To Be Primal

It has been called many things. It is somewhat Paleo, sometimes called 'the caveman diet,' sometimes referred to with the idea of ancestral health, or simply the way we were built to eat. Either way, I believe it, and many many amazing people have paved the way for those of us who live the lifestyle. Everyone has their own summary, and I present to you mine, in very few words.

To be Primal is: 

• To have meats and vegetables in as pure a form as possible: Wild Caught, Organic, Pastured or Grass-Fed, whenever you can. It is to appreciate every fish or every egg, how it is gathered and how it is treated. 
• To eat vegetables, lots and lots. Salads and stir-frys, roasted grilled and steamed, baked or pan-fried, and in abundance. 
• To enjoy good fats: Real animal fats, like butter, lard, tallow, and bacon grease, and to utilize coconut oil for cooking as well as appreciating extra virgin olive oil and all of its magic. 
• To avoid bad fats, like soybean oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil, grapseed oil, sunflowerseed oil, and any other industrial seed oil. 
• To avoid the things that must be processed: Grains (corn too) and legumes (soy too). 
• And to avoid sugar, definately. Thats juice and date-paste and agave and everything else. 
• To avoid artificial, laboratory made things, like artificial sweeteners and crazy meat-products. 
• To indulge in artisan cheeses and occasional dairy, bacon and prosciutto, pancetta, heavy cream, delicious berries and fruits, some nuts and seeds, high-mineral salts and a gallery of fragrant and worldly spices, very good dark chocolate and perhaps some red-wine. 
• To thrive, essentially, off of coconut anything! 

(Pyramid by Dana M)

Enjoy. Happy eating!

Links:
THEFOODEE.co - a collection of the best primal and paleo RECIPES
Mark Sisson's Primal 101
More Basics
Girl Gone Primal's in depth post