grains and legumes from my diet for the past 90 days. I do continue to drink less than one glass of skim milk per day and eat perhaps 8 oz of sheep and/or goat cheese per week. I eat seafood at least twice per week and eat until satisfaction a good quantity of lean meats, whole fruits (great in smoothies) and non-starchy vegetables. In between snacks are a trail mix of walnuts and other assorted nuts (all raw) and chopped dried fruits.

I am a 54 year old male in good overall health except having been on Lisinapril for three years for blood pressure of 130/90 (unmedicated). Height is 67". Here are before and after statistics:

Start:
Weight: 178
BMI: 27.9
Chol Tot 182, HDL 48, Tot/HDL 3.79, LDL 109, Tri 128, Gluc 92 (fasting)

After 90 days:
Weight: 158
BMI: 24.9
Chol Tot 180, HDL 60, Tot/HDL 3.00, LDL 105, Tri 77, Gluc 93 (not fasting)

My doctor and I were very pleased with the 20 pound weight loss, reduction in blood pressure (about 10 points) and significant improvement in HDL and Triglycerides after 90 days. He is reducing the Lisinapril dosage, and I should be off of it in a month. I'm also looking forward to continuing dropping more weight.

This is the first time in my adult life that I have felt in control of my weight and blood chemistry. Thank you for your part in researching and publicizing this way of eating.

My wife and I are now at the seven month point in eating mostly paleo. (We include milk and cheese in our diet but no starches or processed sugars.) I'm down 28 pounds to 150 pounds, a BMI of 23.5, and am off
blood pressure medication now. She decreased two dress sizes. Here areour blood chemistry profiles:
Male age 54:
Tot Chol 157, HDL 47, Ratio Tot/HDL 3.3, LDL 103, Triglycerides "not detected by test", glucose 87.
Female age 57:
Tot Chol 164, HDL 42, Ratio Tot/HDL 3.9, LDL 105, Triglycerides 85, glucose 79.
We're obviously very pleased with this eating plan and have absolutely no problem staying with it!

I would like to thank you for opening my eyes to what has to be the single most common-sense diet there is. I have been following a strict Paleolithic diet for around three months now, and will continue to do so indefinitely. I received the results of my cholesterol test last week (I'll be 40 in a couple of weeks time), and I would like to share these figures with you (these are in British format, along with,
if I carried out the conversion correctly, US format):

Total: 3.9 (150)
HDL: 1.46 (56.37)
Total/HDL Ratio: 2.7
Triglycerides: 0.62

And if I calculated my LDL correctly, I make it: 83.39

Although I don't have a comparison, I can only imagine my previous
levels as being at the top range of normal, to quite probably a little
high. My previous diet had been pure junk!

I wrote to you about 7 months ago with questions about the Paleo Diet, which I started last August. At the same time, I started walking 4.5 miles up and down a local mountain (about 500 ft elevation gain) several times a week, and working out at a local gym on the route for about 30 minutes. At the time I started, I was recovering from a six-month bout with tendonitis of both forearms, and could not do a single chin-up at the gym. I was also under orders from my doctor to get my cholesterol down and in better balance or consider taking a statin such as Lipitor. Six months later, I had lost 15 pounds, had a visible "six-pack" for the first time in twenty years, did 20 chin-ups at each visit to the gym, and my cholesterol was retested with the following results. 12/18/02, chol 246, HDL 57, LDL 164, 01/14/04, chol 222, HDL 71, LDL 144 (reference range chol 120-200 HDL 30-70 LDL <160) The physicians comment on the latter was "Good Cholesterol Plenty of good (HDL) cholesterol.

While it would be difficult to apportion the credit for the weight loss to the various changes in regimen, and the improvement in muscle tone must be substantially due to exercise, I have no doubt that the diet played a major role in the cholesterol change.

Prior to learning of the Paleo diet, I had been moving more and more to soy protein substitutes for meat. It was after that shift that my cholesterol started its upward shift. My wife, who had just undergone elective foot surgery, went on the diet with me, and has lost weight (or at least girth; she doesn't weigh herself) as evidenced by two full sizes reduction in clothes sizes, despite being unable to do any substantial exercise until very recently. Now, she's up and starting to walk and also works out at the same gym I do.

I'd intended to send this to you last February, but somehow it got lost among other "things to do". Since then, I've maintained the weight loss and lost another few pounds, and my wife has joined me in regular walks and gym workouts. We continue to be big fans of the Paleo diet, and I've told lots of acquaintances about it.

You spoke last semester at the USAF Academy. I listened to your lecture, bought/read your book and decided to try the diet myself due to concerns about coronary artery disease. I had my lipid profile checked the day before starting the diet, and again in 2 ½ weeks - I had dropped my total cholesterol by 66 points and my total cholesterol was lower than my LDL when I started! Phenomenal! (total (chol) 207 -> 141; LDL 145 -> 86; HDL 44 -> 42; risk factor 4.7 -> 3.4)

I still can't believe after 10 years of trying to lower my cholesterol/triglycerides it only took 2 weeks on the right diet! My mom has seen hers drop too so I'm a believer.

I am a 66 yr old male, Have been steadily losing about 2 lbs a month on the diet and have dropped from 188 lbs (built up over 30 years) to 174 lbs. I have followed the diet faithfully and love it. At 6'1" my college weight, running, was about 165 lbs so I am expecting further reductions. I am looking and feeling fine, dropping blood pressure from 140 to 110, etc. Thank you and thank you so much for all your work,

Acne and Skin

Since discovering your eye-opening (revolutionary!!) findings, my normally extremely resistant moderate acne completely cleared up, starting within a week of the new diet.

Thank you so much for being the one and only, cheapest and easiest, healthiest solution to clear skin forever--keep up your wonderful work!! I also feel this is the healthiest diet (or way of eating) that I've ever tried, and think I'll stick with it forever. Thank you so much for making this information so accessible and affordable--this is the only thing I've ever done that actually worked!!

The eating plan is working very well. I specifically see a difference when i stray from the Paleo Diet and eat more alchohol ( carbs) and sugar and wheat. By staying away from those, focusing on high quality protein, veggies and fruit, lots of water and exercise my skin is clean and healthy.

I have been following the diet for five weeks now and my skin has improved a lot since then, it is clearing up. But I have to say that (although I have been following the diet very very strictly) during the first three weeks I hardly saw any difference as new zits kept growing in my face again and again. Nevertheless I sticked to the diet 100%, and so after about three weeks I saw first results.

My skin feels incredibly soft now. I manage to concentrate much better at classes at university, I do not have any depressions any more, and I feel confident and good.

There is just one zit left in my face, which just does not want to disappear completely. But I will keep trying following this dietary cure and I am sure that even this last idiot will be gone soon. (It used to be a really painful, big and deep pustule...so it will take some time to vanish completely).

I am 32 yrs old and have had moderate to severe acne since I was 13 yrs old.
I have read the book, and when I follow it, my breakouts are very seldom. My system is very sensitive. Having a meal with grains or dairy products is a guaranteed breakout.
The diet is hard to stick to because processed food is extremely addictive. Processed food causes pimples, yeast infections and fatigue for me. I keep my problems under control by making Fruits and Vegetables the staples of my diet.

The diet has worked extremely well for me. Being a 'bread' man,Ii initially found it difficult to cut this element out. Really tired to begin with but this passed. I was fairly lean to begin with & became a little gaunt without rice/bread/potatoes. I've brought back in rice every second day, & while I can see its not the best for my skin, it doesnt aggravate it too much

So far, (about a month,) I have noticed an incredible decrease in my inflamed acne (almost none left at all,) and a marked difference in my non-inflamed acne. The non-inflamed acne is still there, but there's a whole lot less of it, it's not as red and not as noticeable as before. Following the diet is hard, but even following it at about 85% this is the difference I see. It's harder for my fiance because he loves pasta and bread just as much as I do, but he tends to eat less of it now that I don't eat it. But he's also noticed a huge difference, so he knows that it's not just a useless diet. I feel like I have more energy and I've also lost about 7 pounds, though that was not my intention in starting the diet. I wish I'd heard of this years ago, I'd have saved so much money! Thank you!

Laura

I purchased the Dietary Cure for Acne e-book around July this year and subsequently the printed book and DVD and I must tell you these were my best purchases of 2007. I am over fifty years old and have suffered with acne for nearly 40 of those years. I can honestly say I have ticked the boxes on almost every antibiotic, medication and treatment available for this disease (including Accutane) and at best I have got marginal and temporary benefits from them.

