Mark Sisson's Blog, page 196
January 15, 2017
Weekend Link Love – Edition 435
RESEARCH OF THE WEEKThere’s strong evidence that eating foods high in flavonoids can stave off death.
Vitamin B12 toothpaste improves B12 status in vegans. Another option is to put raw beef liver in your socks while you sleep.
Humans were in North America at least 24,000 years ago.
Eating Brazil nuts and drinking green tea improves biomarkers related to colorectal cancer.
Alcohol makes it harder for mice to forget scary memories (imagine what it does for PTSD patients).
Menopause may have arisen so grandmothers would stop competing with their daughters for mates.
Calorie for calorie, high glycemic carbs promote greater liver fat gain than lower glycemic carbs.
Increased statin utilization had no impact on cardiovascular mortality in Western Europe.
NEW PRIMAL BLUEPRINT PODCASTS
Episode 151: Dr. Cate Shanahan Part 2: Host Brad Kearns welcomes Dr. Shanahan back to the podcast to discuss the myriad reasons not to eat polyunsaturated seed oils.
Each week, select Mark’s Daily Apple blog posts are prepared as Primal Blueprint Podcasts. Need to catch up on reading, but don’t have the time? Prefer to listen to articles while on the go? Check out the new blog post podcasts below, and subscribe to the Primal Blueprint Podcast here so you never miss an episode.
Alternative Goal Setting: How Free Spirits and Slow Burners Can Achieve Their Health Visions
41 Primal Action Items and Individual Experiments For Success in 2017
New Year Pitfalls: Where Kick-Start Plans Go Wrong
INTERESTING BLOG POSTS
“Not a single human has touched the edge of the truth of Go.” And maybe never will.
MEDIA, SCHMEDIA
A Swiss town has denied a passport to a vegan for being too annoying.
Scientists are editing food with CRISPR.
EVERYTHING ELSE
The most amazing thing about this Pakistani strong man is that he only “started gaining weight in his teens.”
Of course Oregon has a thing called goat yoga and of course it has a 900 person waiting list.
A discussion of the interplay between culture and evolution.
This guy’s gym is garbage.
More people are getting hip to blue light’s effect on health.
A new breathalyzer tests for 16 different diseases.
A snowstorm made a Portland Zoo polar bear (and elephant) very happy.
THINGS I’M UP TO AND INTERESTED IN
Term I wish I’d coined: “Overfat.”
Announcements I’d like to make: Buy the Primal Kitchen Whole30 Kit, get a free bottle of Primal Kitchen Ranch. There’s also the Vital Farms contest (win a month of pastured eggs and a Whole30 Kit) and the PK Chipotle Lime Mayo contest. Enter them all!
Better than fillings: Dental stem cells.
Product digital addicts might find useful: The anti-smartphone.
Inevitable news I’ve been dreading: Woman dies from bacteria resistant to every antibiotic available in the US.
RECIPE CORNER
Backyard sancocho.
A few Whole30-compliant soups from NomNomPaleo..
TIME CAPSULE
One year ago (Dec 4– Dec 10)
Blindspots Even Informed Paleo Enthusiasts Often Have – Are your blinders on?
15 Alternatives to Sitting Meditation – No mantras or yoga mats required.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
“If you see someone with a dead buck on his shoulders walking the neighborhood while naked and barefoot in zero degree weather and playing an accordion…it could be me! At the police station I’m gonna blame Sisson.”
– I’ll accept responsibility, Nocona.
The post Weekend Link Love – Edition 435 appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
January 14, 2017
Guest Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Salad
As ‘Real Food Dietitians’ and long-time readers and fans of Mark’s Daily Apple, we’re beyond excited for this incredible opportunity to share our simple and out-of-this-world Buffalo Chicken Salad recipe with you (a big thanks to Mark & team!). This recipe is Primal and Whole30-friendly and made with the NEW PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Ranch. You can’t go wrong with the irresistible combination of buffalo chicken and ranch dressing.
Our Buffalo Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps are far from hard or boring. This recipe was inspired by our popular Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken and created using Primal Kitchen Ranch and the Primal Kitchen Mayo made with heart-healthy avocado oil—the healthiest and cleanest ranch dressing and mayo on the market. Without hesitation, we give both the PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Ranch and PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Mayo our Real Food Dietitian stamp of approval!
This is a super simple and delicious make-ahead recipe, perfect for using up leftover chicken. You can now say ‘no thanks’ to eating a boring leftover chicken breast—phew! We’re huge fans of simple, make-ahead recipes, and these Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps definitely fit the bill. Again, less time in the kitchen means more time doing what you love. Feel free to whip up a batch, store it in an airtight container in the fridge, and enjoy as a tasty Whole30-friendly lunch served in a crisp lettuce leaf or on top of a bed of greens for the next 3-4 days. Yum!
Buffalo Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
Total Time: 10 min
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Franks Original Red Hot Sauce
3 Tbsp PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Mayo
3 Tbsp PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Ranch Dressing
¼ tsp garlic powder
2 ¼ cups cooked chicken, cubed (about 1 pound uncooked)
½ cup celery, diced
¼ cup red onion, diced
½ cup carrots, shredded or diced
3 diced green onion, chopped
Butter lettuce or green leaf lettuce leaves for wrapping or mixed greens for serving
Directions:
In a medium bowl mix together the hot sauce, mayo, ranch and garlic powder.
Next, add the cooked chicken, celery, and red onion and mix until well combined.
Serve in a lettuce wraps or on a bed of greens and top with carrots and green onion. Dash with additional hot sauce for a little more kick.
This recipe is:
Grain-free
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Soy-free
Whole30
Speaking of make ahead recipes, our best tip for thriving on and sustaining a real food diet without food boredom or countless hours in the kitchen is to have a plan and prep ahead. Whether that means spending a few hours on a Sunday, jamming out to your favorite tunes while planning and preparing meals for the week ahead or spending a little time each night, we know that this will make your life easier, healthier and more delicious.
