10 Things to Tell People that Don’t “Get” the Primal Blueprint Eating Plan
It’s practically inevitable. We mean, of course, the attempts at explanation met with blank stares, odd questions, and suspicious concern. Of course, the best argument for the Primal eating plan is the story and success of each person who makes it his/her own. (And always feel free to point any skeptics/otherwise interested parties our way to learn more! Everybody has to start somewhere on their road to health! We take all kinds.) Nonetheless, after the 54th time you’ve been told by another ill-informed conventional wisdom devotee that you’re on the brink of a heart attack, you might be looking for more creative comebacks.
We must admit that we had some fun swapping stories in prep for this one. One point of agreement: once you get past the “It’s not the Atkins/Zone/South Beach/you-fill-in-the-blank diet,” the conversation tends to take several common paths.
Maybe the person hones in on the low carb thing. (“Low” carb being apparently anything less than the 300-400+ gram gorge of the typical American diet. Seriously, doesn’t anybody “get” moderate these days?)
And how could we possibly ignore the shocking disbelief we’re so often met with when we explain the role of fat in our diets. You can talk from dawn ‘til dusk about clean meats, omega-3s, healthy, intact saturated fats as opposed to rancid polys, but all is lost on this group. From the moment you mentioned higher fat, some deeply instilled alarm fires off in their minds, and it’s all dramatic warnings and impassioned protests from there.
Perhaps your conversation mate targets the protein piece. From the “You’ll kill your kidneys” (actually, no) claim to a whole host of environmental/animal rights objections, you’re under the spotlight now being read the riot act. You could be stuck here a while, you realize, as your mind wanders to those Southwest Airlines commercials. (Please just let me get away….)
And then there’s always someone who is utterly stricken by the “Primal” label, distraught that you appear to have joined some unsavory cult. Surely you must be sneaking out into the night, donning skins, drumming and dancing, eating wild pig off of a stick. What’s wrong with you that you would shuck modernity and all its advantages? Is this some kind of role-playing group? The other fork in this discussion, of course, involves the self-declared history mavens who will actually turn the conversation into a marathon debate of the exact year prehistoric man erected hearths.
Finally, (believe it or not) we know stories of those who’ve face a more confounding reaction. Some people, apparently very invested in the emotional and cultural elements of food, somehow feel your diet is a slap in the face to tradition. In their minds you are rejecting your culture and its cherished delicacies. An unforgivable sin to be sure. Though it can come from all cultural directions and usually takes a mere sentimental cast, the response can occasionally show bizarre undertones. No donuts? No dinner rolls? No Chex Mix? You must have it out for farmers! What do you have against our way of life? Suddenly they look at you like you’ve killed Mickey Mouse.
As you can see, we thought we’d take a break from the serious stuff and let our primal hair down a bit today. Now for our responses to these and other reactions from those who just don’t “get” the Primal eating plan…. Enjoy!
- (For those stuck on the Atkins comparison) “Yeah, that’s right. It’s exactly like Atkins. Who needs veggies and fruit? I’m all about the bacon.”
- (For those who make an issue of the “low” carb principle) “I can’t help it. Wilford Brimley, that scary Sunbeam girl, Uncle Ben. Fruit and vegetables don’t get spokespeople. It’s a conspiracy!”
- (For those who are sent into full-blown panic over dietary fat) “Yes, I know my heart is going to explode. I’m actually looking into a bionic version.”
- (For the environmental/animal rights arguments… Actually, we empathize with these perspectives. Nonetheless, healthy is healthy.) “We didn’t invent factory farms, and I support using the whole carcass. Organ meats – yum. Waste not, want not, as they say.”
- (Or this one…) “By the way, have you ever tried bugs? Very eco-friendly protein source. Primal folks love ‘em!”
- (For those who get bizarrely fixated on the “primal” connotation. This one is all about the delivery. It needs to be accompanied by a crazy look in your eyes.) “I was a caveman in a former life, you know. Quit harping on my people.”
- (Or how about this one?) “I don’t like your tone. Don’t expect an invitation to our next pig roast.”
- (For those who face the cultural argument) “Aren’t we all primal by origin? I’m just digging deeper into my past.”
- (Or, if you’re in a really bad mood – ultimate conversation ender) “Yes, I killed Mickey Mouse – and ate him with a side of fava beans and a nice chianti.”
- (Finally, a good catch-all response) “Despite the fact that counting calories, slogging away on the treadmill and eating nothing but Special K are so much fun, I’ve decided to do something that really works.”
We now return to our regularly scheduled science, recipe, fitness and health industry programming, but not before you all have your say! Additions to the list you’ve used or saved up in your own Primal defense?
Check back tomorrow when we’ll be ditching the irreverent ‘tude for some genuinely helpful tips on how to manage those difficult social situations.
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Posted By: Worker Bee
People react to dietary change strangely. [Any change, really.] They see it as some kind of attack on their lifestyle choices. I don’t have much patience for it, actually. “I’ll eat what I want, you do the same” is about as gracious as I get before “No, for the 18th time I don’t eat that and don’t want it. Now fu%k off.”