When I read the book everything began to click into place for me. I followed the diet and after about two months began to see major improvements. Encouraged, I invested in the Paleo Diet and another excellent reference book, The Clear Skin Diet (by Alan C. Logan and Valori Treloar), which refers to Loren Cordain's work several times.

For the first time ever, I believe I have the knowledge and tools to master this disease. As a consequence of buying the e-book I have implemented lifestyle changes that have made me fitter and healthier than I have been in a very long time.

Thank you very much for your email. I've been on the diet for a week now and it's amazing!! I can't believe how cleare my skin acctually is at the moment:) I am 25 years old and suffering from middle acne since I was 15. I was seeing loads of different dermatologists and using Retin A and Differin cream for the past 7 years!!! They never worked of course...Oh, and I was a big sugar addict, normally I ate loads of sweets and bread as well, know it's only vegetables, fruits and lot of fishes!! Thank you very much for your help, please keep me updated about some news on a diet:)

Best Regards,
Karolina

Over the past months I've be slack and tried believing that I could eat other foods (like cereal bars) without any side effects. Unfortunately, as I knew it would, my face erupted time and again with large painful spots. In the past two weeks I've cut down my fat content (no olive oil, just animal fat from lean meat), boosted my protein (lean beef, chicken and turkey), eliminated all sugars (even fruits) and my face is looking really good on a diet of lean meats and vegetables. The good thing about the Paleo Diet is that I KNOW it's a guaranteed skin-clearer, so when I have a blip (brought about by consuming too much fat or by eating foods I shouldn't), I know a couple of weeks going Paleo will sort me out.

It's frustrating that food can have a negative effect on your body but I do really enjoy my meat and veg, so it's not too much of a hardship!

I still can't believe that when I went on this diet in its strictest form for the first month, my face was completely clear for the first time in 35 years!!!!

I have only now gotten to a place that is pretty stable with my acne. I worked very hard from the day I received the e-book. And I had stayed on the Paleo Diet for months at a time in the recent past, and it had not worked. This time I did exactly as recommended, for about four weeks.

Results:

My skin improved, but I still had "random" breakouts. I found that I kept eating more and more fruit and was hungry and craving most of the day, in spite of eating plenty of lean meats. I was also still constipated most of the time.

I could have tolerated all this for a while if my skin had cleared up completely. So, what I did was eliminate more and more, using the clues in the Acne book. The simplest thing was to get down to meat and water.

On meat and water, I found that I STILL had acne IF I ate too much protein and too little animal fat. (I had breakouts if I used canola or olive oil, so I went with just the animal fat. I know Loren advises against saturated fat, but this is what it took to reliably clear up.) So for about three months, I have been eating fatter meat, fish, and poultry. As long as I ate at least 60% fat, with 40% protein, and no carbs at all, no breakouts.

I found that I am definitely allergic to eggs and have severe breakouts from them. I tried fat dairy, and sure enough, as Loren says, bad acne. Salt also causes edema and breakouts. Oh, and a multivitamin with soy was the WORST. At least with Loren's book, I could easily narrow down the options and find the culprits. This is phenomenal, considering I have been trying to solve this problem for about four years!

In the last week or so, I have been adding back non-starchy veggies. So far, very good! So here is what I am doing now that is working: Moderately fat meat, poultry, fish (all wild, pastured, or grassfed, and usually the red meat is quite rare); cooked non-starchy veggies (no legumes); a clean multivitamin (no grain, legumes, dairy, yeast, etc.); a teaspoon a day of fish oil. That's it. I MAY try some spices again, but I did have breakouts from black and red peppers. I may try adding some fruit back, but I'm in no hurry, since the sugar apparently affects me adversely.

What I had to eliminate to get here was: grains, legumes, dairy, salt, potatoes, all the rest of the supplements I was taking, vegetable oils (yes, even the ones Loren recommends), coconut products, additives (MSG, etc.), coffees and teas (even herbal and decaf), all spices and all sweeteners. I had eliminated many of these in the past, just never all of them at once. The book is what helped me see what I needed to do--that I'd have to get them all out to get the desired result. I'm pretty sure every single one of these is a problem for me.

Not only is the acne cleared up, the constipation is gone, my joints are not so easily inflamed, my energy and endurance are very good, and I able to do both high-intensity interval training and resistance workouts, along with long walks every day.

I am 55 years old, and maybe, finally, I can have an acne-free face. I will try to report again if anything major changes. I am especially interested to see my lipid profiles, since I am eating the saturated fat instead of the veggie oils.

For a year 10 science project I am doing "what works to get rid of acne" and I tried a various number of things; and the Paleo Diet has worked the best by far.~!!!

I have seen great improvements in my skin. I haven't had really bad acne in many years, mostly just the slightly bumpy, never totally smooth skin with a few pimples here and there every now and then. Once I started on the diet wholeheartedly, I saw an amazing improvement in my skin - it was much smoother than it's been since I was a child. I didn't have any breakouts, no new pimples emerging. From everything I've read and seen in my personal experiences, I really believe the diet will not only give me great skin, but good health as well.

I'm a nutritionist from Lisbon, Portugal.

I've been working as a clinical nutritionist for 1 year, and in the last 6 months I've been applying a version of your Paleo Diet to many of my clients and although I've been having tremendous results with the diet in terms of weight loss and Metabolic Syndrome, there is one case I would like to report, because the results were outstanding:

João
24 years

On May 1st, he suffered from severe acne (was on antibiotics), and his biochemical indicators were:

Weight: 98 Kg
BMI (kg/m2): 29.6
Body fat (skinfold method): 26.7%
Plasma Glucose (fasting): 99 mg/dl
Total Cholesterol: 228 mg/dl
LDL-Cholesterol: 191 mg/dl
HDL-Cholesterol: 37 mg/dl
Triglycerides: 163 mg/dl
Blood pressure: 141/79 mmHg

He started a diet based on the Paleo diet, with lots of vegetables, low glycemic fruit (mostly berries and apples, and a banana after training), chicken, turkey, fish, flaxseeds, walnuts and almonds.

He started drinking more water and green tea.

He also engaged in a complete exercise program (cardiovascular training and weight training).

On October 18, here are the results:

No visible sign of acne

Anthropometric and Biochemical Indicators:
Weight: 73 Kg
BMI (kg/m2): 22
Body fat (skinfold method): 11%
Plasma Glucose (fasting): 90 mg/dl
Total Cholesterol: 169 mg/dl
HDL-Cholesterol: 64 mg/dl
Triglycerides: 52 mg/dl
Blood pressure: 118/71 mmHg

I have been on the diet for a few weeks now and am very pleased with the results. There is a 95% improvement...(date:11/28/06)

Though I never had any skin problems as a teenager, for a few years I have been having some adult acne. I tried everything: cut out all junk food, went vegetarian, raw food, cleansing homeopathy and all else under the sun before eventually trying the hard stuff like proactiv. On my forehead I had "bumpne" - my skin wasn't smooth, and sometime some red bumps would appear, though didn't seem like anything would come to a head. I also started getting some on my shoulders. I already knew that I had sensitivities to wheat so I avoided it like the plague and though it helped, my skin still wasn't clear.

Needless to say, I was hit hard psychologically and socially. I'm 27 and I was very self conscious, to the point that I would go out less and less socially. Not a day would go by that a new pimple would surface.

I have been on the diet for a few weeks now and am very pleased with the results.There is a 95% improvement. My forehead hasn't been this smooth since I don't even know when. I look in the mirror and I smile now, instead of avoiding mirrors all together. This diet makes so much sense. What do you know...nature has been handfeeding us all along, but all this time we've been pushing it all away thinking we know what is best for us.

My name is Daniel (17 years old). I am an Australian resident currently suffering from mild acne.

Over the past few months I have been studying and observing many articles on the Internet highlighting natural remedies for acne. I found that behavioral patterns and diet were key factors contributing to acne.

My background is middle eastern, and a middle eastern diet is entirely centered on meals that involve bread. I would eat bread with everything--breakfast, lunch and dinner involved bread.

For a while now I have substantially reduced my bread intake and I have noticed an improvement in my acne. In mornings past, I would wake up and have breakouts, but that's reduced significantly.

Today I decided to surf the net to find anything about acne that involved bread. I was AMAZED to find an article discussing your theory that eating bread and cereal may be a major cause of teenage acne.

