Paleolithic Diet: Here is What You can Eat!

Paleo diet is one of the most popular diets at the moment. It is designed to mimic the diet of early humans, when they were primarily a hunter gather society. It is impossible to say exactly what that diet entailed – there is a lot of conjecture. But it is primarily centered around eating whole foods, being active, eating mostly animal products, and a low amount of carbs. The diet is high in protein and healthy fats, while being low in bread and grain products; it also has absolutely no processed foods.

A quick rundown of the basics includes:

Eat: meat, eggs, fish, vegetables, nuts, fruits, seeds, spices, healthy fats, herbs, and oils.

Avoid: Processed foods, soft drinks sugar, majority of dairy products, artificial sweeteners, legumes, margarine and trans fats, vegetable oils.

Foods to Definitely Avoid on the Paleo Diet

• Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup : pre packaged fruit juices, soft drinks (You can instead have freshly squeezed juices and carry them in an insulated water bottle), table sugar, pastries, candy, ice cream, etc.
• Grains:wheat, rye, breads, pastas, spelt, barley, rice, etc.
• Legumes:beans, lentils and many more.
• Dairy:avoid low fat dairy products – whole dairy products are fine.
• Some vegetable oils:grapeseed oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil.
• Trans fats: known as “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils, and normally found in processed foods like margarine.
• Artificial sweeteners:acesulfame potassium, sucralose, aspartame, cyclamates, saccharin. Use natural sweeteners like honey instead.
• Highly processed foods:If it comes in a can or a pouch where it needs some kind of preservative, you should avoid it.

Foods to Eat on the Paleo Diet

• Meat: poultry, lamb, beef, fowl.
• Fish and seafood: freshly caught fatty fish like, salmon, mackerel, tuna, etc.
• Eggs: free-range, pastured or omega-3 rich eggs.
• Vegetables: tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, kale, peppers, carrots, onions, etc.
• Fruits: blueberries, apples, strawberries, bananas, oranges, pears, avocados, etc.
• Tubers: truffles, potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, turnips, etc.
• Nuts and seeds: macadamia nuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.
• Healthy fats and oils: avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, etc.
• Salt and spices: sea salt, rosemary, thyme, garlic, turmeric, etc.