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Have any of you attended Burning Man while on a Paleo Diet? It's the desert and mid-day temperature can exceed 100° Fahrenheit (38°C).

I'm on a VLC/ZC diet that helps tremendously with AS (thanks paleohacks!), so I'm gonna have to bring enough meat for 10 days. How hard is it to keep meat from spoiling? Any kinds I should or shouldn't get? (I'm thinking no seafood?). Think I can get away with storing meat in ice chests? (they sell ice cubes there).

Any other tips for the desert? Here's one of mine: The highly alkaline dust is hard on nailbeds, feet and skin but generous topical application of vinegar helps. I'll bring a giant bottle of vinegar.

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Hi Enki. I'm curious, is there a big Paleo contingent at Burning Man? – saintpuffy Jun 1 2011 at 3:29
Hi Enki, what is AS? Aspergers? – Paleo P Jun 1 2011 at 4:41
ankylosing spondylitis that responds well to low-starch diets (there's lots of threads about it here) – Enki Jun 1 2011 at 5:12
@saintpuffy i dunno about big. i know a few friends who eat paleo-ish who are going in various camps. I don't think it's a core part of the experience by any means. (some people spend most of their time at burning man listening to science talks, others do suspension bondage, some work on building desert mesh computer networks, and another set climbs art... the interesting part is that it's many things at once - this is mostly in response to the ppl who think it's all about drugs and food doesn't matter ) – Enki Jun 1 2011 at 5:36

6 Answers

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I'm on the road a lot and have to keep up a stash of Paleo friendly snacks/meals. Here's a few ideas that should work for Burning Man as well- I wasn't Paleo last time, but pretty close...

Low Carb Snacks

-Tankabars! Yummy Buffalo Cranberry bars....mmmmmm....

-Beef Jerky

-Canned Sardines

-Canned Salmon, Tuna, etc

-Justin's nut butter packs- almond, Hazelnut, etc (if you don't have nut issues)

-Mrs Mays nut crunches

Higher Carb Snacks- probably not for you, but maybe other Paleo Burners could use them:

-Pure Bars (higher carb- so not for you, but still Gluten free and organic

-Kind Bars- Ditto

-Dried Berries

Cooking Meals

If you're going to be cooking I'd plan on bringing coconut oil and a cooler for your meat/vegetable matter. You should be able to operate/cook meals similar to those at home if you bring the right setup.As you mentioned, you will have to remember to grab new ice from center camp as needed, but that worked well for me last year.

NOTE: memory and 'tripping balls' tend to be mutually exclusive- if you have any plans along that route you might want to just bring a heck of a lot of the snackish variety of food instead of attempting to cook...

just sayin'

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1 
 awesome, that's what i was curious about! not my first year btw, so from i'm not at all worried about being able to stick to my plans; i always get things done the way i want them done. beyond that i don't get why ppl assume burning man implies tripping balls, nor even assuming that were the case, why that would be an obstacle to being responsible. but that's a whole other story. thanks! – Enki Jun 1 2011 at 7:55
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 I don't see Lara Bars mentioned! I think they're way better that Kind Bars and just slightly better than Pure Bars. – gilliebean♦ Jun 1 2011 at 17:49
Otherwise, great answer!! ;) – gilliebean♦ Jun 1 2011 at 17:49
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I just don't get that hungry when I'm tripping balls....

:)

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I'm thinking:

  • buy dried beef and different kinds of jerky in bulk
  • drink your coconut oil like you're on a bender
  • eat more fruit (dried and fresh), just for fun
  • enjoy being a cheap date! ;)
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Having been to Burning Man before, though not Paleo at the time, it would be fairly easy to stay Paleo. One idea is to cook your meat ahead of time then freeze it so it keeps cold longer in the cooler. I agree with GB, definitely bring jerky, but I'd make some fresh jerky at home. Canned tuna/fish/meats may be good too, just be careful of the extra garbage in there. Sturdier veggies like cucumbers and carrots are good ideas too. Maybe some freeze-dried veggies/fruit? Definitely nuts.

Anyone from your camp arriving later in the week? You could hit them up for some fresh meat out of Reno as they're coming in.

Most importantly, LOTS OF WATER!!!! Piss clear--my favorite BM mantra! Have fun! Am hoping to get back there sometime. The years I've gone were just awesome.

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Just wondering why cook it first, instead of freezing raw? – Ambimorph Jun 1 2011 at 16:20
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Sorry, if you are going to Burning Man and are going to worry about this, just don't go. Like Rhubarb, you can't be bothered by this stuff when you're "tripping balls".

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 tripping balls while in pain is no fun. – Enki Jun 1 2011 at 5:29
So why don't you just loosen up on the diet for a few days and bring stuff that is convenient to eat? – Thomas Seay Jun 1 2011 at 5:31
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 because i'd be in pain? – Enki Jun 1 2011 at 5:32
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I have not gone while paleo, but I've gone 3 times. I would think your main problem would be potassium, you're sweating out tons of electrolytes, you won't even notice it because the sweat dries immediately. Without fresh veggies, fruit, carby drinks or potatoes you won't be replacing much of the potassium you're sweating out. Fresh veggies will usually last the first few days, but beyond that I'd think about hitting the coconut milk pretty hard. And maybe bring some underripe avocados and hope they last past the first few days. It might be worth finding a carb-free rehydration/electrolyte solution just in case... even if it's not totally paleo.

If you want a little change from beef jerky & nuts all day, Trader Joe's has a nice tuna in curry sauce that's low carb, low trash and spicy as all hell.

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