Primal Blueprint 101

Blackboard grok2 Primal Blueprint 101

FAQs, Intro, PB 101 – whatever you want to call it this is a great place to familiarize yourself with the content found on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Getting Started

This is ground zero. If you’ve never heard of the Primal Blueprint, or perhaps someone sent you to this blog because you’re interested in making the jump to a healthy lifestyle, read on.

The Basics
These posts explain the concept of “Primal” as well as easy ways to get started without feeling overwhelmed by so much new information:

Here is the list of my Definitive Guides – thorough explanations of big health topics:

Who Does This?
Want to know more about your fellow readers? The following links will give you a sense of the Primal community; who else lives like Grok, pictures of what they eat, and how they succeeded.

Take the Challenge
Once you’ve got an idea of what it means to live the Primal lifestyle, consider trying it out for 30 days. The following posts layout the steps to take, and offer several real-world examples of what people did and how they felt on the challenge.

The 2008 Primal Blueprint Health Challenge

The 2009 Primal Blueprint Health Challenge

The Newsletter

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Primal Blueprint 101

Primal Blueprint 101

Primal Blueprint 101

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Is it Primal?

You know the basics: Lean meats and vegetables are healthy, grains and sugars should be avoided. But what about everything else?

Dairy – Dairy isn’t strictly Primal. After all, Grok didn’t start his day off with milk – at least not after infancy. But some forms of dairy, like yogurt, provide probiotics that help with digestion and even to some degree, nutrient absorption. Additionally, butter and heavy cream offer a high source of healthy fats. I consider cheese a “sensible indulgence,” fine in moderation. And if you do drink milk, I would suggest milk with higher fat content like whole milk rather than skim or 2%. The bottom line is dairy, for those that can tolerate it, can be enjoyed in moderation on the Primal Blueprint diet.

For a long list of Primal foods check out the Smart Fuel category.

Primal Blueprint Recipe Corner

A list of every recipe published on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert. Start with the basics…

Recipes – Individual dishes based on your favorite Primal Ingredients

The Entire Primal Recipes Category – view every recipe ever published on Mark’s Daily Apple

DIY – Forget processed food. Make your own…

Salad Dressings, Condiments, Beef Jerky, Butter, Yogurt, and Kefir, Sauerkraut, Canned Tomatoes, Energy Bars, Salsa, Tomato Sauce, Canned Goods, Dried Fruit, Chicken Stock, Primal Bread, Muffins, Cakes, Crackers, Chips, Pizza, Pasta, Rice, Mashed Potatoes, Milk, Flour, Pancakes, Marinating Meats

Ingredients and Spices – A little more flavor…

Vitamins & Supplements

It is tough going Primal in the modern world. Supplementation can help…

Primal Blueprint Fitness Corner

My series on Fitness: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Primal Compromises & Extreme Cardio (For the Runners)
We all know that we need to exercise to be healthy. Unfortunately, the popular wisdom of the past 40 years – that we would all be better off doing 45 minutes to an hour a day of intense aerobic activity – has created a generation of overtrained, underfit, immune-compromised exerholics.  Extreme cardio isn’t the answer to optimal health. Read these posts for the whole story:

However, I do realize that running is a passion for many people. It is possible to live a Primal lifestyle while participating in endurance training, the key is to be smart about training and understanding the necessary compromises:
Primal Compromises for Athletes

Strength Training
While many come to MDA to slim down, others come because they believe they are too scrawny or “skinny-fat.” Is there a secret to bulking up? Is there a best way to eat in conjunction with lifting? These links provide the answers:

Awesome Workouts (For Everyone)
Pick one, mix and match, go hard, have fun.

All About Mark

What I eat, how I workout, and who I am.

Everything Else

Primal on the Cheap
A regular diet of grass fed beef and wild Alaskan salmon is Primal and delicious, but it may not be feasible for the poor college student or the person struggling to make next month’s rent. While health should take precedence, it’s still possible to stay Primal when the coffers are running low. Here are a few posts to help find the cheap eats.

Injury, Illness, & Inflammation
Slamming down fistfuls of prescription drugs may not always be the best solution.

Stuck in a Rut
Overcoming common pitfalls on the Primal journey.

Intermittent Fasting
6 Meals a day? Not necessary.

Vegetarians
Though not in any way ideal, it is possible to live Primally without eating meat.

Family Matters
So you’ve gone Primal, now if you could only convince your spouse to do the same! The following posts cover topics such as discussing the PB with your family, introducing your child to Primal living, and how the Primal Blueprint fits into our modern culture and environment.

Skin Care & Personal Products
Walking the line between chemical free and zit free.

Common Health Scams, Myths, and Overhyped Nonsense
Perhaps the crunchy hipster at your Whole Foods Market is raving about a “blood type” diet, or your friend is pushing you to buy a bottle of his noni juice. These posts sort the real from the ridiculous.

Other Popular Posts
The best of the rest.

Didn’t find what you are looking for or are ready to graduate to advanced courses?… Use the search field to find more information on your topic of interest, browse our categories by visiting our archives page, or scroll through the title of every article ever published on Mark’s Daily Apple on our site map page.

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