The Paleo Diet - A Beginner's Guide

The paleo diet is based on emulating the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. It includes whole, unprocessed foods that resemble what they look like in nature.

Our ancestors were genetically the same as modern humans. They thrived eating such foods and were free of diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Several studies suggest that this diet can lead to significant weight loss (without calorie counting) and major improvements in health. 

A Paleo Diet Meal Plan

There is no one "right" way to eat for everyone and paleolithic humans thrived on a variety of diets, depending on what was available at the time.

Some ate a low-carb diet high in animal foods, others a high-carb diet with lots of plants.

Consider this as a general guideline, not something written in stone. You can adapt all of this to your own personal needs and preferences.

The Basics

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

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

Foods to Eat

Base your diet on these real, unprocessed paleo foods.

Try to choose grass-fed, pasture raised and organic if you can afford it. If not, then just make sure to always go for the least processed option.

Meats: Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork and others.

Fish and Seafood: Salmon, trout, haddock, shrimp, shellfish, etc. Choose wild-caught if you can.

Eggs: Choose free-range, pastured or omega-3 enriched eggs.

Vegetables: Broccoli, kale, peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes, etc.

Fruits: Apples, bananas, oranges, pears, avocados, strawberries, blueberries, avocados and more.

Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, turnips, etc.

Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and more.

Healthy Fats and Oils: Extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil and others.

Salt and Spices: Sea salt, himalayan salt, garlic, turmeric, rosemary, etc.

Sensible Indulgences

These are perfectly healthy in small amounts: 

Wine: Quality red wine is high in antioxidants and beneficial nutrients, (obviously in moderation).

Dark Chocolate: Choose one that has 70% or higher cocoa content. Quality dark chocolate is very nutritious and extremely healthy.

Foods to Avoid

Avoid these foods and ingredients: 

Sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup: Soft drinks, fruit juices, table sugar, candy, pastries, ice cream and many others.

Grains: Includes breads and pastas, wheat, spelt, rye, barley, etc.

Legumes: Beans, lentils and many more.

Dairy: Avoid most dairy, especially low-fat (some versions of paleo do include full-fat dairy like butter and cheese).

Vegetable Oils: Soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil and others.

Trans Fats: Found in margarine and various processed foods. Usually referred to as "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" oils.

Artificial Sweeteners: Aspartame, Sucralose, Cyclamates, Saccharin, Acesulfame Potassium. Use natural sweeteners instead.

Highly Processed Foods: Everything labelled "diet" or "low-fat" or has many weird ingredients. Includes artificial meal replacements.

A simple guideline: If it looks like it was made in a factory, don't eat it!

If you want to avoid these ingredients, then you MUST read ingredients lists, even on foods that are labelled as "health foods."

How to Make Your Restaurant Meals Paleo

It is not very difficult to make most restaurant meals paleo friendly.

Order a meat or fish-based main dish.

Get extra vegetables instead of bread or rice.

Ask them to cook your food in olive oil or coconut oil.

Simple Paleo Snacks

There really is no need to eat more than 3 meals per day, but if you get hungry then here are some paleo snacks that are simple and easily portable: 

Baby carrots.

Hard boiled eggs.

A piece of fruit.

A handful of nuts.

Leftovers from the night before.

Apple slices with some almond butter.

A bowl of berries with some coconut cream.

Homemade beef jerky.

Simple Paleo Shopping List

There is an incredible variety of foods you can eat on the paleo diet.

This simple shopping list should give you an idea of how to get started.

Meat: beef, lamb, pork, etc.

Poultry: chicken, turkey, etc.

Fish: salmon, trout, mackerel, etc.

Eggs.

Fresh vegetables: greens, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onions, etc.

Frozen vegetables: broccoli, spinach, various mixes, etc.

Fruits: Apples, bananas, pears, oranges, avocado.

Berries: Strawberries, blueberries.

Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts.

Almond butter.

Coconut oil.

Olive oil.

Olives.

Sweet potatoes.

Condiments: Sea salt, pepper, turmeric, garlic, parsley, etc.

It is a good idea to clear all unhealthy temptations from your home, including sodas, pastries, cookies, crackers, bread, ice cream and cereals.