Blog

The Background Everyone who knows me knows I love kids, perhaps more than grown-ups … or even a night out in Paris.  In fact, I’ve heard time and time again, “Kids are your thing — you should be a pediatrician!” That's what brought me to authors Stacy Toth and Matthew McCarry. Founders of PaleoParents.com, their family-based website reflects the two of them and their lifestyles. These Paleo parents have three young children,  run a business, and are always looking for ways to stay on-budget and still not eat crud. They  make it work in a very busy world, offering tips for eating the healthiest foods without grains, legumes, dairy or refined sugar. I gobbled up their first book, Eat like a Dinosaur, a family-friendly children’s cookbook. My own two kids loved the recipes, so I was totally stoked when I received a copy of their second book, Beyond Bacon. The Premise This book shares great information and recipes about pork. Yep, nose-to-tail pork. Right now you’re thinking: “Pork??? An entire book on pork?” Indeed! First, readers learn a ton about why pork is a healthy addition to the menu. They also learn how to navigate around finding the healthiest cuts and how to save money. In addition, readers discover that local famers and butchers are great resources.  And the best part? More than 100 really awesome recipes (all extremely practical) fill its pages!    What I Love It's a hardbound book. I’m a bit of an old-school book snob and totally dig the cover. The entire book was stunning, actually. The design alone makes it an easy, enjoyable read. I have been a practitioner for 21 years, yet I learned a lot about why buying high-quality pork is super important. The book dispels all the myths about pork —  hook, line and sinker. Readers learn about good Omega 3-fats in high-quality pork. As well, they find out that pork is a great source of vitamin D – who knew? This was a biggie for me (most people I test for vitamin D have a severely low level!). It’s comprehensive and easy to understand. I could give this to a Paleo newbie and he or she would totally get it and love it. Or I could recommend this to Paleo aficionados and they, too, would gain tremendous value. In fact, anyone who’s passionate about a healthy diet without grains, legumes, dairy or refined sugar will get a lot out of this book. It's a jam-packed resource, so you truly get your money’s worth. The recipes  are AMAZING. Check it out … Sweet and Sour Pork, Brownie Sundae and Asian Short Ribs … I had to make them as soon as I cracked the book open! They were right up there with some of my favorite all-time recipes from Eat Like a Dinosaur — Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Pucks and Fools Gold Chicken Nuggets, all some of my kids favorites. Beyond Bacon features more than 100 recipes (and each is rated for difficult level)! Alert: The “Sweet Thangs” section is to die for.   Why You Should Add This Book to Your Collection … in Such a Noisy Paleo-Book World Quite simply,  there’s more then meets the eye when it comes to pork.  This is a book that undoubtedly keeps readers engaged, —  flipping through the gorgeous pages is a true pleasure.  And again, the recipes are very well done. The authors keep kids top of mind when creating healthy, tasty recipes. Score! What Didn't Float My Boat I couldn't lock myself in the kitchen for a week and make every single recipe  …  immediately!  So, reader, meet the humble hog. You may just fall in love.

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!  

Yep ... I'm still up to the same old tricks ... and having a lot of adventures along the way. I arrived in the desert this morning — Palm Springs, CA, to appear on NBC affiliate KMIR. The temperature registered at about 109 degrees, which barely seemed to phase the locals. The mountains on the way in — with the windmills blowing — was like something out of a movie, something you don't see (EVER) on the East Coast. The folks at the station were an absolute delight and one of the crew just lost 140 pounds in the past 12 months following the Paleo lifestyle! So what was supposed to be a 3-minute segment turned into not one, but two 5-minute segments! I left a trail of coconut aminos and Paleo bread crumbs, and lots of people thinking ... I've got to try this Paleo thing! It was a great day.

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.

