Dear Readers: What Do You Want?
It’s Monday and that usually means another round of Dear Mark, but today I have something a little different in mind. Today I have some questions for you (along with a chance to win a Primal prize).
Since I launched Mark’s Daily Apple way back in 2006 it’s been my goal to help 10 million people take control of their health. While MDA now reaches hundreds of thousands of people every month I’m always looking for new ways to do a better job, so I’m coming to you for ideas.
Over the years I’ve put together and given away numerous freebies (the 7-Day Course on the Fundamentals for Lifelong Health, the Primal Blueprint Fitness eBook, the Reader-Created Cookbooks and Primal Living in the Modern World to name a few), created new, handy web pages (the 101 page, the Recipe page, the Shopping List page, the Resource page and others), launched the forum, released a number of books, expanded the Primal supplement line, and began hosting events (Primal Transformation Seminars and PrimalCon) all with my stated goal in mind. Again, how can I help as many people as possible? How can I make this the best and most reader-friendly health site on the Interwebs? How can I best distill the science and make it easy to understand and practical to use? And how can I offer the best products and services a Grok or Grokette could want? While I don’t really need another project at the moment (I’m wrapping up two new books – The Primal Blueprint 90-Day Journal and The Primal Connection – but more on that later) I’d love to hear what you think would make Mark’s Daily Apple a better website and your Primal life easier.
So, with that in mind, a contest:
The Contest
“What do you want from me?” It’s a (very) 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 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 Prize
A canister of both the Vanilla Creme and Dark Chocolate Primal Fuel.
The Deadline
Midnight (PDT), tonight!
Who is Eligible
Everyone. I’ll ship the Primal Fuel anywhere in the world.
Thanks in advance to everyone that offers an idea. I’ll see what I can do to give you what you want! Grok on!
Get the Primal Blueprint Fitness eBook, Free Health Tips and Primal Recipes Delivered to Your Inbox
Posted By: Mark Sisson
I would like an index of suppliers of Primal meats, fish and poultry that are ‘checked’, country specific & will ship. Finding a free ranged, grass-fed chicken is pretty much impossible here.
I’d think that would be too much for the worker bees to take on, but definitely do-able via a grass roots online forum.
But before all that check out “eat wild”
An index would be nice, but I would love to see a primal map with hyper linked areas to more easily buy local. A curious individual can enter a zip code and a map of that area shows up with flags at locations of primal friendly shopping. Maybe even cross referencing could be available, ie: 19122 and pastured chicken. Then a custom map appears with all your local options.
I was just thinking about this on Saturday night where I saw some friends I haven’t seen in 30 or 40 lbs and spent most of the night ‘splanin how….again. It’s common these days. Too common. I give them the high level and write down the resources for them and stress how important it is to find what works for ya’. As much as I want to spread the word, it has come to dominate my social and even business interactions and I’m tired of it. I feel like a broken record and feel like I’m talking about myself too much. I always point people to Primal Blueprint and MDA as a first step. MDA is a great resource but how do I give people enough info to get them here without it dominating the conversation? I was thinking a post card summary with info to get them to MDA? I might just make my own then I can say, “Here, read this when you get a chance. It’ll explain it better than I could and get you to the resources that can help you. Now how ’bout them Sox, man are they stinkin’ it up this year.”
I stopped following the Sox after Beckett’s golf outing, my cortisol levels were rising.
I like this idea a lot. I have he same experience and really like he idea of spreading the word in a not-for-profit kind of way. Branding and marketing are important, but the prevelance of it made me hesitant to become more involved when I first found the website. I’d already bought “PB Quick & Easy Meals” when I discovered the website, and I was afraid I was getting into some kind of pyramid marketing thing or something.
This is a challenge to add something to an already well-rounded, all-inclusive, thorough website. Since it’s all about ME, I’d like to see more about aging and how people are busting myths about it. I’m 55 and FINALLY graduating from menopause, would read anything techie on that. I could dig through the archives and forums, but you asked. Thanks for maintaining such a helpful, useful blog, I love being part of this community.
