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Before you stick your fork in this whole Paleo thing, consider this: The Paleo diet isn’t about a spear, a campfire and a hunk of meat. Paleo has always been about balance, simplicity and attention to food quality. Reworked Atkins … Not! It stupefies me when people ask me if Paleo is a “reworked Atkins” diet, to which I reply, “You will not find one Paleo blogger or track one Paleo recipe in any of the books out there that give a nod to artificial sweeteners (Splenda is okay on Atkins!), allow low-quality processed oils (such as Canola — a green light on Atkins!), or are okay with grains added in at any point in the progression (Atkins does this in the later stages — even though in small amounts). Yet I can’t negate that the original Atkins diet helped a lot of people. I’ve seen it in my practice — it’s no doubt a reality. But here’s the thing to dial into:  If you want to lose weight, boost immunity, fight aging or heal your health issues, there is one way — and only one way — to get there and stay there. Go Paleo! Get the toxins out of your cells, and get the nutrients in. Period. You will look young, alive and sparkling. Many of the Atkins participants were undoubtedly better than when they started on the Atkins plan —  some considerably. But I didn't see the same radiance with them that I do with those following a Paleo diet. It seems to be such a common stamp with Paleo people — that “primal sparkle,” the one that happens when your cells are bathed in nutrition. Although I give Atkins a fair-and-square nod for all the people the program has helped, I go wonky when I consider those Atkins bars, which are a toxic sludge fest not worthy of a landfill. So let me be clear, I respect the diet for all of the people the original Atkins program has helped, but  then … some things got in the way of a good thing The Paleo Template When you go Paleo, it’s important that you fill your plate with vegetables — that’s what the Paleo template is all about. Ideally, your plate should always feature two different vegetables in different color groups (red pepper, green broccoli, sort of thing). This will allow your cells to keep the nutrients in, while kicking the toxins out. Beyond vegetables, protein and healthy fats will keep Paleo followers well fueled and help the structures and functions of your body to work well. The trick? A balanced plate! Your Paleo Style Begins with Paleo Play From the Paleo template (lean meats, veggies, healthy fats, small amounts of fruits, nuts and seeds) you decide your Paleo style. You’ll need to test how many carbohydrates your body can handle, as this depends on many factors (current energy, stress and activity levels, to name a few). I call this “Paleo play.” See how it all plays out, day and after day, and make changes as needed, if you’re not seeing the results you want.  The bottom line? Keep the meat — but don’t forget the veggies! And if you’re feeling like you need a little more filler with your meal, add Paleo-approved starchy vegetables, such as sweet potatoes or spaghetti squash. The idea with protein consumption is to get as much as your body needs- and no more. This is usually about a gram of protein per pound of lean tissue. Maybe more if you're active.

When you add healthy, good ol', back-to-nature fats into your diet, you actually lose weight!  I know … crazy, right? Every time I am featured on the news, I talk about healthy fats, because fats matter a lot.  Pop Quiz! Which oil is best for sautéing vegetables? A) Safflower B) Coconut  C) Olive  Answer: B, coconut oil  “A” is out because safflower is a cheap, poor-quality, industrial oil that is likely rancid by the time you grab it from the grocery-store shelf.  "C” is out because as much as I love olive oil, it’s really more of a drizzle-oil — heat breaks down olive oil fast and, thus, it goes rancid. Coconut oil wins because it has about every healing property possible in one product. Plus, you can heat the sucker up and it won't go rancid. Bottom line: Rancid fats make you rancid — a concept that’s pretty easy to digest, yes? The wrong types of fats or fats not used properly cause inflammation throughout the body, and inflammation is the pre-curser to just about every modern-day disease, including heart disease. Here’s more about fats: Paleo-approved fats include: Coconut fats Olives Avocadoes Animal fats Nuts, seeds, nut and seed oils, and nut and seed butters Cooking at high heat can damage some oils, causing oxidation that makes otherwise-healthy oils likely to cause inflammation. Avoid cooking with extra-virgin olive oil and nut oils; instead, use these types of oils to toss on salads or drizzle over cooked food. For high-heat cooking — on the stovetop or grill or in the oven — always use saturated fats from animals or coconut-sourced fats. High-heat oils: Coconut and palm, ghee (clarified butter) and animal fats Low-heat oils: Macadamia nut and avocado No-heat oils (cold-use only): Olive and walnut The following oils are so bad, they should be dead to you: Canola (rapeseed) Cottonseed Grapeseed Margarine Partially hydrogenated vegetable Rice bran Safflower Soybean Sunflower Vegetable and shortening

