This is Part 2 of my response to reader Kim F.’s question, “What resources guided you on your journey?”

Part 1 covered websites; this post lists some of my favourite books.

I’m lucky enough to own all the books listed below except Pure, White and Deadly  (waiting for the updated version to come out next month). Books are listed in no particular order, but my top favourites are starred (*).

A future post will cover cookbooks, books on low-carb eating, and miscellaneous books.

Books about Paleo

NeanderThin: Eat Like a Caveman to Achieve a Lean, Strong, Healthy Body* by Ray Audette (2000). This is the book that started it all for me. It’s out of print now, but a Kindle edition is available with updated content.

The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet (2010), by Robb Wolf and Loren Cordain. Comprehensive, clear explanation of Paleo. Dr. Cordain was one of the first scientists to investigate the evolutionary basis of diet and diseases. Robb Wolf is a student of Cordain’s, a well-known Paleo personality and former champion powerlifter. Key quote: “Hunter-gatherers are us”.

The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy (Primal Blueprint Series)*, by Mark Sisson (2009). Mark is the founder of Mark’s Daily Apple, one of my favourite websites. This useful book covers food, sleep, play, fitness, sunlight, and more.

The Primal Connection: Follow Your Genetic Blueprint to Health and Happiness (2013). Another good one by Mark Sisson. Contents include “The Ten Habits of Highly Successful Hunter-Gatherers,” “The Wild Within” and “Slowing Down”.

The Paleo Diet Revised: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat, by Loren Cordain (2010). Features a useful chapter on “Food as Medicine,” plus a recipe section.

The New Evolution Diet: What Our Paleolithic Ancestors Can Teach Us about Weight Loss, Fitness, and Aging*, by Art De Vany (2011). De Vany is a model of healthy, disease-free aging — the book was published when he was 72 and sported a six-pack and 8% body fat. It features an afterword by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan.

The Paleo Answer: 7 Days to Lose Weight, Feel Great, Stay Young, by Loren Cordain (2012). Another clear, informative book from Cordain, this one includes special sections for women and children.

Books about sugar

The Case Against Sugar*, by Gary Taubes (December 2016). Brilliant new book by award-winning science writer Gary Taubes; I found the chapter “Drug or Food?”especially interesting, as it spoke to my feelings of addiction.

Pure, White and Deadly: How sugar is killing us and what we can do to stop it by John Yudkin (2017). This classic was originally written in 1972 by one of the first researchers to blow the whistle on sugar. It was updated for 2017 by obesity expert Dr. John Lustig. (Note to my husband: this would make a great Valentine’s Day present!)

Sweet Poison:Why Sugar Makes Us Fat by David Gillespie. Australian best-seller by a lawyer and father of six turned anti-sugar advocate.

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*  = A particular favourite