What is YOUR version of "Primal" eating? page

[kkratz57]

I see many different people tailor the primal way to meet their needs, so I thought it'd be cool to put them together in one spot. Especially for newbies who get confused on what's "right". There's lots of versions of right. What makes YOU feel good? How have you modified the basics to address certain ailments, lifestyles, etc?

I'll start.

I admit, I'm not 100% primal, but it's what makes ME feel good:

Mainly eat:

meats/fish -- try to buy locally, but sometimes it is conventional -- I try not to sweat it
a variety of veggies -- homegrown, local, not always organic
eggs -- have a great local source
butter, olive oil, coconut oil animal fats
morning coffee

Sometimes eat:

Fruit -- and I'm not afraid of bananas, watermelon, etc,
Tubers -- usually in the form of white potatoes
White rice
Dark chocolate
Bone broth
Fermented items (mainly Kombucha)
Raw dairy or sheep's milk cheeses
Plain greek yogurt (usually Fage)

Treats:

Properly fermented sourdough bread from our local baker (Dear Lord this stuff is heaven)
Organic corn tortilla chips/popcorn or fresh, local corn-on-the-cob (I simply can't resist)
Quinoa for a change of pace
Touch of raw sugar in recipes from time-to-time
Primal fakes -- yeah, I go there on occasion
Gluten free treats made with potato starch and rice flours (usually when I get the hankering for pizza crust and meetza just won't do)
Buffalo wings from a bar (yes, I know they're fried in horrible fats, but damn)
If I eat something definitely non-primal, it damn well better be the best-of-the-best (like the best sandwich in America -- roast pork with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone at Dinic's in Philly)

My vice:

Beer -- this is the one thing I need to reign in, but no way on God's green earth am I fully giving it up.

I strive to keep my protein constant. I don't fear fats OR carbs (my thyroid seems to function a little better with slightly more carbs). I don't weigh/measure/count calories. Way too stressful for me personally.

I'm still ever tweaking and modifying as I learn more and more. This might look different a year from now. I've also influenced my husband to become more primal. He now looks forward to grilling meats and veggies for dinner. SCORE!

[Barefoot Gentile]

Great fun topic.

I am not 100% primal and never will be, I don't have issues with bread and some grains. The way you eat pretty much mirrors my diet. I grew up eating clean so this is not new to me. I love beer! Will never give that.

[AdamC29]

i am also similar to you.

Im on the right side of 30 (just) so I need to find a balance between enjoying my life and eating well for a long fruitful and healthy life.

I think I have that balance right but it includes a few beers every now and then in moderation and eating some treats when my body it tells it to (usually after training).

Rock on brother!

[PHaselow]

My version is pretty much what I've been told to do... since I'm new at this and I'll tweak it later:

*added A LOT of fat to my diet. Being an old eating disorder kid, fat was lacking for sure.
*added A LOT of protein to my diet. Same thing as above
*Eliminated grains 100%; all of them. I need to do that for GI reasons, and I'm big on avoiding GMOs
*cut back dairy 90%. I have 1T heavy whipping cream in my coffee plus cook with grass fed butter or ghee. That's about it.
*cut back fruit 90%. I eat dried fruit in salads or an apple/pear maybe 1-2 times/week

Mainly eat:

Grass fed, local meats (love my rib eye)
wild salmon- this one was tough since I have a child I feel is mercury toxic and fish was eliminated, perhaps without merit
Local eggs
uncured bacon (save grease for cooking or salad dressing)
avocado
coconut
organic vegetables
organic raw nuts (OK. My vice is honey roasted cashews; trying to work on that)
dark chocolate- up to 99% cacao. Love it
morning decaf organic coffee- with ghee/heavy cream and usually brewed with some ground cacao added
coconut oil, ghee, evoo, avocado oil, macadamia nut oil
Bragg's cider vinegar

My cheats/treats are

ice cream (good stuff; only 3-4 ingredients)
honey roasted cashews
french fries (good ones; not fast food)
oats
full fat yogurt
buttered popcorn
maple syrup
soy free mayonnaise
nut butters

What I miss most:

SUSHI; although I am going to start eating it again. The white rice was what I am avoiding.
CARAMEL APPLES (year #2 without eating any)

I have not been Primal through a winter season. Typically, I'd eat lentils and chili with beans and farro/spelt salads and such. I might miss that! All of the winter squashes are hitting the shelves which makes me absolutely giddy. Nothing better than a baked Kabocha or Hubbard squash!!! I could eat a whole one...

I don't drink much at all anymore. If I do, it is a very dark beer or tequila with lime on the rocks.

I move primally, too. No more cardio overload. I go to a conditioning class 4-6 days a week (kettle bells, free weights, flipping tires, etc) and run (slowly) 1-2 times a week on my own. I am getting back in to fostering dogs after a few months break, so I'm out with them often, too.

