Gianni - Kale and Coffee: A Renegade’s Guide to Health, Happiness, and Longevity

Praise for Kale and Coffee

Fantastic! One of the most entertaining health books Ive ever read.

Sara Gottfried, M.D., New York Times best-selling author of The Hormone Cure

This is The Omnivores 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 wrongand then shares exactly what we need to do to really be healthyhow 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 isnt a typical health bookand thats 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 conclusionswith a ton of humor and no biaswill help you determine whats going to improve your personal health. Its 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

ALSO BY KEVIN GIANNI

The Busy Persons Fitness Solution: The Optimal Wellness System that Will Get You Motivated, Skyrocket Your Energy Levels, Boost Your Productivity, and Only Requires a Few Hours a Week!

High Raw: A Simple Approach to Health, Eating and Saving the Planet

Smoothie Recipes for Optimum Health

Please visit:

Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com
Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au
Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk
Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Copyright 2015 by Kevin Gianni

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: info@hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast Books: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Cover design: Michelle Polizzi Interior design: Riann Bender

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Gianni, Kevin M.

Kale and coffee : a renegades approach to guilt-free health, happiness, and longevity / by Kevin Gianni. 1st edition.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-4019-4617-3 (hardback)

1. Health. 2. Nutrition. I. Title.

RA776.G483 2015
613.2dc23

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4019-4617-3

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1st edition, July 2015

Printed in the United States of America

Never, never, never, never, never...

Dave, the owner of Daves RV, who has just installed tow bars on our SUV so we can attach our recently purchased motor home, pauses to take a breath. It is December 2008 and very cold in Connecticut.

On his exhale, his breath engulfs my wife, Annmarie, and me. He then continues, counting each word on his fingers till he reaches ten.

... never, never, never, never, never back up.

Somewhere Outside of Pittsburgh, Two Weeks Later

Our new GPS has taken us on an unlikely route for an SUV. But were in something much bigger: a 36-foot motor home with the SUV in tow. Its getting hairy.

A few minutes before, we turned off a four-lane road onto a residential street, then slowly climbed a steep hill. We have just descended, our engine brake gurgling loudly, and are waiting at a stop sign on the other side of the hill.

At the intersection, following our GPS instructions, I turn right onto a two-lane country road. Quickly, I see we might not make the turn, but its too late to do anything else. Ive already committed. We almost make it, but almost isnt enough. The RV nudges up against the guardrail on the opposite side of the road. Were now blocking both lanes of traffic.

Since were stuck, now is probably a good time to start at the real beginning of this story.

It actually starts in bed. I know, it sounds racyand it is, kind ofbut not in the way you might think. Annmarie and I had just gotten into bed after a long day of work. She was a personal trainer at the time. I was also a personal trainer, but I was doing something a little more unusual for 2007. About a year earlier, I had decided to stop seeing regular clients and instead to produce daily health shows on YouTube. My mission was to change the world with a raw food diet, chlorella tablets, and life force. If that sounds crazy to you, youre not alone. I admit I was a little extreme back then.

Surprisingly, however, my plan was starting to work. Annmarie and I were both in the videos, and we had become big-fish-in-a-small-pond celebrities. Not the type who cant walk into a Walmart without being recognized, but the type who are regularly recognized in a health food co-op or Whole Foods Market.

But back to bed.

I mentioned to Annmarie that it was going to be a long haul of a career if we kept up the current grind. She was seeing clients all day, driving throughout southwestern Connecticut to get to them. I was sitting at a computer and filming my daily show with my Flip camera, hoping that one day wed get a book deal, sell a million copies, and finally persuade all our family members to eat and exercise like us. Maybe wed even move to the Hunza Valley, a Shangri Lalike region in northern Pakistan, and live to be 150 years old together.

The reality was not as crystal clear. We were burning out. If we kept going at that pace, wed eventually need our own personal trainers to kick our butts back into shape. On top of that, we were feeling unfulfilled. We had clients who were successfully following our programs, but we definitely were not having any luck with getting the family to eat healthy.

What should we do next? I asked Annmarie.