We both like the weekend meal prep concept where we each spend a few hours on a Sunday prepping foods. Yes, this does take a good chunk of time out of our day but it’s worth it, we promise. It results in a fridge full of nourishing and delicious foods that are ready-to-eat for the days to come. Jessica preps meals for her family of 4, while Stacie preps meals for her and her husband – the only difference is the amount of food that’s prepared.
Here are the 5 steps we take to complete a weekend meal prep:
Take inventory of what you have on hand. This will help to reduce food waste and keep food cost in check.
Create a plan for the week. We share 2 NEW recipes on our blog each week so be sure to head over there for some delicious recipe inspo. We even have a section of 10 ingredient or less recipes to keep things real simple.
Make a grocery list of items you need and then get your shoppin’ on. We like to do our grocery shopping on Friday or Saturday with our first stop being the Farmer’s Market depending on the time of year. There you will find the best quality produce and meats, and it’s always great to support your local farmers and growers whenever you can.
Unload and put away groceries. Wash produce and complete as much chopping and prepping as you have time for – this will make for a quicker meal prep.
It’s time to prep! Start with a clean kitchen, making sure you have several containers cleaned and ready to be filled. Feeling overwhelmed? Keep it simple. Start with just 5 items. You can always add more to the list next week once you’re in the groove – and a mid-week mini-prep on Wednesday or Thursday evening can go a long way toward making things easier as you slide into the weekend.
We hope you found these meal prep tips to be helpful and easy to apply to your Primal lifestyle. We can’t wait for you to try our Buffalo Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps. If you like this recipe and these tips, be sure to check out our blog for more ‘good stuff,’ and come hang out with us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Yours in health,
Jessica & Stacie
The Real Food RDs
Jessica Beacom and Stacie Hassing are the Registered Dietitian Nutritionists behind The Real Food Dietitians website and blog. They create gluten-free and Paleo-friendly recipes that are designed to be big on taste and short on ingredients, so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time doing what you love. You can find more recipes as well as nutrition, health and meal planning tips on their blog at The Real Food Dietitians.
The post Guest Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Salad appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
January 13, 2017
My Transformation Was So Miraculous I Went on to Coach 200 Others
It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. In fact, I have a contest going right now. So if you have a story to share, no matter how big or how small, you’ll be in the running to win a big prize. Read more here.
The version of me on the left side of this picture taught 12-16 group fitness classes per week, fueled on 6-7 daily meals made of lean protein, steamed vegetables, and healthy whole grains. I did everything right and yet found myself staring down the barrel of Type 2 diabetes.
When I saw this picture, taken by my sister while on vacation to Cuba in 2009, I didn’t even recognize myself. The abdominal weight had accumulated so quickly, I didn’t have a chance to notice it. And how does a girl like me get a belly like that anyway? The math didn’t add up: my calorie balance had been squarely and obsessively in check since my mid-teens.
Even more troubling than the weight gain was my completely unmanageable energy levels. I couldn’t get through a fitness class unless I drank orange juice the entire time. Every workout needed to be book-ended by precisely-timed carbohydrate feeds, or I’d sink into a nap that would occupy the rest of my day. My high-stress day job as an advertising Account Manager was suffering because I couldn’t make it through a meeting—an afternoon!—without nodding off or needing a nap in the car. Speaking of car naps, anytime I had to drive anywhere it became a game of chicken: will I manage to stay awake behind the wheel this time?
Kudos to my Western doctor for thinking somewhat outside of the box and declaring me “pre-diabetic.” It got my wheels turning on how everything we’d been taught to believe about exercise and diet—everything I’d ever preached in my 20+ years in the fitness industry—may not have been as cut and dried as we’d believed. Furthermore, the stress of my professional day job, she suggested, may have contributed to my body’s resistance to insulin. What a revelation! Health struggles and weight gain relating to lifestyle factors, and not simply as a result of a mismatch of calories in versus calories out.
By the way, I rejected that diagnosis. I immediately set out to reverse what the doctor declared was an inevitable descent into full-blown diabetes. Like most of us, the thirst for understanding HOW this could have happened to someone like me doing absolutely everything right lead me to Google. And Google brought me to Mark’s Daily Apple, and the Primal Blueprint book. I devoured every word of the book, the blog, the forum. It all made so much sense.
Within weeks of implementing the Primal Laws, everything in my life changed. The weight effortlessly began to vanish. My energy surged, and it has not stopped since I started that day seven years ago. My relationship with food can only be described as “effortless”—a revelation for a former-athlete-turned-fitness-professional like myself who’d battled disordered eating and body image issues literally forever.
The transformation was so miraculous that I couldn’t help but be evangelical about it. I told everyone I encountered that they needed to go Primal right this very minute. I convinced a few, but I wanted more reach.
I wanted a nutrition credential to help lend credibility to my impassioned rants, and so that I could build a legitimate business delivering the wisdom of Primal. I just couldn’t bring myself to register for a four-year degree in Dietetics, so instead I found a diploma program that offered more nutrition flexibility and wasn’t tethered to Canada’s Food Guide (our version of the Food Pyramid). In 2014, I graduated as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and got to work quitting my day job and spreading the message of unconventional dietary wisdom far and wide through my nutrition consulting and health coaching business, eat.simple.
The second the Primal Blueprint Expert Certification came into existence, you’d better believe I threw my credit card at it immediately. I was one of the early adopters of the the program, even though I didn’t open the portal or start reading the first module until a full calendar year after paying for it.
I quickly discovered that the piece that was missing from my nutrition consulting business was any hot clue how to coach humans through the process of large-scale lifestyle change. So when I got the email that the Primal Blueprint Expert Certification had evolved and grown to include a greater emphasis on coaching, and was being rebranded the Primal Health Coach certification, that’s when I logged in for the first time. I struggled through the program spectacularly, despite having a nutrition credential and dozens of fitness certifications under my belt. It challenged me, and I loved and respected every grueling moment of those mind-bending multiple choice quizzes. I could feel that I was growing; the coaching pieces built into the program, which had been lacking in every single other course or certification I’ve ever taken, were going to change the game for eat.simple.
