Archives for February 2017

For the better part of six years I had not seen a need to buy health supplements. Reason being is I have been using Shakeology daily the entire time. It has done a great job of keeping me healthy along with filling in the missing gaps of nutrition.

If there is one constant in life it is change is inevitable. With me getting older I continue to look for things to help improve my life. One thing I found was the Primal Blueprint.

After reading the book I was eager to try this way of living including a more Paleo way of eating. At the time of this post I am eight months into it and the results have been great.

With changing to more of a grain free diet I have introduced items from the Primal Kitchen along with some Primal Blueprint supplements.

Much like my review of the Primal Kitchen I am dedicating one page to the Primal Blueprint supplements. As I try each one of them I will update this page.

Its funny how I came into buying the Primal Blueprint supplements. I read the book and started practicing it. Along the way I started researching things to buy to help me with some things (which I describe below) and the Primal Blueprint supplements kept popping up in the results.

I have lived in Michigan most of my life. The Polar Vortex winter of 2013 – 2014 broke me. Record snowfalls did me no good as there was record cold temps which made going snowboarding not so fun. It was the first time in my life where I was wishing for spring to come.

I have noticed a change in my attitude once the temps get into the 30s. Every winter since 2013-2014 has been a drag. I decided to see if there was something I could change or take to help. Off to the Google I went and the first thing I read was how I probably needed more Vitamin D.

With little sun shining during a Michigan winter coupled with me being indoors the entire time it makes for very little chance to get those free rays of Vitamin D. Went back to Google and searched for Vitamin D supplements. Sure as shit up pops Primal Sun from the Primal Blueprint. I had come full circle.

The savings on buying the Primal Essentials Kit was too good to pass up and is what I bought.

**Update 2-27-17** Click any link and use Promo Code: GROK15 to get 15% off site wide.

Primal Sun – A high potency Vitamin D which boosts the immune system, supports strong bones, and helps reduce inflammation. All things I am concerned about. I have been taking Primal Sun almost every day for 4 months now and this is what I can report.

I needed it.

A lot less moody than previous winters for sure. I still have a day here and there (mostly due to the winter and two toddlers) but not nearly as many grumpy days as before.

Within 10 minutes of taking Primal Sun I feel a boost of energy that lasts for an hour and gradually tails off throughout the day.

I thought I was getting enough Vitamin D with Shakeology’s 50% Daily Value but it appears not. Primal Sun has 500% Daily Value alone. On most days I have Shakeology in the morning and a late breakfast or lunch followed with one Primal Sun capsule to get me through the rest of the day.

I have noticed better results when I take Primal Sun an hour after eating. There’s a tingling sensation throughout my body and my eyes start opening up like I was just staring at the sun. I have not felt a need to try two capsules in one day and occasionally I’ll skip a day if the sun actually shows itself.

$24.95 for 180 capsules is a deal. I’ll probably get a year out of one bottle.

Primal Probiotics – Since I do use Shakeology which has a number of probiotic ingredients I feel this is overkill for me. The two share one ingredient (Lactobacillus).

To be honest I cannot tell if it did anything more for me or not. I finished the bottle over two months using it every other day along with Shakeology. Maybe if I went off of Shakeology for a week and only used Primal Probiotics I could tell something different.

With me not currently having any gut problems and Shakeology doing its thing I do not know if I will buy it again.

At $30 for 30 capsules it might be a efficient way for those people who do need some help in the gut area. Even if taken every other day or only when needed.

Primal Omegas – A high potency fish oil that supports a healthy immune system, boasts anti-inflammatory properties, helps alleviate joint pain, and promotes brain and nerve health. Of course I want those.

Like the probiotics I felt like I was getting enough healthy ingredients with Shakeology and the Paleo friendly diet I was now consuming. Many of my lifelong aches and pains started going away just by reducing grains.

Out of the things Primal Omegas claims it does the one I lean towards it doing something for me is brain and nerve health. What I have learned is I cannot take Primal Calm, Primal Probiotic, and Primal Omegas at the same time. It makes me feel like I’m all over the place.

