Primal Body, Primal Mind

Combining your body’s Paleolithic needs with modern nutritional and medical research for complete mind-body wellness

• Provides sustainable diet strategies to curb sugar cravings, promote fat burning and weight loss, reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep and moods, increase energy and immunity, and enhance memory and brain function

• Shows how our modern diet leads to weight gain and “diseases of civilization”--such as cancer, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and ADD

• Explains how diet affects the brain, hormone balance, and the aging process and the crucial role of vitamin D in cancer and disease prevention

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.

“"With this book, she [Nora Gedgaudas] moves the diet discussion into the world of evolutionary science."”

“Primal Body, Primal Mind is the best nutritional book I have ever read. It covers everything. I have already bought 3 copies to give to worthy friends. A gold mine of great information.” Louise L. Hay, Hay House Publishing
“Nora Gedgaudas is a warrior fighting for our collective health. For 2.6 million years humans knew what to eat: animal fat and protein. On that diet, we grew tall, strong, and disease-free. That primal pattern is still there, laid down like a labyrinth circling out of our DNA, and Nora is ready to guide us. This book is fabulous.” Lierre Keith, author of The Vegetarian Myth
“These days, hormones are a hot topic. In Primal Body, Primal Mind, Gedgaudas focuses on those hormones that are commonly imbalanced and problematic to the American population, contributing to symptoms such as weight gain, low energy, poor mood, and even premature aging. In clear and simple terms Nora describes the root of these problems and outlines solutions that are effective and easy to apply. This is the book you want to read.” Janet R. Lang, D.C., author, educator, and founder of Restorative Endocrinology
“Nora Gedgaudas lights a path toward dietary discretion and natural health that obliterates much of the standard dietary doctrine along the way. Larger truths have a tendency to be simple. It is so here as well.” Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D., coauthor of ADD: The 20 Hour Solution and chief scientist at the EEG Instit
“It’s a health plan so easy even an unga bunga caveman can do it! Gedgaudas uses humor, science-based facts, and common sense to debunk many of the myths we have been told about weight and health control in the 21st century. In the world of healthy high-fat, low-carb nutrition research and education, this is yet another book to complement your healthy lifestyle change.” Jimmy Moore, author of Livin’ la Vida Low Carb
“One of the best books I have read dealing with nutrition and lifestyle for optimal health.” David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, ABIHM, author of, The Better Brain Book and Power Up Your Brain: The Neu
“Every so often, you encounter a gem among the dross competing for your attention. Such is the case with Primal Body, Primal Mind, written by Nora Gedgaudas.” Mark Steinberg, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist and Clinical Neuropsychologist
“In my opinion, Primal Body, Primal Mind is the best book so far ever done on the Paleolithic diet. Despite the rich and detailed amount of science included in Nora Gedgaudas’s excellent book, even Britney Spears could understand it.” Charles Poliquin, Poliquin Strength Institute, Olympic and World Champion Strength Coach
“Nora Gedgaudas has loaded Primal Body, Primal Mind with the information and resources essential for anyone who hopes to survive the 21st century in mental and physical health.” Julia Ross, author of The Diet Cure and The Mood Cure and executive director of the Recovery Systems
“When you read Nora’s work, rest assured you are not reading a regurgitated version of whatever is in fashion, but instead the careful harvest of decades of careful research, application and observation .” Elaine Fawcett, MJ., NT., Health Journalist and Nutritional Therapist
“. . . Primal Body, Primal Mind reveals how the coming of agriculture resulted in a marked decline in stature, bone density, dental health, with a corresponding rise in birth defects, malnutrition, and disease directly related to an agriculturally-based life style. . . Primal Body Primal Mind is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Health & Nutrition instructional reference collections.” Midwest Book Review, August 2011
“If you are serious about changing your eating habits to a healthier regimen, you should consider reading Primal Body, Primal Mind. Following Gedgaudas’ suggestions will not only give you a healthier body but also a clearer and more functional mind.” ReaderViews, August 2011
“. . . it is splendid and solid . . .” LewRockwell.com, August 2011
“In addition to addressing large health issues with clarity and precision, Gedgaudas provides step-by-step guidelines and meal recommendations, giving her work even more utility, while tossing in moments of humor for good measure.” ForeWord Magazine, September 2011
“This book provides a range of new information. It is an excellent resource for those of us who believe in the importance of grass fed animal fats as a crucial source of Omega-3.” Bruce Ward, Holistic Results, November 2011
“If you want to really know about how your brain and body work, read this book!” Thom Hartmann, author of The Edison Gene: ADHD and the Gift of the Hunter Child
“This is one of the best health information books I have read in a long time.” Annette Epifano, New Connexion, November 2011
“A fascinating read that not only motivates you to change your diet but also provides the practical tools to do so.” Merikah Robertson, Common Ground
“Primal Body, Primal Mind is so much more than just another “what to eat” book – it explains in everyday terms why eating like our Paleolithic ancestors works. With ample research to back up her claims, certified nutritional therapist Nora Gedgaudas reveals what we are and are not genetically programmed to eat.” Healthy Referral, July 2012
“I consider Nora’s work to be the definitive statement on the nutritional needs of the brain. It is required reading for all of my patients and for anyone with an interest in maintaining their own vitality throughout their life.” Glen Zielinski, D.C., D.A.C.N.B., assistant professor of clinical neurology at Carrick Institute for
“Nora explores where our dietary requirements originated and how they affect our mood and vulnerability to diseases and explains the complex issues of nutrient assimilation, digestion gluten sensitivity, and celiac disease. Find out if you’re a fat burner or a sugar burner, learn the bad news about gluten, soy, milk proteins, and the nutritional bases for depression, ADHD, and other common disorders. This book is so much more than another ‘what to eat’ book.” Julie Holland, M.D., author of The Pot Book and Weekends at Bellevue

Nora T. Gedgaudas, CNS, CNT, is a certified nutritional therapist and neurofeedback specialist with a private practice. A member of the Nutritional Therapy Association, the National Association of Nutritional Professionals, the Nutrition and Metabolism Society, and the Weston A. Price Foundation, she lives in Portland, Oregon.

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