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The Paleo Primer: A Jump-Start Guide to Losing Body Fat and Living Primally

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How amazing would it be if eating great tasting food helped you to lose fat, boost your energy levels and made you look awesome?! Thanks to Paleo Primer, this is now possible and-more to the point-sustainable. Paleo Primer is a great resource to help readers get quickly acquainted with the principles of Primal/paleo/evolutionary health living and eating. The first half of the book lays out the basics, with humorous and memorable cartoons to convey the key messages and lay the foundation for an effective daily routine. You'll learn how to get your mind right for lifestyle transformation, understand which foods to eliminate and why, follow step-by-step plan to get started, and even enjoy a list of "lifesaving books and websites."The recipes section contains over one hundred delicious, easy to prepare dishes that are organized into enticing categories like, "How to Pimp a Salad" and "Cheats of Champions". Paleo Primer also offers preparations suitable for busy weekdays, and others for relaxing weekends. Paleo Primer was written by Keris Marsden and Matt Whitmore, a British couple who operate a unique and extremely popular fitness and wellness facility called Fitter London. Their vast knowledge base, deft teamwork, and highly refined sense of humor shine through in these pages. It is a truly entertaining and deeply impactful read-a great gift idea to introduce a family member, friend, or loved one to Primal/paleo living.

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2013

57 people are currently reading
129 people want to read

About the author

Keris Marsden

7 books1 follower

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5 stars
76 (29%)
4 stars
83 (32%)
3 stars
69 (26%)
2 stars
27 (10%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Alison Golden.
Author 103 books332 followers
August 30, 2013
And when I opened this book, I did something I don’t normally do. I went straight into the kitchen to cook. That is quite something.

I made and cleaned up three recipes (I made a dozen scotch eggs!) in a couple of hours, quite possibly a personal record. If you’re like me, a straight-forward, simple minded cook, you will like this book.

It is small and light. It is not a dumb bell masquerading as a cookbook, nor will your bookstand topple over mid-recipe when your hands are full of sticky goo. You can easily pick it up, flick through it, and place it neatly and evenly balanced on your kitchen counter without fear. The more hulking great cookbooks I receive, the more this ease of use becomes important to me.

It will not overwhelm you. There are 114 recipes in this book (I counted them one by one) and they are clearly and easily organized: Breakfast, Light Bites, Our Top Burger Bites, Meals In Minutes, Paleo Comfort Food (my favorite section), Sides, How to Pimp a Salad (my favorite title), Dips and Condiments, Healthy Snacks and Cheats of Champions (my second favorite title). The book is easy to search to find something to suit you; many of them are very quick to make.

The recipes call for ingredients that are staples of the paleo kitchen. No rushing out to ethnic markets, or having to find a floor clerk to locate a strange item in your local Whole Foods. Flicking through the book as I write this and pausing at random, I can see that I have all the ingredients for the vast majority of recipes already in my fridge, freezer or pantry.

The recipes are easy, delicious, and accessible. I spent a morning making their Avocado Breakfast Bowl (Breakfast) for, um, breakfast, Matt’s Mighty Scotch Eggs (Paleo Comfort Food), and Coconut Cashew Fudge (Cheats of Champions). We had their Everyday Curry Chicken for dinner earlier that week. All the recipes were simple and easy to make.

There are recipes with an international flavor: Thai Chicken with Scallion Rice, Lebanese-Style Beef, Italian Meatballs, Caribbean Jerk Salmon are just a few of the recipes in the book that appear to range from all over the world. And of course, there’s a whole section on burgers. :-)

If you have some British heritage somewhere along your line, you’ll find paleo versions of some of our national foods. Yes, including the traditional Friday night vindaloo (that would be traditional as in the last thirty years or so, not Downton Abbey or Henry VIII-chopping-his-wives-heads-off-type traditional).

I will also venture to say that these paleo versions are quite possibly and in one particular case, most definitely, better than the originals! I have never liked scotch eggs (hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and fried). I usually think they are revolting but Keris and Matt’s paleo version was not only awesome but an answer to this mother-of-teenagers paleo lunchbox prayers!

Besides scotch eggs, you’ll find recipes for British staples such as liver and bacon, shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, fish fingers, fish and chips and mushy peas, fish cakes, salt and vinegar crisps chips, blackberry and apple crumble, plum cake, almond and pear tart, and bubble and squeak.