Primal Omegas is an hour after dinner supplement for me. It starts doing something up there in my noggin within thirty minutes after taking it. I seem to sleep better and feel fresher in the morning when I take Primal Omegas at night and on its own.

I have not noticed my joints feeling any better or worse. Maybe when summer comes around and I am more active will I notice the benefits more.

At $30 for 90 capsules I feel this is a fair price.

Primal Calm – This one surprised me the most. I bought Primal Calm separately from the three above. To be honest I bought it after once again searching for supplements to help fight stress. This past Christmas was hard on my family with my dad passing.

Anything besides pills was my goal. Rhodiola Rosea kept popping up. Its a root that grows in Siberia and the people who live there have been taking it for centuries to deal with their hardcore way of living.

When searching to buy some sure as shit I am directed back to the Primal Blueprints supplements page and to Primal Calm. Of course one of the ingredients is Rhodiola Rosea.

So far I have taken 8 capsules total and only one at a time. A combination of my babysitter (mom) being in Cancun for a month and said month (January) being one of the gloomiest of all time led to some stressful days. WTF Michigan!! Only 2 days of sun the entire month. Taking Primal Calm over boozing it up was a better decision.

What I noticed was within an hour of taking it I felt very chill. Calm if you will. Every muscle relaxed and on one occasion I fell asleep on the couch while toddlers did their thing near me. Primal Calm claims to reduce stress, and promote relaxation in a non-drowsy formula. It did just that.

30 capsules for $30 seems fair because this is not something you take every day. It is in my opinion far better to take Primal Calm to deal with stress versus going to a Dr. to get pills. At the very least, start with these to see if it works and if not, then go to your Dr.

In Summary:

I still need to try the Primal Master Formula and Primal Damage Control.

As I stated at the beginning of this post my goal in trying the Primal Blueprint supplements is to see if they help improve my life.

What I can tell so far is Primal Sun is definitely working for me. I should be taking Vitamin D every winter. It has helped with my mood in general and that is what I sought when buying it.

Primal Probiotics might be unnecessary for me as I take Shakeology every day. With similar ingredients I don’t feel I need to take this one along with my daily shake.

It is too early for me to say if Primal Omegas is making a big difference. Changing my diet to a Paleo friendly one high in protein and fats might be having a similar effect. When taken at night it appears to help me sleep better along with feeling fresh in the morning. I’ll continue to take it.

I will be keeping Primal Calm around for sure. Hopefully I will not have that many stressful days ahead allowing me to get a year out of a bottle. It did work and when those stressful days come around I will definitely use it.

The Primal Blueprint supplements I have tried address individual needs and its up to you to decide which one works best for you. In addition to that I feel the quality of ingredients are top notch and the prices are very reasonable.

Mark Sisson got me good. Basically gives away all of his outstanding content on his blog and then writes up one of the best comprehensive yet simple books about health and fitness in The Primal Blueprint.

When I finished The Primal Blueprint I was like “how does Mark make money when he’s giving away the knowledge for free. Sure as shit up pops an email mentioning the Primal Kitchen with a 15% discount and a bunch of freebies on my first order.

I have been buying from the Primal Kitchen for a year now starting with the Whole 30 Kit. Instead of writing reviews for each item from the Primal Kitchen I decided it would be best to dedicate one page to all of them. Reason being is there is only so much you can say about Mayo.

At the time of this writing I have almost tried them all and will add in the last ones as I go. With that, I’ll start with my favorite and work my way down.

**Update 2-27-17** Click any link and use Promo Code: GROK15 to get 15% off site wide.

Chipotle Lime Mayo – Holy fucking shit is this stuff delicious. I am not joking. This is by far the best mayo I have had in my entire life. I cannot put this shit down when I get it. I have bought 4 jars so far and rarely does it last a week in my house.

The Chipotle Lime Mayo is so good that there have been times where I’ll grab a fork, go to the fridge, open the jar, and start eating away. I get 6 swipes with my fork in before I show some restraint and put it back.

