What should I eat while doing PBF, and when
should I eat it?
If you haven’t read my book or visited my blog,
now’s the time. Primal Blueprint Fitness doesn’t
work without a Primal eating strategy—that means
lots of plants and animals. It’s relatively low carb,
high fat, and moderate protein. You should be
eating meat, fish, plenty of saturated and monoun-
saturated fats, some fish oil if you don’t eat enough
fish, colorful veggies with an emphasis on leafy
green ones, and the occasional starchy root veg-
etable post-workout. Eat the stuff Grok was eating
to fuel optimum performance of the movements
Grok was making. Pretty straight forward, right?
In my book, there’s no magic to pre- and post-work-
out meals. None of these workouts deplete so much
glycogen that you need to top off stores immediate-
ly before or after workouts. I don’t subscribe to any
hard and fast meal timing rules besides the most
basic one of all: Eat when hungry. If you simply pay
attention to your body’s natural hormonal hunger
cues, you’ll do fine. Most people never have to
worry about timing their protein intake or micro-
managing their nutrition. A few select athletes—
the elite of the elite—can squeeze out a couple
extra degrees of performance by timing their pre
and post workout nutrition, but that’s so far beyond
what most of us have to worry about. Still, some
people truly enjoy optimizing their nutrition. For a
happy medium between my KISS method and the
micromanagement method, try to get a nice chunk
of protein within the hour immediately following a
workout. If you want to eat a sweet potato or an-
other type of starch, post workout is the time to do
it. Your muscles will be particularly insulin sensitive
and glycogen starved, and any carbs you take in
will be converted to glycogen.You could also forgo eating entirely and go into
your workouts in a fasted state. Grok often did;
the hunt wasn’t always successful, and early
humans rarely at three square meals a day.
Some people—including me—find that ending
a fast with a vigorous strength training ses-
sion is invigorating and incredibly stimulating.
The proven benefits of intermittent fasting—im-
proved lipid numbers, insulin sensitivity, adipose
tissue mobilization (that’s fat burning), and growth
hormone secretion—are heightened, and you may
find yourself tapping into a truly Primal source of
energy. It’s a strange kind of energy, because ac-
cording to Conventional Wisdom, skipping a single
meal (let alone three!) results in drastically low-
ered energy, cannibalized muscle tissue, and your
metabolism grinding to a halt. The reality is that
once you have reprogrammed your genes to pref-
erentially derive most of your energy from stored
body fat, intermittent fasting becomes a healthy,
novel addition to any Primal trainee’s schedule,
one that has evolutionary precedent and proven
clinical benefits.Frequently Asked Questions and Concerns cont’d 82