Have you read my book Primal Body, Primal Mind?
Have you followed my diet and lifestyle recommendations in the book or blog?
Have you lost weight?
Does your brain function better?
What are your experiences?
I would love to hear your stories of your journey to health and wellness!
Please sign your testimonial with your name (or initials) and your geographic location.
Thanks in advance! ~ Nora
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Primal Body, Primal Mind has given me a foundational understanding of what the human body needs, after a lifetime of cluelessness. This is very empowering. Since following the diet laid out in the book, I’ve lost 10 lbs. of fat I didn’t know I had, have tons of energy, and I never feel “SOOO hungry” like I routinely used to between meals. I can feel the stability of fat burning in my body. The only bad thing is that it’s very hard to watch everyone around me eating carbs and sugar all the time. This is not bad because I’m jealous, it’s bad because I can’t help but tell people about what I’ve learned, and often they don’t want to hear it! But I just need to work on my pitch… Anyway, I can’t say enough good things about this book. My body is sooo much happier. Thanks Nora.
I’ve lost 20 pounds since the end of December, my friends have noticed I have renewed color and have been shrinking. 🙂
My father lost his father to congestive heart failure…he was a smoker and ate the SAD. Since adopting the teachings in PB-PM, my father is at his high school weight now, is wearing the first pair of bell bottoms he ever bought, and is 58 years old. He is no longer tired after work at lunch, no longer takes naps after work (he had to every day!) and has seen cancerous growths disappear from his forehead. I know you lost your father to it, but because of your work I won’t have to lose mine.
I’ll start with where I am now—I’m 23 years old, and 15 of those years I’ve spent as a type 1 diabetic. I am completely dependent on insulin injections, since I no longer make any insulin of my own. I use a combination of Lantus and Humulin R insulins (and Humalog very sparingly), which I inject 6-8 times per day to keep my blood sugar controlled. If I am cautious, I can normally keep my blood sugar between 70 to 85mg/dL all day. I use less than 20 total units of insulin per day. I have yet to meet another completely insulin-dependent person who uses less than 35 units of insulin analogs per day, and I know there are people that must use hundreds. My glycosolated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is at 5.5 and dropping. I have been following a low carb diet for five years, and a completely primal diet (80% fat, 20% protein) for several months. I have absolutely no sign of any diabetic complications, and I am happier, healthier, and stronger than most of my non-diabetic friends (and way more energetic, people are so tired all the time!).
Things Have Never Been Better
Completely adopting the Primal Body—Primal Mind diet and teachings, with no cheating and no exceptions, has truly changed everything for me. I feel like I have complete control over my life, in a way that I have never experienced before. It took 15 long years of doubt, criticism, small revelations, and gradual acceptance to come to the point that, when I finally read your book, I knew that it was exactly what I had been searching for. I haven’t told anyone else this, but I actually cried partway through reading it for the first time. I’ve been a student of biochemistry and engineering for a long time, and every single word rang true. All the things I’d been trying to explain to people for so long were there, in perfect detail, as well as many things I’d never even considered.
I used to use excuses to eat grains and fruits and sugar, just ‘occasionally.’ Now that I am completely adapted and completely informed, I feel absolutely nothing when I see the sweets and treats that I used to crave. They are actually repulsive to me now. My cupboard is full of solid fats—palm oil, coconut oil, ghee, and grass-fed tallow. I have a cabinet of spices and herbs, and my fridge is stuffed with pasture butter, grass-fed cheeses and cream, and a bit of cabbage other veggies (all organic). In the freezer, I have grass-fed organs and meats from the healthiest cows I’ve ever seen, from a local farm. I have to spend a few hours on the weekend preparing enough food for the week, but it’s worth every minute. My roommates, also college students, think I’m insane, but I think they notice how happy and healthy (and not fat, and never sick) I am. I can’t join in their daily conversations about their ailments and sicknesses because I don’t have any—they all disappeared, along with my mild depression and fatigue.
This lifestyle, I think, creates a social gap because people don’t understand, or want to understand, why we live so differently from everyone else. Being diabetic as well just increases the isolation. I am extremely grateful to have had the tremendous love and support of my family through this long journey. My mother, father, (more recently, my little sister) and I all worked together for years, each finding out a little more, making suggestions and sharing personal revelations. Now, we all follow the exact same diet and wonderful way of life, even though I am the only diabetic among them. I feel such safety and security knowing that they will live happy and healthy for many years to come, free of disease and drugs. Without their help and support, I don’t think I would have had the courage to keep moving forward face the criticism and worry of my friends, peers, and doctors for the “heart attack on a plate” I eat for every meal.
You know I was visiting a friend up in Portland just last month and stumbled onto your book, which once I started I couldn’t put down. So many nutritional bread crumb trails that I have been following sort of came together and I had many an “ah-hah – so that’s why!” moment while reading on the train during my commute. I’ve actually purchased a copy for every member of my family – something I’ve NEVER done before. And I’ve been practicing the regimen with amazing results (though I must admit I have a thing for San Francisco sourdough French bread and have indulged a few times – though it’s incredible to feel the almost immediate negative effects–and nice to know what causes them). But my transition has been made so very easy due to the fact that where I live has a phenomenal food co-op with lots of raw dairy products, grass fed meats and organic products in general. And, like Portland , a thriving CSA/Farmer’s Market community. Easy indeed.
