The Primal Blueprint (54 page)

Primal Avoid - At a Glance

Diet

Beverages:
Avoid sweetened “energy drinks” (Red Bull, etc.) and “teas” (Snapple, Arizona, etc.), soft drinks, powdered drinks, and performance drinks used outside of workouts (Gatorade, etc.).

Coffee/Caffeine:
Avoid excessive use, or using as energy crutch in place of adequate sleep and healthy lifestyle habits.

Dairy:
Limit or avoid GMO or conventional products due to hormone, pesticide, antibiotic, allergenic and immune-suppressing agents.

Eggs:
Limit eggs from chickens commercially raised in cages, and fed with grains, hormone, pesticides and antibiotics. Go organic first!

Fats and Oils:
Avoid all trans and partially hydrogenated, canola, cottonseed, corn, soybean, all other high polyunsaturated (safflower, sunflower, etc.) oils, margarine, vegetable shortening, and deep-fried foods.

Fast Food:
Avoid chemically treated, deep-fried, insulin-stimulating fare that is devoid of nutritional value: French fries, onion rings, burgers, hot dogs, chimichangas, chalupas, and all the rest.

Fish:
Avoid fish from farms, polluted waters, or from top of marine food chain (shark, sword, and others that might have more concentrated levels of contaminants).

Fruits:
Limit or avoid GMO, remote grown, or conventionally grown with soft, edible skins. Find local or organic alternatives.

Fruit/Vegetable Juice:
Avoid juices with added sugar or that are heat processed, or from pesticide-laden produce. Limit total consumption, even for good juice.

Grains:
Avoid wheat, rice, corn, oats, cereals, breads, pasta, muffins, rolls, waffles, pancakes, croissants, baguettes, crackers, donuts, swirls, Danishes, tortillas, pizza, other grains (barley, millet, rye, quinoa, amaranth, etc.), and other baked or processed high-carb foods. Even avoid whole grains due to higher levels of objectionable phytates, lectins and gluten. Everyone is allergic to grains at some level!

Indulgences:
Avoid high carbohydrate (sugar or flour based), heavily processed treats: cookies, cake, pie, brownies, candy, candy bars, ice cream, donuts, popsicles and other frozen desserts.

Legumes:
Limit or avoid alfalfa, beans, peanuts, peas, lentils and soybeans due to high insulin response and lectin content.

Meat and Fowl:
Limit or avoid commercially grown, grain-fed ranch animals (with concentrated hormones, pesticides and antibiotics). Limit or avoid smoked, cured, or nitrate-treated meats (hot dogs, salami, etc.).

Processed Foods:
If it comes in a box or a wrapper, think twice!

Snacks:
“Energy” bars, granola bars, pretzels, chips, puffed snacks (Cheetos, Goldfish, popcorn, rice cakes, etc.), and all other grain-based snacks.

Sugar, Soda, and Grains:
The less you consume, the less you’ll want! Get off the “high-low, high-low” carb-insulin-stress response cycle to regulate your energy and improve your health.

Supplements:
Avoid cheap, bulk-produced vitamins and supplements with additives, fillers, binders, lubricants, extruding agents, and other synthetic chemicals.

Vegetables:
Limit or avoid GMO, remote grown, or conventionally grown with large surface areas or edible skins (leafy greens, peppers).

Exercise

Chronic Cardio:
Avoid a consistent schedule of sustained cardio workouts at medium to high intensity (above 75 percent of max heart rate). Occasional sustained hard efforts are okay; allow for sufficient recovery.

Chronic Strength Training:
Avoid prolonged, repetitive workouts conducted too frequently (e.g., hour-plus sessions featuring exhausting, non-functional, isolation exercise sets).

Schedule:
Avoid consistent workout type, frequency, intensity, and duration (compromises health, energy, and motivation levels).

Stretching:
Avoid stretching “cold” muscles, prolonged sessions (either before or after exercise), or isolated muscle group stretches, except by professional reccomendation for injuries/imbalances.

Lifestyle/Medical Care

Medical:
Limit or avoid prescription medication for minor health problems easily corrected by lifestyle changes. Reframe “fix it” mentality into a “prevention” mentality.

Sleep:
Don’t burn the candle at both ends. Avoid excessive evening digital stimulation, morning alarms after insufficient sleep, or fighting off a much-needed nap with caffeine.

Stupid Mistakes:
Avoid multi-tasking, zoning out, or trusting that the world will keep you safe (e.g., “
Green light = Go!
” mentality). Don’t blame others for your stupid mistakes.

Primal Blueprint Text References, Resources, and Suggested Reading

Primal Blueprint Q&A: Everything You Always Wanted to Ask…but Were Afraid to Know

All About Grok

Dispute About Recent Human Evolution

Details About Genes Directing Cellular Function

Reconciling Evolutionary Rationale with Religious Beliefs

Grok and Korg Nicknames

Diet

Differing Scientific Conclusions

Insulin-Balanced Meals

Fiber

Diet Sodas

Exercise

Compliance for Low Body Fat Athletes

Cortisol

Natural vs. Synthetic Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone

Lifestyle

Getting Kids’ Buy-In

Prescription Drugs

Primal Blueprint Comparisons to Popular Diets

Atkins Diet

Low-Fat Diets (Ornish, MacDougall, Pritikin)

Metabolic and Blood-Typing Diets

Paleo Diet

South Beach Diet

Vegetarian Diet

Zone Diet

Primal Blueprint (Pre-emptive strike…because it’s my book!)

The Biggest Losers

Law #4: Lift Heavy Things—Workout Suggestions

Grok Workout

Quick Bodyweight Routine

Law #5: Sprint Once in a While—Workout Suggestions

Novice Sprint Workouts

Advanced Sprint Workouts

Cycling Sprint Workouts