You don’t need to read another paleo book (except mine of course!) With The Paleo Primer, you will learn enough about paleo to get you started and a long way, maybe all the way down the road. Keris and Matt have written it all down, clearly and concisely with chapters entitled:

What Is The Paleo Diet?
Signs Your Diet Is Not Working
Change Your Mind, Change Your Health
Nutrition – Know Thy Stuff
Removing Sugar, Grains, And Legumes
Caffeine, Chocolate, And Alcohol
Getting Started
The Paleo Shopping List

And all that before they even get to the recipes! It’s a great book to give to someone who wants “just the facts, ma’am.”
Profile Image for Rachel Teferet.
288 reviews5 followers
December 24, 2018
This book had a lot of great information about going Paleo; however, I found most of the recipes to be pretty gross! Also, many recipes use dairy, which was annoying for me. I did however find some great winners in the book: the Caribbean jerk salmon was really yummy and there are some other recipes that I look forward to trying. Overall, not my favorite cookbook for Paleo, but it did have some good stuff in it!
Profile Image for N.
113 reviews
May 9, 2021
Very good beginning book. Each recipe has a photo so that is 5 stars. I took one star off because the recipes don't have nutritional information. The recipes have a decidedly UK lean with Bangers and Mash, Fish Fingers, Mushy Peas, Bubble and Squeak. I did make the Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips and I would make them again. The vinegar is definitely what my kale chips have been missing. Next I will be making the Cauliflower Pizza since the crust has buffalo mozzarella!
Profile Image for Angie.
3,696 reviews54 followers
December 26, 2017
This has some good information and background on the paleo diet. It also has a lot of recipes. I checked the book out for the recipes, but didn't actually find any I just had to cook. I think my favorite sections may have been the sides and salads ones, but a lot of the recipes can probably be found elsewhere.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,507 reviews26 followers
June 10, 2021
This was okay. There were a couple a recipes I definitely plan to try!
Profile Image for Alison Golden.
Author 103 books332 followers
August 30, 2013
And when I opened this book, I did something I don’t normally do. I went straight into the kitchen to cook. That is quite something.

I made and cleaned up three recipes (I made a dozen scotch eggs!) in a couple of hours, quite possibly a personal record. If you’re like me, a straight-forward, simple minded cook, you will like this book.

It is small and light. It is not a dumb bell masquerading as a cookbook, nor will your bookstand topple over mid-recipe when your hands are full of sticky goo. You can easily pick it up, flick through it, and place it neatly and evenly balanced on your kitchen counter without fear. The more hulking great cookbooks I receive, the more this ease of use becomes important to me.

It will not overwhelm you. There are 114 recipes in this book (I counted them one by one) and they are clearly and easily organized: Breakfast, Light Bites, Our Top Burger Bites, Meals In Minutes, Paleo Comfort Food (my favorite section), Sides, How to Pimp a Salad (my favorite title), Dips and Condiments, Healthy Snacks and Cheats of Champions (my second favorite title). The book is easy to search to find something to suit you; many of them are very quick to make.

The recipes call for ingredients that are staples of the paleo kitchen. No rushing out to ethnic markets, or having to find a floor clerk to locate a strange item in your local Whole Foods. Flicking through the book as I write this and pausing at random, I can see that I have all the ingredients for the vast majority of recipes already in my fridge, freezer or pantry.

The recipes are easy, delicious, and accessible. I spent a morning making their Avocado Breakfast Bowl (Breakfast) for, um, breakfast, Matt’s Mighty Scotch Eggs (Paleo Comfort Food), and Coconut Cashew Fudge (Cheats of Champions). We had their Everyday Curry Chicken for dinner earlier that week. All the recipes were simple and easy to make.

There are recipes with an international flavor: Thai Chicken with Scallion Rice, Lebanese-Style Beef, Italian Meatballs, Caribbean Jerk Salmon are just a few of the recipes in the book that appear to range from all over the world. And of course, there’s a whole section on burgers. :-)

If you have some British heritage somewhere along your line, you’ll find paleo versions of some of our national foods. Yes, including the traditional Friday night vindaloo (that would be traditional as in the last thirty years or so, not Downton Abbey or Henry VIII-chopping-his-wives-heads-off-type traditional).