I’ve always been slender, exercised, and eaten “right” in the traditional sense of the word, but have endlessly struggled with depression, anxiety, stress, all the usual modern junk and baggage we find in our supposed “advanced” modern Western society and found it has helped immeasurably with all three. –Sort of like finding the real me after peeling away the layers of unhealthy nutritional fog. And – much to my shock – I have also found it helping to alleviate my chronic knee pain, which I suffer from a severed outside ligament. I haven’t been this pain free in 20 years (my entire adult life). That alone has made the endeavor worth while. –Fat lubrication perhaps?
Oh! Also I forgot to mention that between this and the Trans-resveratrol my chronic acne – one of the banes of my childhood and adult existence – has gone. Nada, zip, zilch. Incredible. Dang! If I’d only known!
Good grief – I sound like some goofy infomercial huh?
Thank you for your book!
A.F.
California, USA
2 months into this diet and 8 pounds lighter. I sleep through the night,; no more hip arthritis pain; no more indigestion; better and stronger workouts; steady energy levels; improved mood. I still cheat with dark chocolate and an occasional glass of wine but wheat makes me sick now. I feel sorry for all the people around me that refuse to do this diet but walk around feeling terrible. This really works!
I am a 55 year old female. It began late last summer (although it began way way before that), that I discovered what I had been searching for for many years. Ages ago I read all of Dr. Atkins books and was successful at weight loss but fell off the wagon after about a year. I was not extremely overweight but could easily afford to lose at least 10 lbs or more. I am an avid reader so have indulged in many books including but not limited to The Schwarzbein Principles, Sugarbusters, The End of Overeating, In Defense of Food, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, etc. I ran, I walked, I lifted weights, Yoga, Pilates, I tried not eating anything much, I tried being a vegetarian—all very frustrating. Not only was I overweight, but my knees were absolutely killing me and I generally felt terrible. I had gone through two knee scopes and had scheduled knee replacement for the worst knee last spring. Well, my dad passed away and I cancelled the surgery because I was taking care of mom. I did not take this surgery lightly but I could barely walk and would lay awake at night with my knees throbbing. I decided over the summer to try again the Atkins for weight loss because I knew it worked and I was losing weight. Well with the easy access of the internet now I began searching for other information with regards to a low carb lifestyle when I discovered Primal Body Primal Mind and was intrigued. I read the book and read it again. My daughter (who was a senior in college) had several problems for many years … digestive, sleeping, fatigue, migraines you name it. So I ordered a book and had it mailed directly to her…she was a vegetarian for about two years…so I knew she might object but I just asked her to read it and consider all it said. She’s a smart girl and it all made sense. Needless to say we both lost a good amount of weight (me 35 lbs) and feel great. Not only did I lose weight though, I felt I had lost ten years. And the absolutely best thing is that my knees, while not perfect and still creak and crack have very little to no pain whatsoever. This is a miracle. We are also a fan of “The Primal Blueprint” and I have sent this book and yours to my son. I have read your book so many times the pages might start falling out. The second time I read it I dogeared the “important” pages and highlighted important passages. These I continue to read not only because it reinforces my beliefs and keeps me on track but helps me better understand the physiology of how the body works. The “Anticancer Diet” is another wonderful low carb read. I hope that this movement grows so that we can have a healthier nation with fewer cancers and heart disease. I have considered taking this information to my workplace (I drive a schoolbus) and try to instill this knowledge in my friends who I care about dearly but will have nothing to do with it and yet they continually ask me questions about why I look so great. Why are people so ready to undergo knee replacement surgery before trying something so natural as this. I bang my head against the wall every day…so does my daughter. So many people making unwise choices. When will (whoever it is!) start passing on this information in lieu of the low fat diet and drugs (statins, etc.) Well this is probably way more than you care to receive but I feel like I could go on forever about the benefits. I have weaned myself off the hormone replacement I was on and armour thryoid and feel great. It is wonderful to be prescriptionless and take only a few supplements…a multivitamin, fish oil, vitamin d and I do take vitamins for my eyes because my dad had macular degeneration and was blind when he died. I wish I would have raised my family this way. My youngest son is a teenager and cannot understand a life without frenchfries. I am patient though because I think he will see the benefits and gradually as he grows and learns will convert to this lifestyle. I will never ever live and eat any other way. I love the paleo primal lifestyle and the way it makes me feel. I used to allow myself the indulgence of dark chocolate and wine yet I found the last time I stocked up on my favorite chocolates they have remained in hiding untouched. I still have my liking for pinor noir…it is just such a nice way to relax and unwind after a busy day of work and minding mom. I may write again…so much to say and so few people to say it to. Have a wonderful low carb day!
Dear Dorothy–
I am so very touched by your story—and I sincerely thank you for sharing it here.
~Nora
I am now reading your book, and after being on and off Atkins for about seven years, I found your book, and especially the podcasts, to be just what I needed to make the complete transition. I have lost twenty pounds! Your writing style is very good and i am enjoying your book more than any of the other dozen or more books I have on low carb/ paleo. I feel like I’ve found a kindred spirit. Will be checking this site often.