WOW. I just wanted to write and tell you you're doing a great job and I definitely think you are on the right path. I can't wait to hear more about your work. I have no doubt that research will only confirm what I've believed all
along.

I saw that you were developing your studies in the acne link and thought I would share my story with you: I guess it began when I was about 12, my family had a history of bad skin, my brother did a course of accutane, my sister did antibiotics (which my younger brother is now on). I did not want to take this part so I searched for alternatives, mainly through diet. I did the vegetarian thing, then went vegan, then went 95% Raw for a year (in which my skin was actually at its worst!) I thought these diets where the way to heal my skin.

About 8 months ago after 12 years of this I added in chicken and fish to my diet and then after reading your book adopted your diet. My skin was better from day one, it was clearer and I could see it starting to heal! I have had almost no breakouts during the past month (I notice a lack of sleep will bring them on, also I had a bowl of oats with whey powder the other day that resulted in 3 spots a few days later).

I also stopped taking any supplements for that time. It is interesting to note that when I added back in a multi vitamin and a few oils (in soft gels) my skin was noticeably redder and this went away when I stopped taking the supplements.

I am looking forward to the release of your next book in August and am very excited about the info it contains!

Dear Professor Cordain, I am a 57-year-old man from England. While recently visiting my granddaughter in the USA, I chanced to listen to NPR when Professor Boyd Eaton lectured on "Health Promotion in the 50th
Millennium." I have suffered from skin rashes on my face for 40 years. I believed that this was caused by an acidic sweat. I could feel it burning me after exertion. I had no idea how to correct this pH imbalance, until I heard Professor Boyd Eaton's lecture. My physician has prescribed hydrocortisone (Locoid) topically for the last 15 years. I was electrified to hear of the acidic nature of a diet of dairy and cereal foods. For decades I have eaten muesli for breakfast and lunch. This is mainly dairy and cereal. I believed I had a very healthy diet! I purchased your book "The Paleo Diet" and have followed the diet for 4 weeks. After 10 days, my skin is completely clear for the first time in 40 years, and maintaining my ideal weight is far easier. Thank you, and please forward this e-mail to Professor Boyd Eaton, whose e-mail address I could not find. I send you both my grateful thanks.

I wrote you an email about a year ago (I don't expect you to remember) about your published article on the diet-acne connection. You encouraged me to try your Paleo diet to control my acne. I've been eating the way you've outlined in your book and my face is amazingly clear. My only breakouts occur after a dietary slip-up (usually wheat or dairy). I've turned several other acne sufferers onto this way of eating and they've all seen drastic improvements. We really appreciate your work and the fact that your research goes "against the grain" (pardon the pun) of what dermatologists and others would ever say.
Thanks so much!!

I just wanted to take a couple minutes to thank you for information that has cured my 16 year struggle with acne. Since I was 11, I have had a moderate case of acne. It never was severe, but it has been very stubborn. I tried everything short of Accutane--several years of Retin-A, antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide, birth control, and every cream wash and mask available at the drugstore. I had the highest hopes for everything. I used Retin-A for about 4 years, thinking that one day it would magically kick in. Nothing ever worked. I was never without at least one major zit on my face, and I usually had several pretty obvious zits and lots of blackheads. Not fun, and definitely not psychologically helpful.

Then I started doing research on the internet about the problem. I discovered your website and started reading the articles on it. I've always been a big carb fanatic--cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner was not uncommon.

I decided to give the diet a try. I noticed that by the very next day, something felt different. I had no new eruptions. The ones I had started to shrink. After about a week, almost all my old zits were gone and no new ones took their place. I went on and off the diet several times until my experiments proved overwhelming. I now have been on the diet for awhile and have absolutely no breakouts on my face. And unlike the terrible side effects from my acne drugs (stomach problems, dry, itchy face), I have only the positive side effects of more energy, a clearer head, and a smile that I just can't shake. Plus the uncontrollable urge to go up to people at the grocery store and lecture them (but I'm too shy for that). The other thing I have noticed is that the growth of my little coarse chin hairs has slowed considerably. Maybe I'll get to stop tweezing them soon.

An interesting thing happened last week at a conference. All of our food was already prepared and paid for, so I did cheat a bit. I didn't eat many carbs during the day, but at night I had quite a bit to drink (far too much, actually). The next morning my chin, where I have a tendency for breakouts, was swollen terribly with a boil, and I had 2 other zits on my face. My lymph nodes were also swollen. But after I got back on track, the boil is now completely gone with almost no mark.

So again, I want to thank you. My whole attitude has changed, and I almost feel like a different person. Acne was very psychologically damaging to me, and the turnaround has helped so much more than just my skin. I just somehow wish all that money I threw down the garbage on the various acne treatments could have somehow gone to you instead!

I read an article on the BBC website in Britain about your research into white bread being linked to acne. I myself have suffered from acne for a number of years and have recently cut bread out of my diet and I have noticed a big improvement.

I just thought I'd let you know. After reading your paper on acne and diet, specifically the affect modern diet has on insulin leading to acne... I have been strictly following your Paleo Diet in the book of the same name for more than a month now. I not only feel so much better, but after 10 years of hell my skin has stopped producing the excess oil it use to produce. This is a god-send. I can’t tell you the relief this has brought to me. Thanks for writing the book.

I live in Fort Collins, and came upon your article about acne. I'm 24 and have had moderate acne since high school. Accutane worked for awhile, less than a year, but then it came back... I was a serious cereal junkie too, cereal every meal every day.

I got your book and follow your diet and I can't even tell you how much it's helped. My face looks great, I can't believe I didn't know this before; my dermatologist always said food had nothing to do with it. What an idiot.

I am a 19 year old student living in New Zealand. I stumbled upon this website which reviewed an article that you wrote in the Archives of Dermatology. I would like to comment on your standpoint on the issue of acne in relation to diet. I doubt my viewpoint will be very useful to you as I have no medical background, but it may serve of interest.

I suffer from PCOS and experience mild acne. I am currently on a course of Accutane. I have found that drastically changing my diet from the typical western diet of carbohydrates - sugar, junk, soft drinks, etc., virtually eliminated all forms of my acne. Upon stopping the diet and returning to unhealthy eating based around carbohydrates, my acne would return. I believe that there is a very important link there. A diet high in carbohydrates such as sugar raises insulin, which elevates hormone levels, which contribute to acne. I have seen this in my own case. For years doctors have told women with PCOS to lose weight. Why? Because a loss of weight, a change of a diet high in sugar lowers insulin, lowers hormones, and thus drastically reduces acne. I do not know whether the same can be said for acne in males. I do believe that you are on to something. Keep doing what you are doing.

I would like to inform you that your recommendations you sent to me last week in regards to my question were put to good use and instant results were achieved. My acne is virtually gone!

Asthma

Exercise-induced asthma and lung congestion greatly improved...(date: 12/31/04)

I'm having a unique experience. I started slowly adjusting my diet closer to the lean meats, seafood, vegetables and fruits. I followed the diet even more closely when I came down to Florida. Perhaps it is a coincidence, or perhaps it is the change of climate from Wisconsin to Florida, but my exercise induced asthma and chronic lung congestion has improved greatly. I haven't taken my Advair inhaler in almost a week, and I've been taking it every day for three maybe even four years, and my lungs are more clear than they have been in recent memory. I am almost normal in that I am no longer coughing up any phlegm like I have been doing for years. Here's hoping it was diet related and it continues when I go back to La Crosse. If my change in diet is making the change in my lungs you ought to get the Nobel price in medicine. I'm only sort of joking. That would be incredible. I will be patient as it may be all a coincidence. I have cut way back on the bagels, grains, cereal, rice, pasta and increased the fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish. I have also cut back on the bad fats and increased the good fats although I could do even better in this area. Keep your fingers crossed. It is kind of exciting and I'm hoping the change is permanent.

I am probably your biggest fan. About half of the new patients to my clinic know I am a strong proponent of the Paleo diet before they get here and about one third have either read or have just purchased your book. It truly is the best tool I have to help my patients. Two quick stories if I may?