The Primal Health Coach program is what took my business from a wobbly, uncertain start-up, to a growing and proven mini-empire that actually helps people enact massive lifestyle change in an accessible way. I no longer have the worry looming over my head “Will I be good at this, or will I have to admit defeat and return to the advertising rat race?” I’m getting set to hire eat.simple’s first employee to help me manage the workload of a client roster that just continues to grow. The clients are out there. They want your help. Go get them!
The ultimate lightning strike in this feel-good story happened in 2016 when the Primal Health Coach team announced it was growing, too, and put out a call for resumes for folks with fitness, nutrition, and business backgrounds to come and work with the Primal team. I was hired as the Client Care Lead, supporting students and graduates through the Primal Health Coach program and afterward, as they set out to build their businesses. That I now get to call Mark Sisson my boss? “Dream come true” does not even begin to cover it, my friends. I know you know.
Back to that before and after photo. The picture on the right was taken in winter of 2016, on yet another tropical winter vacation, this time to Belize (it’s how we get through those long, cold, dark, Canadian winters). Once again I was taken aback: “Is that me?” I had to ask. Seven years later and my relationship with food, fitness, my body, and my metabolic function has become so effortless that I forget to notice how good it looks. But there’s no denying how good it feels. Not one day goes by when I don’t celebrate my own good health and that of the over 200 clients I’ve coached toward Primal living in the last three years.
I feel remarkably blessed that I get to live my authentic truth in life and in work, every darn day. Primal has changed my life, just as I know it can change yours.
Does the impact of the Primal Blueprint in your life move you to consider coaching others to share the promise of health and vitality? Visit the Primal Health Coach website to learn more about the program, and be sure to check out our free information session.
The post My Transformation Was So Miraculous I Went on to Coach 200 Others appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
Contest: Share Your Success Story
The Prize:
A year’s supply of Primal Fuel. That’s 12 months of my ultimate, low-carb, high-fat, high-protein shake mix delivered right to your door! Primal Fuel serves as the perfect post-workout treat or meal replacement; curbing hunger with healthy fats, helping build and maintain muscle mass with 20 grams of whey-protein isolate; and improving digestion and immunity with the addition of prebiotics.
Go with Vanilla Coconut Creme or Chocolate Coconut…or alternate between the two. Winner’s choice!
The Contest:
We’re just a few days into the 21-Day Challenge, but I know many of you have seen amazing results going Primal leading up to the Challenge. Weight lost, muscle built, complexions cleared, even meds kicked. Now’s the time to share it! This means you have the opportunity to show the rest of the community who you are and what you’ve accomplished. In the process you’ll inspire thousands of people to take control of their health just as you have. I don’t know about you, but I get a kick out of that.
So for this contest I want to hear your story. Write it up and include a photo. Including both pre-Primal and post-Primal pics is even better, but not required. Don’t worry if you’re not a chiseled Adonis. This isn’t a “who’s the most ripped” competition. Whether you’ve lost 100 pounds over two years of Primal living or you’ve simply managed to kick that Diet Coke habit, just tell me what going Primal has done for you. I’m looking for interesting and personal tales. Details about your health history, how you found MDA and the Primal Blueprint, what has worked and what hasn’t, what differences you’ve seen in how you look and feel, and anything else you think readers might be able to learn from and you’re open to sharing are welcome. It doesn’t have to be a thousand word diatribe, but hopefully more than a couple paragraphs. Feel free to be creative with your story format, too. Remember, good stories usually have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and honesty is king.
I’m sure many of you have thought about sending your story in, but just haven’t gotten around to it. There is no better time than now. I’ll be featuring reader stories during the 21-Day Challenge and beyond, so get yours in soon!
Email me your story along with any pictures. Please use the subject heading “My Primal Story.” Otherwise, there’s a good chance I may completely miss your submission.
Examples:
One of the most memorable stories published on MDA: The Unconquerable Dave. If you haven’t read it, do it now. You won’t regret it. YAWP!
View other Success Stories here for ideas on how to write your own story.
Eligibility:
Anyone in the world can enter.
Additionally, everyone who has submitted a Success Story to Mark’s Daily Apple since the last year’s Challenge is automatically entered to win, so don’t worry if you emailed me just a few days ago. You’re entered!
The Deadline:
January 22, midnight PDT.
How the Winner Will Be Determined:
An executive decision will be made to determine which stories and accompanying photos get published on MDA. The winner of the prize package above will be chosen at random from those that are submitted.
The post Contest: Share Your Success Story appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
January 12, 2017
Primal Transition 101: Insider Kitchen Tips
Transitioning to the Primal Blueprint way of eating should be simple. There’s no need to invent the wheel at every meal. That said, it does likely mean shifting some of your routine in the kitchen. If you’re used to processed food, enjoy getting your hands a little messier. If you’re used to take-out, capitalize on the chance to use your creative skills. (Don’t worry, you’ve got an abundance of recipes and cookbooks right at your fingertips.) That said, all Primal cooks—beginners to old-timers—can make life easier with a few select tactics.
Cook Large Pieces of Protein
We could also call this “Learn to Love Leftovers.” If you’re turning on your oven and cooking something, you might as well make a lot of it. Instead of cooking a pork chop or a chicken breast, cook a pork roast or a whole chicken. Large pieces of protein (e.g. roasts, chickens, salmon filets, etc.) can provide several different meals over the course of a week. Check out this past kitchen tips post for a short primer on how to cook any large cut of meat.
Be Fearless with the Produce
Salads are great. Keep eating them. But don’t use the convenience of pre-washed salad greens as an excuse for neglecting the likes of Swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, collards, and other dark, leafy greens. These greens provide a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, and they’re easy to cook. They don’t deserve to get passed up in the produce aisle—or to die a slow death in the bottom of the vegetable crisper.
Here’s what you do: First, swish the leaves in cold water or rinse under running water. Shake the excess water off, but don’t worry about drying the leaves; the moisture will help them cook faster. If the stems are thick and woody, tear the leaves off the stems into bite-sized pieces. The leaves can also be cut into thin ribbons, making the greens less chewy and easier to eat. Add raw greens to soups and stews in the last 10 minutes before serving.
