Paleo Foods

Exactly which items do and do not fit into the Paleodiet food list is not always an easy answer to follow.  In its purest form, the theory of the Paleodiet states that if your ancestors didn't eat it - you shouldn't either.  The list below represents the strict application of the theory.

On the other hand, some foods that our ancestors did not eat are known to be very nutritious.  For example beans are a great source of numerous nutrients and dairy products can be a great source of calcium and protein.  Some experts urge that a slightly less strict, slightly more modest form of the Paleodiet should be followed for optimal health.  It is up to you as an individual to choose first if you should - and then how to - implement the Paleodiet in your own life. 

Go on to read about Disagreements

Below is a list of foods that are encouraged or discouraged in the Paleo diet.  This list was obtained from the book Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain (Wiley and Sons, New York 2002 pages 104-112).

Encouraged Foods Lean Meats  Lean beef (trimmed of visible fat) Flank steak Top sirloin steak Extra-lean hamburger (no more than 7% fat, extra fat drained off) London broil Chuck steak Lean veal Any other lean cut Lean pork (trimmed of visible fat) Pork loin Pork chops Any other lean cut Lean poultry (white meat, skin removed) Chicken breast Turkey breast Game hen breasts Eggs (limit to six a week) Chicken (go for the enriched omega 3 variety) Duck Goose Other meats Rabbit meat (any cut) Goat meat (any cut) Organ meats Beef, lamb, pork, and chicken livers Beef, pork, and lamb tongues Beef, lamb, and pork marrow Beef, lamb, and pork “sweetbreads” Game meat Alligator Bear Bison (buffalo) Caribou Elk Emu Goose Kangaroo Muscovy duck New Zealand cervena deer Ostrich Pheasant Quail Rattlesnake Reindeer Squab Turtle Venison Wild boar Wild turkey Fish Bass Bluefish Cod Drum Eel Flatfish Grouper Haddock Halibut Herring Mackerel Monkfish Mullet Northern pike Orange roughy Perch Red snapper Rockfish Salmon Scrod Shark Striped bass Sunfish Tilapia Trout Tuna Turbot Walleye Any other commercially available fish Shellfish Abalone Clams Crab Crayfish Lobster Mussels Oysters Scallops Shrimp Fruit Apple Apricot Avocado Banana Blackberries Blueberries Boysenberries Cantaloupe Carambola Cassava melon Cherimoya Cherries Cranberries Figs Gooseberries Grapefruit Grapes Guava Honeydew melon Kiwi Lemon Lime Lychee Mango Nectarine Orange Papaya Passion fruit Peaches Pears Persimmon Pineapple Plums Pomegranate Raspberries Rhubarb Star fruit Strawberries Tangerine Watermelon All other fruits Vegetables Artichoke Asparagus Beet greens Beets Bell peppers Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Collards Cucumber Dandelion Eggplant Endive Green onions Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce Mushrooms Mustard greens Onions Parsley Parsnip Peppers (all kinds) Pumpkin Purslane Radish Rutabaga Seaweed Spinach Squash (all kinds) Swiss chard Tomatillos Tomato (actually a fruit, but most people think of it as a vegetable) Turnip greens Turnips Watercress

Encouraged Foods Nuts and Seeds Almonds Brazil nuts Cashews Chestnuts Hazelnuts (filberts) Macadamia nuts Pecans Pine nuts Pistachios (unsalted) Pumpkin seeds Sesame seeds Sunflower seeds Walnuts Foods To Be Eaten In Moderation Oils Olive, avocado, walnut, flaxseed, and canola oils (use in moderation—4 tablespoons or less a day when weight loss is of primary importance) Beverages Diet sodas (These often contain artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharine, which may be harmful; you’re better off drinking bottled and mineral waters.) Coffee Tea Wine (two 4-ounce glasses; Note: Don’t buy “cooking wine,” which is loaded with salt.) Beer (one 12-ounce serving) Spirits (4 ounces) Paleo Sweets Dried fruits (no more than 2 ounces a day, particularly if you are trying to lose weight) Nuts mixed with dried and fresh fruits (no more than 4 ounces of nuts and 2 ounces of dried fruit a day, particularly if you are trying to lose weight) Foods You Should Avoid Dairy Foods All processed foods made with any dairy products Butter Cheese Cream Dairy spreads Frozen yogurt Ice cream Ice milk Low-fat milk Nonfat dairy creamer Powdered milk Skim milk Whole milk Yogurt Cereal Grains Barley (barley soup, barley bread, and all processed foods made with barley) Corn (corn on the cob, corn tortillas, corn chips, corn starch, corn syrup) Millet Oats (steel-cut oats, rolled oats, and all processed foods made with oats) Rice (brown rice, white rice, top ramen, rice noodles, bas mati rice, rice cakes, Rice flour (all processed foods made with rice) Rye (rye bread, rye crackers, and all processed foods made with rye) Sorghum Wheat (bread, rolls, muffins, noodles, crackers, cookies, cake, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, pasta, spaghetti, lasagna, wheat tortillas, pizza, pita bread, flat bread, and all processed foods made with wheat or wheat flour) Wild rice Cereal Grainlike Seeds Amaranth Buckwheat Quinoa Legumes All beans (adzuki beans, black beans, broad beans, fava beans, field beans, garbanzo beans, horse beans, kidney beans, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red beans, string beans, white beans) Black-eyed peas Chickpeas Lentils Peas Miso Peanut butter Peanuts Snowpeas Sugar snap peas Soybeans and all soybean products, including tofu Starchy Vegetables Starchy tubers Cassava root Manioc Potatoes and all potato products (French fries, potato chips, etc.) Sweet potatoes Tapioca pudding Yams Salt-Containing Foods Almost all commercial salad dressings and condiments Bacon Cheese Deli meats Frankfurters Ham Hot dogs Ketchup Olives Pickled foods Pork rinds Processed meats Salami Salted nuts Salted spices Sausages Smoked, dried, and salted fish and meat Virtually all canned meats and fish (unless they are unsalted or unless you soak and drain them) Fatty Meats Bacon Beef ribs Chicken and turkey legs Chicken and turkey skin Chicken and turkey thighs and wings• Fatty beef roasts Fatty cuts of beef Fatty ground beef Fatty pork chops Fatty pork roasts Lamb chops Lamb roasts Leg of lamb Pork ribs Pork sausage T—bone steaks Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices All sugary soft drinks Canned, bottled, and freshly squeezed fruit drinks (which lack the fiber of fresh fruit and have a much higher glvcemic index) Sweets Candy Honey Sugars