Create a Primal Kitchen

Making a lifestyle change to Live Primal is not as hard you might think. One of the first steps is to transform your kitchen into a primal or paleo arena! It may be a shock at first, but the end results are well worth it.

Non-Primal Kitchen

Here are a few easy steps to create your new healthy kitchen.

1.  Donate or toss out ALL of the following:

• All breads, bagels, cookies, cakes, pasta noodles, rice, cereal, and all flour (pancake mixes, cake mixes, etc.) You may think you can’t live without these, but you really can!
• Cartons of milk, yogurt, butter, cream, cheese, and ice cream. This includes powdered milk products.
• All beans (including soy), peas, and containers of peanuts.
• Potatoes and yams – and don’t forget the potato chips, french fries, hash browns, and tater tots.
• Keep only the olive oil and coconut oil. Get rid of all of the other oils.
• Sweets. This is a tough one, but remove all sugar, processed honey, and candy. After turning primal, you truly won’t miss the candy corn and Snickers and the belly ache that comes with them.
• Beer, wine, and spirits. Some primal folks say red wine in moderate portions is acceptable. Yet to be truly primal/paleo, all alcohol should be tossed.
• Basically anything that comes in a box or a bag and has food additives, excessive fat, sugar, salt, or is fermented or pickled should go. 

Primal Kitchen

 2.  Begin stocking your new pantry! Start with some basic necessities:

• Eggs. You can never have too many eggs. Organic or free run eggs are good choices.
• Meats. Begin stocking your freezer with organic or lean cuts of good meats. Search out local meat markets that have good deals. See what options your local grocer offers.
• Fish. The best kind of nutrients you can find are in fish. Stock up on salmon, snapper, cod, and tuna. Check out any local varieties of fresh fish you can get in your area.
• Vegetables. Fresh green, leafy vegetables are the best. Again, check out your local markets and produce sales. You might even want to try starting your own garden. Frozen vegetables work too, but try to avoid anything canned.
• Fruits. Organic fruits are the best, especially if you are going to eat the outer layers. Frozen fruits are also good, but like vegetables, stay away from the cans!
• Go nuts! Gather all kinds of good for you nuts – almonds, pecans, brazil, etc. Just avoid peanuts and cashews (these aren’t actually nuts), as you can’t eat them without them being processed first.
• Get spicy! All natural spices are great additions to your primal foods – so stock up on fresh and dried herbs and spices.

3.  Get some tools to help you. Thankfully we are not cave men and women who have minimal tools to prepare and cook our food. It’s fine to take advantage of some modern technologies. Invest in nice cookware – good pots, pans, and utensils. Also make sure you have ample storage and transport containers. You will find you’ll be taking more food on the go with you, so check out the convenient containers that are out there.

4.  Find some good sources of fire. Thankfully, again, we don’t just have a fire as the only option for cooking our food. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if you’d like to cook all of your meat over an open flame, go for it. However, most of us are used to modern conveniences and it might keep some of us from burning the house down. So make sure you have a good stove and oven. Invest in a crock pot (this can be a real lifesaver), a dehydrator, and a backyard grill. Over time you may want to add other gadgets, but these items will give you a great start on your primal kitchen.

Modern Fire

5.  Begin experimenting! Look on this site and other primal/paleo sites for wonderful recipes. Try out a few of your own creations and see what your taste buds like best. Try a new fruit or vegetable. Add different spices. Whoever says that primal foods are bland haven’t truly tried them!

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