Rendered my first batch of beef tallow today.

It was so easy even a caveman could do it!

My butcher has a ton of beef suet (raw beef fat) in stock and I wanted to give it a shot so I bought a couple of lbs. for my first time. It was only .39 cents per lb.

I googled some info and found the easiest way to make it was the dry oven method - 2hrs. @ 250 degrees.

I took these two large slabs of frozen fat, sharpened up my butcher knife and cut it up into 1" pieces. I put a drop of water in a large oven proof pot, put the fat in there, and in the oven it went for two hours.

When it was finished, I let it cool for a bit then double filtered it through a mesh strainer lined with a triple layer of cheese cloth.

It came out perfect! Nice and clear, no odor at all (made sure to remove any traces of muscle or blood first) and the 2.25lbs. yielded exactly one pint of pure beef tallow.

Great stuff for cooking with - it's smoke point is super high @ 425 degrees and I plan on cooking some nice stir fry, all my pan seared steaks and a nice batch of seasoned chicken wings in it this week.

Ah... pure animal fat - the healthiest of them all and a fraction of the cost of buying any quality oil.

A lot of people seem to like to cook their eggs in tallow which I'll give a shot at tomorrow morning for breakfast but I might find that I like my ghee better for eggs - ya can't deny that natural butter taste with farm fresh organic eggs!

The Primal Food List

Here is the list of all primal foods that I eat or have tried in the past. There are, of course, additional foods out there such as exotic fowl and other wild animals that could be included on this list - but they are not available in my region nor have I tried them.

Eggs (Cage free / Organic)

Fish (Wild caught)

* Catfish
* Cod
* Crab
* Flounder
* Grouper
* Haddock
* Halibut
* Herring
* Lobster
* Mackerel
* Perch
* Pike
* Pollock
* Salmon
* Sole
* Swordfish
* Trout
* Tuna
* Octopus
* Shrimp
* Squid
* Tilapia

Meats (100% Grass fed / Free range)

* Beef
* Buffalo
* Chicken
* Duck
* Elk
* Lamb
* Pork
* Turkey
* Veal
* Venison

Vegetables (Organic)

* Artichoke hearts
* Asparagus
* Broccoli
* Brussels sprouts
* Cabbage
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Chicory
* Collard greens
* Cucumber
* Eggplant
* Endive
* Garlic
* Kale
* Leeks
* Lettuce
* Mushrooms
* Mustard greens
* Onions (Preferably red or green)
* Parsley
* Parsnips
* Peppers (all)
* Pumpkin
* Radish
* Seaweed
* Spinach
* Squashes (all)
* Watercress

Nuts

* Almonds
* Almond butter
* Brazil nuts
* Hazelnuts
* Macadamia
* Macadamia nut butter
* Pecans

Flour

* Almond flour
* Macadamia nut flour

Oils

* Coconut oil
* Ghee (Clarified organic butter)
* Macadamia nut oil
* Olive oil
* Palm oil

The Primal Life

Most of my family and friends know how I choose to eat and what my exercise routine consists of. Some have an understanding and agree with my views; some think I'm out of my mind.

In a nutshell, The Primal Life brings us back to the day of the caveman. A time when life consisted of hunting & gathering, survival from the elements & wild animals, lots of exploration, relaxation and play time. In today's modern society, this is not only beneficial to us as humans but it's still very achievable on most levels.

Now I don't live in a cave and spear my dinner (although I wouldn't mind giving it a shot sometime), I do live a modern version of this lifestyle adjusted to my own liking, from my research, and from the teachings of my mentors.

Regarding how I choose to eat: In 2008 I met a terrific doctor, Dr. James Carlson, who is my physician, mentor and friend. He educated me and showed me a path of proper eating that I never knew existed. Not only is he a practicing family physician, he also holds degrees in biochemistry & medical law, among a host of other credentials. Simply put, the man is a genius.

Back then, I was eating like garbage. The standard American diet accompanied by large quantities of fast food and sugars. I was in very poor health at the time. My cholesterol and blood pressure were off the charts and I needed to lose weight desperately. I was not only headed towards diabetes and a possible stroke but also cirrhosis of the liver. I was in bad shape and only 35 years old! This is supposed to be the prime of my life; not a time wondering and worrying if I was going to check out an early age.

Dr. Jim introduced me to the low carbohydrate way of eating and educated me on how this is how we all should be eating. This is a biochemical fact; not a belief - contrary to the propaganda endorsed by America's leading medical associations.

Now I'm not going to get in to a long discussion on biochemistry at the moment (although I probably will somewhere down the line), but the results I have achieved through eating low carb have been astonishing. I have lost a lot of weight, I am no longer on any medications, my blood work is textbook perfect and I am also no longer in any danger of developing cirrhosis of the liver as a result of a change in my food choices and eating habits. This all happened within about a year. A miracle? No. I am not an exception to any rule - I'm just a normal guy who implemented these changes in my life and let nature take it's course.

I eventually reached a point where my weight loss plateaued and my exercise routine was way out of whack for my goals. This is where, in my research, I came across a book written by a man named Mark Sisson called The Primal Blueprint. In this book, I have learned that as humans we are still genetically the same as we were 2 million years ago. It wasn't until about 10,000 years ago, when the agricultural industry began to develop, and in turn, began to diminish the human body via the intake of grains.

This is just a basic outline of nutritional evolution, in it's most simplistic form - I will get in to far further depth in future blogs. I highly recommend reading the books The Primal Blueprint by Sisson and Genocide (How your doctor's ignorance will kill you!!) by Dr. James Carlson. There are also many other books I've read and will mention as this blog progresses but these two books are a fantastic start if this is something that sparks your interest.

Back to my Primal Life... that was the title of this entry right? I get lost in my own mind sometimes :-)

Primal eating consists of exactly what man ate millions of years ago. All meats, fowl and fish, animal and other healthy fats and oils, nuts and wild vegetation. Primal exercise consists of mimicking the movements of the hunters and gatherers - slow walking and exploration (hiking is a good example), heavy lifting and sprinting (to catch prey or hopefully avoid being the prey!). A Primal lifestyle also includes proper sleep, rest and play!

I will also get in to further detail on how I adapted to these principles, how I include all of them in my life, and where I'm at with each of them in future blogs.

That's all for now - I've got to get my mojo on and get some important things done today.

Until next time, peace and primal love!