The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain Hardcover – April 25, 2017

Five easy stars from me for quality of content, ease of reading, arrangement of information, and quick and easy recipes using ingredients found in the average grocery store (with possible minor exceptions to the latter).My typical diet is plant based and includes brown rice, oatmeal, and other whole grain foods -- foods I had thought to be "healthy." I noticed, however, that when I ate brown rice, the following day I experienced discomfort in my knees. While doing some online research, I came across this book and purchased it after reading some sample pages.What an eye opener! I never would've guessed that whole grains are the culprit!ABOUT THE BOOK ITSELF: The author's voice/style is relaxed and easy to follow. And I LOVE the fact that he's given a list of "Yes" foods and a list of "No" foods in the book. Also, when he refers to something, he typically gives the page number right there in the text so you can easily find it.The BEST PART is the recipe section. It's very well laid out. The author gives the name of the recipe/meal, the components (chicken, dressing, salad, etc.) followed by how to prepare each part. And the recipes are quick and easy! For vegans and vegetarians, he includes simple alternatives.The meals are CREATIVE, REASONABLY PRICED (although some can get pricey), and DELICIOUS, consisting of things I've never thought of, such as cauliflower rice, cabbage steak, cauliflower steak, etc. I really like the cauliflower steak.Dr. Gundry's plan to rid your system of "aliens" is set up in three stages. You can skip the first stage if you like, but he says your results will not be as rapid. I'm doing all three stages because I LOVE the looks of the recipes in the first phase, which is the cleansing phase, and am well familiar with the positive effects of eating foods like these.I've had good results by eating a plant-based diet (lost 20+ pounds, lowered cholesterol by 30+ points, lowered blood pressure, etc.) -- until recently when the knee pain kicked in. The author's explanation of why this happened is easy to understand.I'm almost through the entire book. It's so easy to understand and will help you to "stay the course" because you will have an understanding of what's going on inside you that you cannot see -- until it manifests with some disorder/sickness.DISCLAIMER: I'm NOT a physician, nutritionist, nurse, etc. But I do know what has worked for ME. I'm 72 years of age and take zero prescription drugs, zero over-the-counter antacids, and zero over-the-counter pain killers/medications of any kind. I'm active, strong, and in excellent health -- until the recent knee discomfort, which has eased considerably already and will be completely gone as soon as all the aliens are out of my system. And I'm just following the easy instructions in this book.Too bad the one reviewer who said it would require too much of a change wouldn't at least give it a try. It is NOT that expensive (give it to the grocer or give it to the doctor) and can be controlled.Going by the copyright date of this work, this information is quite recent. Certainly, I've never heard of it. So, it's time to adapt my diet to the most up-to-date information.I could say a LOT more about this great find, but . . .BOTTOM LINE: BUY THE BOOK!UPDATE: Phase 1 of this clean-out-your-gut program is very inexpensive. The remainder can become a bit pricey if you use certain of the author's recipes and follow ALL of his advice. The fact is, though, you'll either spend it on foods that are genuinely healthy for you, or you'll give it to the doctors when you become sick/diseased in some way. I tend to take the "all things in moderation" approach. So, I suggest reading the entire book and learning what and what not to eat. Pay attention to what your body tells you. It's definitely advisable to buy the pure inulin, Just Like Sugar and/or Sweet Leaf Stevia, the fish oil, and the glucosamine with MSM that he suggests. Those items are not pricey and will prove to be very helpful in obtaining and maintaining a healthy gut. You can adapt the must-have items to your situation. If at all possible, buy beef from grass-fed animals and chicken from free-range birds. Otherwise, what was fed to them or shot into them will end up in you. Price shop also. All things considered, this IS a must-have book for those who want to live a long and healthy life.

My initial exposure to Dr. Gundry was watching an interview that was conducted with him by a well-known and respected doctor in this country. This video made me want to purchase this book, so that I would have the complete information at hand, to easily locate material at any time.His book mirrors his interview, in terms of how the information that he gives the public is arranged.For example, during the first and second parts of the book, Dr. Gundry clearly, and at times, with a sense of humor, lays out his professional and personal background, which drove him to set the groundwork for using his professional knowledge of scientific and medical research into the human body and lectins to write this coherent book. He also includes some interesting case studies, making what he says come to life.During the third part of the book, Dr. Gundry goes into meal plans and recipes.At the end of the book is the Notes section, which contains 13 pages. Following that section is the Index, which also has 13 pages.From a general reader’s standpoint, this book is very interesting, especially at the beginning, because the author presents the information in a relaxed, informal, and sometimes, personally-engaging way; this type of presentation guarantees that the general audience will keep its interest and not get hung up and bogged down unduly with too much science or medical jargon. For those of us who do love the science and research aspect to this book, the Notes section will satisfy our cravings.For those readers who want to skip around, I would suggest that they DO NOT do this because the material is laid out in such a way that the reader may not understand a concept that may have been discussed at an earlier time in the book.One last thing that may not be noticeable: Unfortunately, from an editing/ publishing perspective, the page numbers seem to employ multiple fonts and sizes - together in 1 number, which is not at all standard or even accepted in properly-published materials! His editor should have corrected this before the book was published. For example, on page 232, the page is published as 232 (with the 3 raised up to several different font sizes), while on page 233, it is published as 233 (with the 33 raised up several different font sizes). There is no reason why this publishing problem could have occurred unless the editor was rushed and made some last-minute additions, which threw the entire numbering and font systems off. I have never seen anything like this in a professionally-printed book from a major publisher before. (Hopefully, one day, this 1st edition will become a '1st edition collector’s item'!)I’m sure that Dr. Gundry, the editor, and the publisher, Harper Wave, a division of Harper Collins, a well-known and respected company, know this and will have it corrected in the second edition of the book when it comes out. The general public probably won’t notice it, and it doesn’t obstruct what the author says in this book in any way.Dr. Gundy has a private practice, and he understands that most people won’t be able to visit him for a consultation, so this book is especially written for them. After reading this book and practicing what the Dr. says, those people who can visit him professionally may be compelled to do so.For the rest of us, we have a great book on health and diet (with the science to back this up) to add to our bookshelves, written by a very interesting person.I highly recommend this book (even for people who only want to buy it for the recipes or as a '1st edition collector's item')!