Mark's Daily Apple

The Allure of Crock Pots

I recently received an email from a reader:

Mark,

First of all, I have enjoyed getting to know more about the Primal Blueprint and I have found it to be very useful. Perhaps you have addressed this before, but do you have any primal recipes for crock pots? I am on the go quite a bit and would love to have a few healthy options.

Thanks and keep up the great work!

John

Great suggestion. Slow cooking is more relevant than ever, with free time evaporating and the need for easy Primal fare made with minimal effort only increasing. When the novelty wears off and the prospect of coming up with home cooked Primal meals every day begins to loom, I think a lot of people will turn to the crock pot.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

32

Today, We Shoot Down Excuses

When it comes to eating and exercising, people are quick to produce an excuse – any excuse – explaining why they can’t do it. Coming up with excuses may be pretty easy, but I find shooting them down to be even easier.

I don’t have access to a gym.
You don’t need one. The Prison Workout can be done where you are standing. You can use the outside world as your gym. If bodyweight exercises aren’t enough, make your own gym equipment: DIY sandbags, slosh tubes, medicine balls.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

28

Caveman Breath

When I first tell people I’m on a Primal diet emulating our ancient ancestors, the witty ones are usually quick with a clever comment or two, usually referencing the Flintstones, heavy brow ridges, monosyllabic grunts, or some combination of the three. A hearty laugh is shared (mine being exceedingly polite), and they’ll go on to ask if I’ve experienced increased hair growth, whether or not I met my wife by clubbing her over the head, and if I’ve got caveman breath (always accompanied by a theatrical, exaggerated step backward). What would I do without such comedians?

I gotta admit, though, they might have a point about the caveman breath. Although I don’t have a problem with it personally (unless my wife has kept quiet all these years), bad breath is a common complaint I hear about low-carb dieters. Strangely enough, I rarely hear it from actual low-carbers, but rather from overly critical skeptics. Still, bad breath does happen to everyone, and I for one would be wary of engaging Grok in a close heart to heart talk over some fermented mammoth milk. Even on our own comment boards, reader madMUHHH complained about having constant bad breath. Of course, he was also eating loads of garlic and onions, which are notorious causes of bad breath (regardless of the overall diet), but it does go to show that just because we’re eating healthy Primal foods, it doesn’t mean we’re immune to the ravages of bad breath.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

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Medicine Ball Workout

In the past, we’ve regaled you with tales of slosh tubes, kettlebells, sandbags, and clubbells. They are unstable, awkward to work with, and difficult to control. In a sense, they are perfectly Primal workout tools, developing functional strength and allowing us to emulate the types of movements Grok would have performed in daily life (swinging clubs and carrying asymmetrical loads). Most can be made at home with inexpensive materials – a particularly relevant characteristic, especially for the increasing numbers of penny-pinching fitness buffs.

Another piece of workout equipment with a similarly Primal profile is the medicine ball. Unlike the others, the medicine ball actually gets a lot of mainstream attention (but we won’t begrudge it for that), resulting in undeserved shunning from some of our more discerning (and naturally suspicious) peers. It’s actually a great piece of equipment with a lot of Grokkish parallels. For one, the medicine ball’s densely spherical consistency lends it an uncanny resemblance to one of Grok’s favorite tools: the rock. Toss it, heave it, shot-put it – all Primal movements.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

22

How to Can Tomatoes

For people of a self-reliant ilk (as Primal readers usually are), what better way to ensure the quality of your food than preparing it yourself? I post a lot of recipes for various meals on MDA, and I’ve urged readers to produce their own food if possible – either by hunting or gardening. There was even that sauerkraut guide last week. But until today, I haven’t tackled the age-old process of home canning.

In the past, I’ve been a bit critical of canned items, and rightfully so. The soups are often loaded with preservatives and lines and lines of unrecognizable ingredients, while canned fruit is usually soaking in a syrup bath. Canned vegetables are a great choice when fresh produce isn’t available, but you still have to check the ingredient list. Still, the convenience of canned goods can’t be beat, and all those concerns about unPrimal ingredients go out the window if you take it upon yourself to learn how to can your own food. Just as cooking at home allows you to make sure your meal is truly Primal, home canning allows you to control exactly what goes into your canned food.

Posted By: Mark Sisson

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