You cleared out your cupboards. You stocked your kitchen with healthy Paleo foods. Now its time to go Paleo-plus, as in stocking up on primal super foods that will undoubtedly help you get you from where you are now to where you want to be. Primal super foods work overtime in the multitasking department — they heal the gut, decrease inflammation and flood your cells with   nutrients that are more often needed over any others. In fact, super foods help you heal at the deepest of possible levels, from the inside out. This helps to boost your immunity and your energy levels. As well, super foods help you perform at your very best.   Push away that toaster, rice maker and deep fryer and get ready for some good old-fashioned super foods that will move your performance needle far.  1. Unrefined coconut oil Unrefined coconut oil is a favorite oil with which to cook. It can be used for high-heat cooking (and the oil won’t get rancid, which is often a big problem with other oils). Even if you start out cooking with healthy oil (such as olive or macadamia oils), the high heat can oxidize the oil (which means the oil becomes damaged or rancid) and you end up with unhealthy oil. When you use unhealthy oils, you create inflammation in the body, which is the backstory behind many modern-day diseases, including heart disease.  Coconut oil also is a good replacement for butter, because it’s solid at room temperature, and provides a creamy, delicious taste. With its anti-bacterial, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties, it’s a sure bet you’ll boost your immunity for better performance using coconut oil.  2. Sweet potatoes I would wager just about all of my “chips,” if betting on sweet potatoes as the food that leads in athlete recovery. These great vegetables give your body the energy you need to refuel and recover. They’re superior to white potatoes because they contain more beta-carotene (that's why they have that beautiful orange glow) and contain no anti-nutrients, unlike white-potato skin. Anti-nutrients, incidentally, can cause gut disturbances and nutrient-depletion … who wants that? Dice them, sauté them or mash them with a little cinnamon and nutmeg, and you’re all set!  3. Grass-fed meats It’s critical for the success of a Paleo athlete to get the right nutrients in his or her body for a beneficial workout, and to re-fuel well for recovery. This is where grass-fed meats really pay off, as they are more nutritious then conventionally raised meats. Grass-fed beef, bison, lamb and goats have less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and calories than most other meats. Grass-fed beef also has more vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and a number of health-promoting fats, including omega-3 fatty acids and “conjugated linoleic acid” or CLA. CLA may be one of our most potent defenses against cancer. In fact, in a Finnish study, women who had the highest levels of CLA in their diet had a 60 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels. Switching from grain-fed to grass-fed meat products places women in this lowest risk category. Researcher Tilak Dhiman from Utah State University estimates that you may be able to lower your risk of cancer simply by eating one serving of grass-fed meat each day. You would have to eat five times that amount of grain-fed to get the same level of protection.  Tasty Tip: The fat in grass-fed beef is so healthy that you can actually eat it — no need to trim the excess fat! 4. Eggs Protein plays a big part in the Paleo athlete’s life. Whether you need to pre-fuel with protein and fat, or you need to recover with protein and dense carbohydrates, eggs are your go-to source. They’re a quick protein source that you can have at the ready whenever you need them.  Eggs are filled with vitamins and minerals, including choline and biotin. These two minerals are pretty important because the biotin turns what you eat into energy, while choline moves cholesterol through your bloodstream. Tasty Tip: Don't put the brakes on eating eggs because you fear their cholesterol. Almost everyone produces less cholesterol in their bodies based on how much they consume in food. Studies show that dietary cholesterol doesn't have much affect on blood cholesterol.  