Baby Steps to Primal

We’re on day 11 of my family going primal and well, there’s a lot of cheating going on. I caught my mom eating tortilla chips the other night (Corn is a grain!) and my Dad is still eating his oatmeal about every other day. However, there has also been some huge improvements to the way my family eats. I've been able to get them at least going on Gluten free bread, Omega-3 supplements and more quality meats in their diet . We’re far from perfect but that's okay.  Some people (like me) like to just jump in the deep end and figure out how to swim as we go, other people (like my Mom) need to take it slow and start in the shallow end.  As long as there are improvements being made progress can be made, it will be slow but it will still be progress. Here are some of the best tips I have for slowly transitioning to Primal.


1. Don’t rush the Carb cut.

Carb Flu is a bitch and there’s no good way around it.  When I went primal I went from over 300 grams of carbs a day to well under 100 grams the next day. The Carb Flu SUCKED! I was foggy and had almost no energy for almost 3 days.  But, I was also in a health crisis I needed the change and I needed it fast (I felt great after the initial 3 days).  If you don’t need to do it that way that's fine, cutting down to about 150 grams is still a huge improvement from the 350+ grams of carbs most people do on the SAD.  From there cutting carbs can be slowed to about 15 grams every other day or so to ease yourself through the Carb Flu.  Again, this will slow the progress toward optimal health, but you will be on your way.

2. Adjust your favorite meals.
Changes to individual meals can make a huge impact on your journey.  Seek out Primal Approved substitutions for your favorite meals.  My Dad likes his morning oatmeal so I found him a few “hot cereal” replacements that are grain, gluten, and sugar free.  Considering my Dad used to eat Oatmeal every morning (no surprise he was always hungry again by 10 am) simply changing this one meal made a huge impact on his overall health.

3. Read labels.
You'd be shocked what they can cram gluten, HFC, and sugar into. One of my guys listened when I said stop drinking soda, unfortunately he missed the part when I said drink water instead.  He came to work the next day with a Powerade, which I promptly turned over and read the ingredients. The second ingredient is HFC (high fructose corn syrup) a BIG no no.  Not to mention the petroleum based Red #40 and a cocktail of other process garbage.  After short conversation it turned out he wasn't ready to give up his sweet drink for plain water.  Thats fine, at least he was being honest with himself.  I showed him coconut water, it still is basically just sugar but, a hell of alot better then the added sugar in sports drinks and soda. Again, this is just a small step with huge overall health impacts.

4. Eat out less.
The biggest challenge for any of my guys at the shop is to not eat out.  When they go on lunch they was right up to the food court, and I can tell you, there is nothing good up there.  This can easily be remedied by cooking more then you need for dinner.  Leftovers make a great take to work meal and can be ready in just a few minutes in the microwave (I’m generally against using the microwave ,but even I can't deny the convenience of it in the workplace).  When I make anything in the slow cooker I at least double the recipe so I have dinner that night and lunch the next day (sometimes I even have dinner again).  This only takes a few extra minutes of cooking ,but will keep you away from the food court.

5. Buddy up!
This is quite possibly the easiest and most effective way to help your journey to Primal living.  Get your significant other, Parents, or Best friend (or even your co-workers) involved.  You can keep each other motivated and on the right track.  Workouts will feel more like play and therefore feel easier and get done more often.  You can share cooking responsibility and research each others questions.  Like I say in my About Me I hid my health crisis from my friends and family which I very much regret, they would have been a huge help to me during my journey, like I hope I am helping them now.

So, there you have it, 5 super simple steps to help ease you into the Primal Lifestyle Journey.  Keep it simple and you’d be surprised at how easy the transition can be. Feel free to share your own tips and tricks in the comments below and I’ll keep thinking of new ways to help you find your optimal Health.