Editor’s Note: We’ve invited Adam Farrah to write a series of articles here breaking down and describing all things Paleo diet because we’ve noticed an increasing interest in Paleo by our growing community. Adam is a noted expert in the field and we’re excited to have him join us to share with us what this diet/lifestyle is all about.
This is Part 1 in a 5 Part Series. You can view the other parts here: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5
Adam Farrah, Paleo Diet Coach
The Paleo Diet is getting more and more press and exposure lately. It’s a great diet. It works for improving performance, fat loss and a myriad health problems. Once you understand the basics, it’s also pretty easy to do. In this series of articles, I’ll explain the basics of Paleo and talk about some of the finer points, modifications and nuances I’ve learned in the nearly 7 years I’ve been working with the diet in one variation or another.
In this first post, I’ll talk about the fundamentals of Paleo and give you my own ideas about the best way to classify different foods and think about them within the greater context of Paleo. The classification of foods that I use is something I developed on my own and not something you’ll find anywhere else. I’ll explain why a little later.
What’s important to understand is that Paleo is really a broad diet philosophy as opposed to a set and rigid diet – or worse, a fad diet. Yes, there’s the book “The Paleo Diet” by Loren Cordain, but there are many other interpretations of Paleo and variations based on the “Hunter-Gatherer” template. If you want to understand the context of Paleo as a diet genre, check out my post “There Are MANY Different Paleo Diets.”
What’s the Point of Paleo?
The basic premise of the Paleo diet is that our genes have remained virtually unchanged for a very, very long time. While there is some disagreement on the numbers, the idea is that we spent about 2.5 million years as a species eating nothing but meat, vegetables and fruit (when fruit was available) and little else. It was only about 15,000 years ago that we started to move from hunting and gathering to agriculture. This is when grains and dairy became widely available.
Paleo theory says that our digestive systems and bodies are much better adapted to meat, fruit and vegetables than to things like grains, dairy, processed foods and the pesticides and hormones that get into our modern food. If you stop and think about the fact that two of the most common food sensitivities are to gluten and casein (a protein in cow milk), it doesn’t seem completely unrealistic that there could be some truth to this idea.
Below is a diagram from my book, “The Paleo Dieter’s Missing Link,” that shows visually what I’m talking about in terms of a food timeline. Obviously, the diagram isn’t totally to scale.
The main point of Paleo is to give our bodies the foods that they evolved to eat and thrive on. The payoff being improved health, performance, longevity and superior digestion.
What’s On a Paleo Diet?
So, basically, Paleo is meat, fruit and vegetables. Pretty simple, right? And, it actually IS simple to a great extent. Some people get confused because they just don’t know enough about food in general, but many others have trouble because of all the information circulating online and in the various Paleo books that are out there. Everything you’ll find on Paleo – other than the stuff I write – will classify foods in two categories – Paleo and Not Paleo. I decided that this system was limiting and instead I choose to talk about foods in terms of Paleo in five categories.
Understanding What’s Paleo, What’s Not and What’s in Between…
Here’s how I classify foods in terms of a Paleo diet. You’ll likely note that some of the foods in category two – like raw dairy and brown rice – are NOT what are considered Paleo foods by most. I actually have a number of reasons for including these foods in my version of Paleo and I’ll talk about those reasons in an upcoming installment of this series.
Here are the five categories of Paleo foods:
1) Foundational Paleo Diet Foods – Base Your Diet on These
These are meats from animals fed their appropriate diet (cows fed grass, for example), wild-caught fish and vegetables and fruits (preferably organic).
2) Foods of Early Agriculture – Foods to Consider Adding if Well-Tolerated
Eggs from well-raised chickens, raw dairy from well-raised cows and/or goats, organic brown rice and properly prepared gluten-containing grains. Things like fresh ground organic coffee are also included in this category.
3) Paleo Foods to Use Sparingly
These are starchy Paleo foods like yams and sweet potatoes best left to post-workout and concentrated Paleo foods like coconut milk, dried fruits, raw nuts and seeds, nut and seed milks and raw honey.
