How To Tell If A Food Is Paleo
I get a lot of questions about whether a specific food is paleo or not. It’s tough to figure all of paleo out from the start, so I've laid it all out here.
Please note, that this is what would be considered a "strict" traditional paleo guidlines. There are variations (for fat loss, athletes, primal and autoimmune), but this is the most common one.
You can always download our app - paleo.io - but on the odd chance you don’t find something you’re looking for, here’s how you go about determining if a food is or is not paleo.
Hopefully with this post, we'll not only show you what foods are paleo and what ...
continue reading
Is Bread Paleo?
The Quick Answer
No. Bread is not paleo.
Why Isn't Bread Paleo?
If you’re familiar with the paleo diet, the answer to this question may seem obvious, but for many the reason that bread is not considered paleo is not crystal clear.
In this post we’ll dive a little deeper into the reasons as to why bread isn’t considered paleo, and the deal with grains and whole grains, including whether or not you should eat them, and, if you do eat them, how to make your diet a little healthier.
Personally I do follow the paleo approach to nutrition because it works for me. I spent time removing food from my diet and then reintroducing ...
continue reading
Are Processed Foods Paleo?
The Quick Answer
No. Processed foods are not paleo.
Why Aren’t Processed Foods Paleo?
An increase in processed foods in our diets is often blamed for the obesity epidemic and serious health problems that have been taking over western nations including the U.S over the past few decades. As people have become busier and busier, unfortunately they have turned to convenient, packaged, and processed foods to replace what used to be healthy, fresh, home cooked meals made with only whole foods.
Processed foods, meaning those that are not found in nature but that are instead created in complex food laboratory settings, often come in ...
continue reading
Are Fish & Seafood Paleo?
The Quick Answer
Yes. Fish and seafood are paleo.
Why Are Fish And Seafood Paleo?
Fish and other types of seafood are often referred to as the healthiest sources of animal protein on the planet, often ranking on nutrition experts' “must” lists in terms of food that should make a regular appearance in everyone’s diets for optimal health. In addition to being natural sources of protein, fish and seafood also contain important trace minerals and some vitamins too, many of which the average person is deficient in.
Perhaps most importantly, fish offer a high level of crucial omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Omega-3s help the ...
continue reading
Are Natural Sweeteners Paleo?
The Quick Answer
Yes. Natural sweeteners are paleo.
Why Are Natural Sweeteners Paleo?
High quality, naturally occurring forms of sweeteners, including raw honey, 100% pure maple syrup, coconut nectar, blackstrap molasses, and stevia extract, are traditional, healing foods that have been used to add sweetness to unprocessed foods, boosting the taste and appeal of many nutrient-dense foods, for thousands of years. In addition to improving taste, some natural sweeteners actually have health benefits of their own, helping to boost immunity and fight off infection, and help with skin irritations, for example. Some contain ...
continue reading
Are Healthy Oils Paleo?
The Quick Answer
Yes. Healthy oils (meaning those that are unprocessed, unrefined, and compromised of essential health-promoting fatty acids) are paleo.
Why Are Healthy Oils Paleo?
Oils can certainly be confusing and the options overwhelming at times. Never before have so many different types of oils been available. These days oils are being derived from numerous foods, including flowers, nuts, grains, beans, and coconuts. When determining which oils are actually healthy (and therefore paleo-approved), the paleo diet considers a few key things: how unprocessed and naturally occurring the oil is, the ratio of fatty acids in the ...
continue reading
Are Nuts & Seeds Paleo?
The Quick Answer
Yes. Nuts and seeds are paleo (just be careful that you aren’t mixing up nuts with those that are really legumes, which aren’t paleo).
Why Are Nuts And Seeds Paleo?
Various nuts and seeds have a multitude of impressive health benefits and, because of this, they have been eaten for thousands of years around the world by some of the healthiest populations living in places like the Middle East, Asia, and the Mediterranean region. Various long-term nutritional studies have shown that consuming nuts and seeds at least several times per week is associated with less disease development, less risk of getting cancer, heart ...
continue reading
Is Grass-Fed Meat Paleo?
The Quick Answer
Yes. Grass-fed meat is paleo.
Why Is Grass-Fed Meat Paleo?
Unprocessed, high-quality meat provides protein, iron, B vitamins, as well as health-promoting acids like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which have been linked with healthy body weight maintenance and disease prevention.
With all animal-based products, however, the health of the animal is extremely important when it comes to the quality of the meat. That is, there is a significant difference between processed or conventionally-raised meats and grass-fed meats. While processed meats like hot dogs, cold cuts, and most packaged salamis, pepperonis, and ...
continue reading
Are Eggs Paleo?
The Quick Answer
Yes. Eggs are paleo.
Why Are Eggs Paleo?
Eggs are paleo because they are one of the most nutritious, affordable, and easy-to-prepare protein sources that there is. In fact, many people refer to eggs as “nature’s perfect food." While the whites of eggs provide protein and are very low in calories and fat, we recommend that you eat the entire egg, including the yolk, because the yolk contains important vitamins and minerals.
Eggs have been eaten for thousands of years in different parts of the world. Today they are one of the most beloved paleo foods there is. The reason many people turn to eggs as a healthy protein ...
continue reading
Is Corn Oil Paleo?
The Quick Answer
No. Corn oil is not considered paleo.
Why Isn’t Corn Oil Paleo?
Corn oil is not paleo for three main reasons:
It is made from corn, which is not paleo.
It is an oil that is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and omega-6s.
It’s prone to rancidity and oxidation when it's cooked.
In this way it is similar to other vegetable oils that are not paleo for the same reasons, like grape seed, soybean, and peanut oils.
Because corn oil contains a high amount of omegas-6 fatty acids and not a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids, it does not have the ratio that we look for on the paleo diet when ...
continue reading