My name is batty, and I’m a modern day cavewoman.

…yeeeeaaaaaaaahno.

Does anyone remember Encino Man? No? OK, we won’t mention it again.

What I mean is that I live a primal lifestyle.  In my neverending quest for fitness and health, I came across a few blogs that advocated living and eating the way our ancestors did, prior to the agricultural revolution. The more I read, the more it made sense to me.  I nom-nom-nomed my last processed protein bar back in March of this year, and haven’t looked back.  The ensuing changes – mental and physical – over the last few months have been astounding.

Want to know more? Drag your clubs this way, please.

Sinfest (c) Tatsuya Ishida

It’s practically a given – if you buy a pre-packaged “healthy” meal, it’s all but guaranteed to have broccoli in it. This penchant for bundling the ubiquitous green stuff is so pronounced that some metalhead friends of ShrinkGeek have likened an unwanted opening act that performs at numerous shows headlined by more desirable bands, “The broccoli of metal.”

What, however, is behind this? Why does broccoli wear the mantle of “default healthy food” in the same way that bacon and cheeseburgers are shorthand for “crap that is bad for you”?

Gen Con. The Best Four Days In Gaming. This weekend long gathering of geeks in downtown Indianapolis is one of the few times in your life where the large majority of people who you meet on the street will have a set of polyhedral dice on their person. Call it a bad stereotype if you like, but chances are a lot of the people you meet are (or should be) trying to shed some of their natural encumbrance. Unfortunately for them it’s difficult to eat wisely when you’re at a convention, but it isn’t impossible. All it takes is a little homework and self-control.

We here at ShrinkGeek are going to do some of the homework for you.

Underneath the cut you’ll find a list of some of the restaurants in the downtown Indianapolis area that Gen Con attendees tend to frequent. We’ll give a brief overview of the restaurant itself and try to point you toward some of the less calorie blasting choices off of the menu. Check back often as we’ll be updating this list as we gather additional information and take suggestions from some of the attendees themselves!

See you in Indianapolis!

Do you feel like you’ve sacrificed a few HP in the gym? Consider adding coconut oil to your diet. This natural superfood has been an integral part of athletes’ diets for decades and is considered “the healthiest oil on earth”.

Coconut oil has a long list of health benefits. Research suggests that it can boost your energy and endurance, thereby enhancing physical and athletic performance. Also? It’s freaking delicious. Obviously, it’s not the kind of thing you want to chow down on if you’re allergic, but otherwise? Knock yourself out.

We can hear your unspoken thoughts (yes, despite the tin foil) “But… coconut oil is a saturated fat, right? Isn’t that bad for you? How can one possibly get quick energy from a fat?”

After the cut, this is answered with some tasty and delicious biochemistry. OM NOM NOM.

Standing on the scale doesn't burn many calories, however. (Photo by Alan Cleaver)

It’s become something of a running joke around here that “eat less and exercise more” is overly simplistic, and not all that sexy. In that respect, this mantra is kind of like Bejeweled (actually, there is Bejeweled pron out there. Verily, the internet is full of things. Whether those things should exist is left as an exercise for the reader).

However, sometimes it’s useful to know more precisely how much we should be eating. This is especially true if you’re not on any kind of scripted dietary program, or one that gives you a daily allotment of something other than plain old calories.

Handy tool is handy.