1. 42y/o female RN 192 lbs on 3 inhalers/day, has a handicapped sticker for her asthma and needed it, seen in Nov 2001. no changes in meds except to go on Paleo diet per your lectures at Boulder. In Aug 2002 she knocked on my door one night and asked to come in to tell me "what had been happening to her." "I weigh 138 lbs now and I've weighed that since April." "I'm down to one inhaler once a day and to tell you the truth I really don’t think I need it I'm just afraid not to." "I started riding my bike about 3 months ago and now I ride from 20 to 40 miles at a time, I not real fast but I can just keep going." I'm going on a 500 mile bike ride through Tennessee and Kentucky with some friends and I wondered if you had any advice." I laughed and said, " yes, drink a lot of water and wear reflective clothing." She came in Nov for her annual exam and said she could not get anyone to go with her so she went by her self and rode 404 miles but after riding in the rain for the last three days she checked the forecast and it looked like another week of it so she rented a car and drove to the airport and flew home. Great story!

2. Next is a 43 y/o 5"8" 224# male pack-and-a-half-a-day smoker on blood pressure meds for three years brought in by his wife complaining of blurry vision. I noticed he had lost 9# since I last saw him and his blood pressure was 170/ 100. I also noticed his neck was smaller since I last saw him- more than you would expect with a 9# wt. loss, something I've seen with new onset diabetes. I asked him if he had been getting up a lot in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. He said yes, how did you know? I checked a blood sugar on him and it was 611. I increased his blood pressure med and told him about diabetes. I started him on Avandia for diabetes and told him to read The Paleo Diet. Well, he didn't read it but his wife did and she became the food Nazi. She took away his lunch money and brought him lunch. At the two week follow up visit he had lost about 3# more and was complaining about no salt and no potatoes but his bp was fine and his blood glucose was 254. I gave him some more samples and a script and told him to come back in 8 wks. At follow up he had lost about 4# and his blood glucose was 79 and bp was112/72 so I praised them both for their good work. The wife then said almost apologetically, "Dr. Sebring, I'm sorry but we just couldn’t afford the prescription you gave us, he hasn't taken any pills at all in three weeks." He weighs 178# now and he is of course no longer diabetic or hypertensive and you couldn't get him off the diet. I just wanted to let you know some of the good you have done.

Inflammation, Arthritis, and Joints

Hi Loren,
Have been on the Paleo diet for 3 weeks and feel great. More energy, less or no flatulence, firm stools and my gums have stopped bleeding! My wife is on it and feels better too! Still working on getting our 3 year old to put down those vegetables, but we are making progress. Thanks again for confirming what my evolutionary studies gave me an inkling of!

At just barely 6 months I have lost 24 lbs and am feeling great. Arthritis and plantars fascitius has been cleared up completely I believe by following this eating program.

More energy and our arthritis flare-ups are very infrequent...(date: 10/26/04)

I'm a chef in North Carolina who has a great interest in anthropology and that's what lead me to the Paleo Diet. First Ray Audette's Neanderthin, then your book. My wife and I have adopted this new lifestyle and it's wonderful. We both are doing well with the transition. We have more energy and our rheumatoid arthritis (minor symptoms) has not flared up in months.

Thank you for taking time to review this message. I have not been feeling well for several years. After seeing several rheumatologists and many doctors, they are still not sure what is happening except I am exhibiting symptoms of inflammation throughout my body (muscular and gut), minimal joint pain but back and hip stiffness. My energy level has been very low. I have been visiting chiropractors and have been taking Celebrex on an as need basis for two months.

I searched and found an article dated April 18, 2000 in the WebMD archives that was written by Elizabeth Tracey on possible (lectin) grain, pea and bean/ gut changes/ inflammation linkages to arthritis. Your name was mentioned. I do know beans and peas cause me great digestive and bowel issues.

Are there any recent studies of further information on this connection? I have immediately stopped eating wheat, barley, peas and beans and feel great! People even notice a difference. It seems within a few days all my symptoms have disappeared. My energy level and general feeling of well being have increased dramatically! I am most relieved and hope I have finally found the answer.

I am a Personal Trainer with more then 15 years of training experience. I am currently certified through the Cooper Inst. All of the nutritional guide lines I have been certified to communicate to clients are based on AHA guidelines.

A good friend who had great weight loss and increased health success with the Paleo diet gave me a copy of your book. Having been an Anthro minor in college and a nationally ranked athlete I read it with a great deal of interest.

I have now been following the level 2 plan for 2 months with modifications for food likes (grew up in Asia as a Navy brat, I hate fish). I have found the joint pain I've had from 20+ years of power-lifting and 14 years of stunt work have greatly diminished and much to my surprise even I have lost body fat and increased lean muscle mass.

To quote my teenager I am jazzed about the diet and would like to give my clients information on the Paleo diet but am concerned about liability if I stray from AHA guide lines. Do you have a Paleo Nutrition course directed toward Personal Trainer/Nutritional Counselors?

This is my first week on the Paleo Diet and I am already experiencing clear headedness, looser joints and no aching anymore. Wow! I have for years read and thought about this concept but was hooked on macrobiotics which truthfully is about caring for oneself at the highest level. And it's about living seasonally and climactically. The Paleo does this quite nicely. Anyway thanks for the heads up in the form of your book. I have passed it around.

As a health professional and former long time vegetarian, I have been following the Paleo diet for about two years, and am delighted with the results. My weight has returned to normal and remained normal, my HDL has increased to 50 from 35, my LDL, which was at the upper range of normal has decreased to healthy levels, my VLDL has also returned to healthy levels (around 12), my triglycerides have plummeted from 250 to 60, and my fluctuating high blood pressure is now consistently within safe parameters. The tendonitis in my knee has cleared up completely. I now recommend this diet to many of my patients in my acupuncture practice, the majority of whom have symptoms of Syndrome X. I am utterly fascinated with this approach to diet and health.

I have just recently read your article Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis. (British Journal of Nutrition 2000 83,207-217) and find this is the best explanation of joint problems I’ve been having for the past two and a half years. The attacks I've had are of arthritic characteristics, red hot, swollen and very painful. The attacks are random and becoming more frequent to the point where I have been bed ridden. Since reading your article I have stopped eating grains and now find my joints are beginning to feel much better, So much so that I have stopped taking prescription anti inflammatory drugs.

Fitness

Your contribution to the ongoing dialog about human nutrition, by so powerfully advancing the scientific arguments in favor of the "paleo diet", is very much appreciated. Your writing has had a profound influence on what I eat everyday, and what I teach to others about nutrition. A number of my patients have made life altering changes in their nutritional patterns because of your writings. Each of them has obtained a copy of one or both of your books. To be sure, I have learned from other nutritionists, but your influence has been the most important because of your lucid articulation of the over-arching theory of the hunter-gatherer diet.

For my own story, I trained and was boarded in General Surgery in the late '70s, and then spent a very satisfying twenty plus year career as an emergency physician, a specialty in which I was also boarded. I worked in a big urban hospital emergency department, which included nine years of administration as Assistant Chief and then Chief. I loved the medical practice, but I was caring for others while neglecting myself. I was hypertensive (consistently BP of 144/88), overweight (body fat 34%, BMI 28.7), with abnormal cholesterol (180-190), and a resting pulse in the low 70s. My HDLs were low.

At age 55 I retired, moved to a tiny community in the Sierra mountains with my family, and decided to pay attention to my own health, by actively studying human nutrition and weight loss strategies. I had had a two-decade history of yo-yo'ing weight, by what I call now the "starvation diet", trying to eat less of the same calorie dense, high glycemic index processed salty stuff. I thought it was "healthy" food. But I have since learned otherwise; it was in fact endocrinologically poisonous. This starvation diet spells doom for millions of otherwise well intended Americans who know they need to lose weight, and are trying desperately to do so, but are trapped by their own unfortunate and unintended nutritional ignorance.

I read voluminously, including all the major diet books cover to cover - Atkins, South Beach, Weil, Ornish, Brant-Miller, Willets, McDougal, Pritikin, and others. I went back and reviewed the basic biochemistry of lipid, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism. My wife invited me to join her at Weight Watchers, and I started counting all my "points". I was counting points and losing weight, but ravenously hungry all the time... the starvation diet at work. I realized that counting points was not enough. I realized I could not be hungry all the time for the rest of my life. Two scientific nutritional concepts turned out to be cornerstones in my "cracking" the weight loss nut.

The first was the fundamental importance of glycemic index, and the effect this has on insulin and glucagon levels and resultant wild swings in blood sugar and hunger levels. The second was calorie density: the fact that we eat to satiety based on volume of food eaten, not number of calories. Since only vegetables, and some fruits, are low calorie density foods, each meal must include a generous portion of these food categories.