Honestly, I don’t bristle much at the Atkins or Paleo comparisons. Of course, Primal is paleo, in a sense.
Not in the Cordain “Paleo-Diet” sense, but in the general paleolithic diet understanding of the term [which I actually came across before Cordain.]
In fact I’d almost argue that Cordain’s fear of sat fat actually is more significant departure than Atkins on fruits and veg, in terms of comparing it to Primal.
I’d say the earliest versions of Atkins [on the maintenance level, and before they started pushing all the frankenfoods] are really similar diet wise to Primal.
But again, the key difference of Primal is, to use Mark’s word, its holistic approach, rather than simply a dietary approach. The emphasis on fitness, exercise, environment, gene expression, and his continued research, interaction and support with the community he’s developed have been key, imho.
Just finished The Primal Blueprint last weekend, btw. Outstanding.
I agree I was on Atkins liked it and lost weight on it several years ago. But primal is ‘purer’ in my opinion. I mean ‘no grains’ and no artificial sweetners and primal seems to limit dairy a bit more.
Interesting that you should write about this today. With my new-found energy, weight-loss and lack of allergic inflammation, I have been asked a couple times as to what I have been doing to look so good.
I start with the basics “I lift weights, do some cardio and eat lots of vegetables, some fruits and good fats, mainly”. This of course is followed up by “Good FATS?” (Blinking stare from the overweight woman who RE-gained all her previous weight, and then some, after Weight-Watchers).
“Yes, I respond, GOOD fats.” I will tell them the basics, and if they bite, they bite, if not, well, it’s not up to me to save the world because there are just too many damn stubborn folks inhabiting it!
I told my husband last night, that I will not ‘spew’ this stuff all over everyone, but only those who are genuinely interesting in LEARNING instead of arguing. I will tell the ‘nay-sayers’ that I am allergic to grains, most starches and processed sugars (this ‘diet’ completely eliminated ALL allergic inflammations that I had, including acne, tendonitis AND eczema!!!).
You can’t argue with results and people who love to stand by “Conventional Wisdom” never argue with “My Dr. told me too” or “I am allergic to….”. So I find that this just simply shuts them right up!
For those who just think I am nuts, well, I know MY RESULTS, so think what you will.
BTW – I am a Christian, but that whole “Breaking bread” thing is just ridiculous. I merely means that we ‘commune’ together over a meal. The Old Testament also told us not to wear jewelry or eat pork…why? Old laws, old society with no refrigeration.
If people want to bring up “tradition”, try mentioning how our body has a 2+ million year old tradition of NOT eating grains, sugar, and other unhealthy garbage.
See what they think about “tradition” then.
As for the bread argument: the grains were soaked and/or fermented prior to baking, so they were much easier to digest. I certainly enjoy sourdough or sprouted-grain bread once in a while (with lots of butter!), and I haven’t noticed any ill effects.
The greatest weapon you have in convincing people that conventional nutritional dogma is wrong, is counter-evidence. Look at the indigenous peoples studied in the twentieth century whose diets included up to 60% of calories from animal fats (e.g. the Inuit and the Masai tribespeople), and had absolutely no heart disease, diabetes, stroke or cancer. Now I know the Primal enthusiasts don’t want to hear it, but there were also many groups in northern Europe who got a lot of calories from grains and dairy, but again, they were soaked/fermented. The key was that their diets all included rich, saturated fats and fermented food, and lacked anything refined. It’s as simple as that!
A slight correction… The Inuit got more like 80% of their calories from fat. Vilhjalmur Stefansson book “The Fat of the Land” is finally online. In it he discusses the Inuit diet. It consisted largely of whale and seal meat and blubber, caribou, and salmon depending on the region.
how funny how yesterday I tried a sample burger meat from this restaurant that had samples at the philly zoo and i asked for it with just the tomato (without the bun or bbq sauce) and she looked at me and was like, “oh one of those atkins kids, eh?”
BAH! Can’t people just eat meat and tomatoes?
hahaha
Hi Mark,
I was just wondering if you have read the 80/10/10 by Doug Graham and your thoughts on it.
His idea of the natural diet is fruits and greens = High Carb.
I know I may be a bit late on this, but I’ve seen no mention of my favorite come back to the “dogma” of “conventional wisdom”
When told that I am wrong and that people have been eating grains since the dawn of time, I smile and simple reply,
“Everyone KNEW the world was flat until 1492. What will the world KNOW tomorrow?”
Then I usually do a Captain Planet “fist pump.”
“When told that I am wrong and that people have been eating grains since the dawn of time…”
My reply, for your consideration:
“Some work off hundreds and thousands of years of history. I’m working off 2.5 million.”
Mark wrote: “And then there’s always someone who is utterly stricken by the “Primal” label, distraught that you appear to have joined some unsavory cult. Surely you must be sneaking out into the night, donning skins, drumming and dancing, eating wild pig off of a stick.”
Sounds like great fun to me! \”/
10,000 years ago, and probably until about 400 years ago, the soil the grains were grown in probably had a billion times more minerals and other nutrients plants need to grow healthy. So it was a better quality of wheat grown in much better soil. And since it wasn’t processed in a factory, it was 35 cents per ton so the people of the past probably didn’t sit down and eat a quart of rice or a loaf of bread at each meal.
