Mark Sisson is among the many people around the worldwide championing the paleo (or primal) health movement, which challenges many well-accepted elements of the food pyramid and standard American diet. He's published two really useful cookbooks filled with recipes for grain-free eating: The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals.

Primal or paleo eating essentially 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. In particular, 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 readings and life experience tell me the primal/paleo assertions are accurate.

If you've read my sharepost on the tool I use, Pouch Rules for Dummies, then 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

Right away you see no grains in the meal, which is typically the staple of the standard American diet. So, the ideal bariatric meal is right in line with the primal/paleo diet. I say that if you're an obesity surgery patient then you absolutely want these cookbooks on your shelf! After all, at some point you are going to get tired of eggs for breakfast and with the Quick and Easy Meals cookbook you'll know how to make a grain-free hot breakfast cereal.

The recipe makeovers are what I like best about the cookbooks. The Primal Blueprint Cookbook in particular has many "Primal Substitute" recipes, which are recipe makeovers of my favorite comfort foods - like bread and crackers - made without grains. Here you will find grain-free recipes for mashed potatoes, rice, enchiladas, noodles, bread, crackers, pancakes, muffins, and more.

I also like the dessert recipes as I am often stumped when it comes to making a dessert that doesn't use grains. The "Grok Rocks" in Primal Blueprint Cookbook are addicting! And there are substitute recipes for delicacies such as brownies and clafouti, and grain-free dessert recipes like custards and ice cream.

The Quick and Easy Meals cookbook has wonderful breakfast recipes. There are lots of egg dishes, but again 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).

Quick and Easy Meals has a few really good 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 it has enabled me to maintain the weight I lost from my bariatric surgery in 2003. Read my sharepost to learn the real reasons why weight loss occurs from obesity surgery.