How to Lose Weight the Healthy Way: A Diet that Doesn’t Deprive You.

(Guest Blog by Camilla Carboni)

Most of us would love to shed a few unwanted pounds, but the question of how to best do so is one that’s been left with misguided answers, if any. Every waking second we are confronted by advertising campaigns featuring the latest diet trick, quick fix and new “health” trend guaranteed to be the next best thing. We’ve witnessed it all from the rise and fall of soy, to the whole grain epidemic and the low-fat fad. It’s hard to know what to believe anymore.

One thing that is clear is that since the birth of Agriculture, and the subsequent dietary changes we underwent as a species, our health has declined at an alarming rate. Never before in the history of our people has the disease rate been so high and the amount of money we spend each year as a nation on fighting diseases so costly.

So what happened?

We went from eating natural foods that our bodies can easily digest and gain the necessary nutrients from, to filling ourselves with processed foods, grain, dairy and genetically modified produce, only to find ourselves growing in size (ever considered that many of those same products are used to artificially fatten livestock?) and then we freaked out, turned to the latest Diet trend and attempted starving ourselves to regain our former selves. Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, while we thought we were doing a good thing, most Diets and Cleanses out there eliminate virtually all foods, leaving one hungry and one’s cells malnourished. Thankfully, there is a smarter approach.

Rather than depriving yourself of food, simply nourish your cells with foods that they can easily absorb nutrients from and most efficiently digest. When we eat a diet of natural, unprocessed, chemical free and hormone free foods, we feed our cells well, directly contribute to our own long-term health and naturally level out our body weight. It’s a “Diet” where you actually eat; a natural lifestyle that was followed for millions of years by our ancestors, prior to the Agricultural era.

Welcome to the Ancestral way—of “Caveman” eating, of “Primal” solutions, of the “Paleo Diet”, whatever you want to call it—it’s the natural Diet of our species and you’ll be surprised how when you eat what our species was meant to eat, the pounds melt away on their own.

I began my own Paleo journey to health a year ago. I said goodbye to all grains, dairy, legumes, refined-sugar and industrial foods and hello to large quantities of vegetables, animal protein, fruit, nuts and natural fats like coconut oil and avocado. I stopped counting calories, stopped having cravings, witnesses my blood sugar levels stabilize and began loosing my unwanted weight virtually overnight, without changing or increasing my exercise. In addition, I had many other welcome “side effects” like clearer skin, improved mental clarity, sounder sleep and the complete elimination of my ungodly migraines. Needless to say I will never go back to post-Agricultural eating and, because of my personal success, I wanted to share what I believe to be the answer to the ongoing search for an effective Diet with the world, and with You.

I know it seems contradictory to what you’ve heard for years, especially the part that you can actually eat (and a lot!), but the fact is that there is no need to starve yourself, deprive yourself and fixate yourself with the latest Diet trends when the oldest Diet of them all—the one our Ancestors followed—is a healthy, effective way to stay nourished and lose weight the natural way.

To get you started, here’s a sneak peak recipe from PALEO Cleanse!

Apple Cinnamon Power Bars are a favorite snack of mine to have on hand and take just a few minutes to whip together and can then be refrigerated and nibbled on all week long.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup walnuts

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried apples

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1/3 cup egg white protein powder

4 tablespoons water

Supplies

measuring cups

food processor

large glass dish

Recipe

Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse for about 20 seconds, or until granular.

Add the raisins, apples, cinnamon powder, protein powder, and water and pulse for about 45 seconds, or until thoroughly combined.

Scoop out the mixture and press into a square or rectangular dish. An 8-inch square dish makes 10 to12 half-inch-thick power bars.

Cut the pressed mixture into your desired serving size and place the dish in the refrigerator to set for about an hour.

Serve immediately or keep refrigerated and snack on these bars throughout the week.

For more free Paleo recipes visit thepaleopact.com.