For greens as a side dish, heat a drizzle of oil (or bacon fat) in a skillet, add garlic and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add greens a handful at a time, letting each batch wilt slightly before adding more. Sauté only about 4 minutes. For softer greens, sauté 4 minutes, then add a ½ cup of stock and saute 5 minutes more. There you go.
Roast, Don’t Steam
Yes, steaming is an easy and healthy way to cook vegetables, but roasting will get you more flavor every time. Buy two rimmed baking sheets—the rims keeps things from dripping or rolling off the sides but are low enough to let air circulate, which means the outside of whatever you are roasting will brown nicely. Cover the baking sheets with parchment paper, which makes clean-up nearly effortless.
Cut veggies the same size so they cook evenly, coat lightly with oil, salt and pepper. Spread the veggies out evenly. This is no time to crowd the pan. Roast at 400º F for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice (cooking time might be longer or shorter depending on the vegetable). Look for lightly browned and crispy on the outside and insides that are easily pierced with a fork. Cook large batches, and eat the roasted veggies all week as a side dish or on salads. You can even puree them for a soup if that’s what you’re in the mood for.
Cut Down on Cooking Times
Want to magically cook great tasting food in a half or a third of the time that it usually takes to cook? (Is there really anyone who would say no to this?) Buy a pressure cooker. A popular, user-friendly brand is Instant Pot, which can quickly make stews, bone broth, curries, short ribs and much, much more. These days, Primal and paleo pressure cooker recipes are easy to find, so you’ll have no shortage of recipes to try.
Meet Two Pots That Make Your Kitchen Life Easier
A cast iron skillet and a Dutch oven are worthy investments. Both will last forever—people pass these things on as heirlooms. Use either to sear meat on the stovetop, then go directly into the oven. A cast iron skillet can be used for any type of vegetable or protein, even a whole chicken. A Dutch oven is a go-to for stoups, stews, braises and roasts.
Never Over-Cook Your Meat
You don’t need a degree in culinary arts to cook a perfect steak. You just need an instant-read meat thermometer. This simple tool helps both beginner and expert cooks know exactly when meat is done. Buy one and use it regularly.
Expand Your Idea of Breakfast
Many a person has been undone by a breakfast rut. Smoothies, eggs, and bacon are great, but you don’t need to eat them every morning. Any and all leftovers in the refrigerator are fair game for breakfast. Sip a mug of hot soup or broth, grab a cold chicken drumstick on your way out the door, eat leftover salmon with a dash of hot sauce, or have a bowl of fresh berries and nuts.
Add Umami in Three Easy Ways
Think of the condiments fish sauce, soy sauce, and coconut aminos as secret ingredients that amp up flavor. Keep a bottle of each in your fridge, and add a drizzle of one or more to soups, stews, chili, and tomato sauce. When you sauté or stir-fry vegetables, add a dash in the last few minutes. Add a tablespoon to marinades for bigger, bolder flavor.
Use One Simple Trick for Tastier, Healthier and More Appealing Food
Let’s be honest: visual appeal matters. And so does the perception of freshness. Herbs are perfect for this. It’s hard to think of a meal that won’t improve with a sprinkle of fresh herbs. Chefs don’t just sprinkle fresh herbs on dishes because the green color offers a visual “pop.” Herbs also make everything taste fresher and bolder (and they have some fascinating health benefits to boot). Use kitchen shears to snip herbs over almost everything you serve. Parsley is the most versatile herb and keeps well in the refrigerator. Thyme, mint, cilantro and basil are good all around choices, too.
Note Three Ingredients No Cook Should Do Without
There are many types of healthy fats you can, and should, cook with. But here are my go-to basics. Avocado oil is my hands-down favorite for cooking itself because of the high smoke point (and I happen to think it tastes great in salads, too). Two others I always keep on hand are high quality butter and olive oil.
Yes, “good” butter and olive oil are more expensive, but they can be used sparingly after a dish is finished. If your meal tastes a little blah, simply top it with a small pat of really good salted butter or a drizzle of great olive oil. It can make all the difference.
That’s it for today, folks. How’s your transition coming along? What are the kitchen tips you use the most and would offer to beginning Primal types? Thanks for reading.
The post Primal Transition 101: Insider Kitchen Tips appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
Contest: What’s in Your Primal Kitchen?
Prize: The Holy Grail of PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Care Packages!
Restock your pantry with Primal Kitchen’s entire line of products!
1 Bottle of Avocado Oil: More heat stable than olive oil and a wonderful alternative for those who don’t like the taste of coconut oil, PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Avocado Oil is perfect for searing, drizzling, sautéing, stir-frying and dressing. Use to make marinades, finish sauces, or even in lieu of butter for all your baking needs.
1 Bottle of Extra Virgin Avocado Oil: PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Extra Virgin Avocado Oil is the first ever avocado oil made from 100% California premium avocados, freshly picked and immediately pressed for the highest quality and richest flavor. Why Extra Virgin Avocado Oil? Extra Virgin means the oil undergoes minimal processing to keep flavor and aroma molecules intact for a nutrient-dense, healthful oil. You can literally see this superfood’s nutrients reflected in its emerald green color! It’s a healthful addition to all your favorite culinary creations.
3 Jars of Avocado Oil Mayo: PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Mayo is the perfect companion for your deviled eggs, coleslaw and chicken salad needs. Every dollop is chock is full of good fats, phytonutrients, and other antioxidants, so you can use it lavishly—not sparingly—to upgrade the flavor and nutritional profile of your meal.
3 Jars of Chipotle Lime Mayo: Craving mayo with a kick? This Chipotle Mayo is a spicier version of our classic mayo. Phenomenal taste, sugar free, non-GMO project verified, organic lime zest plus organic chipotle powder, garlic and chives make for the most perfect dipping sauce and flavoring agent.
