Mark Sisson is one the many people worldwide who are championing the paleo (or primal) health movement popular with people who want to drop weight and keep it off — including those who’ve had bariatric surgery. The primal health movement challenges many elements of the food pyramid and the standard American diet. Sisson has published two useful cookbooks of recipes for grain-free eating: The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals. I hope my review of the Mark Sisson primal cookbook series gives you a few things to think about.
Mark Sisson Primal Cookbook
Primal, Paleo and the Bariatric Diet
Primal or paleo eating follows the evolutionary model of meats, fish, greens, nuts, vegetables and limited fruits. It claims that carbohydrates in grain form, especially the highly-processed varieties found in most restaurant and prepared items, are simply not a good energy source for human health. It asserts that refined carbohydrates are a primary factor in contributing to obesity, type 2 diabetes, anxiety and depression, lack of energy, inflammation, metabolic syndrome or “Syndrome X”, and heart disease. All my reading and life experience tells me that the primal/paleo model is accurate.
If you’ve read my article, How Does the Bariatric Diet Work, you may recall that the ideal meal for a mature obesity surgery patient is:
- ½ of the meal is low fat protein,
- ¼ is raw or lightly cooked low starch vegetables, and
- ¼ is raw fruit
You do not see the grains in this meal that are the typical staple of the standard American diet. The ideal bariatric meal is right in line with the primal/paleo diet. if you’re an obesity surgery patient then you absolutely want these cookbooks on your shelf! At some point you are going to get tired of eggs for breakfast! For just $22 with the Quick and Easy Meals cookbook you’ll know how to make a grain-free hot breakfast cereal and many other tasty dishes!
Mark Sisson Primal Cookbook
Mark Sisson Primal Cookbook Recipe Makeovers
The recipe makeovers are what I like best about the Mark Sisson Primal Cookbook series. Under $20, the Primal Blueprint Cookbook in particular has many “Primal Substitute” recipes. These are recipe makeovers of my favorite comfort foods, like bread and crackers, made without grains. You will find grain-free recipes for rice, enchiladas, noodles, bread, crackers, pancakes, muffins, and more.
I enjoy many of Mark Sisson’s grain-free dessert recipes. Often, I am stumped when it comes to making a dessert that doesn’t use grains! The “Grok Rocks” in Primal Blueprint Cookbook are addicting! There are recipe makeovers for delicacies like brownies and clafouti, custards and ice cream.
The Primal Blueprint Cookbook has wonderful breakfast recipes. There are many egg dishes, but my favorites are the substitute recipes. There are recipes for everything from turnip hash browns to nutty blueberry protein balls (like donut holes, only grain-free and good for you).
Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals has a few excellent substitute recipes, too. My favorites are savory crepes, turnip and rutabaga fries, zucchini carbonara, and pigs in a blanket.
I’ve been eating this way for a long time and have been able to maintain the weight that I lost from my gastric bypass surgery in 2003. Read our article to learn the real reasons why weight loss occurs after obesity surgery.
Living larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life
Photo: Mark’s Daily Apple
