Kale and Coffee: A Renegade's Guide to Health, Happiness, and Longevity

by Kevin Gianni

Overview

Internet celebrity Kevin Gianni was intent on finding the keys to perfect wellness and sharing them with the 10 million viewers of his YouTube show, Renegade Health. So he and his wife bought a 36-foot, bio-fueled RV – dubbed "the Kale Whale" – and spent two and a half years crisscrossing the continent, talking to experts and ordinary folks about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to a healthy life. Gianni drank wheatgrass shots, gave up sugar, said goodbye to coffee, and used himself as a guinea pig to uncover the truths and myths behind every nutrition plan said to guarantee good health. As he cycled through "healthy" diets – vegetarian, vegan, raw foods, and more – he got sicker and sicker. Finally, he hit bottom and had to give up healthy eating to save his life.

Kale and Coffee is the often hilarious, picaresque tale of how Gianni went from skinny, raw-food vegan faddist to bloated, out of shape omnivore before finding the middle way to an imperfectly healthy and (more) balanced life. The journey takes him from the Peruvian Andes to salt flats in Mexico to a pig farm and butcher shop near his northern California home. Along the way, he has his brain scanned and his pantry tested for toxic metals, does an all-water fast, runs the grueling Tough Mudder endurance race, and obsesses on the secrets of the world’s longest-lived people.

With the humor and practical wisdom that have delighted millions, Gianni shows you how to sidestep the health hype, diet fads, and weight-loss promises littering the path to wellness. Drawing on his own experience and the advice of trusted experts, he guides you in finding your own personal plan for optimal nutrition and fitness.

Includes the Kale and Coffee 21-Day Jumpstart

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401947927
Publisher:	Hay House Inc.
Publication date:	07/21/2015
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Kevin Gianni started researching natural healthcare therapies and prevention in 2002, when he was struck with the realization that cancer ran deep in his family and if he didn’t change the way he was living, he might well go down the same path. Since then, he has experimented with a wide range of diets and medical protocols in his quest to separate myth from reality. Along the way, he has written hundreds of articles and six self-published books on natural health, diet, and fitness, and has produced more than 900 YouTube videos, garnering over 10 million views to date. He continues to travel the world searching for the best methods, foods, medicines, and clinics to introduce to readers of his blogs, Renegade Health (www.RenegadeHealth.com) and www.KevinGianni.com. One of the most widely read natural health blogs on the Internet, Renegade Health draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a month from 150 countries. Kevin Gianni is also the co-founder with his wife, Annmarie, of Annmarie Skin Care, a line of natural organic beauty products.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Breaking the Rules ix

Chapter 1 From Skinny, Raw Food Vegan to Bloated, Out-of-Shape Health Blogger 1

Chapter 2 How My 15 Minutes of Fame Could Screw Up Your Quest for 90-Plus Years of Life 9

Chapter 3 The Dubious Distinction of Being the Only Animal on the Planet That Doesn't Know What to Eat 17

Chapter 4 How a Horny Hog Could Be the Key to Your Longevity 33

Chapter 5 My Contaminated Kitchen Cabinet: A Surprising Result 45

Chapter 6 The Curious Thing about Eating Animals (an Ex-Vegan Perspective) 59

Chapter 7 Exercise: Almost Everyone Does It Wrong; Here's How to Do It Right 79

Chapter 8 How One Crazy Technique and an Herb from India Could Add Years to Your Life 95

Chapter 9 Sugar, Carbs, and Gluten: A Holy Trinity of Disease … or Not? 109

Chapter 10 An Interesting Conclusion about Beer, Wine, and Spirits 123

Chapter 11 What an Almost-90-Day Experiment (Binge) Taught Me about America's Most Popular Pick-Me-Up 135

Chapter 12 Salt: No Good for Slugs, but What about Us? 149

Chapter 13 Need More Energy? Do Nothing. Well, Kind Of… 161

Chapter 14 My Entenmann's-Cake-Eating Grandfather Shows Me the Last Secret of the Longest-Lived People 177

Conclusion: A Perfect Outcome 195

Appendix: The Kale and Coffee 21-Day Jumpstart 201

Endnotes 213

Acknowledgments 225

About the Author 227

Editorial Reviews

Fantastic! One of the most entertaining health books I’ve ever read.”
—Sara Gottfried, M.D., New York Times best-selling author of The Hormone Cure

“This is The Omnivore’s Dilemma for anyone on a diet. This book takes you on a journey that explores why so much of what we think we know about diet is epically wrong—and then shares exactly what we need to do to really be healthy—how to eat right, feel energized, and never feel guilty about our food and lifestyle choices again.”
—Nick Ortner, New York Times best-selling author of The Tapping Solution

“Kale and Coffee isn’t a typical health book—and that’s a good thing. Think Michael Pollan meets Bill Bryson with a dash of Jon Stewart, and that will tell you how illuminating and enjoyable this book is to read. In fact, once I started I had a hard time putting it down. When was the last time you said that about a health book?”
—Chris Kresser, New York Times best-selling author of Your Personal Paleo Code

“Kevin has graciously and articulately shared his ongoing health journey. His ability to sift through all types of health philosophies, protocols, and diets and come up with fresh, interesting conclusions—with a ton of humor and no bias—will help you determine what’s going to improve your personal health. It’s rare to read a health book that is both helpful and incredibly entertaining.”
—Alan Christianson, NMD, New York Times best-selling author of The Adrenal Reset Diet

From the Publisher