Well what can I say, I am studying clinical nutrition and have read Primal Body, Primal Mind three times. This book is an absolute excellent book to get you on the right path of eating more like our paleolithic ancestors and to understanding why
I have lost approx 20lbs in about 9 months (with the occassional falling off the wagon) and firmly believe that what Nora talks about in her books is more near the truth of correct eating for most of the world’s population.
I would suggest you read other books about paleolithic eating however I would certainly recommend Primal Body Primal Mind to be one of the first.
To Everyone’s Health and Happiness and you Nora keep up the great work, you are an asset to the world of nutrition.
Dr. Atkins was (still is) my hero for telling the truth about what does and does not cause ill health, (like a David and Goliath story) and IMO the foundation of this truth won’t change. Nora lights it up brighter and clearer. It isn’t very often, rare indeed, that I KNOW I’m reading the plain truth and nothing but. You recognize truth’s simplicity, the gentle way in which it awakens your own common sense, like you already knew this stuff. Nora’s book is right up there fullfilling the truth traits and passing my BS detector with flying colours. Atkins, Dr. Linus Pauling and Nora Gedgaudas. Hope she is spared the insanity label that these gifts to humanity bore.
I am in the midst of reading your book, but I wanted to thank you for your podcasts. I download them and listen to them on my commute. I wanted to thank you for something I learned, that there is such a thing as hydrogenated lard! I have 2 brands in the house and one of them is hydrogenated! Much to my horror…here I was avoiding all the bad fats and switching to butter, lard, olive oil and coconut oil, thinking I was doing well and I was eating trans-fats! Thanks so much! I’m just wondering why there has not been any other podcasts. I’ve listened to most of these and some twice. I’m trying to finish your book as well. It’s very good. I’ve highlighted many paragraphs! As far as success, my lipid panel has improved, especially my Triglycerides. But nothing seems to budge these pounds. I guess feeling better is all worth it. But I was so “good” at a low fat diet for most of my adult life that I think my body just won’t cooperate. Anyways, thanks for all your efforts!
Cathy
Hi Cathy,
Sometimes the inches come off sooner than the pounds. Have you noticed your clothes fitting better in addition to feeling better?
I have been listening to your Podcasts and reading your blogspot, I have ordered your book and am waiting for it to arrive, I started over a month ago by cutting sugar and all starchy carbs from my diet, I must say I do not feel any different, some days I feel worse than ever before, I find this strange as does my doctor, he is now testing me for Thyroid among others things (Full Blood Panel) as he is of the opinion that cutting out these things in the diet shoud show at least some weight loss, but nothing as yet
We were just a few weeks past my partner’s diabetes diagnosis and we were feeling completely hopeless. Prior to the diagnosis, we had both been carb-addicted foodies. The addiction had gotten worse over the past year because, frankly, our doctor told us only to “start watching what you eat” the year before. Jaime’s glucose numbers had been pre-diabetic then and my triglycerides were creeping skyward. Both of us were vitamin D deficient and a little anemic. And literally “start watching what you eat” was our doctor’s only advice. So, we did what we believed was healthy: cut fat; cut red meat; load up on carbs.
Nine months later, my triglycerides were worse than ever (so bad that my doctor called me at 8:00 o’clock at night on a Friday to discuss my numbers out of fear that a stroke was imminent) and Jaime had the official diabetes diagnosis. The first four weeks of post-diagnosis low-carbing were hell.
The “diabetic” sections in the grocery store seemed like wastelands of processed foods and artificial sweeteners. We wondered if we were going to be doomed to a lifetime of fake food and utter blandness. This, we thought, was seriously bad for a couple of foodies. And, around six weeks into this, we found Primal Body, Primal Mind.
In Primal Body, Primal Mind, we found detailed explanations and hard science that went beyond “start watching what you eat.” It was loaded with information and ideas about choosing and preparing food that wasn’t just good for us, but good tasting as well. Suddenly, things were making sense. Even more importantly, it shed light on a low carbohydrate diet from a fresh perspective. It wasn’t about limits anymore. We saw low-carb through the lens of not fueling our bodies with stuff we were never designed to eat. Eating the right stuff became about what could happen for us if we were no longer as hampered by toxins, if our bodies got the fuel they were designed to process. As the weeks went by, it’s become easier to eat right. And Jaime’s blood sugar numbers are not only lower (she was @ 319 the afternoon she was diagnosed), but well within the normal range (now her numbers range between 85 and 100).
This low carbohydrate diet wasn’t about denial. It was about liberation.
Since we had slashed our spending on processed foods and carb-loaded foods to zero, we had more money to spend on better food, real food: organic vegetables, better meat (grass fed meat), real butter (from grass-fed cows) and better supplements.
Thanks in no small part to Primal Body, Primal Mind, we’re also losing weight – at the rate of about ½ to 1 ¼ pound a week. Weight loss has been slow and easy. Really, it’s been painless. We’ve just been doing the right stuff and the weight is melting away. Neither of us feels deprived. In fact, we get to eat pretty much as much as we want (within reason) at every meal, every day. We find, as our bodies are adapting to low-carb, we want to eat less overall, and want to eat more of the right things. It’s kind of awesome how it all fits together and works itself out.
