College Primal page

[tomboy2322]

Hey Guys! I am just starting out. Trying Mark's 21 day journey thing but I really want to make this stick. I come from down South. I'm in GA now for college, but my hometown is in SC. Is anyone else trying to go Primal on a college dining plan? I am finding it very difficult. Plus I have almost no budget (broke college kid and all) so buying most of my own food is out of the question, at least till next year. On top of that I have no car, so I would have to walk and most grocery places aren't exactly close. Any tips on primal in college? Anything from sleep habits to food to absolutely anything? Thanks in advance

[PrimalMama]

You do the best you can with what you have as options...

What kind of dining facilities do you have at your school?
While I'm guessing your cafeteria isn't sourcing pastured eggs, chicken, and beef, wild salmon and uncured bacon... remember these 3 words: EAT. REAL. FOOD.
meat, veggies, fish, fruit = YES!
froyo machine, sodas, pastas, pizzas, desserts, candy, fried stuff = NO!

Load up on your proteins - eggs, bacon, sausage, non-breaded meats/chicken/fish
If you have a salad bar, make yourself a BAS with lots of veggies, meat and hard boiled eggs.
If all that's available is burgers - get yours with extra lettuce/tomato and no bun.
If you have an all-you-can-eat setup (which is what I had), bring a take-home container to snag extras when there's something good (but you might need to be discreet about this), and you can always stick a few pieces of fruit in your bag for later.

Do you have access to a kitchen at all? If not, be creative - My dorm banned "exposed elements" and "open flames" - so I had a hotpot, george foreman grill, and crockpot - these technically abided by rules, (but I'm pretty sure they didn't actually want everyone having these things for fear they'd burn the place down), and nobody ever said anything about them... I wouldn't cook in the microwave (if you can avoid it).
re:shopping, you might want to join forces with a friend who has a car, or friends who are willing to split a cab. Even if you can get some staples/emergency food - EVOO, coconut oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, jerky, nuts, dried fruits, unsweetened coconut flakes, larabars (or other bar that only has fruit/nuts - bars labeled as "raw vegan" are a better choice than most), grab tons of eggs - they stay good for quite awhile, and you can hard boil them in the aforementioned hot pot. Also, almost all of those things can be ordered online if you REALLY can't get to a store (or you don't think a store will have them)

For exercise, do what you need to do and ignore other people... walk everywhere (not a problem since you don't have a car), goof around (play) - pickup basketball game, a hike, racing a friend across the quad (sprints, once a week)... and find some time to Lift Heavy Things (got a love interest who needs their bike carried up to the 4th floor?)

For sleep, the best advice I have is to live alone
failing that, if it's a problem getting enough sleep, talk to your roommate(s), invest in earplugs/headphones you can sleep in, and an eye mask.

[tomboy2322]

Hey, thanks for the quick response. I have only been primal for two days. I have been living basically off of the grilled chicken they serve at lunch and dinner and salads. It's good. But it's getting old fast. I eat vegetables but they don't serve many. Carrots, and broccoli are about my only options. They don't serve hard boiled eggs sadly. I have access to a conventional oven. That's about it. I can get to a store but I have very limited storage space.

Can you offer any tips for stuff I can snack on without guilt? I have some almonds but everyone says not to eat too many of those. I also bought some jerky. For those long hours of studying it would be nice to have something to munch on. That's what I'm missing the most right now

[PrimalMama]

Snacks:
Fruit that doesn't need a fridge (apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, dried fruit [but watch for added sugar!])
Celery w/Almond butter or cream cheese
Carrots (they can go without refrigeration for a bit, really, they can)
Cucumber
Hass Avocados (if you can get 'em)
Tomatoes (bite size or sliced up)
Kale Chips (made in a conventional oven - they're nice and crispy, and as salty as you want 'em)
Shredded coconut (Let's do Organic "flakes" - bigger pieces = more chewing = satisfies my snackies better)
Cheese + meat (pepperoni/prosciutto/sausage type stuff) + veggie (cucumber, pepper, tomato, arugula) - kind of subbing the meat & veggie for cracker/bread.
Tanka bites (or other unsweetened jerky)
primalpacs or Steve's Original both sell tasty (but pricey for a college student) snack packs.
Unsweetened full fat yogurt (I like Fage total) w/frozen or fresh berries
roasted brussels sprouts or other veggies (and be creative with the seasoning on these!) - again, they don't NEED the fridge.
roasted sweet potatoes w/butter (I roast a few, refrigerate, then eat about 1/4 of a potato at a time)
Lunch meat (organic/nitrate free is better) with veggies/cheese
Tuna/Chicken/Turkey from a can - or tuna/chicken/turkey salad
LaraBars (or any raw vegan bar - ones without agave are better)
Nuts aren't HORRIBLE, they're just not the BEST - I usually mix up a batch of trail mix with almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts (all raw), unsweetened dried cherries, blueberries, figs, dates, etc. and some super-dark soy-free chocolate - I'll grab a handful of this to keep me going while I'm at work.

hope that helps!

[primalrob]

if you've got some time, just type the word college into the search bar on the forums page and the front page of mark's site and you'll meet a never ending supply on tips for college students. it's not necessarily easy being primal on a college campus, but it's easier than you might think. the food will definitely be the hardest part, and certainly not ideal in terms of quality, but you will still be healthier than a lot of the other people filling up on easymac.

that's a good snack list above. i'd like to add sardines and hard boiled eggs. does that conventional oven have a stove top? $2 buys you twelve primal snacks.

[tomboy2322]

Thanks guys. I will definitely try some of those snack ideas.

Primal rob, the oven is complete with a stove top. And what do you mean, $2 for twelve primal snacks?

[primalrob]

Thanks guys. I will definitely try some of those snack ideas.

Primal rob, the oven is complete with a stove top. And what do you mean, $2 for twelve primal snacks?

eggs. you can boil your own eggs and keep them handy. i usually make a dozen or so each week, keep them in the fridge, and grab one or two whenever i'm a little hungry (usually post workout).

pastured eggs are obviously best, and more expensive (try to find a local farmer/farmers market), but even conventional eggs are still the best primal food in my opinion. they've got good protein, plenty of fat, and those yolks are packed with nutrients. i eat a bunch of them, and balance out the omega 6 with the sardines.

[Anna Katherine]

Good Luck! Especially when here in the South the thing to do is go out to eat.