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A little discussed phenomenon is disturbingly common among health-conscious eaters, especially those diligent about eating plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains. Granted, not very primal, but even super-primal-aligned folks suffer from digestive difficulties related to eating their abundant servings of veggies and fruit. The condition is called Fruit Belly—a bloated cranky, gurgly, and visceral-fat-hoarding abdomen that grows (or refuses to budge) despite your best efforts to eat healthy, and even despite your success at sculpting the rest of your body.

Romy Dollé is a Swiss author, chef, supermom and companion to sports trainer extraordinaire Dave Dollé. After suffering from the condition herself despite a super healthy, primal-aligned diet, she studied Fruit Belly extensively and prepared a fabulous resource to identify and help readers overcome this annoying and poorly-understood condition. Her comprehensive book, Früchte-Wampe, published in German, was a hit in Europe, so we have translated it and delivered it to the US market, with this post marking the official launch. Don’t miss the special offer I have for you below. But before we get that, a few more details about this fantastic new book.

A flat stomach isn’t just a matter of having low body fat; it also signals efficient digestion, optimal nutrition, and an eating regime that pleases our gut microbiome. And as many of us have experienced (but may be loath to admit), even a seemingly top-notch diet can lead to imperfect digestion and a poofy stomach that, while not an imminent danger, certainly is uncomfortable.

The reasons that healthy fruits and vegetables and other lauded nutritious foods can cause digestive problems might surprise you. First, while fruit is natural and primal and all that, we tend to overdo it these days, with year-round consumption of highly cultivated fruits that are larger and sweeter than the fibrous wild fruits our ancestors ate during narrow ripening seasons. Liberal fruit consumption can easily deliver an overdose of fructose (especially for those allowing fructose-laden fruit juices, processed beverages, and junk foods into the picture), which causes inflammation, bloating, and digestive distress.

Secondly, raw vegetables, while among the most nutritious foods on the planet, can ferment and produce gas during the digestive process. Romy actually recommends throwing cooked veggies into your smoothies to ease digestion. She also reminded listeners on her recent podcast (covering Fruit Belly topics, but extending into a wide range of fitness and health concepts, as she was joined by expert fitness trainer and world class sprinter Dave Dollé) that it’s important to chew our food slowly (or sip those smoothies slowly) to optimize the digestive process. Low-fat dairy products also get called out as contributing factors to digestive bloating. Of course, as we have discussed at length in the primal scene, the potential digestive problems from eating healthy plant foods are exacerbated by the consumption of pro-inflammatory gluten and other grains.

Read an excerpt of Fruit Belly

Download the PDF excerpt above here (large PDF).

So Romy is here to the rescue, offering a much-needed road map of the inner workings of your stomach and immediate relief in the form of a 4-Day Quick Fix to quickly eliminate the bloating and set the foundation for a long-term solution. Romy is the perfect guide for the journey. An entrepreneur, devoted mother, and MBA-wielding, Swiss-certified banker, Romy spent her youth in a small mountain village (where food was picked fresh, meals were left unadulterated, and digestion was superb). Her youth is starkly contrasted by her later city-dweller experiences working in a high-powered career (where her mood and physical wellbeing quickly took a nosedive). A labor of love, Fruit Belly is the culmination of Romy’s own research and experiences as she sought to restore her health and retrace the wisdom of her childhood roots.

Along with ushering you towards obvious physical improvements, the guidance in this book will help you repair your relationship with your midsection—which is more often the subject of our frustration than our appreciation (let’s face it, our stomachs put up with a lot from us). Fruit Belly shatters the myths surrounding seemingly healthy diet foods, explaining how they can actually lead to bloating and a less-than-shapely abdomen—hence the term “fruit belly.” You’ll find structured advice for what to eat and what to avoid, science-based explanations for how different foods affect the size and health of your midsection, and must-have insights about why a seemingly healthy diet still might not produce a flat stomach. And to top it off, Romy includes an assortment of tantalizing, primal-inspired, belly-friendly recipes to whet your appetite.

So, while Fruit Belly would make a fine gift for friends and family who aren’t fully on the primal bandwagon yet (especially those who, still under the spell of low-fat dietary guidance, can’t figure out why their Jamba Juice smoothies aren’t slimming them down), the seasoned primal eater has plenty to gain from this work as well. Fruit Belly provides a comprehensive and holistic game plan for your midsection, putting you on the path towards a happier belly—no matter where your dietary starting point is.