Around the twelve-week mark, we both found that we had more energy. We felt better. Heck, we even found that we had the spontaneous desire to get some exercise. The weekend of week twelve, we bought a basketball and walked down to the park to “shoot some hoops” for an hour or so – something we would’ve scoffed at just a few months prior. Imagine the sight, a couple of 40-something women out in the park, shooting hoops like a couple of kids. It was awesome! Over the next couple of weeks, we picked up a soccer ball and a football! Now, we’re regularly outside playing (yeah, like kids) whenever there’s a little daylight, or it’s not blowing up a blizzard outside. I walk daily during the work week: at least .6 miles every day. Sure, these may seem like small things… but I never could’ve imagined having the energy to do it just a few weeks ago.
Just a year ago, my Vitamin D level had been almost non-existent. I was anemic. My triglycerides were astronomical. Yesterday my blood work results for my annual physical came in. After sixteen weeks on a low carb diet: my vitamin D is within normal limits (low normal, but vastly improved); my iron levels are squarely within the middle range of normal. And my triglycerides? Solidly normal. I know that I feel better: more awake; more energetic. I can’t wait to see what my numbers look like over the next year.
So, that’s our story. Life, the Universe, or something, had us stumble upon Primal Body, Primal Mind at just the perfect time. I think it’s made the difference in our being successful on the low carbohydrate diet. I believe Primal Body, Primal Mind is a lifesaver.
Lori E.
Albuquerque, NM
I have been on the Primal Mind diet for just SEVEN DAYS. It only took TWO DAYS for me to feel the difference! For the first time in my whole life I can sleep at night. And if that wasn’t enough my back and joint pain is at least 60% gone! I am not hungry between meals like I thought that I might be. Every thing feels better!! I have been mostly a vegitarian for over 20 years. I have always been sickly even as a kid, so I have always been looking for some way to feel better( hence my veggieness). Your book is a Godsend.Even though I have only been doing this for a week, I know it has saved my life. I have read every thing that you can think of about health and wellness over the years ( starting at age 12) so I know when some thing is bunk or if it “rings true” YOUR BOOK “RINGS TRUE”!! I’m reading your book again and I will be spreading the word. I look forword to feeling much better in the weeks, months and years to come! Thank you Nora so, so much. Oh! I don’t even crave carbs at all so far!! WOW!!
I am a 43 year young women with 2 daughters 9 and 10. December 2011 I was turned onto “Why We Get Fat” by Gary Taubes and read it with an attitude of “yeah right I don’t think I can do that!” Then January 2012 feeling the worst I have ever felt in my life from IBS issues, Gallbladder pain, bloating, cramping, exhaustion, and not to mention being the heaviest in my life. I have been on almost every diet going and had been successful with some, but gained it all back plus. So I thought “I have nothing to lose” and went ‘cold turkey’ with the carbs and sugars. Day 3 was brutal. After a couple of weeks I started to feel like a million buck. I then read “Primal Blueprint” by Mark Sisson and got more and more excited about what I was doing. Just over 3 months and I am down 31 pounds (30 to go), no IBS, no gallbladder issues, no bloating and have more energy then I probably had as a teen. I have hired a personal trainer who promotes the Primal way of life and I have never been so excited about my body inside and out. We have done a total overhaul on our fridge and cupboards and love all the primal foods we have and my girls are really enjoying it as well and they don’t even ask for the cookies and bread anymore! I then heard an interview with you, Nora and I ran out and got your book. AMAZING!!! Primal Body, Primal Mind is now my bible. Thank you!
Lost 16 lbs in 3 weeks. Great book, much more then just about weight loss!
Greetings Nora,
I am writing to express my gratitude for your expansive and insightful book, Primal Body, Primal Mind. Let me explain how much it has meant to me.
My health has suffered over the past three years, culminating in a diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis last year and a bottle of dangerous pills that left my gut war-torn. In January, however, I came across a peer support forum called kickas.org and learned about a no starch diet approach to AS. Overnight I eliminated starch and proceeded on a course of radically changing how I eat, what I eat, and why I eat. I also gave up on so-called expert advice. Before, I had seen chiropractors, acupuncturists, osteopaths, primary care doctors, massage therapists, physical therapists, gastro specialists; had an MRI, x-rays, endoscopy, blood work; and yet no one mentioned to me the importance of diet.
Surprising to me, but unsurprising to you, my no starch diet dramatically reduced my symptoms. When I finally saw a rheumatologist, I told him, “You have to tell your other patients about this diet!” and he said – eyes downward with unflinching dismissiveness – “Oh, you’re just an exception.”
As my health improved, so did my morale, and I began experiencing life in a way previously unknown. I felt calm yet energetic, clear and steady, and the stress in my shoulders began to unclump. However, a couple of months ago I started having symptoms again, and felt lost. Learning about my body and digestion has been a huge curve, so all I knew to do was to eliminate more and more foods until basically I was eating only a handful of different vegetables, chia seeds, meat, eggs, and coconut. Still, my symptoms would not abate.
Then in late April I had to go to Washington D.C. for work, and I took NSAIDs for a week to compensate for the difficulty in maintaining my diet while away. Upon returning, I noticed my gut was hurting after I ate; the NSAIDs had worked their magic.
