The Paleo Primer: A Jump-Start Guide to Losing Body Fat and Living Primally

By Keris Marsden and Matt Whitmore

How amazing would it be if eating great tasting food helped you to lose fat, boost your energy levels and made you look awesome? Thanks to The Paleo Primer, this is now possible and–more to the point–sustainable. The Paleo Primer is a great resource to help readers get quickly acquainted with the principles of Primal/paleo/evolutionary health living and eating. The first half of the book lays out the basics, with humorous and memorable cartoons to convey the key messages and lay the foundation for an effective daily routine. You'll learn how to get your mind right for lifestyle transformation, understand which foods to eliminate and why, follow step-by-step plan to get started, and even enjoy a list of "lifesaving books and websites."

The recipes section contains over one hundred delicious, easy to prepare dishes that are organized into enticing categories like, "How to Pimp a Salad" and "Cheats of Champions". The Paleo Primer also offers preparations suitable for busy weekdays, and others for relaxing weekends.

The Paleo Primer was written by Keris Marsden and Matt Whitmore, a British couple who operate a unique and extremely popular fitness and wellness facility called Fitter London. Their vast knowledge base, deft teamwork, and highly refined sense of humor shine through in these pages. It is a truly entertaining and deeply impactful read–a great gift idea to introduce a family member, friend, or loved one to Primal/paleo living.

Q&A with Matt and Keris

1. There are tons of Paleo/health related books currently on the market. What was it about the subject you chose to write about in your book that made you feel so passionate about spreading the word and getting your book published?

Our mission was simple, to get as many people as possible cooking their own food and more importantly enjoying it. We knew our book was no revolution in the world of Paleo eating but something we felt was missing was a simple, light-hearted approach to nutrition and health based on great tasting food. Paleo Primer was initially intended as a recipe booklet for our clients and Fitter London members. We wanted to provide some inspiration in the kitchen and some solutions to common health and nutrition issues we observed day to day. One page led to another and soon we realised we had created over 100 recipes and written 100 pages of nutrition advice. At that point we decided to bite the bullet and publish the information in a book.

2. What is it in particular about your book that makes it such an essential must-have to anyone who is interested in eating Primally and/or improving their health?

The simplicity in our approach makes this book so essential, both in terms of the presentation of the information and the actual recipes (minimal ingredients and culinary skills needed). In our experience people seemed to be a little overwhelmed with all the conflicting advice regarding nutrition and also struggling to process some of the more advanced arguments provided, especially when regarding the science. Furthermore, those that could understand the case for Primal or Paleo nutrition were still struggling on a practical level and how to implement the principles encouraged. We believe in KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) to help people take on board the important messages and some simple steps and recipes that allow them to start putting things into practise immediately. Knowledge is power and if you understand the necessity for something you invest more time and energy in achieving it.

3. What is your favorite part of your book and why?

The awesome recipes! We are passionate about good food and love cooking, so creating new recipes was the exciting part. We have t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Primal Nutrition, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781939563101

Keris Marsden

Keris Marsden (NT Dip CNM, BA Hons, mBANT) is a qualified Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist and Personal Trainer as well as the mastermind behind the sweet treats on offer from the Fitter Food kitchen. As the co-author of the best-selling paleo inspired cookbooks, The Paleo Primer and The Paleo Primer: A Second Helping, she is 100% dedicated to showcasing that eating an awesome diet of good quality, great tasting, and easily accessible produce is essential in living a long, healthy, energized, and positive life. Keris regularly blogs on fitterfood.com about her personal experiences with PCOS, orthorexia, and hormone health.

Book preview

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE PALEO PRIMER

The Ultimate Health and Fitness Recipe Book! If you’re serious about building a new you—a person brimming with strength, health, and vitality, with a lean, powerful, and athletic body—The Paleo Primer will deliver the answers! Written with wit and good humor, it takes you on a step-by-step journey to lifelong strength and health, teaching you what to eat, how to source it, and how to prepare it.

—Brooks Kubik

Author of Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development

BrooksKubik.com

Science made simple. Great contribution to a healthy lifestyle and proves healthy food can be delicious!

—Laura C., United Kingdom

A must buy! Really simple and clear instructions on how to make some great, tasty, healthy meals and snacks.

