Paleo Friendly Foods

When I talk to people about leading a Paleo lifestyle, the question that I get the most is "If you don't eat grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugars and processed foods, what can you eat?"  This is a very good Question! 

What you eat can become as routine as cooking it.  Most people who choose to cook at home tend to create the same dishes week in and week out.  This can become bland and boring over time for both you and your family.  When people hear that, in order to live Paleo, they must remove some of the very staples in their already boring diet (grain and dairy), they tend to shy away from the idea.

I like variety in my diet, so I like to try things that I have never tasted before.  This allows me to expand my menu, therefore preventing my diet from getting stale and boring.  With the Paleo lifestyle the options for great food are endless and the recipes allow you to use ingredients that are fresh and healthy.  It's surprising, the amount of healthy foods that can be used as substitutes for the traditional unhealthy ones.  I've learned to use things like unsweetened applesauce to make yummy brownies and cauliflower to make a crunchy pizza crust.

I decided to start this list of Paleo friendly foods in order to show that the Paleo lifestyle has an exspansive variety of delicious foods to choose from.  Hopefully this will give you enough information and inspiration to change not only your diet, but also your life.

Acceptable Foods for the Paleo Lifestyle

Meat
Beef, pork, lamb, veal, rabbit, goat, sheep, horse, bison, wild boar, …





Game Meat
Deer, pheasant, bear, moose, woodcock, elk, duck, rabbit, reindeer, wild turkey …

Poultry

Chicken, turkey, duck, quail, goose, …




Fish
Salmon, tuna, trout, bass, halibut, sole, haddock, turbot, walleye, tilapia, cod, flatfish, grouper, mackerel, anchovy, herring, …





Shellfish
Crab, crawfish, lobster, shrimps, scallops, clams, oysters, mussels, …





Fats
Avocados, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, butter, clarified butter (ghee), lard, tallow, duck fat, veal fat, lamb fat, fatty fishes (sardines, mackerel, salmon), nut butters, nut oils (walnut, macadamia), coconut flesh, coconut milk, …





Eggs
Chicken eggs, duck eggs, goose eggs, quail eggs, …







Vegetables
Celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, leeks, kohlrabi, green onions, eggplants, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, cucumber, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, okra, avocados, …



Green Leafy Vegetables
Lettuce, spinach, collard greens, kale, beet top, mustard greens, dandelion, swiss chard, watercress, turnip greens, seaweeds, endive, arugula (rocket), bok choy, rapini, chicory, radicchio…






Root Vegetables
Carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, radish, jerusalem artichokes, yams, cassava, …





Winter Squash
Butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, buttercup squash, …





Summer Squash
Zucchini, yellow summer squash, yellow crookneck squash, ...






Fruits
Bananas, apples, oranges, berries (strawberry, cranberry, cranberry, blueberry, blackberry), grapefruit, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, pomegranates, pineapple, papaya, grapes, cantaloupe, cherries, apricot, water mellon, honeydew mellon, kiwi, lemon, lime, lychee, mango, tangerine, coconut, figs, dates, passion fruit, persimmon, …


Nuts and Seeds
Pistachios, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, chestnuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts




Mushrooms
Button mushroom, portabello, oyster mushroom, shiitake, chanterelle, crimini, porcini, morel…





Fresh and Dried Herbs
Parsley, thyme, lavender, mint, basil, rosemary, chives, tarragon, oregano, sage, dill, bay leaves, coriander, …





Spices and other Natural Flavor Enhancers
Ginger, garlic, onions, black pepper, hot peppers, star anise, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cayenne pepper, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika, vanilla, cloves, chilies, …

So you see!  There is an endless array of scrumtious foods out there just waiting to be eaten.  If I left anything out, please feel free to comment with any foods that you like that may not be listed.  Just make sure they meet the Paleo criteria.  Hostess Twinkies don't count! 

What are you waiting for?  Make the switch.  You'll look and feel better.

