Primal living in a decidedly modern world is mostly awesome, but there are difficult moments we’ve all faced. Things like having to explain the jar of coconut oil and greasy spoon we keep at our office desks, or facing the strange looks we get when doing lunges down the street, pull-ups on tree branches, box jumps on park benches, and overhead presses with our pre-adolescent children – those little moments where you and everyone around you suddenly realize that maybe you’re just slightly different from the “norm.” A bit off, as it were. Of course, we often pride ourselves on our individualism, on our constant skepticism of Conventional Wisdom (especially diet- and fitness-related). If I wasn’t different (or at least willing to consider alternative viewpoints), I might never have questioned the bread-and-ice-cream-fueled chronic cardio way of life that was killing me. If you guys weren’t inherent skeptics, you probably never would have found your way to my blog. If a guy like Sterling scoffed at the supposed preposterousness of eating fat to lose fat, he’d probably still be unhealthy. So we see that embracing our weirdness is what makes all this possible. You might even say that we have a healthy appreciation for going off the beaten path (actually, the path enjoyed quite a bit of traffic for hundreds of thousands of years, but it’s only recently that it was largely abandoned and the brush allowed to flourish and cover it all up; luckily, we’re armed with razor sharp machetes and dusty old maps). Sometimes, though, we’re forced to stay on the trail. Sometimes, social obligation requires us to eat at less than appetizing locales. Maybe it’s hitting the local happy hour with co-workers on a Friday or going out to eat at a chain restaurant with family from out of town – whatever the occasion, when we’re stuck in an unfamiliar or unpalatable culinary situation, there are ways to mitigate the potential damage and still remain relatively Primal. Almost any restaurant will have something for you to eat, even if it wasn’t raised in pasture or cooked in healthy fats. Just because the food isn’t ideal doesn’t mean you should order the Awesome Blossom, a large Coke, and a burger and fries. There are alternatives. Avoid eating out. I’m kinda kidding, but it goes without saying that eating out at chain restaurants on a regular basis probably isn’t a good idea. Lobby for restaurant-picking powers. If you’re deigning to eat out, the least your companions can do is let you pick the place. Pro-tip: don’t use the word “deign” when trying to pick the restaurant. Don’t eat. Treat this as an Intermittent Fasting day. If you need visualization, imagine Grok happening across a rotting, stinking carcass. Doesn’t sound so different from most restaurant fare to me. Be a super modern forager. Scan the menu for anything that might work. If you’re eating Mexican, get the fajitas and lose the rice, beans, and tortillas while upping the veggies, meat, and … Continue reading The Primal Blueprint Guide to Dining Out