—Michael Lindsay, United Kingdom

Intelligent and witty prose. This book says everything about food and health that I truly believe in, but sometimes stumble to find words to explain in easy terms myself. Only after 70 pages of this fascinating and easy-to-read nutritional background—littered with brilliantly funny illustrations and charming coffee cup stains—do we come to the 100-plus delicious recipes. Fantastically, there is not a single recipe without an accompanying mouth-watering picture.

—Ceri Jones, United Kingdom

Nothing like anything else. So far every recipe I have used has tasted awesome. I’ve used it for friends and family; it makes good food tasty! Simple as that. Well worth it just for the information on healthy eating at the beginning of the book.

—Mick H., United Kingdom

THE PALEO PRIMER

A JUMP-START GUIDE TO LOSING BODY FAT AND LIVING PRIMALLY!

KERIS MARSDEN AND MATT WHITMORE

THE PALEO PRIMER: A JUMP-START GUIDE TO LOSING BODY FAT AND LIVING PRIMALLY!

© 2013, Keris Marsden and Matt Whitmore. All rights reserved.

Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission of the publisher.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher. Information in this book was accurate at the time researched. The authors received no incentives or compensation to promote the item recommendations in the book.

The Paleo Primer was adapted from the book Fitter Food, written and published in the United Kingdom by Keris Marsden and Matt Whitmore, Fitter Food, Inc., in 2013.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013908805

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher

Marsden, Keris 1980-; and Whitmore, Matt 1985-

The Paleo Primer/Keris Marsden and Matt Whitmore

ISBN: 978-1-939563-04-0

1. Cooking 2. Health 3. Diet 4. Low carb

US Editor: Jessica Taylor Tudzin

US Copy Editor: Nancy Wong Bryan

Index: Gail Kearns

Book Design: Katherine Keeble (UK), Caroline De Vita (US)

US Cover Design: Janée Meadows

Illustrations: Mark Goodhead

Photography by Keris Marsden and Matt Whitmore

Additional photography by Jennifer Meier, Librakv/Shutterstock.com, Al1962/Shutterstock.com,

Adisa/Shutterstock.com, and Anna Hoychuk/Shutterstock.com

Published in the United States by Primal Blueprint Publishing

23805 Stuart Ranch Road, Suite 145, Malibu, CA 90265

Visit our website at www.primalblueprintpublishing.com. For information on quantity discounts, please call 888-774-6259 or email [e-mail]

DISCLAIMER

The ideas, concepts, and opinions expressed in this book are intended to be used for educational purposes only. This book is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not rendering medical advice of any kind, nor is this book intended to replace medical advice, nor to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any disease, condition, illness, or injury. It is imperative that before beginning any diet or exercise program, including any aspect of the diet or exercise methodologies mentioned in The Paleo Primer, you receive full medical clearance from a licensed physician. The authors and publisher claim no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application or interpretation of the material in this book. If you object to this disclaimer, you may return the book to publisher for a full refund.

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 WHAT IS THE PALEO DIET?