5. Homemade bone broths Bone broths provide ridiculously awesome deep healing. These broths are flavorful liquids made from boiling animal bones for an extended period of time, often with vegetables or herbs, and then straining out the solids. The resulting broth is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids, which make you perform at your best. Bone broth is a powerful healer that reduces inflammation, heals infection, boosts immunity, stimulates bone health, heals the gut and even has a calming effect. For a great bone broth recipe, check out Chapter 18 in the Paleo Cookbook for Dummies. Tasty Tip: Bone broths heal the digestive system, which helps your immune system strengthen and enhances hair, skin and nail health. In addition, joint pain disappears and your body naturally de-toxes. You can even give some of this liquid gold to your pets — they’ll grow the healthiest coat you can imagine.  6. Organ meats You may be asking why anyone would want to chow down on organ meats. But because these meats are so nutritional, it’s totally worth becoming familiar with them. Athletes are always looking for the best sources of protein, and organ meat is definitely one of them. Kidney, liver and heart all have a high concentration of fat-soluble vitamins, and they’re one of the best sources of Vitamin D. That Vitamin D boost should be a huge motivator, since many people have severe Vitamin D depletion. Organ meats also have essential fatty acids, which are great for the brain and that membrane that lines your cell walls. The most important thing to know about shopping for organ meats? Quality matters. It’s essential you get the finest quality available because not only is deep nutrition found in organs, toxins are stored here as well.  To avoid this, purchase organic, free range which will have considerably lower levels of toxins.  Tasty Tip: For more information on healthy organ meats, go to www.grasslandbeef.com/storefront.bok. 7. Fermented foods Since the gut has a lot to do with overall health and performance, fermented vegetables (or perhaps dairy, if tolerated) can be a great part of your food choices. Fermentation uses beneficial bacteria that are great for gut health. Try kimchi or sauerkraut, or ferment some beets or carrots for fermented vegetable choices. If you are one of the few that can tolerate dairy, then fermented dairy is an option as well. Just be sure and choose raw, fermented, full-fat dairy such as cultured butter, yogurt, kefir, and cheese — you’re getting a healthy fat, a fermented food, and conjugated linoleic acid, which possesses tremendous healing effects. 8. Full-fat coconut milk Paleo athletes love full-fat coconut milk. It’s high in saturated fatty acids and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which are both easily burned as fuel by the body. Coconut milk also is a wonderful substitute for heavy cream or yogurt. Buying full-fat is important because the lighter versions are simply the full-fat version, watered down.  Tasty Tip: Always check the labels. Avoid brands with sulfites or added sugar. 9. Berries There’s no arguing … berries taste great and are perfect for adding to a post-workout meal. Low in fructose (you definitely want to keep fructose on the low side to avoid blood-sugar spikes), berries rank high in antioxidants and nutrition. If you can’t get them fresh, frozen berries are a great substitute. In fact, one should always have a spare bag of frozen, unsweetened berries in the freezer. Tasty Tip: For a super luscious way to eat berries, drizzle full-fat coconut milk over them. You’ll feel like your indulging in a sweet. The good news: Berries aren’t overkill, so they don’t create sugar cravings. 10. Meat jerky Athletes often want to refuel with a snack immediately following their work-outs. Paleo snacking is different than the boxed and packaged snacks of modern day. With a little imagination and willingness to try new things, you will find great post work-out options, such as meat jerky. The trick is to find a healthy source that doesn't include added sugars or processed ingredients. Making your own jerky is a good idea if you want to avoid lots of added salt or processing — there are many recipes online. Besides being tasty, jerky is convenient, high in protein and easy to take just about anywhere. Tasty Tip: When purchasing jerky, read labels carefully. Avoid nitrates, MSG, soy, gluten or added sugar. Jerky should be free-range with no antibiotics or added hormones. One of our favorite brands is Steve’s Paleo Goods.

