Food and Nutrition

How can you take back control of your health in a world where medicine seems increasingly impersonal and reactive? In The PK Cookbook, Dr. Sarah Myhill and Craig Robinson argue that food itself—not pharmaceutical intervention—is the foundation for wellness. They contend that modern disease stems from the Western diet's departure from our evolutionary blueprint, and that returning to a paleo-ketogenic (PK) way of eating—high in fat and fiber, low in carbohydrates, free from grains and dairy—can reverse everything from fatigue and diabetes to dementia and depression.

Dr. Myhill presents the PK diet as more than a temporary regimen; it's a philosophy rooted in biology, anthropology, and practical medicine. She links this modern epidemic of chronic illnesses to metabolic syndrome, a state of constant "autumn mode" where sugar-linked hormones like insulin drive weight gain, fatigue, and inflammatory disease. Her solution is deceptively simple but profound: return to the foods evolution prepared us for—fats, fibers, and proteins eaten seasonally and simply.

The Evolutionary Basis of PK Eating

Humans evolved as flexible omnivores, capable of burning both carbohydrates and fats for fuel. That adaptability allowed early humans to survive feast and famine—but it also created a vulnerability. By living constantly in the carbohydrate-rich abundance of modern life, we’ve trapped ourselves in permanent metabolic winter. Myhill points out that where primitive humans oscillated between carb-rich autumns and fat-burning winters, today’s humans exist eternally in autumn, with insulin elevated and fat burning disabled. The PK diet resets that evolutionary clock by restoring ketosis—our natural fat-burning state.

A Scientific and Emotional Transition

The journey into ketosis can be uncomfortable—Myhill calls this the “metabolic hinterland,” a period of lethargy and fog when your body hasn’t learned to burn fat yet. Most people retreat to old habits when fatigue strikes, seeking quick carb fixes. But those who persist experience transformational effects: higher energy, mental clarity, stable blood sugar, and emotional calm. Myhill and Robinson pepper their advice with humor and human vulnerability—Craig recalls his six-pack-a-day crisp addiction and the Pavlovian response he still has to the sound of a crisp packet. The point? PK success demands discipline but rewards freedom from food addiction.

From Medical Critique to Self-Empowerment

Throughout the book, Myhill rails against modern medicine’s tendency to treat symptoms instead of causes. In her postscript, she calls out the “checklist culture” of Big Pharma and urges patients to become detectives of their own health—using diet, supplements, and direct access to testing as tools for empowerment. Each chapter builds on her central message: understanding how the body fuels itself is the key to ending fatigue and chronic illness. This is not alternative medicine; it is a return to biological sanity.

Why This Matters

Myhill’s PK model bridges disciplines: evolutionary biology, modern nutrition, and ecological medicine. It’s both a survival guide and a spiritual manifesto. In a time of overprocessed food and chronic burnout, The PK Cookbook offers not just recipes but a roadmap—one that promises autonomy, vitality, and resilience. By reconnecting to the primal rhythms that once sustained us, you learn not just how to eat differently, but how to live differently. As the authors repeat throughout: “Let food be thy medicine—and fat thy fuel.”

Dr. Myhill begins her argument with a stark observation: modern Western humans live in a state of constant metabolic distress. We are biologically built for cycles of feast and famine, yet our supermarkets supply a permanent harvest of cheap, addictive carbohydrates that keep insulin levels perpetually high. This produces what she terms metabolic syndrome—a condition that began as a survival advantage but has become a chronic disease.

The Seasonal Body Gone Wrong

In prehistoric winters, humans naturally switched to fat-burning mode when sugary foods disappeared. This alternation between glucose and ketone metabolism preserved health. Now, surrounded by sugar-laden produce, grains, and dairy products, our bodies remain trapped in the high-insulin autumn. The result is energy crashes, fat accumulation, and systemic inflammation—a “permanent autumn” that damages the heart, brain, and immune system. Myhill likens this to running an engine designed for diesel on petrol: it sputters, overheats, and eventually fails.

Escaping the Metabolic Hinterland

Switching fuel sources is challenging. Myhill’s metaphor of the “metabolic hinterland” captures the symptom-heavy transition from sugar dependency to ketosis. Fatigue, brain fog, and cravings dominate—the body can’t efficiently burn sugar or fat. The only way through is abstinence from carbohydrates and patience while hormonal and enzymatic systems recalibrate. Those who persevere discover newfound endurance, stable energy, and freedom from the compulsion to snack. (Note: similar adaptation challenges are described by Dr. Stephen Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek in The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living.)

The Addictive Spiral

Myhill compares carb addiction to substance abuse. Each “fix”—whether a banana or slice of toast—brings short-term relief followed by insulin spikes that shut down fat burning and demand another fix. Modern diets, with their constant grazing and processed sugar, create biochemical dependency. And because this addiction is socially accepted, it’s more pervasive—and more destructive—than drugs or alcohol.

