What is Paleo Diet?

First I would like to say Paleo Diet is not a diet, it is a lifestyle!!!

From Wikipedia:

"The modern dietary regimen known as the Paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various human species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. In common usage, such terms as the "Paleolithic diet" also refer to the actual ancestral human diet.^[1][2] Centered on commonly available modern foods, the "contemporary" Paleolithic diet consists mainly of grass-fed pasture raised meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils."

The Paleo Diet, the world’s healthiest diet, is based on the simple understanding that the best human diet is the one to which we are best genetically adapted, a meal plan based on the dietary habits of our Paleolithic, cave-dwelling ancestors. We're talking wild game, meat, and seafood, and vegetables, fruit, seeds, and nuts. What you won't find as part of the Paleo Diet are foods that developed during the agricultural and industrial eras like grains, dairy, legumes, refined sugars, and any other processed foods. Given the Paleo Diet's low-carb leanings, it makes sense that it's gaining popularity as an effective way to lose weight. On the calorie meter, protein, vegetables, and fruit give a lot of bang for the buck, and the elimination of grains, refined sugars, and legumes can dramatically drop a person's daily calorie intake.

Recommended great book:

The primal blueprint

 Primal body-Primal mind

The Paleo Solution

Paleo Diet

LOW-CARB STRAWBERRIES & CREAM CHEESECAKE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE

This is the time of the year you have craving for sweets because of the Holiday season. So here is a great recipe that is low in carb and will satisfy your sweet tooth:

Ingredients:

9 oz raw almonds or almond flour
4 large eggs
10-12 strawberries
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Honey or stevia
16 oz Philadelphia cream cheese (at room temperature)
Butter or coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

If you don’t have access to almond flour, simply put the raw almonds in your blender and pulsate until it turns into a powder. Turn it on high for the last few seconds to throughly break up any big pieces of almond. Empty contents into a mixing bowl. Add eggs and start mixing together.
Place the strawberries and cream into your blender along with stevia and honey if you can tolerate the carb counts. The key here is to find a mix of sweetener that works for your taste buds.
Blend on high until it looks like a strawberry milkshake (it will be bright pink and thick). Pour into the almond flour/egg mixture and mix thoroughly. Add the softened cream cheese (if you pull it straight from the refrigerator, then you’ll have big chunks of cream cheese in your cheesecake) and stir with a fork like a madman until your cheesecake batter is moderately thick. You don’t want it too runny or too thick.

Grease a 9X13 glass baking dish heavily so that the cheesecake will not stick and pour the batter into the dish. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Use a toothpick in the center of the cheesecake to see if it comes out dry. If not, cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Dark Chocolate Drizzle
4 squares (50g) of 86% Ghirardelli dark chocolate or your favorite
3 Tbs heavy whipping cream
Honey or stevia

Put a saucepan on low heat (I put it on 2-3 on my stove) and pour the heavy whipping cream in which should cover the bottom of the pan. Add your favorite dark chocolate and sweetener (honey/stevia).
Allow to heat up for a few minutes and then stir constantly to prevent the chocolate from scalding. As the chocolate melts it will turn into a nice chocolately delight. When the chocolate melts completely, turn the heat off and allow to cool to thicken up a bit. This will become the “drizzle” for the cheesecake.
After the cheesecake is finished cooking, take a tablespoon and evenly distribute the chocolate all across the top of the cheesecake. When you are finished, it should look a little something like this:



Place in freezer for an hour to cool and then cut into squares. Makes 20 squares. Add fresh strawberries as a garnish and ENJOY!

Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk
1 ½ T. pureed pumpkin
2 T. organic vanilla extract
2-3 T. raw organic honey (optional)
½ t. ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
½ cup strong coffee
Pinch of cocoa powder

Directions:
1. Brew 2 cups of strong coffee
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat coconut milk, pureed pumpkin, and honey until milk is steaming
3. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg
4. Fill bottom half of cup with milk mixture, then fill the remaining space with your coffee
5. Sprinkle with cocoa powder

I don't know about you, but it sounds pretty good!!!

BANANA PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:
▪ 2 ripe bananas
▪ 1 egg
▪ 1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter, butter or coconut oil

DIRECTIONS:
Mash the bananas, add the egg and mix well. Stir in the almond butter or coconut oil, adding more than a tablespoon if you want a more pancake-like texture.Warm butter in a pan and pour batter into small cakes. Brown on each side and serve warm.

You can whip up a batch in five minutes flat and top the pancakes with a pat of butter, a scoop of nut butter, or fresh berries.

HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS...

Feeling Good...

“No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.”

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself, how confident you are, how accomplished you feel. It reflects whether a person loves, accepts, and believes in who they are. For some of us, however, it can go up and down. One day you might feel really on top of everything, great about yourself, unafraid to try anything. And the next day, you’re just as likely to feel completely at the bottom, unsure of yourself, afraid to say or do anything.
Building high self-esteem is a process, not something you can develop overnight. And this isn’t necessarily easy. Yet, every single person has the capacity of high self-esteem. The question is, are you ready to make a commitment to increase your self-esteem?
If your answer is yes, here are some tips to get you started:
1. Stop comparing yourself with other people.

