HealthWorld: In The Truth About Beauty, you talk about how you became "denatured." What do you mean by that, and how does this "denaturement" manifest in people’s lives, and how can it be reversed?

Kat James: By disconnecting with nature — both emotionally and materially — we lose our connection with much of ourselves. I was always well-groomed by modern standards — coiffed, powdered and perfumed — but falling apart inside, (literally and figuratively) and completely disconnected from nature’s intention for me. In truth, the models I was surrounded by on a daily basis as a makeup artist, whom I considered in my mind to be an "alien species" were closer to nature’s intention for the average person (aside from their height) than I was, by any stretch. They were largely from other countries that eat real food, for example. It was I who was the denatured alien from nature’s intention, and there are more "aliens" walking the street in this country (and unfortunately other countries with the proliferation of the Western diet) than ever. People say I look like a model today (and anyone in the business knows that’s a stretch), but they look at me twenty years ago and say I look like their mother... Or them. Our ills and discomforts are not because we're not doing enough of the "right things." They are because our bodies are constantly recovering from unnatural, modern assaults, lifeless, depleted food and even products we slather on our bodies that challenge our skin, but also can accumulate in our livers, breasts and other organs. The "process of shedding" I take people through in my book and on my Total Transformation® cruise offers a systematic, painless way to lift away those burdens one by one and uncover the original glowing potential, most of us — like me — never knew was there.

Here are some tangible tips for reconnecting with nature’s intention:

Regarding Food: Remember: if it never goes bad it can’t make you beautiful. All real food has a beginning, a middle and an end to it’s life. Your body hasn’t adapted one bit to food technology that extends shelf life, and is reeling from what it deals with every day. Become a food snob, like any beautiful animal. Be high maintenance. Reject food that isn't food. There is original life force (okay, enzyme activity) to any worthwhile food, and if you become a connoisseur of its selection and preparation, you will eat "decadently' and get gorgeous at the same time, because it doesn’t mean that only rabbit food makes us beautiful. Eating low-glycemic is key. It’s similar to low-carb, but perhaps less restrictive because it takes into account food combinations that may not spike blood sugar, that, when eaten alone, might cause problems. For example a flourless, grainy bread might still cause a blood sugar spike in someone, but may not cause a problem if combined with some fat or protein. An orange is lower glycemic than orange juice because of the fiber. But eating real, whole food is the most important thing to remember. I transformed my chemical relationship with food with the help of supplements, but it was a process of recovering balance in stages after years of eating denatured food which left me seriously malnourished. My cells were screaming for real food, when my response was to grab any food. My body no longer treats food as a drug, and I do not deny myself any food I want. I eat chocolate regularly, too. But only the best sugar free real Belgian dark chocolate, not some hydrogenated piece of technology.