Breaking free requires both education and willpower. As Oscar Wilde quipped, “I can resist anything except temptation”—a quote Myhill cites to remind readers that awareness alone isn’t enough. The PK Diet’s strength lies in flipping the fuel hierarchy so your physiology reinforces your choices: stable fat metabolism removes cravings altogether.

The book’s postscript is a manifesto against the modern medical system. Myhill contends that Western medicine has abandoned diagnosis in favor of rapid prescription—offering drugs that suppress symptoms but rarely address root causes. This dependency on pharmaceuticals, she argues, feeds both profits and pathology: as conditions worsen, new medications multiply.

The Systemic Failures of Modern Medicine

Doctors, Myhill claims, have become “puppets of Big Pharma.” With appointment times under ten minutes, their goal is throughput, not understanding. Illness becomes compartmentalized—as a checklist of symptoms—while patients lose autonomy. The result is an overwhelmed system treating millions of chronic, preventable diseases with expensive drugs.

Reclaiming Medical Autonomy

Myhill proposes a three-step framework for patient emancipation:

• Knowledge – Understanding the nutritional, biochemical, and environmental roots of disease. Her other books (Sustainable Medicine, Prevent and Cure Diabetes, etc.) provide the “why” behind PK dietary therapy.
• Direct Testing – Accessing private labs for blood, stool, and urine analysis without gatekeeping by physicians. These empower patients to diagnose causes, not just symptoms.
• Access to Knowledgeable Practitioners – Her Natural Health Worldwide (NHW) network connects patients directly with ecological doctors and experienced peers for individualized guidance.

Together, these pillars reestablish control over health. Myhill’s underlying belief is that motivated patients know their bodies better than rushed clinicians. By enabling patients to combine information, testing, and expert dialogue, she foresees a future where chronic illness can be reversed by insight, not medication.

Perhaps the most practical chapter in The PK Cookbook is Myhill’s recipe for PK bread. Though it may seem trivial, it addresses what she calls “food bereavement”—the emotional loss of comfort staples when adopting low-carb diets. Bread, for many, symbolizes home and habit. Without it, adherence collapses. Her solution is a simple linseed loaf that rescues both digestion and morale.

Linseed: The Miracle of Fiber

This bread consists only of linseed (flaxseed), salt, and water. Linseed’s high fiber content feeds gut microbes to produce short-chain fatty acids—excellent for bowel health and cancer prevention. Its low net carbohydrate enables ketosis while easing constipation common in early PK diets. Myhill treats bread-making almost like alchemy: the transformation of seeds into sustenance parallels the transformation of health through discipline.

Taste as Evolutionary Feedback

Humans, she explains, are not born with taste preferences—they are learned through association. Primitive humans favored foods that brought nourishment, and repeated exposure rewired liking. The same applies to modern keto eaters. Persistence reshapes palate and psychology. (This echoes James Clear’s idea in Atomic Habits that identity follows behavior—repeat healthy acts to become the kind of person who enjoys them.)

From Laughter to Longevity

The PK bread anecdote blends science and wit—from hilarious childhood misunderstandings of prayers to the chemistry of fart gases as health indicators. Her humor disarms resistance to lifestyle change: hydrogen and methane indicate healthy fiber fermentation, she jokes, while smelly hydrogen sulfide farts signal poor digestion. Beneath the laughter lies rigorous microbiological insight—gut fermentation reflects disease risk.

By learning to make PK bread, you do more than bake—you reclaim autonomy from industrial diets. Myhill calls it the cornerstone of PK sustainability: a daily practice that makes lifelong health achievable.

In Chapter 13, Myhill restores dignity to a nutrient maligned in modern nutrition—salt. Western health advice brands sodium as the enemy, but Myhill insists that natural mineral salts are essential electrolytes. Her formulation, ‘Sunshine Salt,’ is a mineral-dense blend including calcium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, zinc, and trace elements—plus vitamins D3 and B12—to counter widespread deficiencies induced by industrial agriculture.

The Hidden Mineral Crisis

Post-war farming stripped soil of minerals. Crops fed to animals—and then to humans—now lack micronutrients, forcing dependence on supplements. Myhill cites data showing calcium and magnesium loss of up to 60% in common vegetables since the 1930s. Even organic produce suffers because we fail to recycle human and animal waste back into the land. Sunshine Salt compensates for this ecological imbalance.

Why Athletes—and Everyone—Need Minerals

When we sweat, we lose not just sodium but hundreds of micro-minerals. Myhill warns that athlete sudden deaths can stem from acute magnesium deficiency: while calcium contracts heart muscle, magnesium relaxes it. Without this balance, the heart seizes mid-beat. Her salt blend replenishes these crucial electrolytes safely and naturally.

How to Use Sunshine Salt

The prescription is simple—one rounded teaspoon daily. Add it to food or dissolve in water to create true hydration (she reminds readers that pure water without salts causes mineral washout). This echoes evolutionary biology: blood plasma and sweat are salted seawater. To thrive, humans must recreate that oceanic balance within.

