What is Paleo? (What to Eat, What NOT to Eat and Recipes)
SUMMARY
- You can eat all lean meat, fish, seafood & eggs
- You can eat all non-starchy seasonal vegetables
- Plenty of seasonal fruit
- Moderate healthy fats
- Moderate nuts and seeds
- No grains or cereals at all
- No legumes
- No dairy products (eggs are not dairy)
- No processed foods – make it yourself!
- No sugars. Agave, organic honey, molasses, pure spun golden sunshine….it doesn’t matter. They
- No artificial sweeteners. These are not food! They are out too.
Protein
Protein should be the first thing making up your meal or snack. Depending on your individual needs,
this can range between 3-9 ounces, but when all else fails, you can follow the general rule of having a
serving of protein the size of your palm. When it comes to what kind of protein you should eat,
remember that free range animals are healthier than commercially raised animals. Keeping that in
mind, here are the general rules to follow:
- Buy your meat local, grass-fed and USDA organic
- Buy eggs from free roaming chickens
- Buy your fish wild
- Wild game (buffalo, venison.. etc.) is always a good option
Carbs: Veggies
You want to focus most of your meal with non-starchy carbs. Make sure you get variation, and eat a
lot of them! Here are some things to keep in mind with vegetables:
- Buy local, in season, organic veggies
- Avoid starchy vegetables (i.e. potatoes).
- Avoid legumes (i.e. peanuts, beans, peas, soybeans etc.)
Carbs: Fruit
Fruit is good for you in moderation. There is a hierarchy of fruit based on the fruits nutrient value and
glycemic load. You should also consider how the fruit was grown. Think about the following in
regards to fruit:
- Try to grow your own if possible
- Buy local, seasonal, organic fruit
- Avoid genetically modified organism fruit
- Avoid fruit juices
- Make sure to wash any fruit thoroughly to minimize pesticides
Fats:
Despite what modern society has taught us to believe, fats are good for you. It is important to have
the right balance of fats and the right kind of fats in your diet. On the paleo diet, your body is trained
to burn fat instead of carbs for energy (this will make your energy levels more stable), so don’t skip
the fat in your meals!
- Buy oils (coconut, olive) organic and cold pressed so they remain chemically unchanged
- Buy organic and local avocados
- Buy coconut in all forms
- Nuts are good in moderation (walnuts, pecans and macadamia nuts are your best choice).
- Avoid canola (the oil is genetically modified, partially hydrogenated and highly refined), peanut,
- Avoid trans fats (fats damaged by heat - can be made at home) and hydrogenated or partially
Hydrating: Water
Drink water, coffee, and tea. If you drink coffee, drink it black
or with unsweetened almond milk.
The-Original-Five-Food-Groups-New-Pyramid
What Can I Eat?
DO EAT:
Protein
Eggs (omega3 enhanced)
Fish
- bass
- bluefish
- cod
- drum
- eel
- flatfish
- grouper
- haddock
- halibut
- herring
- mackerel
- monkfish
- mullet
- N. pike
- orange roughy
- perch
- red snapper
- rockfish
- salmon
- scrod
- striped bass
- sunfish
- tilapia
- tuna
- turbot
- walleye
- any other wild fish
Lean Beef
- chuck steak
- flank steak
- extra lean hamburger
- lean veal
- london broil
- top sirloin
- any other lean cut
Lean Pork
- lean cuts
- pork chops
- pork loin
Lean Poultry
- chicken breast
- hen breasts
- turkey breasts
Organ Meat
- liver (beef, lamb, pork, chicken)
- marrow (beef, lamb, pork)
- “sweetbreads” (beef, lamb, pork)
- tongue (beef, lamb, pork)
Other Meat
- alligator
- bear
- bison
- caribou
- elk
- emu
- goat
- goose
- kangaroo
- ostrich
- pheasant
- quail
- rabbit
- rattlesnake
- reindeer
- squab
- turtle
- venison
- wild boar
- wild turkey
Shellfish
- abalone
- clams
- crab
- crayfish
- lobster
- mussels
- oysters
- scallops
- shrimp
Fats
- avocado
- almonds
- brazil nuts
- cashews
- chestnuts
- coconut
- coconut oil
- flaxseed oil
(refrigerated)
- macadamia nuts
- olive oil extra virgin,
cold pressed
- pecans
- pine nuts
- pistachios
- pumpkin seeds
- sesame seeds
- sunflower seeds