My husband is satisfied with the way we now eat, but he limits his red meat/fat intake. He has a strong family history of heart disease and adopts a freakish attachment to the traditional medicine viewpoint (he is an MD; anesthesia). Despite only having LDLs a bit high on the reference range, he takes a statin since he was unable to lower it through his diet/exercise. It has lowered his HDLs more along with his LDLs. I am working on him to accept coconut oil into his diet but that is a tough one for him, plus I still can't get him to take coQ10. I place a lot of research material in front of him, but until the medical community changes their tune he will not budge. He is super active (looks like Mark Sisson!) but probably does too much cardio. His physique is what we strive for: very lean, athletic and strong. How can it be so easy for some and not for others?

My goal is to learn to bake more Primal foods, hopefully developing recipes my kids will actually eat! I'm making raw/primal coconut almond joys this weekend. Have you ever had coconut water directly from a virgin coconut? It is HEAVEN.

[sarasue624]

There's a disconnect between how I do eat and how I want to eat. So, I'll post how I want to eat because when I do eat this way my body is noticeably happier with me. This will be a good exercise for me to pin down what exactly I'd like to eat. I have different preferences for at home eating and not-at-home eating.

At home:
Organic, local meats only. (I have a great source, though $$) - exception, salmon.
CSA (local organic) box veggies (summer) only or organic veggies (winter) only - exception, avocados.
Unfortunately the CSA box includes quite a few potatoes, so I do work those in occasionally.
Local eggs.
Local dairy - exception, specialty cheeses/chevre (occasional treat).
Coconut products - organic when possible.
Lunchmeat - ideally local/organic, but I haven't found a good source of this, so for right now I just go with "natural" - the stuff cured in celery juice instead of all the conventional crap.
Canned fish - wild.
Perrier.
Coffee.

Not-at-home.
Meats.
Salad components and veggies however they're served.
Dairy.
Rice. (Limited.)
Teas.
Water.
Wine and Beer. (Limited)
Rum and ? (I've been using diet coke but I'd like to find something healthier to drink with rum.)
If I'm really feeling strict, I avoid sugary sauces (like Chinese or Indian) but most of the time I don't sweat it.

That's it, I think. I should print these out and post them on my car's dashboard!

[sbhikes]

Isn't this pretty much just another "what's your 20%" topic? I mean that not to be offensive but just to let you know that this info is pretty much all over the forum.

[naiadknight]

Always: beef, chicken, offal of both (hearts, chicken necks, a few other things), conventional; eggs, free-range; veggies of nearly all kinds, conventional; butter, olive oil, lard, conventional
Sometimes: shrimp/ crab, I try to get Gulf wild caught; berries, apples, conventional; pecans, in-state conventional; chocolate (I prefer 80% or higher), usually organic; lamb breast or goat parts when I can get them.
Occasionally: Sourdough (true sourdough); honey yeast rolls; almonds, walnuts, pistachios, conventional, white rice (usually in the form of sushi or steamed rice), soy sauce in homemade Chinese food
Seasonal: winter squash (including pumpkin), plums, peaches, avocados, chiles, tomatillos, prickly pears, conventional or acquired for free; ice cream.
Rarely: birthday cake ( a sliver), pasta, garlic bread, cookie dough, Guinness
Vices: DQ Blizzards in the summer, among others.

[Leida]

I don't know. I have tried a lot of versions. My favorite gotta be just as stated in Paleo: eat whatever veggies and meat you want cooked in its own fat, and as much fruit as you like. If I could do that, and be at my happy weight, I would. But I am a pathetic middle-aged woman, so I gain fat on that, and have appetite unbalanced by sugars, so to manage fat, my version of Primal nowadays is aiming to get >70% of calories from fat, less that 25 g net carb, no fruit, and no fresh dairy. I eat peanut butter. That's about the only thing I do that is rebellious.

If that doesn't work, my only recourse is like vegan. The only thing I did not try. Well, frutarian, too, but I know that as much as I want to be frutarian, I would be sick within 2 weeks on it with blood sugar. Though maybe I should try. If I am destined to be die fat, why not die happy.

[kkratz57]

Isn't this pretty much just another "what's your 20%" topic? I mean that not to be offensive but just to let you know that this info is pretty much all over the forum.

No offense taken. Wasn't my intention to make this another "what's your 20%". Thought it'd be informative to have something more comprehensive...you know, the total eating package. Some may be more strict, some people may have certain conditions they're trying to control through food, some may be more carb-heavy, etc.

[adameads]

hmmm...interesting thread topic.

not counting june and july (months we moved and being primal was a real challenge)...my diet is really pretty simple.

Breakfast is usually:

frittata with eggs, meat, and veggies
or
pastured pork sausage patties and over medium eggs
or
leftovers from dinner

Lunch is usually:
sardines with yellow mustard
leftover dinner
qdoba meat/veggies/guacamole
steak salads
taco salads

dinner is usually:
grass fed beef, salmon, pastured pork, transylvanian stockpot (a recipe in one of mark's books), spinach salads, chicken dishes. really should work on variety...maybe that's why i had a two month hiccup.

snacks are nuts, seeds, berries, dark chocolate, dates with pecan pieces (primal pecan pie), and raw milk cheese.