Examining the healthy lives of our pre-agricultural Paleolithic ancestors and the marked decline in stature, bone density and dental health and the increase in birth defects, malnutrition and disease following the implementation of the agricultural lifestyle, Nora Gedgaudas shows how our modern grain- and carbohydrate-heavy, low-fat diets are a far cry from the high-fat, moderate-protein hunter-gatherer diets we are genetically programmed for, leading not only to lifelong weight gain but, also, to cravings, mood disorders, cognitive problems and “diseases of civilisation” - such as cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and mental illness. Applying modern discoveries to the basic hunter-gatherer diet, she culls from vast research in evolutionary physiology, biochemistry, metabolism, nutrition and chronic and degenerative disease to unveil a holistic lifestyle for true mind-body health and longevity. Revealing the primal origins and physiological basis for a high-fat, moderate-protein, starch-free diet and the importance of adequate omega-3 intake - critical to our brain and nervous system, - she explains the nutritional problems of grains, gluten, soy, dairy and starchy vegetables; which natural fats promote health and which harm it; the crucial role of vitamin D in cancer and disease prevention; the importance of saturated fat and cholesterol; and how diet affects mental health, memory, cognitive function, hormonal balance and cellular aging. With step-by-step guidelines, recipes and meal recommendations, this book offers sustainable strategies for a primally based, yet modern approach to diet and exercise to reduce stress and anxiety, lose weight, improve sleep and mood, increase energy and immunity, enhance brain function and live longer and happier. · Provides sustainable diet strategies to curb sugar cravings, promote fat burning and weight loss, reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep and moods, increase energy and immunity and enhance memory and brain function · Shows how our modern diet leads to weight gain and "diseases of civilisation" - such as cancer, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, heart disease and ADD · Explains how diet affects the brain, hormone balance and the aging process and the crucial role of vitamin D in cancer and disease prevention