How do you turn one 3.5-minute segment into two 5-minute segments? You come armed with results! When I arrived at the station, no doubt everyone there was eager to hear more about this "Paleo" thing. Truth be told, it was not really me that delivered — it was Frankie (shown at left). Frankie, who works in the control room at NBC affliate KMIR in Palm Springs, dropped 140 pounds in the past year by living Paleo. Frankie's on-air appearance included a lot of gushing about not only losing weight but sleeping better than ever, having better skin, waking up energized and just "feeling like something really changed." The thing is, I KNOW what changed ... like so many that start the Paleo diet to lose some LBs, they find other incredible changes happening. Things start to shift and they not only become fat-burning machines, they actually feel better than they every have. After almost 20 years of helping patients look and feel their best, I am more confident than ever in the Paleo template. When your cells are healthy, you glow, pure and simple, and that's all there is to it. If you don't believe me, ask Frankie!  

All Work and No Play Makes This Author a Dull — but Smarter! — Girl   ... You may think I’ve been pretty quiet lately, and that I flat-out disappeared. That’s not quite the case … I’m on a mission for you and your health. These past several weeks have been full-speed-ahead on a variety of projects. I love what I do and have taken on super-human workloads to the tune of about 15 hours per day for … well, a long time. I’m not complaining — not one bit. I’ve lived with my high-energy self for a good while. I’m intense and focused, which are traits not embraced by everyone. Speaking of focus, my vision is super-clear and if anything crosses my path that is not congruent with my vision, it’s an immediate "no.” I love living that way and I suggest you give that philosophy a try. It makes work and lifestyle choices a lot easier! I’ve channeled my recent research and findings into several outlets this past year. In a nutshell (a Paleo-approved nut, of course), I’ve been busy with:   - Living Paleo for Dummies (2012, Wiley). I co-authored this book with celebrity Paleo chef Melissa Joulwan. It’s been selling like crazy and is becoming one of those classic "must-have" reference books. I’m really proud of the book and blown away by the unbelievable sales, which tells me people care about health in a big, big way. Amazon gave it a great review by such Paleo pros as Melissa Hartwig of Whole9, the Paleo Parents, Nom-Nom Paleo; Paleo fitness guru Pat Flynn of The Chronicles of Strength; and the absolutely lovely and popular Paleo chef Arsy of Rubies and Radishes.   - Boosting Your Immunity for Dummies (2013, Wiley). I worked with Dr. Wendy Warner, M.D. on this enlightening book. She’s a brilliant holistic doc who was coined by Dr. Oz as the doctor with whom he trusts his family! A great all-around health and wellness book, it shares solutions for combating everything from the common cold to autoimmune diseases and even cancer — all naturally. Boosting also dives deeply into food and Paleo nutrition.  Also outstanding: the recipes, courtesy of celeb Paleo chef Melissa Joulwan of theclothesmakethegirl.com and Primal guru Mark Sisson of marksdailyapple.com. We garnered a 4 ½-star rating from Amazon, and are receiving great feedback from some of the best doctors in the United States!     - Paleo Cookbook for Dummies (August 2013, Wiley). Remember The Joy of Cooking? Well this 360-page wonder is truly “The Joy of Paleo.” No kidding. Go ahead and think of one possible cooking/recipe/Paleo-transitioning question and you’ll find the answer in this book, the quintessential solutions guide for Paleo-passionate cooks. As the author, I invited nine Paleo greats to contribute to this treasure, and 75 percent of the recipes are whole30(™)-approved. You can pre-order on Amazon, as it’s not slated to be out until mid- to late-summer.     - Paleo Fitness for Dummies (December 2013, Wiley). Working with fitness guru Pat Flynn of thechroniclesofstrength.com, we’ve created a book of veritable blue-ocean stuff. There is NOTHING like it in the marketplace. I was the luckiest girl in the world to have met the smart, talented (and very funny) Flynn at a Mastermind gathering in Philadelphia, where we became instant friends and made this book happen. If you want the absolute cutting-edge ON FIRE fitness info., this book is for you. Our goal was to help readers burn fat and get them insanely lean and strong … in just minutes a day. - Just Signed a “Sa-weeet!” Contract on Another Book. I promise that it will be awesome, and that's all I’m saying about that for now! Check back in a few days and you’ll get the update on my latest home-delivery ventures.