About this time, I happened across your book at a giant corporate bookstore. I started reading it, and was impressed with your breadth of knowledge and fiery presentation. I also managed to find an herbalist in Montpelier (who is coincidentally about to have a book published by the same publisher as yours), and he was very helpful. He made me some tinctures of bitters to use before eating. As the weeks rolled on, my symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis (mostly back pain) improved, but my gut got worse and worse.
Three weeks ago I fell off a cliff: now I was getting agonizing attacks that lasted for hours after meals, and while I noticed that eliminating some foods (such as eggs) helped, the attacks grew more and more frequent and unbearable, until I found myself unable to eat anything (even green juice) without extreme pain, nausea, and bloating. Meanwhile, I continued your book, absorbing and looking for clues.
This past week I took off work and consulted with specialists. We all thought I had an ulcer, so the course was to take Prilosec, which I did, and I’m sure you can guess: it didn’t help. About four nights ago, after perusing the web, I started to realize that my problems were not because of an ulcer and a highly acidic stomach, but because I had too little acid production, and I was not breaking down food properly. You write very eloquently about the problems of low hydrochloric acid production, which I found super helpful.
So, I stopped the Prilosec, started taking betaine HCl and digestive enzymes, and you know what: I ate, even raw and fatty food, and my digestion worked. I did not bloat, get nauseous, shake, convulse, sweat; my heart did not race; I did not get the Big C; and like magic, everything went smooth. Now I’m on day three, doing great (though still experimenting), having almost zero Ankylosing symptoms and digesting food smoothly, and I’m realizing: I don’t think I’ve ever digested food properly. This is the first time in my life I have eaten and not felt bloated afterwards, and I’m feeling more satiated on smaller amounts of food. Could this be a new beginning?
I am certainly hopeful.
With your book, I feel I have a tremendous resource to help me navigate my health and live the good life. I’m recommending it to everyone (while also trying not to be Paleo-cultish). I work in mental health, and am using such information to advocate that naturopathic care be available system-wide, especially in our state hospital, as well as in new alternative programs that are springing up.
So thank you, Nora, for all of the time and effort you have invested in learning – and the courage you’ve had in speaking truth – so that folks like myself can borrow your assimilations and become well again.
Dear Steven–I am deeply moved by your post. THANK YOU for sharing what is an undeniably inspirational story. I hope you stay in touch!
@Steven and Nora:
Steven, your story is very similar to mine, except I had so little trust of traditional medicine I was trying to cure my excruciating GERD on my own and pretending to believe I was getting better. I was up to 10-13 Betaine HCL’s a meal by late afternoon, and drove home in tears. I couldn’t eat anything at all without pain and bloating.
Finally in my incessant searching on the internet I found Nora’s blog…I don’t even know how; I bought the book, read it, and gave up the “four horsemen” of sugar, grains, starches, and coffee (well, that last one took a while) and can say that yesterday for the first time in two years I didn’t even think about stomach pain…not just didn’t have it…didn’t remember about it. That’s a milestone, and I will always be grateful to Nora for setting me on the path.
I have not lost much weight yet, and the energy is only slowly coming back, but the adult acne is gone and people say I look much better. I say that to encourage those who don’t see “miraculous” changes overnight…keep it up and keep the faith.
Thank you Nora for writing such an insightful and detailed book about how our diets are slowly killing us. I am a 38 year old male. While my weight hasnt been much of an issue, as I have yoyo’d over the years, I felt that the foods we eat just weren’t right. But yet I followed the so called “experts” and the USDA guidelines. After years of depression, anxiety, feelings of helplessness and fatigue followed by bouts of energy, I was labeled bipolar and put on medicine. I stayed on those drugs for 3 years. I was “normal” but felt like a zombie most of the time. I finally stopped the drugs on my own, although not recommended. After watching my older brother succumb to alcohol, depression, and eventually suicide 1 1/2 years ago, I vowed I wouldnt let it happen to me or any of more of my family. My oldest son also has had depression issues as well as mood swings. I started eating healthier, stopping buying the processed foods, and cooked almost everything from scratch, limited my breads and pastas but not totally. I felt better and knew when I went for a period without starches or sugars I felt better, less bloating, slept better, and more energy. As soon as I ate breads or pasta or sugar, I was back down again. I tried maintaining this on my own for myself and my family’s sake for awhile but succumbed back to my carb and sugar addiction.
Enter your book Primal Body, Primal Mind. Totally changed my life and my family’s. I am married and have three sons 18, 14 and 13. My wife and I eat strict primally since Sept 5th, over 6 weeks now. Getting the kids on board is a struggle, but trying not to push them away by “pushing” it on them. Although we are not totally organic and grass fed meats yet, we’re still transitioning due to our budget. Each week we are eliminating one or two “processed foods” for them. It seems they havent noticed or cared. And we have been implementing fresh cage free eggs and some local pastured meats.
While the physical part of this is great, I lost 20 pounds already and my wife almost 25 pounds now. Having plenty of energy during the day and carrying through to the night, and seeing the fat melt away is an added bonus. But the mental clarity and focus I have has been unbelievable. Never in my life have I felt so stable and balanced. I dont have the bursts of energy followed by crashes so much associated with the high carb diets. I used to eat something every 2-3 hours as recommended and felt hungry all the time. Not just hungry, but the gnawing, biting hungry of the high carb crash. I can go 5 hours without eating and intermittent fasting is a breeze. The foods I prepare are far superior to anything I have cooked in the past (did I mention I love to cook?). I feel satisfied after every meal but never bloated, tired, or deprived.
