We here at Kettlebell Kitchen are so excited to present this in-depth Q&A with Paleo Manifesto author John Durant.
John has been a part of the New York paleo scene for years now with his popular blog, activities such as the NYC Barefoot Run, and media appearances in the New York Times, NPR, the New Yorker, and the Colbert Report, among others.
KBK: You’re on record as being not much of a cook yourself. Since Kettlebell Kitchen is a paleo meal delivery service, it’s probably the case for many of our readers as well. Give that limitation, what’s your best advice for eating paleo and eating well in NYC?
DURANT: Let me tell you about the Great Chicken Stock Disaster of 2010-11. I tried making chicken stock on the stove. I didn’t put a cover on the pot, then left it on the burner while I went out for the evening (apparently this is a really bad idea). I returned a few hours later to a smoke-filled apartment. The water had boiled off, and all that remained was a blackened chicken carcass that was hissing and smoking. I quickly grabbed the pot and put it outside on the porch. Overnight we got about a lot of snow, enough to cover up the pot. Out of sight, out of mind — and so it remained on the porch until spring. That’s just how a paleo bachelor rolls. So yes, prepared meals can help.
Many people think avoiding grains (or just gluten) is the hardest part about eating paleo, but not for me. Many NYC restaurants have gluten-free options and they know that a lot of folks can’t or don’t eat it.
One of my two biggest challenges is avoiding vegetable oils. Lots of restaurants, even high end ones, use canola or soybean oil because they’re so damn cheap and people think they’re heart healthy. I would eat more potatoes — even french fries or potato chips — if they were cooked in coconut oil, tallow, or lard.
So here’s what I do:
-Diners will often cook in butter if you ask them to
-Ask restaurants what they cook with just so they know people care about it
-Avoid unknown sauces, oily foods, and prepared dressings
-Cook for yourself
-Buy prepared meals
My other big challenge is alcohol. I’m always meeting up with someone for a drink — that’s just what people do in NYC. But that can be killer if it’s 5 nights a week. I’ve almost never gotten sick over the last 7 years…unless there’s way too much alcohol involved.
Here are my tips for drinking:
-College is over: avoid binge drinking
-Beware the nightcap: avoid drinking just before bed
-Avoid high sugar, gluten-full drinks (sweet mixers like Coke or tonic, pre-made margarita mixes, or beer)
-Go for wine, hard cider, hard alcohol
Click here to keep reading our Q&A with John Durant, author of The Paleo Manifesto.