My idea is for a “Is it Primal” iPhone app. A quick and easy reference guide to Primal-approved foods available whenever you need it. Could also have restaurant tips for ordering, etc.
Along this same line…Have you seen the navigation app called “Waze”? Drivers can report accidents, slow downs, etc… and anyone else using the app is notified when they get near the location. Then these comments can get voted up or down by other drivers who either see the same thing or don’t see it.
This could be a good base for a Primal app. It would be too much for Mark and his team to research every restaurant, every menu/store item, etc… but the app could just allow you to pinpoint your location, type in the name of where you are, categorize it (store, restaurant, farmers market, etc…) and type in notes about what Primal fare you’ve found there (or what you’ve had bad luck with.) Then users could look up listings by their location, or by category in their general area.
Ooh, I really like this idea! You’re right, it’s too much for Mark and his team to research every restaurant. I imagine the app being similar to Yelp, but with a rating for how Primal-friendly it is, which specific items on the menu are acceptable, how accommodating the staff/cooks are to changes to a dish, etc.
Wiat, so people are looking at their phones to check for accidents? Wouldn’t that cause even more accidents?
Which is brilliant! The app users crowdsource what makes the app useful by get this… • using• the app! Its Windows all over again!!
A “Primal App” is a really good idea.
Primal is so simple, do we really need “an app for that?” I think it would just give us another reason to have our noses stuffed into a device, phone, etc… When chances are your question could be answered very simply by asking yourself, “Is this dish, a fruit, vegetable, quality meat or dairy?” Eating out primal is easy if you’ve done your research before committing.
Just my opinion
I think a program were you take on an apprentice/protege and have him soak up all your knowledge etc. and have him write/blog about it, something along those lines, would be pretty cool. I would volunteer immediately!
That really would be pretty awesome! You’d have to have a full-on Grok duel to decide who gets it though (:
oh that would be RAD! I’d like to see a female in this role, as most info in the scientific/medical/health community is male-centric. The notes that keep popping up about peri/post-menopausal and mommy Grokettes are proof that we’d eat that info right up.
Definitely online and mobile tracking tools — one that really tracks your nutrients and warns you when you go too far out of the Primal 20% buffer zone. This would also track Primal fitness and warn when you start getting into Chronic Cardio or other inflammatory behavior.
An “Is it Primal?” app would be awesome, with a primal restaurant finder component where users from your city could input restaurants or what to order at any given restaurant.
Or a Primal Con in/near Oklahoma!
Yes, an “Is it Primal?” app ought to include restaurants. I’m fairly new at this diet and growing weary of only being able to order one or two entrees on a menu. I’d really like to go to a restaurant with a complete primal-friendly menu. I’m a big believer in “the market,” but selfishly impatient that it’s going to take years for the primal lifestyle to catch on. Being in a hip fringe movement has its appeal, but I’d rather have plentiful choices.
Primal Con or lectures or MDA franchise in the UK. Only problem is I cannot guarantee sunny weather
A “Primal Guide for Dummies” (or maybe a more creative name) link on your website. Many of my family and friends are interested, but feel too busy to take the time to comb through all the links and information. Some of your entries go into great detail with “big” words (which is great), but a busy person who is sorta interested probably thinks “I’ll come back to this later when I have more time.”
So a super simple “get started” guide. Then if things are working for them, they will eventually keep reading to see why it’s working.
This is the single biggest barrier to getting more people Primal – lack of a simple (simpler) guide than the current ‘getting started’ page.
Also, for best impact there needs to be a much less ‘commercial’ looking version – repeatedly I find myself apologizing for the ‘advertising’, glossy, appearance – to many people, this kind of look suggests multilevel marketing or worse. There’s a place for the white blond shirtless six pack, but not for tentative beginners who don’t/can’t exercise much at all; they’d still benefit hugely from primal eating. hard to tell up front if a really simplified entry level like this would lead people on to buy product; but it might be worth an experiment.