4) Supplements
Foods in this category are things like coconut oils and the various fish oils that can be used to round out the fat content in the diet, protein powders (if necessary, well tolerated and of high quality), things like fiber supplements and certain nutrient supplements.
5) Modern Foods – Avoid These
This category holds most everything else like processed foods, processed grain products, soy products, beans and legumes, roasted nuts, sugar and high-fructose corn syrup products. Alcohol is also in this category.
A Graphical Representation of the Five Categories of Paleo…
In Conclusion…
Those are the basics of what Paleo is. At least, that’s my version. In the next post, I’ll get into more of the details of the diet and explain how to make it work for you in a practical way.
Editor’s Note: What are your thoughts on the Paleo diet? Have you tried it, or are you thinking about it? Let us know, and ask any questions you’d like to have answered by Adam in the comments below! (you can read more in Part 2 here)
Melanie
June 06th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
I have a few questions…
1. Where do regular potatoes fit in? How about other root vegetables, like carrots?
2. Why are beans modern? Wouldn’t ancestors have eaten wild beans and peas wherever they found them? Are our modern beans simply too far from their roots?
3. Where does cocoa/cacao fit? Since cacao is a bean, does it fit into the bean category (modern), or is it in an earlier group since it’s closer to its original type?
4. What’s the best protein supplement? Is whey okay if dairy is well-tolerated? Or should we stick to egg white? Rice protein?
Thank you so much for offering us your expertise!
Adam Farrah
June 07th, 2011 at 7:15 am
Hi Melanie!
Thanks for the questions! Here are the short-ish answers to them :-)
1) White potatoes are considered a “newer” food and also have some potential to irritate the gut and spike blood sugar. They’re higher glycemic and less well-tolerated than yams for most people. Carrots are fine in most cases. Some authors restrict them because of the sugar content, but this is a minor point. Often, people restrict carrots out of confusion between Paleo and The Zone. Zone restricts carrots and bananas.
2) I’m not exactly sure of the anthropology behind beans and legumes. There ARE justifications for excluding them on that basis, but – more importantly – they are VERY hard to digest for many people. Often, non-Paleo foods are hard to digest and the “Paleo” model helps explain why. Beans have sugars that are hard on the gut and some anti-nutrients that interfere with protein absorption.
3) Most people on Paleo eat cacao as a treat. I don’t know what the actual justification is anthropologically. If you feel fine with it and digest it well, it’s probably fine in small quantities. Cacao sweetened with Agave nectar may be “Paleo” but it starts to look a little like candy when you think about it.
4) If you’re going for a dairy protein, I think you’re better off with a goat or cow milk or yogurt from a local, humane source. Virtually ALL powders are over-processed. I’ve used a rice protein powder in the past called Sun Warrior when I was completely off dairy and it was pretty good.
Adam
Dee
September 21st, 2011 at 5:22 pm
A little more info on the beans thing – I was curious too, so I did some research. Though they’ve been around longer than most of our starchier new foods, they’re still not part of how our bodies evolved into the strong machines we’re destined to be.
Per Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolithic_revolution):
Corn, beans and squash were among the earliest crops domesticated in Mesoamerica, with Maize beginning about 7500 BC, squash, as early as 8000 to 6000 BC and beans by no later than 4000 BC. Potatoes and manioc were domesticated in South America.
(The Neolithic Revolution wiki page referenced above gives a nice chronology of just what happened as humans began to settle into communities as opposed to continuing a more nomadic lifestyle that allowed them to follow the foods they needed. Good read!)
Brian
June 06th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
This is really interesting, and conceptually it makes a whole lot of sense when I think about how “new” processed foods and such are in the history of humans.
I’ve developed a serious sweet tooth… what types of foods and treats could satisfy that on Paleo?
Joshua
June 06th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Brian – there are some great sites out there that tell you how to cook some treats without the bad ingredients. Here are some websites with some recipes
http://www.civilizedcavemancooking.com/
everydaypaleo.com
http://www.robbwolf.com
If they dont have what you want to eat just google “Paleo (desired treat)” and I am sure you will find a paleo recipe for it.
