I’ve shared with readers here on the Older Bolder Life before that my wife and I, as well as our offspring, have all ended up being avid readers. My wife is a book a week or better reader typically, and I’m holding steady on my quest to read 80 books or better this year. That in part led to me starting a feature here on the blog covering books worthy of your library, mainly focusing on great cookbooks, and general health and fitness/wellness works, leaning most often to the ancestral health side of things in particular.
There’s no way possible to have the discussion about influential books written in the past quarter century covering health and wellness without mentioning Mark Sisson’s The New Primal Blueprint.
Sisson’s story is both inspiring and instructive; a bright, inquisitive individual pursues very high level endurance running as an amateur and later professionally to the point of physical injury and breakdown, coaches for a bit, and then begins to tinker with nutrition plans that lie “outside the box” of conventional medical/nutritional and athletic performance wisdom.
I’d challenge you to name an other single individual who has had the worldwide influence in the past 10-15 years that Sisson has (Dr. Gundry perhaps); Sisson’s goal of helping millions has indeed come to fruition, and he’s clearly not done yet.
I personally resonate deeply with the Primal version of the classic paleo approach, and as a physician find the principles of Sisson’s Primal Blueprint for the most part absolutely sound, grounded in commonsense, and eminently applicable for most.
The book spends a fair amount of time detailing Mark’s story, an overview of the ever-accelerating nutritional evolution (maybe that’s better said as revolution) happening around the world today, as well his (let’s go ahead and say it) ingenious 10 Primal Blueprint Laws – for those who aren’t familiar, I’ve posted an image from his site summarizing his core concepts.
The book itself is encyclopedic, and might be for many a somewhat intimidating read given its length and detail. For those looking to make a true lifestyle change, that detail is however critical, and thankfully, wonderfully instructive.
I refer to my copy (purchased, not provided for a review) at least weekly as I dig up some detail, reference, or example for clients, family, and friends, and have actually given away a number as gifts.
Worth having a copy on your bookshelf? Absolutely.