2 Canisters of Primal Fuel: Quick, easy, and convenient, Primal Fuel provides balanced, healthy doses of high-quality fat, protein and carbs in a delicious and incredibly satisfying shake. It promotes and maintains lean muscle mass with 20 grams of whey protein isolate—which has the highest biological value (BV) of any protein source—in each serving. It contains the finest coconut milk as its primary source of healthy fat, which takes the edge off hunger for hours and provides exceptional nutrition. With fewer than 6 grams of natural sugar per serving, Primal Fuel helps keep your insulin levels low and helps shift your body into fat-burning mode all day long. Moreover, it’s loaded with vital prebiotics that help rebalance and re-establish a healthy gut.
1 Bottle of Ranch Dressing: Using 100% pure avocado oil as a base, PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Ranch includes only the finest health-enhancing, all-natural ingredients, including organic garlic, onion, dill, cage-free organic eggs, black pepper and chives. And that means no dairy, no buttermilk, gluten, soy, canola or sugar in sight. So go ahead and finally enjoy your childhood favorite again! No guilt here.
1 Bottle of Greek Vinaigrette: Using real, organic oil of oregano, organic apple cider vinegar and the freshest ingredients (avocado oil, organic red wine vinegar, black pepper and lemon) our perfectly balanced vinaigrette is a tantalizing and refreshing complement to any salad. Its lush herb flavor is balanced with a hint of sweetness, savory spices and the zest of fragrant lemon oil—the quintessential addition to roasted chicken…or drizzle some on top of your vegetable lasagna. It also pairs very well with heavier fish like mackerel or sablefish.
1 Bottle of Honey Mustard Vinaigrette: This succulent dressing packs in the pungency of stone ground mustard and the sweetness of organic honey, perfectly enhanced by a tangy bold touch of lemon. It pairs well with slightly bitter greens, like chicory, Belgian endive, escarole or radicchio, and is succulent enough to be used as a dipping sauce for veggies…or to flavor your favorite fish, chicken or beef dishes. Honey mustard-flavored braised short ribs, anyone?
12 PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Dark Chocolate Almond Bars: A healthy and tasty alternative to sugar-laden energy bars, Primal Kitchen’s Dark Chocolate Almond Bars boost energy with 15 grams of healthy protein (from grass-fed collagen), and just 3 grams of sugar. Indulge whenever you are on the go and your stomach is rumbling…or when your taste buds are jonesing for a treat.
12 PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Coconut Cashew Bars: Cashews, almonds and pumpkin seeds satiate with a nutty crunch, while coconut imbues our bars with a creamy, sweet flavor. Delicious as a pre-workout, post-workout, or after-dinner snack!
12 PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Chocolate Hazelnut Bars: Get your chocolate fix in the nuttiest of ways with our paleo-approved Chocolate Hazelnut Bar, the perfect complement to your morning cup of coffee or tea.
12 PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Macadamia Sea Salt Bars: Who doesn’t love the distinctly buttery, sweet flavor of macadamia nuts with a hint of sea salt? PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Macadamia Sea Salt Bars are made with 8,000 milligrams of grass-fed collagen (that’s more collagen than a cup of bone broth!), 15 grams of protein (from collagen, nuts and seeds) and only 12 grams of carbs—the lowest carb bar in the Primal Kitchen family!
The Contest:
An oldie, but goodie. Originally inspired by a Time photo montage featuring families from around the world surrounded by a week’s worth of their groceries, I told readers to surround themselves with a week’s worth of their Primal groceries. Check out last year’s submissions:
So round up the kids (or parents, or fiance, or roommates) and toss all the groceries on the table, because I want people to see “What Grok Eats.” The pictures don’t have to be fancy, nor do they have to be 100% Primal (or even 80%, just so long as people can see what you eat in a week). Mad props go to the most Primal family, but the winner will be selected in a random drawing, so don’t feel obliged to play “Keeping up with the Grokses.” Just post your photo to Instagram, tag @MarksDailyApple and use hashtag #PrimalHaul in the post text so the Worker Bees and I can see your entry.
Don’t have an Instagram account? No problem. Email me the picture instead. Please use the email subject heading “Grocery Submission.” Otherwise, there’s a good chance I may miss your submission.
As long as there are groceries on the table and smiling faces, you’re entered to win.
Examples:
From the NY Times:
The winner from 2015:
Now it’s your turn.
Who is Eligible:
This one is global, so anyone can enter!
How A Winner Will Be Decided:
A random drawing will be held among all entrants who submit adequate photos.
Deadline: January 22, midnight PDT.
Fine Print:
MDA reserves the right to publish all submitted material.
The post Contest: What’s in Your Primal Kitchen? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
January 11, 2017
41 Primal Action Items and Individual Experiments for Success in 2017
Not every challenge has to be massive. Not every action item needs to take you to the promised land of optimal health and body composition. Sometimes, you just want a writer you trust to devise a list of potential little mini-challenges, short self-experiments, and approachable action items.
This is that list. Browse it. Jump around. See what resonates. Then get moving, and make them happen. I’m partial to 1, 5, 9, 13, 19, 20, 22, 26, and 30. But I’m sure whichever you choose will help you succeed this year.
Take a 15 minute walk after every meal. There’s a good reason many traditional cultures recommend walks after eating—it reduces blood glucose and improves the overall metabolic response to the meal.
Do 100 squats a day. Air squats are plenty, unless it gets too easy. Then add a little weight. Not all in a row (unless you’re a glutton for punishment). Pepper them throughout the day. If squats aren’t working for you, try something else.
Do burpees (or their alternatives) after every meal. Somewhere in the range of 10-20.
Try some lentils. Instead of your normal carb source, eat some black, green, red, or French lentils. Remember from the legume post, lentils go a long way. They’re surprisingly low in digestible carbs and high in micronutrients and protein (not enough to be your main source of protein, you plant-based readers you).
Go for a hike on a rainy day. Not drizzly. Not sprinkling. Raining. A downpour is even better. Get wet. Take your shoes off for a portion. Bonus mindfulness exercise: hike with hands outstretched, palms facing up, and focus on the rain drops hitting your hands. Nice, right?
If you’re really into training (think CrossFit), try carb cycling. Eat higher carb, lower fat on training days with most of your carbs coming post-workout, and higher-fat, lower carb on rest days. Keep protein fairly constant. Many hard-training folks find this way of eating speeds fat loss while retaining performance.