But the real breakthrough happened when a fellow emergency physician, a colleague and friend, told me of a radio talk show he heard in which Dr. Eaton was interviewed. Knowing of my interest in nutrition, he strongly suggested I look into the Paleo approach to nutrition. Further, he said that Dr. Eaton recommended reading the book The Paleo Diet and the articles available online at Dr. Loren Cordain's website. Reading your book, I quickly realized that all of the apparently disparate concepts I was learning about healthful nutrition fell neatly and logically into place under the overarching theory that the most healthful diet is the one we humans evolved eating. Suddenly calorie density and low glycemic index made sense, because those were the only foods available to us as we evolved. The dramatic diminution of mortality in the prospective, blinded fish oil study on post-myocardial infarction patients made sense once we realize the omega 3/6 ratio of our ancestors and the availability of animal based omega 3 in the wild meat and seafood they ate. In fact, all kinds of apparently disparate nutritional learnings make sense when they are looked at in the light of the theory of evolutionary nutrition. That's the learning I got directly from you, and I thank you for it.

For my own testimonial, I have gone from a body fat of 34% to 7%, a BMI of 28.7 to 20.6, an abnormal blood pressure of 144/88 to a consistent 104/62 and a high cholesterol of 190 to 132. My HDLs are up. My triglycerides are 35. My resting pulse is now in the high 40s. For the three years before I started eating "Paleo", I had been taking 300 mg of Zantac for G.E.R.D. virtually every single night. In the past two years, I believe I have taken four doses total, and that was always in the context of dietary "indiscretion". I had been experiencing about five years of D.J.D. inflammation in several of the P.I.P. joints of my fingers with resultant swelling. That has completely quieted down.

The three way combination of eating hunter-gatherer food, getting my BMI down under 21, and exercising is incredibly healing and powerful medicine; and it beats hands down the medications we give our patients, like anti-hypertensives, lipid lowering agents, and hypoglycemic drugs. Those may provide some benefit for individuals who are unable to change their diet and weight, but they have no effect on the overall root cultural problems of diet, obesity, and sedentary life-style that is endemic in our Western society.

After 30-40 years as a vegetarian/Natural Hygiene sympathizer, I have adopted the Paleo Diet. The diet is simple, sensible, and scientifically based--and I do well on it. Actually it was easy for me to adopt as a I had already deviated from Natural Hygiene by adding fish, dairy, whole grains, etc. to my diet. I now simply eat more fish, fruits, and veggies and have pretty much abandoned the dairy and whole grain. It's an easy diet to follow--especially on an island where fresh fish are readily available for a buck a pound! One pleasant observation I have made while on the diet is that I have NOT lost weight. When I first became involved with vegetarianism I recall that my weight plummeted from a muscular 190+ to an unbelievably ripped 160. This weight loss was one factor that (fortunately) discouraged me from pursuing a strict vegetarian diet.

I started the Paleo Diet about 2 years ago because the low fat vegetarian thing that I'd been doing for 20 years just wasn't working. Within weeks I'd lost 3 dress sizes (not so many pounds but who's counting) and my muscle tone had visibly improved. But the most amazing change was in my personality and health. It was as if someone had lifted a dark veil from my head. I sleep less but better, wake up happy and look forward to my daily challenges. My hair loss and skin problems have vanished. My teeth are stronger and my gums don't bleed. My thyroid (which I claimed was enlarged, but doctors disagreed) has gone back to its normal size. I don't need glasses anymore. I could go on and on...

Then I tried the diet out on my 10 year old son. We decided to "eat like cavemen". I noticed an immediate improvement in his concentration, his problem solving skills and his ability to deal with stressful situations. When he "falls off the wagon" at his grandmothers house or with his dad, who thinks this diet philosophy is a crock of boloney, my son becomes cranky, difficult and indecisive. He makes mistakes on his homework and his test grades slip. This only confirms my agreement with the concept of the Paleo Diet.

One more story: I visited my 73 year old father last year for 3 weeks (I live in Germany; he lives in Virginia). I said, "Sorry, dad. No more pizza for me." He said, "Fine. You cook. I'll eat." Well. After 3 days he woke up and said "Gee whiz-I haven't slept this well in years." The next day-"Gee whiz-my sinuses are free." The next day-"Gee whiz-there's no pressure behind my eyes". And on and on. By the end of my stay he was so revitalized that he decided to continue with the diet. 2 months later he had a check up and low and behold...
His "critical" sugar level was absolutely fine. His HDL/LDL ratio had swung from bad do great. His blood pressure had lowered so much that he was able to stop taking his medication.

A few months after that he called me and said that his gout had not acted up in weeks-no more medication necessary. The icing on the cake was his visit to the eye doctor, who was astounded that my father's glaucoma had receded. Thank you, Dr. Cordain, for your research and hard work. You've improved and prolonged 3 lives. We are grateful.

I have read your book several times and I have had several friends and family members read it. Your book has changed my life in a very positive way. I am significantly more energetic and I easily lost 25 pounds without trying as a result of your book. I keep the weight off effortlessly and I am fit. This is the second time I am emailing you. The first time was a couple of years ago or more when I asked for advice on where to buy grass fed beef.

I am thrilled to tell you that I have been on a strict Paleo diet for six weeks and I now believe in miracles. Five years ago at the age of 64, I stopped playing golf because I had too many aches and pains in my muscles, joints, bones and my energy level was very low. At that time I thought it was old age! Now, within six weeks I play golf and I work and/or exercise 10 hours a day.

As a lifelong skeptic (I'm from Missouri) this is hard for me to believe. And now I'm telling my flabergasted friends that I'm going for 100. The only supplements I take are omega-3 and vitamin D. Thank you for your great work.

Athletes

The Paleo Diet has decreased our healing time...(date:11/14/06)

Just to let you know a group of Mixed Martial Artist in Dublin

Ireland

have been using the Paleo diet with amazing success.

Mostly we would be on the pure paleo diet for 8 - 6 weeks before fights. Otherwise we stick to the diet for about 95% of the time. Since our sport is intense over a short period of time (usually no more than three 5 minute rounds) the modification outlined in The Paleo Diet for Athletes seemed of little use, in fact many of us took issue with it because the type of sports (and therefore physical demands) discussed are incredibly rare in paleolithic lifestyles. That said we do champion the Paleo Diet here and are slowly turning people around to it.

Here is my own experience. I used to lift weights regularly, consume whey protein and eat a traditionally accepted 'good' diet. I never really progressed to the level I wanted. I stopped lifting weights and a few months later started the paleo diet. When I did return to weight training I was stronger than ever before. The paleo diet made me drop fat and increase muscle mass, to the point that I gained net weight. And that is the beauty of the paleo diet for many athletes involved in intensive training, it's a weight NORMALISATION diet so it works for everyone skinny, average, overweight.

Everyone else who has tried it has reported the same old story, increased strenght and energy, loss of fat and increase of muscle. Importantly to Combat Athletes recovery isn't just about your standard athletic repairs. Combat athletes are plagued with injuries, minor breaks, sprains, cuts and bruises, the paleo diet has decreased our healing time.

Another surprising result: when I first started eating right (because Paleo isn't a 'diet' everything ELSE is!) a friend and fellow fighter started too. He had always been plagued with a Kidney disorder (if he consumed alcohol he would swell up and spend a couple of days in hospital!), once he started the Paleo Diet all of the symptoms disappeared, in fact, on occasion he consumes alcohol with no abnormal effect.

As an anthropologist and athlete I suppose it was inevitable that I would find the Paleo Diet! We also have a number of sport scientists who train and fight competitively, they took a little more convincing but after reading the book and hearing arguments I have put forward they came around. As you well know, once someone tries it they know the truth. Another resource is Crossfit.com which highlights training in a manner close to the type highlight in the Paleo Diet. This website endorses the Paleo Diet.

I hope some of that may help!

Pearse Stokes
FiannaGym.com head coach
www.fiannagym.com

I have to be honest, when I first heard about it I didn't believe a word of it, especially when it came to athletes, but sometimes during a negative time in your life something positive can come out of it. December 1^St2005 I had major shoulder surgery (due to an accident on the bike during a tri). At the time I was riding the best I ever had. Now I thought, what am I going to do being laid up for months, trying to recover the best I can and not get so out of shape. Well I did some research about the ideas presented in your book, liked what I read and thought o.k. even though it goes against everything I have ever been taught, I am going to give it a try. I had to ask myself, "Can I can survive and enjoy my food on The Paleo Diet?” Well I am always up for a challenge so off I went. And the results were amazing!