I am a carpenter by trade, so having energy is crucial to my success. As an analogy, I have watched my partner struggle through days as he eats horrible, smokes, doesnt drink enough water and is completely exhausted by 2 o’clock. His healthy food is sucking down a V8 at lunch (low sodium of course). I see this as how I used to be. I quit smoking 10 months ago finally after 18 years of trying to quit. I see the exhaustion in his face, the anxiety if he runs into a problem, and the anger flair up also. I have tried talking to him about my experience but so far my approach is off or he is too “stuck” in his ways.
Thank you Nora for writing such a wonderful book and my wife concurs with everything I have said. Neither of us feel the need to eat breads, pastas, or sugary treats anymore. We are still a work in process and so are the kids. But we have the knowledge now and thats what is important.
Keith
Methuen MA
My girlfriend was told about the Paleo diet to take care of some internal inflammation and I had been trying to lose weight and eat better as my doctor had been pestering me about my low vitamin D, constant acid reflux, and high triglycerides, so we decided to try it. We lasted about 3 days on it. She HATED it. She felt that she was being denied food. While on our 3 day dietary change she had orded a few supplementary books, and PB-PM was one of them.
I opened your book and started to read. I was engrossed. I kept saying “Babe! Listen to this….” and would read to her from the book and transposing your language into our lives.
On Sept 1st, 2012, we started our new diet routine. We started slowly. Decaff coffee, cutting out bread and pasta. In the meantime we were looking for local sources of grass finished beef. By Sept 16th we had found a relatively (3 hours away) close farm run by a wonderful couple who sold grass finished beef.
We decided to buy a 1/4 cow with 3 other couples to ‘try it out’ as it were. We got the beef home, parcelled it out and for the first try had a shoulder pot roast. It was amazing. So back to the farm to pick up another 1/4 cow we went. This is what meat tastes like. It is so amazing to finally have what I rememebered meat used to taste like as a child.
As of today, Nov 15th, 2012, I have dropped over 20 pounds. My constant acidic burbing is a thing of the past. My vitamin D is up, and my triglycerides are down. My GF has lost 8 pounds and feels so much better.
And all we did was follow the diet in your book. We changed NOTHING else. Just the food that comprised our diets. Since reading your book, we no longer want to eat out. Why would we? We have better, more nutritional food at home.
Thank you very much for all the work you put into your book.
I heard Nora on Red Ice Radio. I bought PBPM immediately and BANG. My life was transformed for better. PBPM is the first user manual for a human body I came across created by someone who actually knows how the body functions. All other expertly guidelines or the so called trditional quisines I had adopted prior to PBPM failed and wasted my time resourcess and ruined a lot of my potential. I’d like to thank Nora for the common sense and knowledge emanating from her book.
Thanks!!!
Adam
Sternik
Thank you Nora for saving my life! I mean that, literally. In 2010, I started having very disruptive symptoms: shakiness, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, lethargy, sweating. My primary care physician led me down the menopause path, prescribing first HRT, then when that didn’t work, antidepressants and Xanax for stress. After two years of visiting multiple doctors looking for second, third then fourth opinions, I was referred to an endocrinologist, who diagnosed me with hyperthyroidism. Thus began another long bout of antithyroid drugs, which did not lessen my symptoms nor bring my thyroid level down to what is considered normal.
In every instance of visiting a doctor, I would always ask if diet had any affect on whatever condition I happened to be diagnosed with at the time. The answer was always a resounding NO.
After three years of searching for answers from the medical community, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I started reading everything I could get my hands on about the endocrine system and the metabolism. While surfing Amazon I found Nora’s book, decided I liked what the reviews said, and decided to buy it. Boy am I ever glad I did!
Reading PBPM has changed my life. After just 7 days of eating Paleo ALL…..yes you read that right…..ALL of my symptoms were gone. After one month I’ve been taken off of blood pressure meds, have had no trouble with asthma that I’ve had since childhood, have had no sinus issues, am not bothered by the “arthritis” that had plagued me for 5 years, and at 53 years old have more energy than ever! Are my thyroid levels normal yet? No, I’m still considered hyperthyroid, but a lifetime of being a carbavore is bound to do some damage to the endocrine system. I’m still working with my endocrinologist and have found a primary care physician who wholeheartedly supports the Paleo lifestyle.
If nothing else, through this whole process I’ve learned that we should trust our innate, biological mind-body first. It’s tells us what we need in order to be whole, healthy people. We are led to believe that, because of their education and training in the sciences, the medical community knows what it’s talking about. That’s not necessarily so. One thing is certain – there is no doctor out there that knows my body as well as I (and Mother Nature) does.
Thank you Nora for this groundbreaking and lifesaving work.
Hi Nora, my story starts at birth really.
I was adopted on the day I was born and was not breast fed. This is believed to have contributed to the reflux I’ve suffered for most of my life. I’m now 45, and about 8 years ago I was on the strongest anti-reflux medication available, it was supposed to keep me reflux-free for 24 hours but was only lasting for 8 or so. My GP told me to simply take 2 tablets a day. When it seemed I needed to start taking 3 a day he suggested a meeting with a gastro surgeon and it was decided that my best course of action was surgery. Don’t get me wrong, I hadn’t been resting on my laurels here, I’d visited every alternative medical provider I could find – and tried some bizarre remedies over the years – but nothing worked for long. I had the surgery, a fundoplication, and was reflux-free for about 4 years.