I’d like to see more videos. Maybe a weekly video? It could be showing how you prepare a primal recipe, or perhaps doing a live chat?
It’s really a small nitpick thing, but I browse through old articles a lot on the site, and it would be nice that the year was included with the date at the top of the article.
Knowing the year makes the biggest difference when you search and find multiple articles on a subject. It is nice to read them in order. Also, there are a few articles where the context of when it was written matters.
Currently I always have to scroll down to the comments first to find the year, then read the article.
I second that emotion.
Agreed! Also, a lot of the older articles seem to have outdated info/recommendations.
Yeah, it would be nice to have some of the old articles annotated with updates and links. I run into it a lot where hubby or my mom/dad will say (for example) “mark says brown rice is good” and I have to say “no, new info says white rice because of the antinutrients”.
So in old articles where suggestions for brown rice are made, maybe a note saying “updated: white rice is preferable to brown rice if you’re not going to ferment it. See resources here, here, and here.”
Yes! This has bothered me for a long time. I also am annoyed that there are no “back” or “next” buttons, especially for posts that reference things from the day before or intimate that there will be more discussion the next day.
I second that.
And an update of the “definitive guides” would be great. Many of them seem to be outdated.
I am interested in a Primal Android app that tracks food and Primal Essential fitness easily.
I would love to see a Paleo cooking show on the Food
Network! Now THAT would be show worth watching:
de-mystifying organ meats! Transitioning from SAD to Paleo! Getting more good fats in your diet! The possibilities are endless. I think it would be very popular.
That would be great! And if you got someone really well known to host it, people who aren’t even interested in Paleo might watch it, and learn about the diet that way.
Cooking show for sure! I loved the videos that users posted and can certainly be a unique twist on an old tv concept.
The blog already offers everything a person new to the community could want. If you want to reach more people I think it has to be beyond the blog.
In my experience people are most curious about eating well when they hear about the immediate benefits – the Success Stories tab was a good idea but I don’t think it’s highlighted enough – maybe dedicate a whole website to people who changed their lives living this way?
Also, here in the UK paleo is still non-existent so you should definitely look at bringing it over here to the masses, as there is a huge potential market. People here care about nature and like eating fresh and delicious foods. You could team up with organic farm companies, health clubs and scientists (universities?) to bring the message over here as well.
And bring it over to Ireland too please
Would love a section on primal kids
+1!!
My hope is that some of these general ideas get more mainstream. I don’t necessarily know how you can contribute, but the two things I would love to happen, are:
1. Have more Primal focused food options. Like this: (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/culturedcaveman/cultured-caveman-portlands-first-100-paleo-food-ca)
2. This is probably crazy, but how about using Kickstarter to fund a small study on the benefits of not eating the SAD? This is such an important issue. The more I experience the benefits of eating the way my body is designed, the more upset I get about the direction that the American diet is going. I’d be willing to pitch in to help pay for it, and I bet a lot of other people would as well.
Keep up the good work, Mark.
Oh, I like the Kickstarter idea.
I would have to say an APP would be fantastic, but also a “primal” youtube page would be great to see some short videos and personal experiences posted as its an easy way to share with friends/family/co-workers.
People are more likely to watch a 3 min video then read an article i send them (unfortunately) but it would be great to get people’s feet in the door!
I like the idea of an App as well. A blog reader and links to your common start here things, etc.
A one-pager that explains primal living with a focus on the diet. I’ve linked friends trying to lose weight and they have been turned off because it’s “too complicated” or takes “too long” to get through the basics.
Primal tweets.
I too have forward on the site and the 101 guides and received the “its to long/too much/too complicated’ response.
Personally I do not think the content is that difficult to understand. The challenge is the content destroys the paradigm that person has been living, thus the fear and resistance to implementing/adapting primal changes.
I love the idea of a one page info sheet. I talk to a lot of people with limited internet access. I would like to see a printable brochure that I could hand to my fellow truck drivers when I make quick stops.