Learn and master one new recipe each week. Get to the point that you can make it in your sleep without measuring. Have people over for dinner to test it out.
Go volunteer. It needn’t be through an official agency. Offer to walk your elderly neighbor’s dog or mow their lawn. Maybe you just spend a day at the beach or park picking up any bit of trash you see.
Go to your favorite cafe, grab a cup of coffee, and spend half an hour brainstorming. Business ideas, 5-year life plans, book ideas, trips around the world. Anything. Just think (relatively) big, write down what you come up with, and see where it takes you. Tea is permissible.
Pick up an instrument. If you’ve got the time, take a class.
Plumb your life for the things you know aren’t working out. Pick one of them—a food you eat but always regret, a workout you never quite get to, that elusive 11 PM bedtime—and make it right.
Stop consuming the news for two weeks. Spending energy and time on events that are outside of your direct control is wasteful, stressful, and counterproductive.
Read fiction before bed. Bedtime stories are the best part of being a kid, and it’s probably one of the things I miss most. Reading fiction gets you into the right state of mind for dreamland. One I’ve liked lately is Twain’s Innocents Abroad (more of a travel memoir).
Sincerely compliment someone. Don’t pick just anyone. And don’t come up with something you kinda sorta admire about them. Do it for real.
Take 30 slow, deep breaths first thing in the morning for two weeks.
Dance every day. It’s better with partners, but not necessary. Even better: dance naked. Betterer: dance naked with naked partners.
Smile as you eat. Yes, you may look a little demented sitting there grinning into your Big Ass salad. That’s okay. Just try it.
Walk the silliest way you can. Preferably in public. Check the ministry for ideas.
Each time you go for a walk, duck walk for a portion of it. Go as long as you can.
Swap out plain water for mineral water for a month and see how you feel. I’m a fan of Gerolsteiner (as I’ve said many times before), and I’m convinced we’re adapted to obtaining a decent portion of our minerals through our water.
If you normally sleep 6.5 hours or less, add an hour. If you normally sleep 8.5 or more, try sleeping slightly less. Notice anything?
Do max rep pushups and/or pullups every hour on the hour. If that maximum number of reps declines throughout the day, that’s fine and totally normal. It means you’re working hard.
Carry something moderately heavy around with you all day. 32-pound kettlebell, sandbag, sack of cat litter. Yeah, it’ll look a little weird. But it’s just a day. It’ll pass.
Get 10,000 steps a day for the duration of the challenge. Pace the room if you have to. Just get your steps.
Roughhouse. Playful and intense physical encounters are good for you, but, as adults, we don’t get many chances to do it. Find a friend or loved one willing to go toe to toe with you—without getting angry. Wrestle. If you’ve been thinking about starting a martial art, now’s your chance.
Visit nature at least every other day for an hour for the duration of the challenge. Forest, beach, desert, city park. Get into a green space. How’s your stress?
Go swimming, wading, or bathing (minimum 5 minutes) in uncomfortably cold water twice a week. Not ice water. Not cold river water, necessarily. But cold enough that you give a sharp exhale upon entry.
Try a sauna, steam room, or other heat self-therapy twice a week. Notice any benefits? Bonus points if you mix it with the cold plunges.
Start learning a new skill. It could be physical—the clean and jerk, skateboarding, juggling—or it could be mental—a new language, an instrument, something from Coursera.
Sprint. I say it again and again. Sprinting—it doesn’t have to be running full out on a flat track, or running at all—is essential. You have to move your body extremely quickly from time to time. Just once a week is all it takes.
Switch to candles and firelight after dark (or the high-tech adjustable hue bulb equivalents). This eliminates blue light and introduces calming orange/yellow/red light. Plus, everyone likes a good fire. Fire is in our DNA.
Refrain from browsing your phone when nothing else is going on for the duration of the challenge. Waiting in line? Commercial break? At a stop light? Be present in the moment. Be okay with “boredom.” Okay, okay: do try it for a week at least.
Let yourself get hungry before every meal. Not fasting, necessarily. But feel real hunger pangs. Eat because you’re truly hungry, not because it’s “time” or you’re bored.
Only wear shoes if you have to. Wear shoes in stores and while traversing those mythical city sidewalks strewn with syringes, glass shards, and steaming piles of dog poop. Job interview, wedding? Wear shoes. Other than that, go barefoot.
Go for a long, slow, easy run. Not every endurance session turns into chronic cardio, but many people fear it’s what happens when you run longer than a mile. When I say “easy” I mean easy. You should be comfortable. You should enjoy yourself.
Immerse yourself in a movement medium you’re uncomfortable with and work toward getting comfortable. Maybe you’re not a good swimmer. Maybe you’ve never really tried the rower, or ridden a bike for more than a mile. Maybe the weight room intimidates you. Move toward your anxieties. You may not master them, but you can reduce the discomfort.
Start eating more collagen. Make bone broth, or buy it. Add gelatin to pan sauces. Try the new sea salt macadamia nut collagen bars. Just get some into your diet, especially if you’re dealing with any joint issues.
Organize a regular dinner party. There’s nothing quite so special, intimate, and Primal as a dinner party with close friends.
Do a squat challenge. Accumulate 20-30 minutes of sitting in a full squat each day. Time yourself.
Do a hang challenge. Like the squat challenge, accumulate 5-10 minutes of hanging from an overhead bar or ledge each day.
Plan a trip. It can be somewhere close, a weekend getaway. It could be a month in Southeast Asia or through Europe. Whatever it is, planning ahead of time increases your enjoyment. You get to anticipate the trip. You get to experience the trip. Then you get to bask in the fond memories for the rest of your life.
Do one, do several, do as many as you feel up to doing (you probably don’t want to try them all at once). Let me know which one(s) you chose, how they work out for you, and whether I should add any quick and dirty action items to the list.
Thanks for reading, and Grok on!
The post 41 Primal Action Items and Individual Experiments for Success in 2017 appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
Contest: Grokpose for $1000!
