A Primal Primer

I’ve had a couple of friends who are interested in this whole primal/paleo thing.  So I thought I would write a quick post about how to get started, based on my 5 months of experience.  Here are my favorite books, sites, and primal/paleo products.

Good books

• The Primal Blueprint 21 Day Total Body Transformation – This is the first book I read, and it was a great, simple introduction to the primal lifestyle.  The author, Mark Sisson, doesn’t just talk about how to change your diet.  He talks about how to re-approach your life – get outside more, disconnect from technology, play, focus on the present, etc.  He also lays out a 21-day plan to help you get on the primal path.  I keep promising to send this book to my brothers, but I just can’t let it go.
• The Paleo Solution:  The Original Human Diet – I just finished this book by Robb Wolf last week.  It’s a more technical, in-depth book on paleo.  If you want to understand the science behind why the paleo diet works, this is the book to read.  Robb also provides meal plans for 30 days and a pretty detailed weight lifting section.  It’s also a pretty funny read.

Blogs:

• www.marksdailyapple.com – Mark Sisson’s blog – chock full of health information and good recipes.
• www.robbwolf.com – Robb Wolf’s blog – also chock full of great information and resources.

Recipe Blogs:

• www.paleomg.com – Awesome recipes (especially for primal treats), hilarious writer.
• www.paleomusings.com – Super delicious recipes.

Ingredients

Here is a list of the stuff I always like to have in the fridge or freezer:

• Grass-fed ground hamburger (from our Farmer’s Market.  If you don’t have a local producer, you can buy it online from US Wellness Meats)
• Frozen wild-caught salmon (from Target)
• Canned tuna or sardines
• Fresh veggies – spinach, kale, avocado, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, peppers
• Frozen fruit – excellent defrosted with some coconut milk drizzled over them
• Pastured eggs
• Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk
• Nuts – Macademia nuts supposedly have the best omega 3 profile, but I find them a little rich.  I eat a lot of pistachios, almonds and walnuts.
• Gerolsteiner Mineral water – good source of magnesium.
• Avocado oil
• Coconut oil – I LOVE this stuff.  I put it in my coffee and cook with it all the time, and it’s the bees knees.
• Dark chocolate – I love the Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Chips.  They don’t have a great cocoa content, but they are perfect for snacking.
• Carlson Super D Omega 3 Cod Liver Oil
• Magnesium Lactate

Keep all this stuff on hand, and you’ll have everything you need to make a tasty primal meal.

So, that’s an introduction in a nutshell!  Hopefully you found it somewhat helpful.