I do not know how Mark and his team made this shit but its amazing. I’ll put it on eggs, throw a scoop in salad, or use it as a dip. It is pricey at $9.95 a jar and it goes quickly. It would be nice if they sold it in a much larger tub with hopefully some sort of a discount based on volume.

Its hard to justify buying the Chipotle Lime Mayo all the time because of the price. There is one of those fancy health food stores near me that keeps it in stock which I pop into every other month or so when I am in downtown Royal Oak. It costs the same to buy it in the store as it does via the Primal Kitchen website as they do free shipping.

Primal Fuel – Available in Vanilla Coconut and Chocolate Coconut. I have only tried Vanilla Coconut so far and it is scary good. After opening the tub up you can really smell the coconut.

My first try of Primal Fuel I mixed it with water and slammed it. Not bad at all. On the second try I blended it with a banana, blueberries, and strawberries. Thats where the Primal Fuel shines. It was awesome.

It does not have the amount of ingredients Shakeology has and that is ok. There are only 21 servings in Primal Fuel and for $50 is a fair price. For that reason alone I do not see myself writing a Primal Fuel vs Shakeology post as they are not similar in price or ingredients. I will say the Vanilla Coconut tastes better than just about every flavor of Shakeology. My guess is because of there being less ingredients so the Vanilla and Coconut really pop.

This is one of those items I could see myself complimenting Shakeology with but not replacing. I will be dropping a scoop of Primal Fuel into Chocolate Shakeology soon.

Collagen Fuel – This is one item I was curious about after hearing about it. If you are following the Primal or Paleo diet and consume a lot of meat then you may put yourself at risk of living a shorter life. If you supplement your meat intake with collagen as it is high in Glycine than it is supposed to counteract those effects.

Collagen also supports joints, connective tissue, hair, skin, nails, and the gut. What interested me the most was how it helps the joints and connective tissues. Years of playing sports has done a number on those.

Was really hoping to try vanilla first but they were sold out leaving me with chocolate. My first impressions upon opening it was the coconut smell (which seems to happen with all Primal Kitchen products) and how clumpy it was. My second impression was how the tub was half full. I hate when that happens. The picture you see here had had 8 scoops taken out of it. I am also not liking how there are only 12 servings or 24 scoops.

I tried Collagen Fuel three times before blending it with other items. It tastes very good. Didn’t notice anything immediately or the days after. It is far too early to tell what Collagen Fuel is going to do for me. As I update this post I am finishing our first tub. I mix one scoop in with Shakeology every morning.

I know I am supposed to take two scoops at a time and probably should since I am using two scoops of Shakeology for Andrea and I. But Collagen Fuel is a little pricey and ordering it every two weeks is kind of a pain in the butt. So I am sticking with the one scoop for now and will order every 40 days or so.

What intrigues me the most about Collagen Fuel is the long term affects of taking it and what it can do for my knee and elbow injuries I have been dealing with for a decade now. Will update over time.

Mayo – Regular old boring delicious mayo. As you can tell from above, I have a thing for the Chipotle Lime Mayo. The regular Mayo is good, not as good from a taste point of view as Chipotle Lime, but good.

The Avocado Oil is a nice touch and the simplicity of the quality ingredients makes it so much better than your run of the mill mayo you get at a grocery store.

Again, $9.95 a jar is on the expensive side but if its quality you want then thats what you get. It is available to be purchased in a gallon sized tub.

Ranch Dressing – Wow, just wow. This is some good tasting stuff. It reminds me of ranch dressings I’ve had at fancy restaurants.

It does not glob (you know what I mean) out when poured. The right amount of creaminess when applied to a salad.

Avocado Oil and Apple Cider Vinegar give it a unique taste over big box grocery store ranch dressings.

Again, at $7.95 it is pricey and it goes quick. It is only available to buy in one size. This is my favorite Primal Kitchen dressing but like the other items I wish it was available to buy in bulk.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette – A first for me. I have had Honey Mustard and Vinaigrette dressings before but not at the same time.

My initial thoughts were it was going to be thick like the Honey Mustard dressings I’ve had before. As you can tell from the picture it is not. It is more Vinaigrette than Honey Mustard.

