Over the course of being primal for the past 7+ years, I’ve realized that along the way I’ve picked up some pretty weird habits that if you had no idea I was following this primal lifestyle – you would think I was a complete weirdo. All these things I do I’ve picked up from various blogs and research so I don’t claim them as my own, but I feel they really have become so apart of my life that I wanted to put together a list. So here are 10 Weird Primal Things I Do:
1. I put trace minerals in my water with some Himalayan salt
The only thing I really drink is water. Therefore I pay a lot of attention to the taste of my water and the mineral content. I pay particular attention to my mineral consumption when I am swinging on a more keto primal diet because when you’re on keto you need to make sure you’re getting sufficient levels of trace minerals like potassium, magnesium and sodium. So I’ve been using concentrace minerals in my Nalgene bottles with a pinch of Himalayan salt to make sure I’m getting all I need. It makes the water taste great and it ensures you’re getting all the minerals you may be missing from other areas of your diet.
2. I drink potato starch
Resistant starch plays a pretty big role in maintaining and building your gut health. Think of it like food for your gut bacteria. If you’re taking or eating probiotics (which you should) and not giving the bacteria sufficient food to eat then you’re really just wasting the probiotics. After doing a bunch of reading here I determined that it’s best to periodically work in potato starch in my diet as a good form of resistant starch. You should start out slow if you’re not used to it so that you don’t get stomach cramps or bloating. Working up to 4Tbsp is a good goal to reach for. I just mix it with tap water and drink it as fast as possible. You can mix it with a splash of vanilla extract and stevia to make it more palatable – and it sorta tastes like horchata that way too!
3. I eat spoonfulls of coconut butter
I rarely get hungry in between my two meals from lunch to dinner but if I do get hungry I like reaching for a jar of coconut butter. You can buy this one or make a homemade one like I’ve written about here. But these do a really good job at curbing hunger by giving you a nice dose of saturated fat. I also like this brand if the budget affords it.
4. I drink butter coffee
You probably see this all over the place now so maybe it’s not so weird if you see me do it. Now I don’t do this all the time but I do work it into my diet occasionally if I’m needing that extra boost of energy at work from working out too hard or not getting enough sleep. I use about 2Tbsp of Kerrygold salted butter (I like salt ok), collagen and a splash of mct oil then I blend it together with this. This really isn’t weird, it’s basically a latte where you get to control the quantity and quality of the fat and the quality of the coffee. I’d rather have a bulletproof coffee anytime rather than a latte from Starbucks – gross.
5. I eat crickets
I’ve written about my love for insects many times on this blog. I’ve even put together this recipe recently that uses grasshoppers. But this concept is genuinely weird to people I know but man do I love Exo cricket protein bars. Crickets are such a good source of protein that contain all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients that we need – and – they taste great. Pick some up and try for yourself.
6. I use a squatty potty
We have these in every restroom in our house and every time we have guests over they think we are just so weird. Then I tell them to try pooping with it and then they look at me even weirder. But man these are great. The only way you’ll know is if you try one ourself yourself. Go ahead and do it. They help you go quicker and more efficiently and they are good for your health. Every home should be using these and I’ve been half tempted to start using them at work too.
7. I only wear barefoot shoes
This is something I adopted early on when I first went primal and I literally donated all my other shoes. I only wear Vivobarefoot. Allowing your feet to spread naturally and feel the ground has cured my plantar fasciitis. I literally have no pain in my feet at all. When I first started working and wearing dress shoes all day my feet and arches would hurt so bad. I tried everything and nothing helped until I got Vivobarefoot shoes. I wear these to work so they’re dressy but they’re flat and allow my feet to feel the ground. Then I wear more casual ones when I’m not at work. I get weird looks sometimes sure because they don’t look like any other shoes but my feet feel amazing and I wouldn’t trade that for something that looks cooler but kills my feet. No thank you.
8. I eat canned sardines and oysters
I really loved canned fish and shellfish. It’s so easy to eat, tastes great and fills you up. Two particular ones I like are sardines and oysters. People give me weird looks all the time when I tell them I eat these and if they see me eating these they look at me even weirder – primarily because they smell terrible. But then I tell them they just need to try them. They’re not as bad as they smell. Not only do they taste great but they are so good for you. Sardines have tons of calcium, which is sometimes hard to pick up on a Paleo diet and oysters have a ton of B vitamins and various other minerals.
9. I make broccoli sprouts
This is one of those things that people see in my house and they think I’ve gone off the deep end. But broccoli sprouts are so cheap and easy to make at your house it’s like a no brainer. I make these because they contain a bunch of anti cancer properties – much more than just whole broccoli. 1 pound of sprouts contains as much sulforaphane as 100 pounds of whole broccoli. Sulforaphane is the antioxidant that aids your body in fighting cancer. I use these seeds and these jars and you can follow this super easy guide to grow some yourself. I normally eat them straight out of the jar or on the side with my bacon and eggs.
10. I make my own kombucha
This is another one that people see me making in my house when we have guests and they are like what is that slime in that jar over there on the corner of your counter?! But making kombucha at home is much cheaper than buying the $6 bottles at the health food store. Not only is it cheaper but you have much more control on the second ferment with what you add. I love adding mixed berries, herbs and ginger. If you don’t have a scoby you can get this one and this jar and be on your way to making your own kombucha. There are a ton of guides out there to making your own kombucha but here is an easy one to follow. It’s super easy, fun and great for your health. Try it today for yourself!
That’s it folks! Thanks for reading and I hope by now that you too think I’m pretty weird with my primal ways, but now you at least know the reasoning behind all the weird primal things I do. I encourage you to try out some of the weird things listed above and let me know which weird things you do too!