I will also venture to say that these paleo versions are quite possibly and in one particular case, most definitely, better than the originals! I have never liked scotch eggs (hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and fried). I usually think they are revolting but Keris and Matt’s paleo version was not only awesome but an answer to this mother-of-teenagers paleo lunchbox prayers!

Besides scotch eggs, you’ll find recipes for British staples such as liver and bacon, shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, fish fingers, fish and chips and mushy peas, fish cakes, salt and vinegar crisps chips, blackberry and apple crumble, plum cake, almond and pear tart, and bubble and squeak.

You don’t need to read another paleo book (except mine of course!) With The Paleo Primer, you will learn enough about paleo to get you started and a long way, maybe all the way down the road. Keris and Matt have written it all down, clearly and concisely with chapters entitled:

What Is The Paleo Diet?
Signs Your Diet Is Not Working
Change Your Mind, Change Your Health
Nutrition – Know Thy Stuff
Removing Sugar, Grains, And Legumes
Caffeine, Chocolate, And Alcohol
Getting Started
The Paleo Shopping List

And all that before they even get to the recipes! It’s a great book to give to someone who wants “just the facts, ma’am.”
Profile Image for Quicksilver Quill.
117 reviews2 followers
December 27, 2016
Nice introduction to the paleo eating principles. While The Paleo Primer book does not go into extreme depth and detail, it does provide a great summary of the basics and is more than adequate to gain a firm footing on what to eat and what to avoid if you want to pursue a paleo kind of diet.

The book is packed with useful recipes many of which I have tried with great success. Their Dark Chocolate Almond Cake is a decadent treat, and a great way to enjoy dessert without excess sugar, grains, or vegetable/seed oils. There are many other recipes as well ranging from healthy burgers and salads to comfort foods, condiments, and an assortment of exotic dishes, such as Lebanese-style beef.

Since this book focuses primarily on the nutritional aspects of paleo, you may wish to find a few other books to learn more about the lifestyle and exercise components. Mark Sisson's The Primal Connection: Follow Your Genetic Blueprint to Health and Happiness comes to mind, and the Jaminets' Perfect Health Diet: Regain Health and Lose Weight by Eating the Way You Were Meant to Eat is top notch in exploring the science of a paleo eating lifestyle in depth.

Great book, and I look forward to checking out the sequel!
Profile Image for Victoria.
51 reviews22 followers
October 16, 2015
This was a fantastic no-nonsense beginner's guide to the paleo lifestyle. I enjoyed the way they explained the science behind paleo as well as how it affects our bodies in layman's terms. This included lots of great recipes to get you started and I think I'm going to be buying my own copy to keep around the house as I borrowed this one from the library.
Profile Image for Mary.
265 reviews14 followers
February 11, 2014
Eh. This ended up not being my thing at all. I was hoping to find some inspiration to pass along to my mom (she's supposed to be on a high-protein, low-carb diet), but this eating plan mostly relies on foods she's allergic to or doesn't like.
Profile Image for Charity.
51 reviews1 follower
February 19, 2015
My daughter is allergic to wheat and my husband wanted to eat paleo so we got this book. It's wonderful! Simple to read...and then so much fun to cook! I usually hate cooking but my little ones and I have been busy enjoying these recipes :)
Profile Image for Collette.
97 reviews29 followers
October 16, 2013
I found this to be a great help in starting my paleo journey. It's easy to read and the recipes are inventive. :)
Profile Image for Elaine.
1,059 reviews14 followers
January 1, 2014
I didn't like this book at all . Not a strict paleo version. Uses honey and other sweeteners.
Profile Image for Emma Kalmbach.
160 reviews3 followers
March 21, 2014
Easy to read and has straight forward explanations for adapting to a paleo diet. Lots of quick and easy to cook recipes in second half of book.
Profile Image for Nasim Kiani.
2 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2014
My team and I have translated this book to our language (persian)
Profile Image for M.
1,557 reviews8 followers
May 26, 2014
A great resource to help YOU get quickly acquainted with the principles of health living and eating. Tons of recipes that are REALLY easy!
18 reviews1 follower
May 31, 2014
Simple recipes. I loved how you can make "spaghetti" made from veggies. Will try that next!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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