The Prize:
$1000 gift certificate to PrimalBlueprint.com. What would a shopping spree look like for you? The things you’ve always wanted to try or maybe enjoy more regularly… Want a steady stream of PRIMAL KITCHEN™ bars—in all the varieties? Done. Maybe a year’s supply of Primal Fuel? Done. How about enough PRIMAL KITCHEN™ Mayo to fill up your bathtub? Also done. Today’s winner gets a thousand big ones to spend like cash and get whatever he or she wants at PrimalBlueprint.com.
The Contest:
Pose like Grok. Take a photo of it. You know Grok, right? Here he is…
Pose like that. Whether in mid air, on the ground, hanging from the underside of a stairwell, or lying on the dirt. If your body roughly matches the positioning of Grok, you’re qualified. If you’ve got a spear, awesome. If you have some other representation of a spear, that’s fine too. If you’ve got an “air spear,” that’s acceptable as well. Creativity is encouraged. Once you’ve figured out how to do it, get someone to take a picture of you in your Grokpose. Then, post your photo to Instagram, tag @MarksDailyApple and use hashtag #GrokInTheWild in the post text so the Worker Bees and I can see your entry.
Need some more inspiration? Check out last year’s submissions here.
Don’t have an Instagram account? No problem, Email me the picture instead. Please use the email subject heading “Grokpose Submission.” Otherwise, there’s a good chance I may miss your submission.
Who is Eligible:
This one is global, so anyone can enter!
How A Winner Will Be Decided:
Photo submissions will be reviewed, and a select few will be posted toward the end of the Challenge. The Worker Bees and I will choose a list of finalists to be voted on by readers.
Deadline: January 22nd, midnight PDT.
Fine Print:
MDA reserves the right to publish all submitted material.
The post Contest: Grokpose for $1000! appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
January 10, 2017
Alternative Goal Setting: How Free Spirits and Slow-Burners Can Achieve Their Health Visions
I’m a type A personality, so setting and attaining goals comes naturally to me. I desire a thing, determine the steps necessary to attain it, and follow through. It’s how I work best. Thanks to some timely comments from my decidedly un-type-A wife, Carrie, I’ve realized something: much of my advice is unwittingly geared toward people with similar inclinations.
But that doesn’t describe everyone. What about the rest of you? What about the slow burners and dreamers? The free spirits? When it comes to achieving a vision, what characterizes and organizes your process from desire to attainment?
Conventional wisdom tells us significant changes require that we establish and adhere to a list of preset action items—all in a concrete trajectory toward success. The problem is, this falls flat with some people. They might adhere for a while but lose interest because being hemmed in doesn’t fit their lifestyle or their personality. They don’t lack motivation. Some of us are simply more exploratory and squirrel-ly by nature.
Chalk it up to the “perceiving” (or an intuitive perceiving) on the Myers-Briggs or whatever you will, but it’s different strokes for different folks. Aside from the basic physiological nuts and bolts, hominids can be frustratingly (and beautifully) variable that way. While some people just don’t want to get on the stick with their goals, others are motivated but operate without the stick entirely. Clearly, we’re not dealing in productivity metaphors in quite the same way.
Most people’s answer would be to get more disciplined, more specific, more nailed down—to tame those free spirit instincts and stop all the nonsense, to push along those ambling slow burners already.
That doesn’t always work. The regular advice—do this, make a list, map your future, aim for a goal off in the distance—doesn’t work for a large subset of the population. Yet, by and large, that’s what’s available.
As a coach, husband, business owner, and father, I’ve learned how futile it is to expect someone to work against their own instincts. You can ask them to journal, to write their 5-year plan, to adhere to this or that daily regimen. They might even acknowledge your method’s validity on an intellectual level—but if it doesn’t resonate with their nature, it’s not going to stick. And that’s when an outside party is cajoling them. Imagine the futility when the dreamers are trying to cajole themselves into action. It’s hard to engage someone when you expect them to work entirely outside that person’s dominant instincts.
Interestingly, I’ve found that the malleability of the Primal Blueprint tends to attract a lot of folks with this disposition: big picture people, highly independent thinkers, intuitive types, abstract dreamers—people for whom other health approaches never felt right.
And while their path might not look like the most efficient, they’re just as capable of reaching their health goals—likely with a little extra time and creativity. The ultimate purpose for any of us isn’t perfection after all, but claiming our most enjoyable and energetic lives. There’s more than one way to arrive at that vision.
But what does the actual process end up looking like? How does a slow burner get enough momentum to keep going? How does a free spirit put positive changes into place? How do they progress without a tight plan?
Well, it looks looser, more organic. It’s slower. Maybe it meanders a bit along the way. And maybe it looks freer and even a little more fun. There’s more space most days, more choice. This means there’s more room for “error,” but errors we can learn from.
As I’ve observed in the freest spirit I know—my wife, Carrie—these folks are often more comfortable “being” with a chosen intention than “doing” a set action.
Maybe running five kilometers doesn’t appeal as an objective today, but asking yourself “How do I feel like moving today?” does. They might draw on an informal list of options for the day, rather than a single action item that absolutely must be completed or else. When there’s an intent and a general window(s) of time to do it in, those spirited types might be just as likely to run the duration as anyone—or hit a yoga class, or swim at the Y, or ask a friend to go on a bike ride.
Some of us prefer to be with an intent. Others of us need to be with a directive. As long as we approach either with integrity, the end result will be essentially the same.
To a type A like me, “being” in an intention sounds like standing in the midst of absolute nothingness. But for others, it feels spacious, inviting, and empowering. “How do I want to be with my physical strength today?” For the free in spirit, this can be the most inspiring question ever.
To be sure, the clarity of the intention matters. Bringing a solid intention but leaving a certain margin of choice for the inclination of the moment maintains an all-important sense of freedom. As a result, for these folks, it feels more rooted and doable in the moment.
The ongoing question becomes then, “Where do my intent and interest connect right now?”
Let me take a stab at offering some suggestions for those who identify as free spirits, slow burners (and any other variety of naturally hard-to-nail-down). These are my observations, informed by life and a little coaching strategy. And let me know what you think.