I’m starting the primal diet today and trying to find out how life is without grains because I just learned about both this morning but for a while I’ve already been mostly avoiding refined grains, sugar, and additives. So when I went into Tim Hortons the other day to apply and was sitting waiting for the manager to show up and one of the girls behind the counter offered me a donut for the wait I declined. She gave me some incredulous look and shortly after I overheard her telling the other girl in what seemed almost like a disgusted tone of voice that I didn’t want a donut, to which the other girl replied, “He’s weird.”
that’s funny cause I have never liked donuts, they smell funny and I remember eating at the mall once on a holiday as a kid cause I was starving hungry! yuck!
The most frustrating thing I run into are people, that seem to be health oriented or at least aware to some degree concerning food and exercise, who argue without any base of reference.
I’ve sent a ‘few links’ to MDA articles to a ‘few people’ and the most positive response is “Yeah.. seems interesting, I’ll read it sometime when I have the time/get around to it.”
I know it’s a polite way to say “thanks for the link but I don’t care about where my food/nutrition comes from or the fact that I’m getting mediocre results from my fitness regimen”. People are just OK with half-assing and laziness.
And then there are those persons that don’t want to read the links I send them so that they can keep their existing opinion regarding nutrition. Beware the one who has read only one book, indeed.
One person even said to me when I said that I don’t eat bread that she didn’t want to be ‘skinny fat’… I guess her being fatty-fat is just ok.
Didn’t tell her that of course cause then she would of had a hissy-fit but sometimes I wished that people would be ok if you just told them how things were, no holds barred.
So, nowdays I mostly tell people if they want to argue/discuss with me to go and read a bunch of stuff so that we can talk on the same level before they try to bulldoze me with their opinions (not facts)… Or I’ll just say that I don’t eat some stuff and not elaborate on it.
Just say like:
“I don’t eat grains.”
-”Why?”
“I just don’t.”
or
“I don’t eat grains.”
-”Where do you get all the FIBER you need?”
“I get it elsewhere.”
The most funny thing is, that I have bought the PB to a few persons that I thought would benefit the most from it… they of course didn’t read it I think but I don’t have to be responsible for those people so I figure I did my part and now they have to do theirs.
Still some of this ignorance still bugs me… It bugs me that people don’t care about themselves. And it bugs me that if I offer my knowledge to help them, they won’t accept it. It’s confusing at times.
I really recommend being patient and kind with folks that don’t get primal. Thinking back, I was just like them at one time. But gradually that mind set was replaced by another – but if someone had been snarky with me I might have never investigated further. You could really help someone by realizing we are all products of our environment and pointing the way – gently!
A quick example – a whole head ( not even very large) of cauliflower at the local shop this week $9!!! I’m waiting for the price to go down as I want to make the “pizza” base but I won’t pay it on principle….
10.(Finally, a good catch-all response) “Despite the fact that counting calories, slogging away on the treadmill and eating nothing but Special K are so much fun, I’ve decided to do something that really works.”
I LOVE THIS ONE!!!!
One of my favourite “play” activities is a session with my very own punch bag. Probably because of the comments I sometimes get from people. I don’t mind questions about it, I mean normal questions; but I mean when people get all self-righteous about conventional wisdom. I also get the ‘anorexia’ thing a lot, especially if I’m doing a stint of IF, because I’m a model, and they’re all anorexic right?
I was on holiday recently, and I loved the look on people’s faces when they saw me coming back from the buffet at breakfast with a huge serving of eggs, bacon, nuts and avocados. LOL.
I used a simple one the other day, all in good bantering fun. I was told I eat the “weirdest shit” (she had canned tomato soup and crackers, I had salmon with onions, cabbage, and spice) so I just said “At least what I eat isn’t made in a laboratory.” No rebuttal. It’s just not really possible.
I like watching my co-workers keeping hitting the vending machines like diseased bees all day long, become sluggish and irritable like CLOCKWORK every day after lunch, slug back energy drinks that seem to have no impact other than causing jitters and sleep disruption, and complain to one another about how much they are working out without losing weight. Nothing convinces me more that I am on the right path.
When they tell me I am the unhealthy one, I just smile politely and tell them I seem to be doing just fine. My constant energy, positive attitude, and (not to brag) kick ass figure will hopefully speak for themselves.
Oh, and what the hell is with those portioned out snack packs of Oreos and Wheat Thins?! Even if I were still eating S.A.D., that is just insulting. If you need the mad scientist who made your food to count out five crackers, put them in extra packaging, and charge you MORE for them because you are powerless against eating the entire box (because your body is so starved for nutrition that you are endlessly hungry)… grains might be clouding your logic.
My favorite “explanation”: When I was 27, my doctor informed me I have “Celiac Disease”(i.e., my body cannot process gluten), as well as numerous allergies and intolerances to many other foods (tomatoes and lettuce- believe it or not). I found paleo and for the first time in my life I don’t have abdominal pains or other “issues”. I Love my new way of Life!