When it started coming back I was alarmed, I’d been cut open for goodness sake. I revisited my GP and he said it was time to start taking the tablets again. I was flabbergasted. He didn’t seem concerned at all. I was planning on travelling for 7 months around this time so I didn’t pursue it further but you can imagine the size of my bag that had to contain 7 months worth of tablets at 2 or 3 tablets a day – I was worried about getting pulled over at customs!!
On return from my travels I visited a new GP and told him my history. He asked if the tablets were working and I said they were. He just shrugged and said “keep taking the tablets then”. Why was I the only person who thought that a life-long requirement for tablets, which was supposed to have been removed with surgery, was an issue?
I sought out an integrated GP, a doctor of both Eastern and Western medicine. I told her my aim was to be both reflux- and tablet-free and she agreed. She did a search on the medication I’d been on for YEARS and was very angry when she told me that the latest recommendations for this medication was to take them for 4-6 months at the maximum. I stopped taking them immediately. I had tried different eating plans over the years and found some of them helped but were extremely restrictive and impossible to maintain. She got me onto Apple Cider Vinegar – such a common ingredient, right – and that helped straight away.
During this time I’d been exercising and not losing any weight and I mentioned this to her as a concern of mine. She did a raft of blood tests and found that my hormone levels were out of whack and after further tests said I was insulin sensitive – a precursor to diabetes.
This freaked me out. Although my weight had gone up and down over the years I had always considered myself to be pretty healthy. I immediately went on the food regimen that she recommended, one that consisted of low-fat foods, lean meat, and even meal replacement shakes.
I also started seeing a personal trainer. And it was he (and you) who changed my life.
He recommended your book to me and everything changed.
I consumed your book over the course of a couple of days, sat back and thought about it and then read it again with highlighter in hand. In the first month I stuck to the principles you outlined and lost 8 kilos. After the first week I noticed that I wasn’t prowling the kitchen for a sweet treat after dinner, and that in fact my sweet tooth seemed to have fallen out. I was still sticking to the Apple Cider Vinegar plan, which was to have a tablespoon in water before I ate anything. But now I decided was time to see if I could cut that out too. And I couldn’t believe it … no reflux.
The weight kept dropping off until I was suddenly 20 kilos lighter and all my family and friends were asking me for the secret. Most people mock it as another new fad and I tell them it’s far from new, it’s the oldest there is. And when they see me eat the fat from my grass-fed meat and tell me I’m going to have a heart attack, I tell them I have 12 months of regular blood tests that tell me they’re wrong. Not only has my insulin sensitivity totally disappeared, my cholesterol levels are much more balanced, my blood pressure is down, my hormone imbalances have disappeared .. and in general I just feel fantastic. I feel so good in fact that I’m even training for a half marathon.
It’s been over a year now and it’s no longer something I even think about, I have learned what works for me and I simply make the right choices for me. Thankfully the word seems to be spreading as I now have a butcher in my area who only sells grass-fed meats, it’s easier to find what I need and I am a happy little reflux-free camper.
Nora, I saw you speak in Sydney in 2011 and I’ve got to say you’re the best advertisement for what you recommend. When I sent your book to my brother he asked if you actually looked like the photo on the book. He was suspicious as there are many people who promote supposedly healthy food regimes and actually look 20 years older than they are. You are a walking advertisement for paleo. Now he’s a convert too.
Thank you Nora.
TD, Sydney, Australia
I like that comment from Sternick about user manual. That is exactly what PBPM is. I carried that book around and studied it for three months.
Told myself this is an experiment . No sugar, no wheat, no alcohol to start with for three months and my recent blood work amazed my MD so much so I am now off of BP meds after 35 years. Lost fifty pounds. Triglycerides down to a newborns and I’m sixty eight years old.
Amazing! I tell everyone about your book and my results.
Thank you so much.
Chris
Dear Nora,
I’ve watched many hours of your talks. I’m on the path. My mate and I both live this way and I’m so grateful you’re in the world, sharing and speaking.
What I find slightly disturbing is in the past I chose an eating disorder. I figured it was better to be anorexic/bulimic than obese, which I’d been. From the banquet of choices, these were mine.
I went to one of the leading treatment centers in the world, lived there after 2 mo inpatient for 18 mo, in and out to maintain my absence was my life for years. Worked with a dietician also. Was on Rx etc. Strove to eat low fat, veg, fruit etc. My moods were unstable, my life was unstable. Pre-diabetic problems, unpredictable blood sugar, thyroid cysts etc.
I’m stunned, now, after being an emotionally stable human, thinking so clearly for years, that any health care provider would allow someone to do what I did to myself in their presence. It would have been so simple to share with me fats first, meat/proteins, veg. Anyone with an eating disorder knows that the simpler the food choices the lower the anxiety about eating; that by feeding the body the cravings will disappear.
I’m grateful that I found this path at all. I’m now 48 and have finally learned to trust my body based on the foods I choose. I don’t have to punish myself in the gym. I can also trust myself, in a more deep and profound way. I believe these food choices can change people and therefore the world. Thank you for all you do! Bhakti
For nearly a year I have been in ketosis living on 2000 calories per day.