- walnuts
Carbohydrates-Vegetables
- artichoke
- asparagus
- beet greens
- beets
- bell pepper
- broccoli
- brussels sprouts
- cabbage
- carrots
- cauliflower
- celery
- collards
- cucumber
- dandelion
- eggplant
- endive
- green onion
- kale
- kohlrab
- lettuce
- mushroom
- mustard greens
- onions
- parsley
- parsnip
- peppers
- pumpkin
- purslane
- radish
- rutabaga
- seaweed
- seaweed
- spinach
- squash
- swiss chard
- tomatillos
- tomato
- turnips
- turnip greens
- watercress
Fruits
- apple
- apricot
- banana
- blackberry
- boysenberry
- cantaloupe
- carambola
- cassava melon
- cherimoya
- cherries
- cranberry
- figs
- gooseberry
- grapefruit
- grapes
- guava
- honeydew
- kiwi
- lemon
- lime
- lychee
- mango
- nectarine
- orange
- papaya
- passion fruit
- peaches
- pears
- persimmon
- pineapple
- plums
- pomegranate
- raspberry
- rhubarb
- star fruit
- star fruit
- strawberry
- tangerine
- watermelon
DON’T EAT:
Dairy
- butter
- cheese
- creamer
- ice cream
- milk
- yogurt
Grains
- barley
- corn
- maize
- millet
- oats
- rye
- rice
- sorghum
- wheat
- wild rice
Grain-like Seeds
- amaranth
- buckwheat
- quinoa
DON’T EAT:
High Glycemic
Vegetables
- cassava root
- manioc
- potatoes
- tapioca
Legumes
- all beans
- black-eyed peas
- cashews
- chickpeas
- lentils
- miso
- peas
- peanuts/peanut butter
- soybean and soy products
Sugar
- candy
- fruit drinks
- honey
- soft drink
Sample Menus
provided by robbwolf.com
Sample Meal Plan: Weight Loss
Breakfast: Shrimp scramble with basil and steamed spinach. ¼ cup blueberries. Espresso.
Lunch: Chicken salad with red onions, romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts and mixed bell
peppers. Dressing: Lemon/Olive Oil with a hint of garlic. Green tea with lemon.
Snack: Grilled shrimp & veggies with a handful of macadamias
Dinner: Baked pork loin with ginger cabbage and olive oil. Desert: shaved almonds over 1/4 cup mixed berries.
Sample Meal Plan: The Endurance Athlete
Let’s assume an early run, bike or swim interval session. Depending upon your preferences you may opt to train on an empty stomach. If you prefer a small snack before training here is a good way to start your day:
Pre-training snack
2 oz chicken OR 2 scrambled eggs. 1/2 to 1/4 honey dew melon
OR 1 cup of blueberries.
Post-Training breakfast
Best if consumed within 30 min of training
Salmon scramble, 1/2 honey dew or rock melon+1 cup of blueberries.
OR Grilled salmon, sweet potato hash browns with olive oil and cinnamon.
Lunch: Grass fed ground beef marinara over baked spaghetti squash.
Snack: Can of sardines, medium orange, hand full of almonds.
Dinner: Baked Halibut, large Artichoke. Garlic-pistachio “pesto” for the halibut and as a
dipping sauce for the artichoke.
Sample Meal Plan: The Power Athlete
Breakfast: 4-6 egg omelet with 1 whole avocado. 1/2 cup blue berries.
Pre-workout snack
2-4 oz grilled chicken, handful of almonds or macadamias
Post-workout meal
6-8 oz grilled salmon, asparagus, mushroom, bamboo shoot, coconut milk curry.
Snack: Canned salmon salad with olive oil, avocado, tomatoes and red onion.
Dinner: Grilled grass fed Rib eye with grilled shrimp. Large mixed salad with greens, red
onions and ginger sesame dressing.
Here are some very basic breakfast and snack options from Cordula Reichardt:
Breakfast
Female:
2 eggs - hard boiled or scrambled or left over meat
1 med granny smith apple with 2 tbs of almond butter (may be too much for somebody trying to lose weight)
Male:
4 eggs - hard boiled or scrambled
1 1/2 cups of fresh mixed berries
Snacks:
Female:
1 cup of mixed berries
1 egg
1/4 cups of nuts mix (raw almonds, cashews, pistachios, dried goji berries)
1 med granny smith apple with 1 tbs of almond butter
1 egg (or left over meat)
Smoothie with frozen pineapple, frozen mango, wheatgrass and coconut water
Coconut water after workout and a snack (protein, carbs and fat)
If you get tired of eggs replace them with small portions of meat (chicken, fish or paleo meatloaf)
Male:
Smoothie with frozen pineapple, nuts, frozen mango, wheatgrass, protein powder and coconut water