The Journey Begins

A few weeks ago, the owner of my local CrossFit box approached our 8am morning class with a proposition.  The deal was...he was willing to offer any member of our class two months of free CrossFit if they accepted his challenge and lost the most amount of weight by changing their diet to Paleo for 24 days.  Everyone was eligible and the challenge would start the following Monday.  Being a competitor and knowing that I could benefit from the prize, not to mention the change in my diet, I decided to accept his proposal.  I was hellbent on changing my diet first thing Monday morning.  The problem was, I knew very little about the Paleo lifestyle.  It was time to do some research. 

I surfed the web for the next several days and found enough information to get me started.  I discovered really quickly what not to eat - no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no sugar or processed foods.  In other words, no fun.  That's what I thought at first but in the past 20 days my outlook on the Paleo lifestyle has changed completely and so has my mid-section.  I've dropped ten pounds and shrunk two inches in my waistline and I haven't felt hungry at all, unlike the other diets I've tried in the past.  I have four days left of my 24 day challenge and I have decided to extend the journey for an entire year.  I have also decided to drag my better half along with me for the ride and anyone else who wants to follow us along our path to great health and fitness.

What is the Paleo diet?

The Paleo diet comes from the eating habits of our hunter-gatherer ancestors - leans meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts/seeds.  It's the healthiest diet in the world and it is grounded by the belief and understanding that the best diet is the one in which we are genetically adapted.  It is backed by documented scientific evidence and by real-life achievements in weight loss by everyday people.  I have experienced the results first hand.  In doing my research, I found that the best description I got of the Paleo diet came from The Whole9 Nutrition Elevator Pitch at whole9life.com.  Here's how it goes.

The Whole9 Nutrition Elevator Pitch
I eat “real” food – fresh, natural food like meat, vegetables and fruit. I choose foods that are nutrient dense, with lots of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, over foods that have more calories but less nutrition. And food quality is important – I’m careful about where my meat comes from, and buy produce locally and organically as often as possible.
It’s not a low calorie “diet” – I eat as much as I need to maintain strength, energy and a healthy weight. In fact, my diet is probably much higher in fat than you’d imagine. Fat isn’t the enemy – it’s a great energy source when it comes from high quality foods like avocado, coconut and nuts. And I’m not trying to do a “low carb” thing, but since I’m eating vegetables and fruits instead of bread, cereal and pasta, it just happens to work out that way.
Eating like this is good for maintaining a healthy metabolism, and reducing inflammation within the body. It’s been doing great things for my energy levels, body composition and performance in the gym. It also helps to minimize my risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases and conditions, like diabetes, heart attack and stroke.

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Why choose Paleo over other diets?

I'm choosing to go Paleo for a year to show not only myself, but everyone, that there are ways of preventing illnesses like obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and stroke through proper diet and exercise.  I believe in the Paleo diet because it works!  It makes perfect sense.  We were designed to eat this way.  Not to mention, there are so many delicious foods and creative recipes to choose from on the Paleo diet that it would be a shame to eat any other way.  Whether you are an athlete who is trying to improve his/her perfomance or an on-the-go mom/dad just looking to shed a few pounds, anyone can reap the benefits of eating clean and staying healthy.  So...In the spirit of my own journey, I challenge everyone to take control of your own health.  Give up those late night trips to the drive-thru and pour those soft drinks down the drain.  Put down those donuts and trash those Dorito's!  Change your diet to Paleo for three weeks, if you don't see results go back to the twinkies and ice-cream.  Commit to a cleaner diet and you will start living a fuller life.  You ask, "Why should I choose Paleo over other diets?"  My response to you is, "Why not?"  If that's not good enough, here are a few reasons, in addition to the ones I've already given.

- Helps weight loss efforts.
– Increased strength, endurance and performance.
– Sex drive in overdrive.
– Constant and radiant energy.
– Clear and smooth skin.
– Deep and restful sleep.
– Good for mental clarity and positive attitude of the natural.