I drink two 30 oz glasses of my green smoothies each morning.
For dinner I eat 500 calories of oily fish or grass fed meat.
My usual snacks are pumpkin seeds, or almonds.
My morning smoothies add up to nearly 1500 calories.
My ingredients are.
3 heaping Tbs of coconut oil
3 Tsp of red palm oil.
1 avocado
3 Tbs of EVOO.
2 raw eggs.
3 Tsp ground pumpkin powder.
2 Tbs non-sugar added canned pumpkin meat.
1 baby cucumber.
6 romaine lettuce leaves.
1 cup of mixed greens. Kale, spinach, collard for example.
1 large pinch of parsley.
30 Capella flavour drops,(Amazon) I like caramel, and banana.
4 micro grams of Kal Stevia, the very best ( Amazon )
26 oz of “sugar free” almond milk.
One large glass of ice.
Mix well in your top of the line Vitamix, if you don’t have one, sell the car, but get one.
I have lost 70 pounds, I have thrown away my Metformin, and my blood pressure medication, my HDL is now high, my LDL is now low,
I had insulinemia three times the normal range, which is now gone.
Was it hard to do? yes, but you/we need to understand that sugar is not only a poison but an addictive poison.
My pancreas was nearly burned out eating a high carb diet.
It took me a good month to shake that monkey off my back.
I am 57 years old,I have never felt better, My clinical numbers all look great.
I am a perfect example of how safe this way of eating is.
I wish all of you the strength to do this for yourselves, We all deserve a better life through knowledge which equals better health.
Don’t let GMO corn, wheat, rye, soy,canola, or their oils kill you.
Big pharma keeps getting bigger because of the poison that big Farma is now growing.
Be aware, be very aware of what you eat.
Nora I just wanted you to know that you are a very moral person for doing this and to keep doing what you do. You are very concerned with the health and functioning of the mind and you have changed my life by influencing me to adopt keto as a lifestyle not a ‘weight loss’ diet. And you are very courageous to defy all the ‘medical professionals’ with this diet.
Your book changed our lives. My husband had just been prescribed very strong medication for his gastric reflux . He had given up his yoga because he coughed so much in class from the acid. Within a week of reading the book and implementing the eating plan his gastric reflux was gone. He no longer gets Iritable bowel syndrome which he has had for many years. He no longer gets migraines which used to be totally disabiling. He is no longer grumpy……hard to believe I know but the grumpies just up and went. He said his brain cleared as though he had previously been in a fog. No more wanting to fall asleep at work at around 2:00pm either. Our fat tummies melted away and we both lost weight. This amazed us because we felt we were eating like royalty.
The changes for me were amazing also. My depression is a rare thing now. I manage emotional situations so much better. I don’t over react to things and my thinking is so much clearer. I had extensive surgery due to endometriosis. I suffered constipation that caused all sorts of other problems. I now have the most perfect working bowel. I am still astounded that the answer after all these years was so simple. People ask us “arnt you tempted to eat all the things you used to”. Our answer is simply “no way, the benefits far out way the false food and are far sweeter than sugar ever was”. When we go to cafés with groaning cabinets full of processed food it doesn’t even look real. It reminds me of the movie The Matrix. That food is the reality the food producers want us to believe is okay for us, it’s just a mirage.
Quite simply Nora the knowledge in your book was so well written it totally made sense to us, you have saved our lives.
Nora,
With your book, “Primal Body, Primal Mind,” I began to refine my already gluten free, dairy free, sugar free eating into the paleo lifestyle that I have been following now for more than a year. The health benefits are clear, internal as well as external. Gone are my intestinal and gallbladder issues, migraines too. I wake up feeling rested, energized to begin the day. I’m happy, it shows in my face, my skin my hair, my trim shape and, well, I have to say that I’m looking pretty good for a woman of 58! “Primal Body, Primal Body,” is not just another paleo diet book, but one that gave me the answers as to why our bodies need the foods you discuss, excellent research. I would highly recommend your book to anyone wanting to begin a path to improved health and a paleo life style.
Valerie
Missoula, MT
THANK YOU !!!!!
We have been on a journey for a year. We first eliminated gluten, then eliminated grains. Great results – brain fog gone, my iron levels returned to normal, felt 20 years younger (currently age 61), B12 increased, thyroid number was already good but improved. We then moved to paleo and felt better BUT, I couldn’t drop my blood glucose number below 5.8 – 6.3 and my wife was stuck on a weight decrease plateau. YOUR BOOK finished our journey. The VOLUME of protein versus fat was the final key that we had missed. Moving to a more ketogenic diet DID IT!! It’s only been a week, and my blood sugar today hit a 4.7, which I had never managed in the last 15 years. I think my leptin is rebalancing as, for the first time ever, I am not hungry all the time despite eating any quantity of any food. And … my wife has begun to further lose the weight. THANK YOU for putting the final piece in the puzzle. You emphasized that we can STOP being held hostage to a fallacy of “old age”, but that sugar is the killer. Those words are etched in our minds. I had a goal of living to 103 years old, and you have made that dream a living plan. I’ll write you again in 40 years to let you know if I made it!
THANK YOU!!!