CHAPTER 2 SIGNS YOUR DIET IS NOT WORKING

CHAPTER 3 CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR HEALTH

CHAPTER 4 Nutrition – Know Thy Stuff

CHAPTER 5 REMOVING SUGAR, GRAINS, AND LEGUMES

CHAPTER 6 CAFFEINE, CHOCOLATE, AND ALCOHOL

CHAPTER 7 Getting Started

CHAPTER 8 The Paleo Shopping List

RECIPES

BREAKFAST

How to Poach an Egg

Parsley Salmon and Poached Egg

Omega Breakfast Bake

Quick-Cook Chive Scrambled Eggs and Bacon

Creamy Green Omelet

Breakfast Stir-Fry

Breakfast Burger

Turkey Toast

Avocado Breakfast Bowl

Crunchy Nut Coconut Flakes

Scrambled Eggs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chorizo

Liver Dippy Egg

Tuna Avo Egg

LIGHT BITES

Citrus Ceviche with Tomato and Avocado Salad

Shrimp Cocktail

BLT

Egg-Stuffed Toms

Crispy Stuffing Balls

Pockets of Power

Liver Pâté

Sweet Potato Wedges

Baked Squash Discs

Zucchini and Chive Fritters

OUR TOP BURGER BITES

Burger King and Queen

Tarragon Turkey Burgers and Citrus Fries

Thai Burgers

Pesto Pork Cupcakes

Turkey, Chestnut, and Rosemary Burgers

Lamb and Cumin Burgers

Matt’s Big Beefy Onion and Chorizo

Beef and Mustard Burgers

Meals in Minutes

Coconut Comfort Curry

Thai Sea Bass Supper

Sweet Garlic Shrimp

Fish in a Blanket

Pan-Fried Spicy Mackerel

Mackerel and Sweet Potato Fish Cakes

Mustard Seed Salmon

Baked Tomato Salmon

Caribbean Jerk Salmon

Quick Piri Piri Chicken

Sun-Dried Stuffed Chicken Breast

Turmeric and Black Pepper Chicken with Rainbow Veg

Thai Chicken and Scallion Rice

Everyday Chicken Curry

Turkey Coconut Curry

Grass-Fed Steak with Garlic Fries and Béarnaise Sauce

Lebanese-Style Beef

Chili Con Cauliflower

Whack It in a Sweet Potato Jacket

Italian Meatballs

Lightning Lamb Kebabs

Liver and Bacon

Sausage-Stuffed Peppers

Moules Mussels

Thai Mussels

Paleo Comfort Food

Primal Shepherd’s Pie

Man Maker Pie

Bangers and Mash

Matt’s Mighty Scotch Egg

Beef and Creamy Cauliflower Tagine

Chicken Vindaloo

Tarragon Roast Chicken and Chestnut Stuffing

Lemon and Olive Chicken Tagine

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Fish Fingers

Fish, Chips, and Mushy Peas

Rosemary Loaf

Chestnut Tea Cake

Slow-Cooked Anchovy Lamb

SIDES

Spicy Carrot Fries

Celeriac Fries

Cauliflower Rice

Kale and Chorizo Mash

Butternut Smash

Bubble and Squeak

Cinnamon Coconut Squash

Vegetable Spaghetti

Vegetable Kebabs

Chunky Zucchini Fries

Lemon and Thyme Baked Carrots

Buttered Savoy Cabbage (With or Without Bacon)

Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts

HOW TO PIMP A SALAD

Roasted Peppers

Soaked Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Root Vegetable Croutons

Toasted Walnuts

Dips and Condiments

Ketchup

Homemade Mayonnaise

Guacamole

Oil Infusions

Quick & Easy Tomato Sauce

Preserved Lemons

HEALTHY SNACKS

Homemade Kettle Chips

Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips

Chili-Roasted Macadamias

Movie Mix

Chocolate Macadamias

Toasted Coconut

Cheats of Champions

Blackberry Apple Crumble

Breadless Butter Pudding

Dark Chocolate Almond Cake

Chocolate Chestnut Fudge Cake

Portuguese Almond Cake

Plum Cake

Chestnut Cookies

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Coconut Cashew Fudge

RESOURCES

METRIC CONVERSIONS

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

RECIPE INDEX

SUBJECT INDEX

includes dairy

dairy optional

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A massive thank you goes out to Mark Sisson and his staff for bringing this book to the American audience under The Paleo Primer name. We are beyond thrilled with your adaptation! This book was originally published in the UK under the name Fitter Food: A Lifelong Recipe for Health and Fat Loss. We put it together in just over four months. So many people went the extra mile and dropped everything to help us meet the rather ambitious deadline on our first version.

It could not have happened without our wonderful parents. They helped in every way possible: cooking, tasting, editing, and helping to research recipes and ingredients. To devote ourselves to that project, we reduced our working hours and moved back home to enable us to invest everything in the project. Firstly, a BIG thank you to Christine Lashmar (Matt’s mom) for putting up with us invading her kitchen, and a huge congratulations to her for losing 21 pounds in the process, by eating paleo, of course! Another BIG thank you to Celine Marsden (Keris’s mom), who deserves special recognition for all her hard work applying paleo principles to some of her traditional family recipes and helping to transform them into the healthy recipes featured in the book.

