Contest: What Do You Want?
The Prize:
Tanka Bars. Snack food made of buffalo. That’s pretty much all that needs saying. In the pursuit of quick-fix meat-chunk eats, Tanka is offering up a handful of Tanka Bars, Tanka Bites, and Tanka Wild Sticks to the winner of today’s post. BONUS: Enter “MARKSDAILYAPPLE” when ordering from TankaBar.com for a 15% discount off of regularly priced items.
YouBars. Energy bars can be nasty business. 95% of the energy bars on the market are simply candy bars re-branded for the cardio crowd. Heck, even Snickers has its own brand of energy bar which – big surprise – contains almost the exact same nutritional breakdown as a plain, old Snickers. What’s a Grok to do with so few Primal options?
Enter YouBar. Don’t like the options at your health food store? Why not make your own! YouBar is a family owned company that lets you design your own energy bar using real, Primal ingredients. Here’s my version:
The winner of today’s contest will receive a free box of custom designed YouBars (or shakes or trailmix if you so choose).
The Contest:
“What do you want from me?” It’s a tired Adam Lambert song, but it’s also an important question. My blog, my books, what I do is constantly informed by the thoughts and ideas of my readers. Today is your chance to tell me what you’d like to see on my part for the future of the Primal movement. In the comments section below, tell me one service, product, tool, or feature you’d like to see in the coming year. I’m leaving this one fairly open ended, no idea is too small or big.
A winner will be chosen at random. Agreeing with other people is allowed (and encouraged), but only the idea comments will be counted for drawing purposes.
The Deadline:
Midnight, tonight!
Who is Eligible:
Like other consumables, these don’t cross borders well. A substitute prize of equal value will be awarded in the case of an international winner.
Subscribe to the Mark’s Daily Apple Newsletter and Get Challenge Updates All Month Long
Posted By: Mark Sisson
My husband works in the kitchen of a nursing home now, (after 20 yrs in restaurants) and what these residents are *required* to eat would make you cry. How much “age related” damage could be reversed by putting our elderly population on the PB? My good God. They were raised on bread, pasta, rice,flour,sugar,and the like. They just came around to ‘whole grains,oatmeal,etc’
Socio-economic factors weigh heavily here.
Another question posed for another day….!
a menu planning tool, and help figuring what our proportions of fat-carbs-protein should be
I’d like to see a collaborative recipe challenge. You know, put up some seasonal ingredients (perhaps region specific, which would lead into interesting local gatherings for sharing recipes and tips, in addition to competing in cooking, like a chili contest) and have people try to make something out of that. It’s more like how Grok would have eaten – combining whatever was around that looked edible – and it encourages creativity and independence, at least in the kitchen!
Like a Primal Iron Chef. Surprise ingredient(s) unveiled and we’re given til midnight to post a (delicious) primal recipe that highlights and showcases that ingredient.
The Chairman and selected food “critics” choose the winner.
I’d like a reviewed products page with reviews (bviously), plus lists of recommended products, discounts, etc.
A database for PB Members to post restaurants, stores, etc that are particularly good and supportive of the lifestyle. Searchable by city, state, category, etc.
Would like to see a place to log progress if following the sequence of improving on the 5 essential movements.
Would like a place to centralize maybe before and after stories, often they prove to be very motivating to a newcomer.
Second any more information regarding Women/Childrens issues.
I would like to have an interactive area for ‘us’. I guess I just want to see more of ‘us’ (the PBers). I’m thinking ‘Primal YOU-print’. Think FB… for PB. Instead of Myspace… Mycave. Sort of a primitive-type (we don’t need tons of fancy gadgets & apps.) social networking area where we can update our status talking about what Primal things we’re doing. “Weight lifting in a fasted state… Oh yeah!” Commenting on Primal pictures. Just a way to see what other PBers are up to in real time. I think that’d be so interesting and so much fun!
I enthusiastically support the previous requests for more on primal tips/developmental assists for specific women’s life stages, from girlhood, adolescence, early child-bearing and mothering, late child-bearing and mothering, post-mothering/grannying, etc.
One particular personal interest has to do with being post-menopausal and working hard and successfully on eliminating grains, fructose, industrial oils, frankenfoods, etc., and still not being able to get rid of visceral fat, or even to lose much weight in general.
Not everyone sees the pounds melt away, and it may have something to do with age, or gender, or both, but whatever the case, how to keep on keeping on when there may be general health improvements, like improved strength and breathing, better dental hygiene, improved blood pressure and blood glucose values, fewer colds & flu, clearer mind, etc., but no sorely needed weight loss or improved waist /hip ratio.
Also, Groks & Grokettes must have been herbalists in their day, so I would like to see more articles about herbal medicine, from both the modern scientific and the ancient folkloric standpoints.
Any cultural matrices of lore would be welcome, but especially the ancient lores of Africa where we all originated, and the not quite so ancient lores of the temperate zones we ultimately flourished in.
Maybe some info on newly available stuff like uses for novel products like hemp protein powder, for example, which I just noticed at the grocery store and have no information about.