Here’s what you can expect from Fruit Belly:

• Delicious, affordable recipes to ease digestive distress and boost fat loss
• Menu guidelines for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• A lifestyle plan to optimize sleep, workouts, and stress management
• A photo-illustrated roster of simple core-strengthening stretches and exercises (that you can do almost anywhere!)
• The “Four-Day Quick Fix” to relieve bloating and achieve immediate improvement in your midsection
• Food intolerance tests and protocols
• Easy-to-understand explanations for how the human body digests and distributes nutrients in food
• An exploration of the biochemical connection between mind and body that drives our sense of satiety
• Inspiring testimonials

Per Mark’s Daily Apple tradition, I’ve put together an exciting limited-time offer for this book release. It expires on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 11:59 pm PST.

Limited-Time Offer

Order one or more copies of Fruit Belly from Amazon.com in any format (Kindle, audio, physical) by Oct. 6, and fill out this form to get all three of the following bonus items for free:

1. $10 Gift Certificate to PrimalBlueprint.com

You can use this $10 gift certificate to purchase anything at PrimalBlueprint.com. Might I suggest Primal Probiotics—the ultimate probiotic blend that nourishes healthy intestinal bacteria and enhances digestion? This $10 gift certificate essentially covers the majority of the cost of the book!

2. Live webinar with Fruit Belly author Romy Dollé

It’s one thing to read the book, but it’s another to get personal, real-time access to the expert herself! Want to go beyond the pages of Fruit Belly and receive a chance to have your personal diet and fitness questions answered by an authority? Purchase your copy of Fruit Belly by October 6th and gain exclusive access to a live online Q&A with Romy Dollé. She’ll go over the finer points of implementing her time-tested “no-bloat” protocol to help you optimize your health and shrink your waistline in the process.

That’s right. If you purchase your copy of Fruit Belly by October 6th, you’ll get the opportunity to ask Romy your questions in real time from the comfort of your own home. Buy a book, get live access to a fitness expert.

How’s that for a bonus?

The event will be held via live streaming Saturday, October 10th at 12:00 pm PST. Grab your copy of Fruit Belly today to receive your link to the event!

3. 6 Foods You Should Be Eating for a Healthy Gut by Mark Sisson

6 Foods You Should Be Eating for a Healthy Gut is about—you guessed it—the specific foods to eat and avoid in order to obtain the healthiest gut possible. Gut health is paramount, as you well know. A healthy gut enables our digestion and immune response, our resistance to allergies and food sensitivities, and it even helps us maintain an even keel by regulating our mood. Without a healthy gut, we can’t truly be healthy, happy, productive or have the body we want. After reading this eBook, you’ll know exactly what to do to get one.

If Fruit Belly shows you how to banish your bloated stomach and remove unwanted belly fat, the 6 Foods eBook provides supplementary advice for folks who enjoy digging even deeper.

That’s it! Three great complementary bonus items, all for free when you grab a copy of Fruit Belly by Oct. 6. Just submit your purchase receipt using this form and we’ll email you all of the freebies in no time. Don’t miss out!

Fine Print:

• This special bonus offer ends at 11:59 pm, Oct. 6, 2015 (PST).
• All receipts must be received by 11:59 pm, Oct. 7, 2015 (PST). The forms will stop working on Oct. 8, so be sure to fill out the form and submit your pre-Oct. 7 receipt(s) by then.
• On an iPhone? You won’t be able to upload your receipt from it, unfortunately. You’ll have to use a computer.
• You will receive access to the webinar details, the eBook, and your PrimalBlueprint.com gift certificate via email within 24 hours.
• Pre-orders will be honored for all bonus offers.
• Both orders placed online (from any source) and in brick and mortar retail locations will be honored.
• Both domestic (U.S.) and international orders are eligible for the bonuses.
• All book formats are eligible, including physical books, audiobooks and digital versions (e.g. Kindle).
• The PrimalBlueprint.com gift certificate expires on October 31, 2015, and is valid for a single use on orders valued at $10.01 or more.

Filed under: Fitness