Another idea for bringing in the over 50 crowd is a brochure that not only emphasizes weight loss, but also pings on the “less pain” aspect.. That’s the only reason I started eating as primal as possible..
I’d like to see more videos. These could be vlogs, updates to whats going on with MDA, or even an educational series (exercise, cooking). Then you could have other famous Paleo people show up as guests.
I agree, an app with workouts and a primal food list would be great.
I have two suggestions: workshop(s) in the DC area, and maybe a concise guide to present to a doctor. To be more specific: it is tough to ask a doctor to just visit MDA and read up on stuff. I would be snazzy to have some sort of brochure or list of references or something succint that one could take to a doc and hand over and say, “I understand you feel I should engage in treatment X, but here are some resources that suggest I might be able to handle this issue with lifestyle/diet intervention Y. Are you willing to read this stuff and support me?”
+1 to the brochure of resources for the dr.
I LOVE when you have 30 day challenges. I notice a lot of your comments come from people who are already living the lifestyle – I keep just dipping my toes and testing the waters. The 30 Day challenges inspire me to try harder.
I have been organizing neighborhood workouts in the park on Saturday mornings. I really enjoy when you write about exercises and quick, HIIT workouts – I take your ideas and run with them – literally.
Vlogs are OK only if they’re short. I get antsy watching people talk – I prefer reading and appreciate that you highlight key points in your articles for days that I am just quickly skimming.
I consider the work you do as a bar setter for other Paleo writers and I notice you garner a lot of respect – someone commented on brand and I agree. Build on the whole “I’m doing the Mark’s Daily Apple diet” idea to continue your recognition and business growth.
I like the Dear Mark series. Maybe expand on that to a daily question?
This might seem a little simple, or might not get used – but I’d like to see a new topic in the Forum section. Something along the lines of “Primal by Region” where there are subsections for different states, or countries.
I guess I’d just like to connect to people more in my region and share tips on where to find things like the freshest organic produce/grass finished beef, or the most primal restaurants, or cool parks/gyms/beach to work out at.
If you are indeed looking to reach a broader audience, then you might consider a weekly/biweekly guest post series from conventional doctors/medical professionals who have embraced paleo/primal nutrition & lifestyle, or who understand that food is medicine. I firmly believe that the paleo/primal community needs to share the stage with people who are most likely to influence diet…. the standard American is looking for treatment and does not even know that they have such power over their own wellness.
On top of that… you might consider a recruitment strategy for blog/newsletter subscription with rewards for the people who bring you the most newbies.
Open up a fast-food type place that serves a tasty quick paleo/primal meal for anybody of all diets (but specifically for the Paleo/Primal crowd. Much like chipotle with their high standards of food, freshnes, and quick serve. If it’s relatively cheap( $10 meal?), healthy, tasty and fast we might see a mushrooming of the restaurant “Insert REstaurant name here”. Who wouldn’t like some butter-cooked pork with guacamole, grilled veggies and fresh greens? don’t forget the hot sauce.
More videos? The main mode of sharing things today seems to be linking videos on facebook to each other, so why not hop on that wave and see where it takes you?
This will probably have very little appeal to a large majority of readership mainly because it’s not exactly applicable to everyone, but I would love to see a Primal Gardening/Ranching segment. I have the fortune of having enough area that I can cultivate some of my own fruits, veggies, eggs, and hopefully soon, goat and turkeys. There is something immensely rewarding and “Primal” about being that one step closer to self-sufficiency.
+1. Even for people without the means it would be interesting to learn what is involved in producing good food.
+2. There are some great permaculture blogs that compliment Primal. Permaculture and Primal- two sides of the same coin really.
The Science, the science, and the science. It is the science that always convinces me if we are on the right path. It is also great when it tells us we or not! I cannot stress the importance of facts behind how we live.
I would like to see a more favourable take on yoga.
Sounds like your position is already biased…