What exactly is GRIT? I know it sounds like the stuff that ends up between your bathroom tiles - all icky and stuff. Nope, not the grit I'm talking about. When you think of Grit, think of someone like Jack Canfield who was told by 144 publishers to "hit the road Jack" before finally landing a publisher that said "yes" to his manuscript called Chicken Soup for the Soul. What did his grit investment get him? Well, he and his co-author Mark Victor Hansen became best selling authors selling over 115 million books worldwide. How about Sylvester Stallone? He was completely broke, living in his car, but somehow found it within himself to not only sell his screenplay for the movie Rocky, but got even "grittier" (something you should know about me... I love to make up words) and scored the leading role in the film as a complete unknown. The Grit factor even pays off in character roles. If you caught the Hunger Games, you were probably perched at your seat completely compelled by the main character Katniss Everdeen, who's grit is the basis behind the entire gripping storyline. Where does grit come from? Were these people given a special gift? Nope. Were they taught grit? Nope. Do they know something other people don't know? Well, maybe. Grit comes from your WHY. Your why is what drives you to plow forward. It's your purpose. It's a goal or a mission that you want to fulfill so deeply - your physiology won't let you stop plowing ahead, even when turbulence hits because as sure as I'm standing, it will. Grit is the byproduct of your mission. When something is so meaningful, so important, you sink your teeth in like nobody's business. It's when you want something so badly that it doesn't matter what life throws at you. The wheels can come off the wagon, and you just keep going. Why am I mentioning this stuff? Well, because your health, your effervescent, and your energy levels are directly proportional to how much you are living your purpose. This is a HUGE factor when assessing your health outcomes. It's like this: Your WHY + Your GRIT= Your Overall Success in Life No doubt, there are days I feel like saying screw my purpose, screw git. I'm going back to bed - with a damn bag of Twizzlers, and what's it to you anyway? But before long, that internal drive takes over. That purpose that flows through my veins and I get back up - battle wounds and all. So it may seem like an oversimplification to just ask the question: What's my WHY? But when you take the time to discover this, there's no going back. Life may not get easier, but I can promise you will feel a greater sense of "inner brilliance." Thanks for stopping by! Live bold, think big – and find your power!

Cheers! Welcome to my first blog post on drkellyann.com. This website is dedicated to helping you launch your crazy awesome life! I’m so glad you’re here! Here’s what’s on my mind: Putting yourself out there is, well…. no joke. It’s risky, a lotta work, and downright scary as all. So an intelligent person may ask, why do you even bother? I learned something very early in practice - I’m in the solutions business. People came to me wanting solutions and strategies to create a better life. Finding those solutions became my complete focus. I began to dig deeper than I knew I could, and ended up spending ½ my life doing so. I was on a scavenger hunt looking for answers, and travelled literally around the world to find them. It was my passion, my obsession and definitely my personal journey. These are the questions that clunked around in my brain: How do we get well, stay well and look damn good doing it? How do we fight aging and live longer, stronger and disease free? After years of studying the habits of different cultures, learning from the créme de le créme docs, and spending time working with many patients, I found answers. Ridiculously simple solutions to many of the outrageous (and totally preventable) problems that cause so much suffering today. If you have a message that may inspire someone to create a better life, you gotta go for it. To me, it’s a moral obligation - and that’s why I bother. I have an obligation to help you develop the habits to get well, stay well and look amazing - because I know, it’s your birthright. With a couple of strategies, you can finally clear out all of the confusion and make your life simple… and with simplicity, you get results. So, I may be shakin’ in my shoes starting this new adventure, but it’s not about me being comfortable. The message I have is bigger than that. It’s about helping you to move towards a better life. Every week I’ll give you your daily dose news, tips or inspiration to help you decide, commit, and Get. It. Done! I know that you get a lot of junk in your in-box every day. I don’t like it when marketers email me everyday. I promise I will never do that. I respect your time and your privacy. Thank you for reading – and please – email me anytime to let me know how I can help you. Live bold, think big - and find your power! Dr Kellyann