I lost 13 pounds and I wasn't even trying to lose weight! My body looks the leanest and healthiest of my entire life. Three months after surgery I ran a ½ marathon and had a personal best by 10 minutes! The most important thing is how I feel on the inside. I feel great both mentally and physically. Plain and simple my body feels amazing. My friends, colleagues and people that I just meet compliment me. Everyday of my life people ask me questions and want to know what I do. On a daily basis I talk about this lifestyle. I feel like I am your spokesperson of central Florida (but don't worry I won't charge you any money).

Thank you so much!!! It feels so good to have the right information about putting the correct foods into my body. You completely changed my life and I will always be grateful. Thank you for going out there and finding the correct information and sharing it. It means the world to me. As I cross every finish line achieving my goals, a thank you to you will always be there waiting.

I am a 34-year-old geneticist and age-group triathlete in Davis, CA. On new-years eve 2005 I was crippled with pain and swelling from a gout attack that had left me bed-ridden for the previous three days. While in bed, I re-read my copy of The Paleo Diet (together with the new Paleo Diet for Athletes) and knew that I had to get serious. The first buzz I heard about the Paleo Diet came from world-class triathletes, especially those racing long distances. Coming from a genetics background, the Paleo Diet is the only eating strategy that makes total common sense to me.

My diet now includes generous servings of fresh vegetables, lean meat and seafood together with daily helpings of fruit, nuts and berries. The combinations of foods, I am convinced has a strong anti-inflammatory effect so I am sure the gout will be a thing of the past.

The biggest impact has been on my fitness. In nine weeks I went from immobile and 217 lb to fitter than I have ever been at 203 lb. Yesterday, I completed my first ultra-distance running race; the 31.1 mile (50k) "Way Too Cool" trail run with hills aplenty, creek crossing, tons of mud and even a light dusting of snow on the upper elevations. It was the best race experience of my life and I managed to run strong right through to the finish -something I have never managed to accomplish before.

Genetically, as a species, we are athletes. We just need the right nutritional and exercise environment to unlock the genetic potential conferred upon us by millennia of natural selection.

Cheers,
Paul

I recently read your study on the Nutritional Characteristics of a Contemporary Diet Based Upon Paleolithic Food Groups. I found the information you provided to be very well referenced and detailed. I enjoyed reading it. Thank you

I have been eating a Paleolithic diet for the past month and really like the results. I feel amazing! I am an athlete and have been able to drop weight and maintain my strength and muscle, a crucial asset to any kickboxer!

I'm a fan of the Paleo diet. When I'm on it, it works. When I relapse, I notice the effects around my waistline and in my athletic performance. Since your first book came out, I've been following your work and know intuitively you're correct. Since using the principles of the Paleo, I've had some breakthrough performances in triathlons. While I've made big fitness gains, I've witnessed some of my more talented, though pasta-packing friends, show only modest improvements after a season of quality training.

I haven't tried to keep my secret from them, but I haven't been exactly forthcoming. Are you sure we need to let the secret out?

Weight Loss

Weight loss and more energy...(dated 8/02/08)

I found your book, suggested to me by Dr. Valori Treloar (Dermatologist and co-author of The Clear Skin Diet), to help me with weight loss and lowering my insulin resistance (precursor to Diabetes.) I have been following the Paleo Diet for about six months. It was suggested by Dr. Treloar during an appointment, to perhaps change some foods and eliminate others to improve my condition. I immediately purchased your book and found it to be extremely easy to read and to understand your suggestions on food choices and preparations. I was trying to become a vegetarian and introduced beans to replace meat dishes. Although tasty, I was very bloated and not loosing pounds or inches. So, I followed your food lists, your recipes, your exercise suggestions and found myself feeling less bloated and more energetic. It is important to begin to feel better to then continue on an exercise routine. In my case, I ride the stationary bike because of knee issues and use the treadmill with caution.

The first couple of days eating the Paleo way, I Iost fluids and as well as my bloated feeling. This felt good. I have so many food choices, I never go hungry. I found vegetarian fed chicken and beef easily in the markets. My quarter cup of walnuts came in handy either on diced apple with cinnamon for breakfast as an alternative to egg white, veggie omelet's or a couple of hard boiled eggs (Egglands Best, of course with extra omega-3.) Fruit is a favorite for me, so no problem having a serving with each meal or snack. Veggies are so easy to use in meal planning. I just make sure to buy lots of them at the market in winter and now at farm stands in summer here in the Northeast.

So now for the results: several doctors have confirmed my weight loss which has been gradual. About eighteen pounds in six months, (on Paleo Diet) but actually twenty-five in one year, struggling with the traditional food pyramid. Definitely the Paleo Diet is better for me dealing with the inflammation I had in my body, the fluid retention and lack of energy. I do not weigh myself daily, but I feel my clothes fitting better and actually some are too big for me. I began to see changes in my face becoming thinner, my neck thinner, my upper back thinner, my waist slimming and changes in my legs-less fluid around the knees and ankles.

One very interesting fact appeared about a month into eating the Paleo way. While exercising on my stationary bike, I had a burst of energy and stayed on it for a longer time. It felt good. I now split time on my stationary bike and the treadmill (no inclines because of my knee issues.) I am able to walk longer distances outside as long as I avoid hills. It feels great to be able to enjoy being outdoors again. I also found doing tasks around my home taking less effort and my mental attitude is more positive. I am willing to take on a task and complete it. This motivates me to accomplish more during a daily routine. I work from home and my mental attitude is improved.

I will continue eating the Paleo way and suggest your book to others who find themselves unmotivated to lose weight. I enjoy the flexibility of this eating style and know when I eat foods not on the list, I feel bloated and sluggish. There are times when I do crave grains, but definitely I am in control and stay within Paleo guidelines most of the time. I do not deny myself from cravings and when not eating the Paleo way 100% each week, I find it very easy to get back on track. The slimmer me and good, healthy feeling I have, is the motivation to stay with this nutrition plan.

Thank you so much for making your book easy to understand and helpful with food lists. Your menu selections are helpful to get started and I now create my own dishes. By the way, my husband eats the Paleo way since I do the cooking most of the time. He lost ten pounds without extra exercise. We both feel much better eating the Paleo way.

Thank you!...(dated 4/17/08)

I wanted to write to thank you for writing the Paleo Diet. Since I have been on the diet, I have attained a degree of leanness at age 43 that I have never achieved at any age. Whereas before I had to consciously regulate my food intake to maintain a reasonable weight, now I can eat pretty much as much as I want (I did find it important to limit my nut and dried fruit intake as the book indicated).

Thanks again for your fine book. It is not strong enough praise to say it has changed my life.

I was a poster child for the FDA food Pyramid...(dated 1/10/08)

I was a poster child for the FDA food pyramid...the queen of whole grains. I have a strong family history on both sides of Type II diabetes so I have been very vigilant about diet and exercise. I was bewildered because the more I followed the whole grain, low fat diet, the fatter and fatter I got. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, but treatment didn't generate weight loss. I did have niggling reservations about whole grains, afterall, that's how we fattened our livestock on the farm I was raised on. I dismissed my reservations (because the experts told me to) and applied myself ever more diligently...and my weight crept up to 188 pounds.

As a 50 year old female at 5'5, this is not so attractive. Worse, the weight was impacting my activities. I regularly participate in long distance hiking and biking (4 - 6 hours nonstop at least once a week). I have ridden metric centuries and routinely bike 40 miles in a weekend. I kayak, boogie board, horseback ride, ski, and snowshoe. I spent my 49th birthday snowshoeing at treeline in Rocky Mountain National Park. I SHOULD NOT BE FAT.

Every diet I tried gave me minimal results at best or introduced ways of eating or foods that I found to be unhealthy and unsustainable. But when I would cut calories too much, I would bonk and be unable to participate in my activities of choice. I was really suffering. I was grinding out hikes and gritting my teeth through bike rides. I began experiencing debilitating headaches, hip pain, and tingling in my feet. I was lethargic, depressed, puffy, and irritable. Anti-depressants came next and let me feeling groggy and drugged. And the headaches just got worse. I was in a downward spiral mentally and physically. I had tried a litany of vitamins and supplements and never felt measurably different no matter how many I took.

I came across the Paleo diet when I was researching ways to deal with side effects of anti-depressants. I searched the term and clicked on the link to a new life. In my gut, I immediately recognized the logic of Paleo eating. I don't know if this diet is right for everyone. What I do know is that is indisputably the right one for my body type.

