Primal Body, Primal Mind

Examining the healthy lives of our pre-agricultural Paleolithic ancestors and the marked decline in stature, bone density, and dental health and the increase in birth defects, malnutrition, and disease following the implementation of the agricultural lifestyle, Nora Gedgaudas shows how our modern grain- and carbohydrate-heavy low-fat diets are a far cry from the high-fat, moderate-protein hunter-gatherer diets we are genetically programmed for, leading not only to lifelong weight gain but also to cravings, mood disorders, cognitive problems, and “diseases of civilization”--such as cancer, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance), heart disease, and mental illness. Applying modern discoveries to the basic hunter-gatherer diet, she culls from vast research in evolutionary physiology, biochemistry, metabolism, nutrition, and chronic and degenerative disease to unveil a holistic lifestyle for true mind-body health and longevity. Revealing the primal origins and physiological basis for a high-fat, moderate-protein, starch-free diet and the importance of adequate omega-3 intake--critical to our brain and nervous system but sorely lacking in most people’s diets--she explains the nutritional problems of grains, gluten, soy, dairy, and starchy vegetables; which natural fats promote health and which (such as canola oil) harm it; the crucial role of vitamin D in cancer and disease prevention; the importance of saturated fat and cholesterol; and how diet affects mental health, memory, cognitive function, hormonal balance, and cellular aging. With step-by-step guidelines, recipes, and meal recommendations, this book offers sustainable strategies for a primally based, yet modern approach to diet and exercise to reduce stress and anxiety, lose weight, improve sleep and mood, increase energy and immunity, enhance brain function, save money on groceries, and live longer and happier.

Nora T. Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT, is board-certified in Holistic Nutrition through the National Association of Nutritional Professionals (NANP) and is recognized by the Nutritional Therapy Association as a certified nutritional therapist (CNT). Also a board-certified clinical neurofeedback specialist (CNT) and a member of the Nutrition and Metabolism Society and the Weston A. Price Foundation, she maintains a private practice and lives in Grangeville, Idaho.

Illustration Permissions Foreword by Mark Steinberg, Ph.D. Foreword by Brent Pottenger Preface Introduction Part One Primal Body 1 A Look at Where Our Dietary Requirements Originated 2 So, What’s for Dinner? 3 Grains: Are They Really a Health Food? 4 So What about Soy? 5 Digestion and Nutrient Assimilation: A North-to-South Journey 6 Your Gut and the Immune Connection 7 Dietary Fats: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 8 Dispelling the Cholesterol Myth 9 Vitamin D: What All da Buzz Is About 10 Making the Omega-3 Fatty Acids Connection 11 The Tyranny of Trans Fats 12 So, How Much Natural Fat Do I Need, Anyway? 13 Carbohydrate Metabolism 14 Leptin: The Lord and Master of Your Hormonal Kingdom 15 Weight Management 101 and the Path to Type 2 Diabetes 16 Taming the Carb-craving Monster 17 High Fructose Corn Syrup: A Sticky Wicket Best Avoided 18 What about Fiber as an Essential Carbohydrate? 19 Adrenal Exhaustion: A Uniquely Modern Epidemic 20 A Word about Water 21 Understanding the Role of Protein 22 Our Primordial Past: Understanding Mother Nature’s Plan and Where We Fit In 23 Using Insulin and Leptin to Our Advantage Part Two Primal Mind 24 Feeding Your Brain: Why It Matters 25 How Important Is Fat to the Brain? 26 Where Does ADD/ADHD Fit In to All of This? 27 Relief from Anxiety and Depression in Our Uncertain World 28 What about Food Allergies and Sensitivities? 29 The Impact of Modern Dietary and Environmental Stress on the Brain Part Three Paradise Lost 30 Surviving in a Modern World 31 What Generation of Pottenger’s Cat Are You? Appendix A Where to Start? Appendix B Sample Menus Appendix C Protein Content in Foods Appendix D An Abbreviated Guide to Supplementation Appendix E The Weston A. Price Foundation Appendix F Pyroluria Appendix G Paleo/Traditional Diet Resources and Related Websites Appendix H Recommended Reading References About the Author Index