Don’t make specific goals at all. Build systems instead.
Scott Adams of Dilbert fame popularized this concept. When he started blogging, he didn’t have a goal in mind. There was no end in sight. He was simply blogging to practice his writing because better writing is a helpful skill. As it turns out, he’s since published successful books, and continues to use blogging as a system for honing his craft, generating new ideas, and experimenting with different narrative voices.
A systems approach to weight loss would mean that instead of focusing on a goal like losing however many pounds/inches/belt notches, you’d design the system of appealing choices that all naturally support a healthier body composition. (Hmm…sounds a little familiar.)
Apply selective structure.
Free spirits obviously exist in the world, raise families, hold jobs, pay their bills. Life gets done. And it likely involves a certain amount of scheduling and routine. No one get through life without some structure.
Consider what areas or choices related to your health vision you most want freedom in and where you’d be willing to design some degree of regimen. Maybe you do better deciding on meals in the moment but see the need to routinize a block of time for fitness. There’s still space for choice, but you’re not needing to corral everything as a moving part each day.
Let your body decide.
Your conscious appraisal of reality is delayed by a few milliseconds. We’re always reacting to events that transpire. So when, say, you open up the fridge and decide what to eat for breakfast, your brain is already leaning toward a choice. That’s why you “know” you’re better off eating eggs and bacon instead of the gluten-free cereal. Your first impetus is to do the right thing—”I should…”. Simply opt to listen to it.
In the fitness world, they call this autoregulation training. You don’t hit a pre-meditated number of reps or sets. You go by feel. You lift, then stop when you hit a level of effort you don’t want to maintain. This also applies to sprinting and endurance training.
Of course, there is one small hurdle: It takes a premeditated decision and a committed mindfulness to listen to your body for this to work.
Pay attention to how you respond to certain behaviors/foods.
If running sprints in the morning made you feel great right after and led to a productive, good-natured day at work and a good night’s sleep, do it again.
If caving and eating a half slice of cheesecake (“Hey, I avoided the graham cracker crust!”) at night makes you feel bad afterwards, don’t do it again.
If watching four hours of TV after work makes you ashamed, take it as information and stop doing it.
If you lose yourself in an activity—if you reach “flow” while doing CrossFit WODs—that’s probably an activity you want to do more regularly.
Heed the way you instinctively respond to various actions and foods. Your mood, your shame, your elation, your sense of rightness or wrongness with the world—these are physiological feedback streams for what you should and should not be doing. When you see yourself in conversation with your environment, you are in a perfect position to heed the supportive cues it’s offering to you.
Don’t turn into a layabout.
Being a “free spirit” isn’t a free pass to do nothing. I mean, sure, you don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to, but you’re here. You’re reading. You’re interested in changing something. So, that’s not you.
If you’re a free spirit, don’t use your disposition as an excuse to chronically delay or dismiss your health vision. Even though you’re maybe not gunning after it with iron will and to-do lists in hand, live into it each day. Bring the lens of your intention to each choice. Commit to congruence.
And if you’re a type A personality, don’t tune out and think you’ve got it in the bag. You can reap the rewards of casual and free exploration. You can learn something from your intuition. And you should let your thoughts wander, too. Not all the time—it’s not in your nature—but the occasional injection of undisciplined exploration will lead to some really cool developments. Think of it as a short vacation for your mind, the kind where you come back refreshed with new ideas and insights. I’m a big fan of self-experimentation, and those are times when I do better stepping out of my type A approach.
In truth, all of us can likely find some sense and wisdom here—especially for days or moods when the usual routine won’t fit in the schedule or when we need a mental break from an otherwise established program.
The world is a finicky place. You cannot foresee all that will befall you. You can’t predict everything, nor will your plans all come to pass as intended. Being open to organic developments is simply good policy, especially as our world grows more complex and interconnected.
In the end, our health endeavors are less about the goals themselves than about how congruent we feel our lives are with our visions for them. Directed by purpose, we find many entry points that lead to the same end.
But more important than the end is the moment. This one right now. Apply your intention to it, and be well.
Thanks for reading, everyone. Let me know your thoughts here, and have a great week.
The post Alternative Goal Setting: How Free Spirits and Slow-Burners Can Achieve Their Health Visions appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
Contest: Ask Me a Question. Win Books and a Primal Essentials Kit.
The Prizes:
What are three of your favorite Primal Blueprint Publishing titles? Want a copy of The New Primal Blueprint—the brand new, updated version of the book that started it all? Or would you like to try out one of our other new releases, like The Paleo Thyroid Solution, Good Fat, Bad Fat, or Primal Endurance? Perhaps you’re looking to expand your cookbook library…. The choice is yours! Today’s winner picks any three books from PrimalBlueprint.com!
Primal Essentials Kit – Sun. Soil. Oil. Get all your bases covered with this elegant solution to the daily challenges we face living with our hunter-gatherer genes in a completely modernized world. Today’s winner will receive a bottle of Primal Sun (vitamin D), Primal Probiotics and Primal Omegas.
The Contest:
Today’s contest is a piece of cake. Simply leave a comment below asking me your 21-Day Challenge questions. Need some advice? Struggling with something? Anything? Let me know in the comment board. Just make sure that your questions are related to your 21-Day Challenge in some way. I’ll be answering as many questions as I can in this coming Monday’s Dear Mark post.
Replying to questions with answers also counts. This is a community effort, so share your tips and tricks with those in need of some help and you’ll also be entered to win.
Contest Deadline:
Midnight tonight, January 10th.
Choosing a Winner:
One commenter will be chosen at random.
Eligibility:
Anyone in the world can enter, though this prize may only be available to U.S. contestants. In the case of an international winner, substitute prizes of equal value will be shipped.
Other Important Info:
Remember to use your real email address in the comment board. If you don’t, we won’t have a way to contact you.
Multiple comments won’t get you multiple entries. But by all means, ask or answer away.
Thanks, everyone. Looking forward to your questions!
The post Contest: Ask Me a Question. Win Books and a Primal Essentials Kit. appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.
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