I can only speculate that I was very insulin resistant and the initial shock of the Paleo diet was a real challenge for me. While I was never hungry, for the first month, I struggled almost daily with cravings and feeling rather weak and puny at times. I was committed, however, and I continued with my activities level. I bought and read Paleo for Athletes and the guidance in there, particularly allowing sports drinks helped me significantly during endurance activities. Then I had a breakthough. I experienced, for the first time in my life, the "runner's high." Instead of feeling simply wrung out, hot, and sweaty after biking a steep trail, I felt jazzed. I was actually riding with the big boys! I now routinely get energized by exercise instead of worn out by it. My husband had no idea how much trudging I had been doing over the years. I'm amazed I stuck with it!

It's been just 3 months eating the Paleo way. I am losing, on average, a pound a week and the weight loss pace is now picking up. I used to have to preload with Ibuprofen before big events to stave off soreness. I am now using no NSAIDS and experience little or no lasting soreness. Ski season just kicked off and I am skiing without stiffness or aches. I look and feel 10 years younger. I can breathe freely as my nasal allergies have magically disappeared. The few deviations I have made from the Paleo diet always have consequences enough to remind me that this is the way I have to eat if I want to have a healthy, full, active life. THANK YOU!

Christi

Thank you so much!!! ...(dated 1/10/08)

THANK YOU SO MUCH! This diet is improving my health tremendously. PLEASE tell Mr. Cordain that everything he wrote in his book is true. I am losing weight effortlessly FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. Please tell him to write more books to keep up the momentum!

Sheryl

Weight loss and acid reflux, IBS, allergies, etc...(date: 3/26/07)

I've been on the Paleo Diet since May, and I'm down 30 lbs (most of it lost in the first 2 months) and have never been leaner in my life. I can't stop talking about (it) when I'm with my friends and family when they ask how good I look. I've been evangelizing my Wall Street buddies every time we enjoy a steak house dinner. My acid reflux, IBS, allergies, attitude, and complexion have never been better, and I never go into food coma any more. I wish your book was around in the 80s when I was a teen.

Rudy T.

I started on your diet, I would say in February of this year (2006 - 5 months ago). Basically, I just follow not having carbs and if I do intake carbs it is in a small amount per your book.

I am happy because it seems like I am not "on a diet" but a lifestyle change which is not hard to do, and people have noticed my weight loss.

After almost two years, I was ready to give up when I read about your diet. It made so much sense! It was logical!

I strictly followed your diet, and in the first two weeks, I lost TEN pounds!!!! As your book recommended, I did not exercise during this time, and I felt rather light-headed at times, but I was never hungry. I imagine that it was quite a shock for my body to stop living on sugar. I started to feel energized as my body started to learn to live on protein with out sugar, and over the course of the next three months, I lost another 15 lbs. and I'm now down to a normal weight of 125 lbs. and I'm 5'6". Not only am I happy with how I look, I'm ecstatic about how I feel. I'm not longer tired in the afternoons, I have a new energy, and I'm no longer sick with every head cold that goes around.

I have relaxed in my eating habits a bit in the last few months, and I watch the scale carefully, so that if I start to gain weight, I can tighten the reigns on my eating habits.

What you have given me, and countless others, is not a diet, but a knowledge of how our bodies function, and what we can do to lay down habits essential for good health for the rest of our lives.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Jennifer

Thank you more than words can ever say for doing this research and for making it public. Over the past 25 years, I have gained 100 lbs & have asked every single doctor that I had been to for help. No one had advice that worked if they bothered to give any at all. I have been doing the paleo diet for 16 days now & have lost already 15 lbs, 1.5" on my waist & 1.5" on my hips. I have come to believe that I have had celiac disease since I was a small child & have been for years and borderline, and now definitely, lactose intolerant. You have saved my life! Thank you SOOOOOOOOOO very much,

After being over weight most of my life at the age of 50, now I have finally found a good Doctor that told me about this diet. Since Dec 27^th 2004 until May 9^th 2005 I am down about 50 lbs I feel a lot better and I have told others about it as well. Thank you. Best Wishes.

I was stunned a year ago when my doctor mentioned that I should lose some weight. Compared with most Americans, I thought I rated on the thin side, except for a gut that refused to melt after I quit smoking, for the first time, about 15 years ago.

I probably wouldn't have tried to lose weight, except that the idea of the Paleo-type dietary regimen seemed to make sense, gut or no.

For me, it wasn't as though I had been a slouch physically. After quitting smoking the second time, about eight years ago, I started building a healthier lifestyle. I cut back on red meat, started limiting fast food, added more vegetables, legumes and lots more fish to my diet and started a moderate weight-lifting routine. With in-line skating, bicycling, canoeing, kayaking and lots of walking, I figured I already did enough cardio.

Then I read Loren Cordain's book "The Paleo Diet" (Wiley, $14.95). Following it strictly on weekdays and more loosely on weekends, I cut back dramatically on grain and dairy products, and quit adding salt or sugar to anything. As with my religion, I simply tried to get it mostly right but forgave myself easily.

The hardest thing to give up was wheat grain. It never had dawned on me how often most of us eat wheat, especially refined grain such as pasta, pastries and white bread. I still allowed myself whole-wheat toast and jam on weekends.

My diet primarily became three heaping bowls of fresh vegetables daily, lots of fresh and frozen fruits, especially berries, plus sardines, salmon and low-sodium turkey. Sparkling water became my beverage of choice, but I also had plain water, coffee and unsweetened tea. Sugary soft drinks didn't pass my lips. Wine and the occasional martini did.

Within two weeks I was down 9 pounds. Within six weeks I was down 15, to 150 pounds. Over the next couple of months I drifted even further down to 145 and plateaued there. At a height of 5 foot 7, that still--unbelievably--puts me on the high end of my ideal Body Mass Index, at 22.7, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nevertheless, my gut vanished, leaving me with a waistline I haven't seen since college: 30 inches, down from 34 when I first went mostly Paleo four months ago. All obvious fat under the skin is gone.

My cholesterol after three months on the diet was a total of 153, with HDL at 60 and LDL at 76. By most measures, that's fantastic. My highest reading in total cholesterol was about 220 right before I quit smoking the second time.

Now my energy level seems boundless. My weight-lifting goals in repetitions are much easier to reach than before. Even running, which I never really cared for, is fun.

Maintaining the diet has become easier, once I figured I could find all the vegetables and fruits I want on nearly any salad bar. Trips to the grocery store still tend to feel like an alien experience, but I've learned to ignore all my previous loves, especially Lucky Charms.

In fact, now I burn excess calories simply by rolling my eyes at all the processed foods that are offered to us as sustenance.

Three weeks ago our doctor recommended that we get your book and try the Paleo Diet. He said he liked it better than the South Beach Diet or Atkins. Since I was going to have to cook for him I figured I should read the book. I got so excited that I decided that I was going to do it whether my husband did or not. I had 100 lbs. to lose, have a family history of diabetes and have polycystic ovaries.

To date I have lost 20 pounds, dropped a dress size and shoe size. Yes, that's right, I went from an 11 wide to a 10 regular shoe size. I am not hungry or tired. My husband is following it about 80%. And he is losing weight also, just not as fast.

As a Licensed Massage Therapist I believe in trying things myself before I recommend them to my clients. Well, it didn't take long for my clients to notice the weight loss and demand to know how I'm doing it. Many have bought the book and are trying it also. Thank you for doing the research you've done and for helping me and others regain our lives.

I have not yet read your book but got the idea for trying the Paleo Diet from your website and others. I've been at it since January 1 of this year and I couldn't be happier about it. I'm 46, generally healthy but was overweight; my family were all fat people and I was going that way myself despite being active. Being vegetarian for some years had only made me fatter: I was not a big dessert eater either, just cooking a lot of pasta and rice by habit.

So now I'm three sizes smaller, have had to throw away clothes for being too big, some minor nagging skin problems have cleared up - my hair and skin make me look younger than my age now - some incipient aches and pains have vanished, and I have more energy and endurance than I've had since my twenties. I'm a graphic designer and was always fighting the forearm and wrist pains that computer people get. Not any more. And I hadn't expected most of these improvements: they're all a bonus.

Another striking point was how easy the transition was. Friends have asked whether I don't have to fight off cravings: I don't. Of course I'm teased sometimes ("isn't it time you went out and caught something for dinner?") and occasionally nagged by vegetarians, but it's worth it. I can't imagine eating any other way now.