It is good but not my favorite. Probably due to me thinking about Honey Mustard being something used to dip stuff into and occasionally used on salads.

The same $7.95 as the other dressings with no chance to buy in bulk.

Greek Vinaigrette – A very good vinaigrette that met my expectations. Kind of spicy and tangy. I think I might be sensitive to one of the ingredients. There were a couple of times when my tongue swelled up. Nothing crazy but enough to get me thinking something strange is going on.

I am not a big fan of vinaigrettes in general so that is why this one and Honey Mustard are on the bottom of the list.

$7.95 for a bottle with no opportunity to buy in bulk. I might have poured a quarter of the bottle out the first time I used the Greek Vinaigrette on a salad. Made me sad seeing $1.98 in dressing pour out all at once. This is the only dressing I will not buy again unless they are giving a sweet deal.

California Extra Virgin Avocado Oil and regular Avocado Oil.  I prefer to use this on a salad versus the vinaigrettes. I am guessing the “Extra Virgin” is what makes this Avocado Oil so thin.

It is noticeable how much clearer and thinner it is than the regular Avocado Oil or Olive Oil. I have used it to cook with and to drizzle on salads.

This is my first time buying an Avocado Oil and possibly using it. The only oils I have used up to this point are Olive Oils.

Avocado Oil plays a big part in the Primal Kitchen lineup as its an ingredient in all of the items above. They really like their fats.

At $12.95 each it seems like a fair price due to the quality of the ingredients. The difference is the extra virgin comes in a 250ml bottle and the avocado oil is in a 500ml bottle.

Each of the avocado oils are available to buy three at a time for a savings of $2 per bottle.

Ill probably buy regular avocado in the future due to getting twice as much for the same price.

The Grass Fed Collagen Bars are definitely a new one for me. They are not a protein bar or a granola bar either. I have not had something like these before. Primal Kitchen really pushes the collagen part of these bars. From what I understand it is 100% protein. They get their collagen from grass-fed cows in Germany and Brazil. All four of the bars have 15 grams of protein.

If collagen is is the protein that holds everything together in our bodies then its also what holds all of the ingredients in the bars together. They have a taffy type texture after you take a bite.

What surprised me the most about the bars was on the nutrition label. They have less than 12 grams of carbs and 3 grams of sugar. Most protein bars I’ve ever had have 30 grams of carbs and 16 grams of sugar. Simpler and healthier ingredients ingredients in these grass fed collagen bars versus your typical protein bar.

The Macadamia Sea Salt Bar is my favorite. Its the only one where I went back for a second bite during my taste test.

Followed by Coconut Cashew, Chocolate Hazelnut, and Dark Chocolate Almond.

You get 12 bars for $36 which I feel is a little on the high end for a snack bar.

In Summary:

The Chipotle Lime Mayo is awesome. I lied when I said I could not write that much about Mayo. The regular Mayo is very good too. Ranch dressing is my favorite. California Extra Virgin  Avocado Oil is great to cook with or use on salads.

The Macadamia Sea Salt Collagen Bars are awesome and I will be ordering more of them.

Vanilla Coconut Primal Fuel is excellent. This will be something I buy every once in awhile as it does not have the same ingredients as Shakeology which I am used to.

There are still a couple more items I will be purchasing to try out and will update them with a review when I get them. I do buy both Mayo’s every couple of months regardless of price.

For the rest of the items I wait until there is a buy one get one free or 20% off coupon in their monthly newsletter.

If you want to ease your way into the Primal Kitchen I recommend getting a Free Box of Dark Chocolate Almond Bars. You only pay for shipping. This also puts you on their list where you will be sent coupons.

The price of the Primal Kitchen items is only a hang up because of the quantity. If they had an option to buy in bulk at a discount I probably would not mind.

There is one thing in common with all of the Primal Kitchen items. You get what you pay for. The ingredients are top notch and well put together.

Most items are Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Soy & Canola Free, Dairy Free, and Paleo Approved. Pretty impressive how they achieved those and made good tasting items in the process.

I see myself being a customer of the Primal Kitchen for quite awhile. Not every month. Probably not every other month either. Definitely every third month though.