Human beings can amplify or reduce their value by contrasting themselves either positively or negatively with others. But if you play the comparison game, you’ll run into too many “opponents” you can’t defeat. There will always be some people who have more than you and some who have less. So stop comparing!

2. Stop the critic inside of you.

Some people have a bad habit of putting themselves down often. They say negative things to themselves like, “I’m always late. Why am I such a flake?” or “There you go again, stupid!” So get in the new habit of catching yourself saying critical things about yourself and learn to silence your inner critic. And if this is unavoidable, at least tone down the level of your criticism.

3. Forgive and forget.

Do not waste your time and energy thinking of past hurts. Your time can be wisely spent for other productive things rather than forlorn thoughts. We make mistakes, even when we’re trying our best. Sometimes you just have to apologize, let it go and move on.

4. Associate with positive, supportive people.

The “real you” is a magnificent, unique being with enormous potential and capacity for experiencing love of yourself and extending love to others. So keep your interest in life at a high level by being in the company of enthusiastic people. This way, you will get infected by their positive attitude. You will view the world in its full shining glory and move around oozing with energy. In the same manner, it would be wise to stay away from negatively inclined thinkers. When you are surrounded by negative people who constantly put you and your ideas down, your self-esteem is lowered.

5. Get involved in work and activities you love.

It’s hard to feel good about yourself if your days are spent in work you hate. Self-esteem flourishes when you are engaged in work and activities that you enjoy and make you feel valuable. And even if you’re not in a position to make immediate changes in your career, you can still devote some of your leisure time to enjoyable hobbies or activities.

6. Be true to yourself.

Live your own life – not the life someone decided is best for you. You will never gain your own respect and you will never feel good about yourself if you aren’t leading the life you want to lead. So if you’re still making decisions based on getting approval from friends and relatives, you aren’t being true to yourself and your self-esteem is lowered.

7. Talk affirmatively to others and yourself.

Words carry enough power that can either hurt other people or yourself. Similarly, words can generate enough power to give warmth and comfort. So be conscious of your choice of words. Choose affirmative words when speaking with someone.

8. Quit blaming yourself for mistakes in the past.

Many things in our lives are only minimally in our control, but those of us who develop low self-esteem take the full blame for the resulting negative outcomes. Instead, learn to honor your efforts and give proper credit for things that you have done well. Following a practical approach for managing your self-esteem will prevent it from becoming a problem and keep you off that rollercoaster.

9. Make a long list of your personal breakthroughs.

Think of times when you did something that you thought that never could do but managed to pull off successfully. These breakthroughs can generate an authentic source of never-ending pride in you. Read this list often. While reviewing it, close your eyes and recreate the feelings of satisfaction and joy you experienced when you first attained each success.

10. Make a list of your positive qualities.

Not everyone has your unique abilities and talents. Are you honest? Unselfish? Helpful? Creative? Be generous with yourself and write down at least 20 positive qualities. Again, it’s important to review this list often. Most people dwell on their inadequacies and then wonder why their life isn’t working out. Start focusing on your positive traits and you’ll stand a much better chance of achieving what you wish to achieve.

11. Figure out the hidden strengths in your so-called weaknesses.

You can’t develop high self-esteem if you constantly repeat negative comments about your skills and abilities. Remember that there is always a positive in every negative if you look hard enough. For instance, you may think of yourself as stubborn, but the flipside is that you’re also persistent and dependable.

12. Rediscover and reaffirm your personal strengths.

Sometimes you have to take a new inventory on what you like about your looks, smile, body, sexiness, health, personality, and character strengths. Don’t sell yourself short. It isn’t wrong or egotistical to praise ourselves.

13. Ignore yourself.

Sometimes the real problem isn’t self-esteem at all but a tendency toward overthinking. When you get this feeling direct your focus to other things. Give it a rest already!

14. Examine your needs.

Some of us need more praise from others than other people do. Some people need to always be accomplishing something, or they feel let down. In other words, it could very well be that you’re ok, but you’re just in a slower activity period right now, so it feels like you feel bad, when you really don’t. Relax, and take it easy!

15. Accept all compliments with “Thank You.”

Don’t dismiss or ignore them. When you do this you give yourself the message that you do not deserve or are not worthy of praise, which by the way reflects low self-esteem. Respond to all compliments with a simple Thank You.

16. Start giving more.

You must give more of yourself to those around you. Because when you do things for someone else, you are making a positive contribution and you begin to feel more valuable, which in turn lifts your spirits and raises your own self-esteem. So next time you see a downcast or downtrodden individual, pick him up from the rut. Share with him the warmth of your helping hand and watch the glow in his eyes.

17. Be your own cheerleader.

The energy and enthusiasm of a cheerleader is necessary in order to make the radical emotional changes required to raise your self-esteem. Learn how to enjoy a few minutes of self-congratulations instead of jumping right into the next task as if nothing happened, or dismissing it as meaningless. It does mean something. Being your own cheerleader isn’t silly, it’s smart and contagious.

