First off, let's define a primal lifestyle. It's eating what our ancestors ate. Vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, and nuts for example. I also eat dairy but some stricter paleo people don't. Just shoot me now if I ever have to give up heavy cream in my coffee! Or my favorite--cauliflower pizza like in this picture. I just had it for dinner. It's totally yummy in spite of the name. I will never go paleo because I like my dairy. But primal I can do. :)

The main thing with primal eating is the elimination of grains and sugar. Yes, you heard that right. No wheat, oatmeal, rice, potatoes or corn. I do have a tiny amount of grains once in a blue moon but it's very rare. So what do I eat? Yummy things like grilled chicken topped with pepper jack cheese, Greek yogurt and avocado. Carne asada made with beef, avocado, Greek yogurt and peppers. Lots of fish which I love. Lots of salads and green vegetables. Greek yogurt with blueberries. Brownies made with almond flour. Chocolate made with coconut oil, cocoa and xylitol. There are lots of great recipes out there that make the transition painless. In addition to cauliflower pizza, there are recipes for cauliflower tacos and other yummy things. :)

The biggest question I hear is why would anyone want to do that? Health is the primary reason. Since going to a primal diet, my C-Reactive Protein dropped from 5 to .1. That's POINT 1. My homocysteine levels are in the normal range for the first time in forever. I'd been trying to get that inflammation down for years without success. Tied in with the Kruse primal eating was the leptin reset I was on as well as having lost weight with hcg. What is the leptin reset, you ask? It's a way of fixing your metabolism. You start with a very large wallop of protein in the morning--50 grams. That's 5 eggs plus steak in an omelet. But it fixes cravings and helps you normalize your metabolism by going a minimum of 4-5 hours between food intake. It only takes about 6 weeks usually, then you can move to a more normal breakfast of about 25 grams of protein. Most people will also lose weight on this regimen. Grains drive bad things like insulin levels, fat storage and heart disease.

All grains cause some amount of inflammation but gluten is the worst. If you want to see what changing your diet can do for you, watch this video by Dr. Terry Wahls. She's a doctor who had progressive MS and she totally reversed it by diet alone. She began eating protein plus 9 cups of greens and colored vegetables and fruit a day. The video explains more and it's astounding.

So how do you go primal? You can do it in small steps and in any order except for the first item. It's primary and should be done first.

1. Give up gluten. This is not negotiable. Read Wheat Belly by cardiologist Dr. William Davis. The wheat we have today is not the wheat of the Bible. It's incredibly damaging to our bodies. Do this for a month and see how much better you feel. If you want to bread something, use ground flax mixed with just a little rice flour. I made fried chicken (fried in coconut oil) last week, and my gourmet son actually asked me how I'd made it because it was so good.

2. Add good fats like real butter, coconut oil and olive oil. Repeat after me: Real fats are my friends. Eliminate fake fats from your fridge like margarine. Again this is non negotiable. Margarine is incredibly bad for you. My diet is about 65% fat (which includes the fats in meats.)

3. Begin adding more greens to your diet. Start with a green smoothie if you hate vegetables. Blend together berries with spinach for example. Set a goal of 3 cups a day, then 6.

4. Add colorful vegetables and fruit like carrots, beets, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli and berries. Choose veggies high in sulfur. The cabbage family is especially good for you. Try to get in 3 cups a day including the fruit.

5. Switch from potatoes to sweet potatoes topped with lots of real butter. Yum! I adore sweet potatoes with salmon!

6. Start cutting back on other grains like rice and corn and legumes. Save them for a special occasion. It's not that you can never have them, but you want to cut out the inflammation in your body the majority of the time. They are higher in carbs so they drive insulin levels and fat stores. I save my carbs for Mexican! :)

7. Begin purchasing quality grass fed beef, as much as you can afford. Many can't afford to use only grass fed beef but it's your best option when you can.

8. Start adding organ meats like liver and onions. I know, I know. But they are super good for you and you'll develop a taste for them. I adore liver and onions. :)

9. Start eating less chicken and more fish. You want to get your Omega 6 levels down and your Omega 3 levels up. As you do this, you'll start getting comments like, "Wow, you look great. Are you using a new skin moisturizer?"

10. Give up fake creamer in your coffee and go for straight heavy whipping cream. You'll never go back! Consider adding some cinnamon to that coffee too--it helps your insulin levels.

Read up on the science behind eating this way. www.MarksDailyApple.com is a good site with tons of information and recipes. His book is great too.

Just to give you a taste of how great primal eating can be, here's the recipe for what we in the hcg community call cocoa crack because it's sooo good!

3T coconut oil

1 1/2 T cocoa

1 1/2 T xylitol or sweeten with KAL stevia to taste (will need VERY little stevia!)

2 T unsweetened coconut

walnuts or pecans

Melt the oil and mix in the cocoa and sweetener. Add the other ingredients and pour onto wax paper and freeze. Break off pieces to eat. It's terrific!

My protagonist in Rosemary Cottage is very into health issues so you'll see her talking about these things too! :)

So what about you? Is there anything in your health profile that's telling you a change in your diet is needed? What change are you going make to get healthier? And if you already eat a primal diet, got any tips?