We’ve all heard about arguments for the psychedelic and pain relieving properties of marijuana, but what about the other uses of hemp? Is the seed a grain to be avoided due to lectins, phytates, etc., like wheat? Or is it more benign, like millet or rice? Or is it something else entirely? Is it possible to digest the leaves if cooked? Would they be nutritious, or best left to the shamans? Grok would have known about it if it were in his environment, so we should, too, along with all the many other herbal treasures Nature has given us, like dandelions, motherwort, roses and teasel.
Truly take the primal movement “to the people” by franchising Primal Blueprint Lifestyle Centers across the country. Staff them will “real people” who believe in and live the lifestyle. You could take the fitness world by storm.
I would like to see some space for information and discussion on being or becoming more self reliant and living in a sustainable way, for example: growing your own food or creating your own energy or build a community play house. I enjoy the way you connect our habits and our way of living.
Greetings.
C.P.
A couple things on my mind:
A database with links/lists of primal/paleo food vendors, exercise equipment, recipe blogs/websites.
A Q&A page. I realize the community has gotten pretty big, but it would be cool to have your pressence on the forums giving your take once in a while on some of the more common questions.
I’d like to see your recipe database searchable by ingredient! A blackberry mobile app would also be awesome.
A paleo dating website?
Haha.
I’d love to see a regular podcast discussing Primal living. It would be a great addition to the website!
I’d like to see a food resource section of the blog, where readers can view food articles by food, a sort of “browsing” section. Also perhaps an online version of your cookbook – users could save trees by paying online and havin a username and password to access the book. Also would like a page devoted to your (mark’s) favorite online retailers. Most importantly, we need a network of primal physicians. I need a non-government-propaganda doctor.
Mark, so cool that you solicit ideas as a base, very effective way to see where folks are and the fact that you are so open to new ideas is amazing…
That said, as a mental health professional, I would like to see a post or two about how perhaps the primal lifestyle can impact our anxiety/depression ridden country. Any studies that you have seen that link this particular diet to mental health symptom prevention?
My 2 cents…
Amen on this one. I have seen such a difference in my life long depression as I’ve cut out the carbs and sugar. Perhaps the SAD truly does make you sad?
And something to think about – finding researchers that are either doing this work or are willing (if we can find the funding) to do and publish studies on how primal living impacts mental and physical health.
Well, I’m new here, so I don’t know how much of this has already been done. I’m with the others asking for more stuff for women, kids, and families. I’d love to see a pic of the Mrs. so I can be as inspired as the guys who have you as a role model. Another inspiration would be hearing the other health benefits of going primal, besides losing weight.
I would love for you to work (with me) on building a nutrition calculator that isn’t some horrendous pick-list of tems that only approximate what you’ve actually eaten.
Primal recommendations. Mark, I would like to see occasional posts on brands of foods, restaurants, workout gear, etc., that you think are primal.
I’m not going to lie, I’d like to see some Primal “Centers” someday soon. One part primal gym, and one part primal eating. People could come in, get their pullups, pushups, squats done, and then eat some delicious meat afterward. One can dream!
I’ve lost about 60 pounds in ten months eating mostly veggies, fruit and meat, although I didn’t discover Mark’s Daily Apple until about three months ago. Since then I’ve tweaked my diet to make it more primal and added in more primal exercise. My wife is diabetic, obese and has fibromyalgia. She’s seen the results on me and now is pretty much eating the same things I am. She’s lost some weight but has a long ways to go. She’d like to add some exercise, but is having trouble because of her health problems. She gets tired easily and it hurts her to move very much. I’d like to see more suggestions as to how someone with health problems can ease into the primal blueprint, particularly the exercise.
iPhone aps, restaurant recommendations. I am new to the site, so just starting to explore…..
Primal Travel Guide…List of cities/countries with best places to go hiking, camping, etc. And maybe complete with local foods to try. Need to make the most of vacations!
A post on how to make the primal blueprint more applicable to the discrepancies in our population’s wealth. For example, if you are a single mom working 2 jobs and have $10 for groceries, you are going to spend it on kraft dinner, not organic veggies. How do we get these people healthy, and their kids healthy, when they don’t have the means to do so.
Hi Mark,
As a primary care physician, I need continuing medical education. I would love to spend my CME money on attending an AAFP/AMA accredited conference you organized. Accredited, quality nutrition conferences are nearly impossible to find in the US.
Thanks!
I’d like to see more posts or focus on training for endurance athletes (compete in cycling, triathlon, running, etc) but still trying to keep things as primal as possible. I know its not always possible to train and compete completely primal, but as a former athlete yourself, I’d be really eager to see what tips, etc you can provide. Thanks!
Stephen Colbert interviews Paleo Guy.. Great interview!
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/263270/february-03-2010/john-durant
Improving your health and logetivity more in depth.Most of the people have the basics down and some of us are health freaks that want to reach the next level.
ChinaBoy
Would like to see meat clothing come from you. I mean, you already made Lady Gaga a dress, didnt you? Why not some meat pants for me?
More info for athletes!
The primal blueprint book is great for health and weight management.
While some parts of fueling intense activities and the cortisol associated with it are at odd with optimal health … elements the primal diet/lifestyle can be very beneficial to all athletes.
I would really like to see more of your primal approach adapted to strength athletes or someone who crossfits 4-5x/week.