I started the diet around Thanksgiving 2003 hoping that it would help me stay away from sweeteners and grains, because of a 30 year battle with yeast infection. I have included fruit and diet soft drinks in my diet. The diet served my purpose with sweeteners and grains, and unexpectedly from 205 pounds to 195 pounds in 5 weeks. My age is 57 and height is 6' 3". I strongly recommended the diet to a brother (Bob, 76 years) and sister (Dolores, 66 years), who are now attempting to implement it.

I am a 28 year old final year medical student at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia. I have also recently (8/2001) started a PhD at Uppsala University in Sweden where we I am studying obesity metabolism, especially in relation to diabetes and cardiovascular disease. I would like to congratulate you on your latest book which both my partner (a Swedish engineer) and I have read and found very interesting. My partner lost 16kgs in 3 months and feels and look fantastic. I am hoping for a few kgs less on me by the end of January.

I bought and read your book at the end of August, and I've followed the Paleo Diet for 80% of my meals since then. I stopped counting calories, my weight is down by 3-4 pounds, and my blood lipid levels are the best ever.

Am 52 yr old male, 59-1/2", two months ago weighed 185 lbs., now weigh 152. Virtually no exercise, just the Paleo diet and still losing weight by 1/2 lb per day. Should hit what I weighed when started college in a few weeks! I don't get hungry on the diet, this is the great thing about it.

Diabetes

For me it has been lifesaving... (date: 11/23/07)

Now aged 73, I had two heart attacks at 47 It was all down hill after that. Glaucoma, chronic lymphatic leukaemia about 14 years ago. Open heart surgery 8 years ago. Type 2 diabetes 4 years ago. No treatment given for the CLL. It was all down hill. I had to take early retirement at age 58.

Two things have turned my health around.

I am now better than I have been for many years. The constant down turn has been reversed. On my last six monthly visit to see my haematologist I was told “you will almost certainly never require any therapy, (chemo, radiation). You will die of something else. Go out and enjoy the next 20 years of your life!”.

On the last visit to see the endocrinologist, for diabetes condition, two months ago, he almost took me off insulin, so well controlled were my blood sugars. I am expecting this to happen at my next visit in December. I went on to emu oil because of crippling effects of statin drugs.. Emu oil has kept my cholesterol at the same levels as statin drugs, around 3. Allowing me to quit statin drugs, for about 4 years now.

The paleo diet is adding to this improvement. Virtually the only cereals I eat is some healthful grain bread. I quit the loves of my life, pasta, rice, dairy products, and now don’t miss them. I am doing light manual work around the grounds here, quite impossible for me in the past.

One final advantage, I could not lose weight under the diabetic diet. Only when I went on the paleo diet did I lose weight, and not feel deprived or hungry. My weight dropped 4 kilos to 66 kilos but is now 69 kilos. Quitting bread is on my aim agenda and I expect if I do quit it, the weight will again be 66 kilos.

I eat mostly chicken, grilled fish, vegetables, salad and cooked, a little tinned salmon, lots of fruit. Certainly well within the 85% rule. I think about 90 plus compliant.

I hope this is of some interest, Wiley. For me it has been lifesaving.

Sincerely

Trevor

I love the diet... (date: 6/14/06)

I had a heart attack 2 years ago, I'm only 51, my glucose levels were out of control, my sugar was either too high or too low, I was about 15 lbs overweight. I was exercising 20 or 30 minutes a day on my eliptical machine in front of the t.v. I honestly thought I was eating healthy and balanced, but I could never loose 1 pound.

My glucose levels were often in the 180 to 225 range. Sometimes it would drop to 51 and I felt that the end was near. Every morning I woke up it was always high....170 was a low for my morning reading, but it was never any lower and usually higher.

I was on more and more medicines, 10 mg of glipizide in the evening, actos in the morning, plus 5mg of Byetta in the morning and evening. My Dr. was talking about adding insulin in the evening to bring my morning glucose down. That was the last straw. I always felt like I had a touch of the flu.

I picked up a copy of your book on the advise of my daughters Gynocologist. (She said this diet would cure their acne problems). I read the book and started right away on the healthy diet.

I saw changes in my glucose levels in the first week on the diet. My morning levels were coming down. I cut down on my meds after the first week because I didn't need so much anymore.
Now I take only 5mg of Glipizide in the evening, and still take the Byetta shots morning and evening. But I'm sure I will be cutting that down soon.

I also started walking outside right away. I lost the feeling that I had the flu all the time after the first week also.

I love the diet, it took a little readjustment of my thinking to get used to it. The first week I felt a little tired, weak, but not like the flu!!! I can't imagine eating any other way now.

I've lost 11 lbs, still have a little to go, I'm down to 135, I'm 5'4''. I may want to go to 128. (instead of my original 132.)

My mom always said, "You are what you eat!" now I believe it.

Because of your book I have my life back. I Truely believe that your book saved my life.
Thank you and God Bless you.

Renee T. Ray
Albuquerque, NM

Thank you for the research you have done with this diet. As a Type I diabetic for 20 years I have been dieting a long time. For the past 9 months I have been on your diet. I feel as if I am in the best shape of my life. My blood sugar is rarely out of control and my A 1 C has never been better. When I began using the insulin pump 10 years ago I thought my control could not get any better. It has without a doubt.

I have recently returned to college to pursue a degree in health education. The benefits of Paleolithic nutrition will certainly be voiced by me.

I thought a brief history of my search for the "proper food for mankind" might be of interest to you. I became a type 2 diabetic in 1967 at the age of 39. I was put on the standard ADA type diet, emphasizing carbohydrates. I more or less followed this diet for 14 years and then ended up in the hospital with two diabetic ulcers on my left foot (a corrected club foot with several high pressure spots). It was at this time that the first "glucometers" were being introduced. These glucose meters allowed you to measure your blood glucose (sugar) level at home. A nurse helped me obtain one and my journey began searching for my best diet regimen. When I was released from the hospital I was on 28 units of insulin per day. Six months later I was on "0" medication. I had used my meter to record my BG reactions to the different foods that I ate. I soon discovered that certain foods raised my BG levels dramatically and I would then eliminate them from my diet. I also eliminated almost all manufactured, processed, foods. The foods first eliminated were all grains, dairy products and some starchy vegetables, most notably potatoes.

For the next 15 years I continued to perfect my regimen using my BG reactions as my only guide. Then I was given a computer by my daughter and a whole new world opened up. It was at this time I discovered the Paleo diet and was amazed at the close similarity with my regimen. I thought this might all be of interest to you. I was able to stay off insulin for over 10 years but suffered a trauma about 6 years ago and had to go back on insulin. My health is very good and my BG readings are in the "normal" range (70 to 130 mg/dI) over 95% of the time. My doctor says that from my blood chemistries and physicals he would not know I was diabetic.

I have read your book and all the papers I could find and find your work fascinating.

Menstrual Cramps

I wanted to let you know about the difference the Paleo diet has made to my menstrual problems. The reason I wanted to talk about this in particular was because I have not read of any other women talking about relief from period pain on a Paleo diet but if only I'd known years earlier!

I have always had extremely severe cramps in the first few hours of my period. I have spoken to many women but have only met a few who seemed to experience the same degree of pain. If I didn't take medication in time I would always repeatedly vomit even after my stomach was empty. I would have diarrohea and terrible cramps. I just could not believe how painful they were. My hair would be wet within minutes due to sweating from the pain and I would see the sweat bead down my arms too. I could not even sit upright but mostly curled into a ball. I lived in terror of being caught out without medication when my cramps were starting.

Although being on the pill solved the problem for a couple of years in my twenties I did not want to be on the pill long term. No other solution worked and even referrals to gynecologists did not help. However, for the two years I lived in Japan in my mid twenties I was free of all pain. I put this down to a diet high in seaweed, tofu and fish and was frustrated I never managed to replicate the benefits at home in Australia despite trying hard to achieve a similar diet.

It seems odd now that I didn't realise that the solution lay in what I was NOT eating in Japan. I was eating very little dairy and wheat. A doctor specializing in nutritional medicine made this link for me (even though I'd given up on solving the period problem and it was not why I went to see the doctor). After one week on a Paleo diet I had my first period in eleven years (since living in Japan) that did not require medication. I was astonished and jubilant.

I have experienced most of the other benefits that people have mentioned too such as weight loss, increased energy and no colds. My pre-menstrual tension has also almost entirely gone after months of getting worse. My favourite thing is not having an afternoon slump during my work day.

Paleo Diet Success Stories