18. Start small and do a task you can accomplish easily.

There’s no faster way to build self-esteem than to add yet another accomplishment to your roster. It always feels good to get something crossed off our to-do list. And it doesn’t necessarily have to consist of monumental accomplishments.

19. Examine the pattern of highs and lows.

Perhaps you’re just in a “praise starvation” mode – it’s been too long since you got a compliment or got to do anything that someone noticed. Or perhaps you started the downward spiral when you said some bad things to someone. It’s always good to remember that self-esteem is a mental construct. So examine your patterns and you’ll know what to do.

20. Get some exercise.

Exercise can decrease ‘stress hormones’ like cortisol, and increase endorphins, your body’s ‘feel-good’ chemicals, giving your mood a natural boost. If you’ve been focusing on one type of exercise, vary that routine and try a different type. If you don’t exercise, go for a walk. Even the change of scenery will do you good. It also forces your perspective to change a little, and you may see yourself in a better light. Also physical activity itself can take your mind off of your problems and either redirect it on the activity at hand or get you into a zen-like state.

21. Take advantage of workshops, books and cassette tape programs on self-esteem.

Whatever material we allow to dominate our mind will eventually take root and affect our own behavior. For example, if you watch negative television programs or read newspaper reports of murders and business rip off; you will grow cynical and pessimistic. On the other hand, if you read books or listen to programs, that are positive in nature, you will take on these characteristics.

22. Take action!

The universe rewards action! When you take action – regardless of the ensuing result – you feel better about yourself. When you fail to move forward because of fear and anxiety, you’ll be frustrated and unhappy – and you will undoubtedly deal a damaging blow to your self-esteem.

Consider these simple tips and try them. These activities will never fail to boost your self-esteem. And as your self-esteem grows, the “real you” emerges. You begin to take more risks and not be afraid of failure; you aren’t as concerned with getting approval of others; your relationships are much more rewarding; you pursue activities that bring you joy and satisfaction; and you will make a positive contribution to the world. Most importantly, high self esteem will bring you peace of mind – and next time you’re all alone, you’ll truly appreciate the person you’re with – YOURSELF.

What is the Primal Blueprint?

The Primal Blueprint is about helping you discover how amazingly simple and fun lifelong wellness can be. It provide a complete diet, exercise, and lifestyle philosophy with various products, services, and community support to help you enjoy effortless weight loss, vibrant health and boundless energy. The Primal Blueprint is based on lifestyle principles that have governed human health, evolution and peak performance for over two million years, and supported by respected research in the fields of epigenetics and evolutionary biology. The Primal Blueprint principles challenge many elements of Conventional Wisdom that are deeply flawed, and are making people fat, sick and burnt out - even well-meaning fitness enthusiasts who are trying to do the right thing.
It offer a progressive, free-thinking, grass roots movement that has become a true community. Besides the numerous products, services and events you see on this site, MarksDailyApple.com has hundreds of thousands of active followers who enjoy free daily health articles, a weekly newsletter, and a thriving forum.
Primal Blueprint Founder Mark Sisson has spent the last several decades on a quest for health, wellness and the truth in a world littered with flawed Conventional Wisdom. The Primal Blueprint offering of multimedia products, educational materials and service, and nutritional supplements supports the theory that health and fitness can be simple and fun, instead of the mainstream approach that involves struggle and suffering.
Mark Sisson founded Primal Nutrition, Inc. nearly 15 years ago, presenting a popular line of direct-order, premium quality nutritional supplements and supporting health education. Sisson’s publishing of the Primal Blueprint book in 2009 kick-started the evolution of the organization to become a full-service diet, exercise, and health education operation. They are committed to providing you with a comprehensive set of tools to help you navigate the hectic modern world in a way that honors your genetic requirements for health.
The Primal Blueprint is about changing lives; it’s about giving you hope if you’ve been discouraged; it’s about making health, even weight loss, effortless and enjoyable. If you’re ready to make a change in your life, please join us! They’d love to be your partner, your coach and your biggest supporter in getting you the life you want.

3 Superfoods to Eat Right Now

SMART FUEL
You’re still here? Go eat these foods!
Okay, we cringe a little bit at the word “superfood”. No food wears a cape. Still, there are foods that pack major nutritional punch.
A few of our top picks:
1. Berries, because…

- Blueberries are best, but blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, strawberries and bilberries are all excellent
- They contain antioxidants called anthocyanins
- They fight infections (especially urinary tract infections)
- How much: 1/2 cup whenever you like
2. Fish, because…

- Choose deep-’n-cold-water fish like salmon and red tuna
- Northern Pacific is better than Atlantic (less pollution)
- You can’t get enough Omega-3 fatty acids
- How much: twice a week, or more, plus an Omega supplement
- Remember: Don’t fry or bread it!
3. Dark, Leafy Greens, because…

- Pick spinach, kale, bok choy, chard, dark lettuce
- Greens contain beta-carotene, C, folate, iron, magnesium, carotenoids, phytochemicals, and antioxidants.
- Greens reduce your risk of diabetes because they’re easy on your insulin response mechanism. In other words, they won’t give you a sugar rush, jelly belly, or mood swing.
Look for more heroic foods soon. No spandex tights – we promise.