A big thank you to Thomas Marsden (Keris’s brother) for lending us his culinary advice and expertise and assisting in the photo editing process. Words cannot even begin to describe our gratitude toward Katherine Keeble, quite simply the BEST book designer in the world! Katherine worked around the clock to make the British version of this book ready for press. She advised on everything from publication, printing, e-books, and portion size to oven temperatures and baking cookies.

Our fantastic illustrations are the work of Mark Goodhead, aka Mr. Sketchy. You can check out more of his work at CargoCollective.com/mrsketchy. We would also personally like to thank nutritionist Calum Gore of Unique Nutritionists for mentoring us through the science behind digestive well-being and food intolerance testing. More details can be found at mrtuk.co.uk. Furthermore, we’d like to thank the fantastic lecturers at the College of Naturopathic Medicine, with an extra special thank you to Fiona Hyams and Emma Mihill for simply being inspirational Naturopaths.

We wish to thank all our Fitter London members, a bunch of totally cool people committed to health and fitness as a lifestyle. Their spirit and enthusiasm provides us with daily inspiration and makes our job totally awesome.

We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such amazing, talented people on both sides of the pond!

FOREWORD

In the past several years, there have been a number of outstanding books written by the leading voices in the ancestral health movement, including Robb Wolf, Gary Taubes, Loren Cordain, and dare I say myself with The Primal Blueprint (which took two years to research and write). Books by these and other authors convey the ancestral principles in great detail and with excellent scientific support.

While the knowledge base and the expert voices of the movement are growing impressively, cutting to the chase can be quite appealing to those of us who lead busy lives and are looking for direct, easy-to-follow guidance. Many simply want to know what, why, and how to improve dietary habits, implement exercise strategies, and comprehend general health in the ancestral model. With The Paleo Primer, our friends across the pond, Matt Whitmore and Keris Marsden, have done a masterful job doing just that, creating a fun, extremely creative, and informative book to help you get healthier and enjoy the process.

You can feel the passion and personality come through the pages as Keris and Matt each relate their health struggles despite striving to lead fit, athletic lives. The exploration, awakening, and health breakthroughs they achieved form the backbone of this book, and why it is certain to have a deep impact on you. Yep, even if some well-meaning loved one handed this to you in good faith and you are now holding it skeptically, you can’t help but take notice, take a second look, and take stock of what you are currently doing that can get a whole lot better.

Just for fun, take a quick spin through all the pages before you settle in for a proper read. That’s what I did, and in only a few moments, I could tell it was something special. I guarantee that you’ll be drawn in by the clever visuals, the simple format, and the compelling points they make page after page. Often, Keris and Matt dispense healthy doses of that British wit that will leave you smiling—and remembering the salient points—long after a page is turned!

It’s my great pleasure on behalf of the Primal Blueprint Publishing team to share this book with as many readers as possible. I sure hope you have as much fun as I did reading it, and as Matt and Keris did writing it!

In good health,

MARK SISSON

Malibu, CA

May 2013

THE PALEO PRIMER

Eighty percent of your body composition is determined by what you eat. —MARK SISSON, The Primal Blueprint

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to The Paleo Primer. We want to inspire you to make some simple nutritional changes that will have a huge effect on your health, confidence, and appearance. No matter what your particular goals, focusing on your health will increase your chances of success. So whether you’re looking to lose weight, build lean muscle mass or a six-pack, obtain a quicker 10k time, or turn back the hands of time (good nutrition can be incredibly anti-aging!), the principles outlined in this book will help get you there. We’ve kept the information simple, the science straightforward, and the recipes exciting, so that by the time you have finished reading this book, you’ll be itching to get started in the kitchen.

When it comes to food, we understand that convenience sometimes take precedence over eating healthily. But the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. This book is packed with more than a hundred incredibly tasty and healthful meals, snacks, and cakes (yes, cakes!) that you can put together in minutes!

We’ve seen first hand how people successfully adopt a healthier lifestyle when they understand the basics of nutrition. For this reason, the first half of this book is devoted to expert advice on the subject. You’ll then be ready to get cracking in the kitchen, and so the second half of this book is loaded with recipes to get you started, along with our recommendations on how to learn more and where and how to source ingredients!

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