Paleo Eating

Here is a page dedicated to the diet of the Paleolithic era.

The idea behind this diet is based on the fact that humans have been around for 2-3 million years. Agriculture only started in the last 10,000 years when we started eating grains, dairy, legumes, and sugar. At about that time, common diseases such as allergies, heart disease, obesity, type II diabetes, etc according to research started emerging as they were not present in the Paleolithic times.  By eating like we were designed to, we can be free of many of these health problems. Since on an evolutionary scale 10,000 years is hardly anything, our bodies are still genetically obligated to consume the following pre-agricultural foods, and not new (Neolithic) foods.

Key elements: Meat, Chicken, Fish, Fruits, Vegetables, Seeds, Nuts, & healthy fats.

The food does not need to be organic, as organic can be misleading, especially when it comes to meat. The best thing to do is to try and buy from local farmers who can tell or show you the conditions at their ranch, or from a trusted supermarket. At a minimum Paleo food should meet these standards below. If you cannot meet these standards for whatever reason (availability, cost, etc) that is fine, cheaper stuff will still be better than the bagels and french fries you may be eating now.

Meat (Beef, Veal, Bison, Buffalo, Lamb, game meats)

-100% Grass fed and finished (preferred)
-Hormone/ Antibiotic free

Poultry

-Pasture raised (preferred)
-Free ranged
-Antibiotic free

Eggs

-Pasture raised (preferred)
-Omega 3 enriched, free range

Pork

-Pasture raised
-Diet based on foraging preferred
-Hormone / Antibiotic free

Fish

-Wild (not farmed)
-If canned, must be packaged in water only (no salt, phosphates, or vegetable oil)
-Be aware of large fish consumption due to mercury. See a list here

Fruits (Moderate amounts)

-Fresh or frozen (preferably fresh)
-Emphasis on berries

Vegetables

-Fresh or frozen (preferably fresh)
-Non starchy (leafy green the best)

Seeds (Moderate amounts)

-Emphasis on flaxseeds (High omega 3/6 ratio)

Nuts (Moderate amounts)

-NO peanuts or cashews
-Emphasis on walnuts, macadamia nuts, and Brazilian nuts (High omega 3/6 ratio)

Fat & Oil

See here

NO-GO:

1. Grains (wheat, bread, pasta, cereal, flour, rice, oats, quinoa, etc)

2. Fake additives (hydrogenated oils, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, MSG etc)

3. Starchy Vegetables (white potatoes)

4. Sugar and sugar substitutes

5. Processed foods (basically, if it has nutrition facts, a wrapper, or box, it’s often no-go)

6. Cheap Processed meat (bacon, breakfast sausage, pepperoni, salami, deli meat, canned/frozen meats, etc) High quality bacon, sausage, etc is acceptable

7. Legumes (soybeans, peanuts, peas, beans, etc)

8. Dairy products (Traditional Paleo does not allow it, however many people do a Paleo + whole dairy diet and have success. )

If consuming dairy have it be:

–Whole (no skim or reduced fat)
–100% grass-fed
–Raw*(*may increase your risk of foodborn illness…but probably won’t make you sick if buying from a reputable source)
–Free of  added sugars, especially in yogurt
–Emphasis on cream, butter, ghee, whole cheese instead of milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc (More fat, less sugar is better)

30 Day Challenge

When starting to do the Paleo diet, it is recommended to stay 100% strict for at least the first 30 days so you can have a baseline for how you feel.The first week will be tough as you will be figuring out what to eat and possibly will be going through the insulin resistance phase and healing your gut from gluten damage. Push yourself not to cheat for the first 30 days.

After that, if it is not working for you, week by week you can add other foods back and see if any of them trigger any changes. Do not add more than one food back per week. If you are adding foods back, do whatever you can to still stay gluten free.

Book Resource

For anyone starting this diet, I recommend first reading:
“The Paleo Solution” by Robb Wolf: Good if you have healthy problems or need serious intervention
“The Primal Blueprint” by Mark Sisson: Great guide for living the primal life in more than just diet.
“The Paleo Diet” by Loren Cordain- Revised Edition: Gives a good overview of the Paleo approach.