Beyond electrolyte restoration, this mineral wisdom carries philosophical weight. Myhill’s motto—‘In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas’—underscores that purity and balance, not deprivation, sustain health. Salt, she notes, once paid soldiers’ wages; today, it might pay back vitality stolen by processed diets.

Chapter 12 dives into one of humanity’s oldest culinary arts—fermentation. Myhill argues that fermented foods are not just flavorful but medicinal, supporting longevity, digestion, and immunity. From sauerkraut to kefir, these microbial communities demonstrate that health depends on symbiosis with “friendly invaders.”

The Forgotten Immune Training Ground

Fermented foods introduce billions of benign microbes into the gut, effectively training the immune system to distinguish friend from foe. Myhill likens this to army drills—the body meets harmless opponents so it can respond calmly to real aggression. The result is reduced inflammation and improved resilience. Modern sterilized diets deprive the body of this microbial education.

Beyond Probiotics

Unlike store-bought probiotic pills, traditional ferments carry complex ecosystems. Their low carbohydrate content and lactic acid strengthen gut barriers, promote mineral absorption, and suppress pathogenic species. Sauerkraut, with its rich vitamin K2, fortifies bones and arteries. Kefir, the fermented milk alternative she prefers, doubles as a probiotic supplement and meal base—Myhill calls it “a lifetime culture.”

Cultural Lessons

Drawing from South Korean and Japanese traditions of kimchi, miso, and natto, she highlights societies that integrate fermentation into every meal—and enjoy global-leading longevity. Rather than viewing bacteria as threats, they embrace them as allies. The lesson: health thrives not in sterility but in thriving diversity.

Her humorous anecdotes—about horse silage smelling delicious or kefir misadventures—make microbial science accessible. Ultimately, fermented foods symbolize an alliance between humans and nature: a covenant of coexistence that technology has forgotten but biology still remembers.

In her chapter on herbs and spices, Myhill weaves culinary delight into a biological arms race. Drawing on Louis Pasteur’s deathbed confession—‘the pathogen is nothing, the terrain is everything’—she argues that herbs remodel our internal terrain to resist infection and inflammation. Life, she writes, is a perpetual bacterial arms race; herbs are the weapons evolution gave us.

Spices as Antimicrobial Allies

From garlic to turmeric, pepper to rosemary, each herb contains compounds that kill microbes while sparing us. Plants developed these defenses to avoid being eaten; we co-opt their chemistry for health. Garlic, for instance, protects arteries by preventing platelet stickiness. Turmeric’s curcumin soothes the intestines and curbs inflammation. Even humble pepper offers zinc, a crucial mineral for immunity.

The Culinary-Clinical Bridge

Her table of remedies reads like a kitchen pharmacy—rosemary for longevity, horseradish for circulation, ginger for digestion, cinnamon for brain health. These are not folk myths but evidence-backed interventions. Studies she cites show herbs suppress cancer pathways and induce apoptosis in tumors. When combined with the PK diet’s antifungal, anti-inflammatory properties, the result is synergistic protection.

Beyond Taste: The Moral of Spice

For Myhill, flavor itself is medicine. The crunch of salad or the sting of ginger are not trivial pleasures but sensory cues of vitality. Human enjoyment evolved to reward nutritious choices—and herbs heighten both. Her humor and historical references—from Churchill’s wit to Roman recipes—transform scientific guidance into philosophy: eat richly and wisely, for pleasure and self-defense are one.

A core promise of the PK diet is accessibility. Chapter 2 outlines a seven-day meal plan designed for those with severe fatigue or disability. Myhill’s message is compassionate: even if you can’t cook, you can heal. Her “no-prep, no-cook” plan turns tins, yogurts, seeds, and salads into tools of recovery.

The Logic of Simplicity

Many of her patients suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and lack energy for elaborate cooking. She provides ready-to-eat combinations that maintain ketosis—tinned mackerel with avocado, Coyo yogurt with chia seeds, or cold meats with salad dressing. Meals average under 50 grams of carbs daily but over 100 grams of protein: sufficient for repair without triggering insulin spikes.

Psychology of Eating Well

Myhill repeatedly warns not to stick to these simplified menus long-term; boredom leads to relapse. Instead, she encourages gradual expansion—learning PK bread, fermenting foods, or crafting coconut-based creams. The temporary plan builds stability until the body can handle variety again. It’s both physiological and motivational triage: treat overwhelm first, enthusiasm later.

Liberating Practicality

Her pragmatic tone makes the diet human. There’s even space for humor: reminders to avoid chocolate binges or to use “lazy garlic” instead of peeling cloves. It demystifies ketogenic living—no artisanal chef required, just organization and intent. In the PK world, healing starts not with medicine, but with manageable breakfasts and tender self-care.