Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hey all -

I'm off to the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas) next week and I just realized I might be in for a rude awakening in regards to availability of clean Paleo foods. I plan on bringing some Tinned Sardines, Coconut Oil, Coconut Butter in case of emergency. I also really intend on catching most of my food via spear fishing, conventional fishing. Also, I'm on vacation so I'm not going to sweat it too much if I have to make some compromises, but hoping to get any info that could help mimize that aspect.

Do any PaleoHacks live there? or have you traveled there? Any restaurant ideas, or markets, etc... ?

Cheers!

edited Apr 29 2011 at 15:47

asked Feb 16 2011 at 22:35

Todd
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	Nice update - you should have posted it as an answer to your own question though :) – uep Apr 29 2011 at 9:09
	Just did so. It does make more sense that way, thanks. – Todd Apr 29 2011 at 15:48

Paul · Answer 1 · 2011-02-16 23:08:55Z UTC

I was in the Dominican Republic not too long ago and one of the things I found was eggs. They sold local eggs from local farms in all the markets there. While I don't know for sure obviously, I would still guess that the eggs were probably not all that bad, since they weren't the product of a huge industrial outfit -- because such a thing just didn't exist where we were. Those chickens may have just been eating insects like they were supposed to. Similarly the chicken was pretty good, and in fact had a general reputation for being good among all the expats who were living there. I think you could probably find out a little bit about some local farms, or at least just the vaguest info, and that might be enough to help you decide what kinds of things you would buy in the stores. Guess we'll wait to see now if any paleohackers have been to St. Thomas.

aaa · Answer 2 · 2011-03-17 03:32:09Z UTC

Virgin Islands suck big time when it comes to food. Because of tourist industry everything is imported including most of the food. They say there are home grown pigs, chickens, and goats, but I don't know where to find them. Definitely not in the supermarket. Eggs, butter, and bacon were my staples and some fruits. There are steaks and lamb chops in the restaurants but those get pricey if eaten every day. I think some stands have fish but I have not tried them. If you are looking for grass-fed beef or lamb it is just not there, at least I have not seen any. Beware of any fried food, everything in there is being fried in vegetable oil.

If you get a chance hop on to St.John and go to Cinnamon Bay beach, awesome place and great coral snorkeling. Avoid Trunk Bay, it is similar to Cinnamon but more crowded and you have to pay for entrance. The Baths in Virgin Gorda (UK side) is a must see.

Todd · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-29 15:47:33Z UTC

Update:

Well, I was able to manage to catch some of my food via fishing, and spear fishing, but not as much as I had hoped. For anyone that does go to St. Thomas I will share what I found.

Food / Supplies: In Red Hook (East Side) there is a market named Marina Market. It's pricey (Kerrygold $6!) but they have fresh seafood and some basic supplies.. Meat selection was questionable. There is a Costco type warehouse (there's no signage so you have to ask) called Merchant Market. They supply all the restaurants on the island with food. They have access to Grass fed Beef and Lamb, and have some pastured chicken (portions are larger since they normally supply restaurants, but I was there for 10 days so I just made one order for the trip). This was a bizarre experience. You dont get to walk through the warehouse, just place and order and the clerk goes and gets it for you.

Restaurants: There are 2 that I went to that catered to what I wanted. One was called "Old Stone Farmhouse" (Northeast Side) and the other was "Thirteen"(North Side). The former was specatcular. They have an option called "The Butcher's Block". When you order this, they take you back to meet the chef. He shows you the fresh selection of meat and seafood and you get to hand pick your meal I had them prepare it to my specs (cooked in butter, no oils, etc..) and they were more than accomodating. Dinner was lamb chop, beef tenderloin, and scallops. The latter actually had a menu for Celiacs, from which I ordered. Again, I went with lamb, and had bacon wrapped mussels as a side. Heaven.

I made it without having to compromise much of anything. Although I often was the guy BBQing at various dinner parties. But, I was extremely well fed, well nourished, maintained my sanity, and actually came back leaner than when I left. That's what I call a vacation :)

Virgin Islands Trip - Anyone have any suggestions

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