Melanie
June 06th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
I have a huge sweet tooth, too. My favorite thing to do is to puree fruits and freeze them into sorbet in my ice cream maker. The maker was $50 and is extremely easy to use, plus commercial ice cream is so expensive, I’m pretty sure it has paid for itself by now.
If you’re having dairy, my favorite recipe is pureed strawberries with yogurt to make strawberry frozen yogurt. I’m not sure if stevia is “allowed” but a little stevia makes it even sweeter. Or you could just use a little honey. You can also just do pureed strawberries all by themselves, mmm! Pureed peaches are also good for ice cream.
You can also make a tasty smoothie by cutting seedless watermelon into cubes, freezing the cubes, and pureeing them with some water and a squeeze of lime in a blender.
For warm sweet treats, I like homemade applesauce. If you use sweet apples, like golden delicious, you do not need any sweetener. It’s very simple to make, just peeled, sliced apples simmered in a little orange juice with a cinnamon stick. Homemade applesauce is so gosh darned good! It is nothing like store-bought. You can drizzle a little honey to make it extra special.
In general, cooking a fruit makes it sweeter. So you can cook your strawberries or blueberries until they are soft, and you have a compote that is delicious on top of other fruits or eaten plain. Grilled slices of pineapple are delicious and you can make them on your barbecue for dessert in the summer weather. I have also seen grilled peach halves and grilled figs, which are probably really good, but I haven’t tried them myself.
If you don’t want to cook or prepare anything, try visiting a place like Trader Joe’s and sampling their freeze-dried fruits. The crisp, light texture is delightful and the freeze-drying makes them dissolve quickly on the tongue, so there’s a stronger, sweeter flavor hit. Unfortunately, they’re expensive, so I save them for special treats. Dried cherries, apricots, and orange-flavored plums are my favorite no-sugar-added dried fruits. I’m not sure if fruit leather is “on the diet” but since dried fruits are in category 4, they’re probably okay as a treat as long as there’s no sugar added.
Hope that helps!
Brian
June 06th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Thanks for the tips, all sound very good. I know it would be hard to kick things like brownies, but I’m leaning towards doing this diet (or changing my diet, I should say) because it just makes so much sense to me.
Melanie
June 06th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Oh man… brownies. Yeah, there’s no way to make them healthy. I’ve tried. Oh, how I’ve tried. The only way to get anything even close is to replace the sugar with erythritol and that’s assuming sugar alcohols are allowed. And you have to use flour, though rice flour or potato flour should work. You also have to use butter and eggs. It ends up basically being a chocolate custard, really.
Crystal
June 27th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Actually there is. And its delicious.
http://fastpaleo.com/chocolate-bacon-brownies/
Cassie
December 26th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
I know this is all about paleo so you probably can’t have beans but this is a healthy brownie recipe that I LOVE LOVE LOVE! I usually skip the frosting. Found it online:
Brownies
Ingredients
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp mini semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 8×8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a food processor, mix all brownie ingredients (except chips) together. Chop on high, until smooth. Clean off sides and blend for another 20 seconds. Add the chips and stir well. Spread into the 8×8 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for about 1 hour at room temperature.
Frosting
Ingredients
6 oz. fat-free cream cheese
1/4 cup agave syrup
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp semisweet mini chocolate chips, melted
Directions
With a whisk attachment on an electric beater, blend all ingredients until light and fluffy. Spread evenly over the top of the cooled brownies. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the 2 tbsp of chips with a 2-second spray of nonstick cooking oil. Using a spoon, swirl the chocolate on top. Allow it to set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy. Don’t forget to have seconds!
Adam Farrah
June 07th, 2011 at 7:18 am
Brian,
There’s a website, http://paleotreats.com that has some stuff you might like. Raw honey is good, as are dried fruits and sweeter fruits like bananas.
It’s likely that, if you gave Paleo a good try for a month or so, your sweet tooth would diminish or completely disappear…
Adam
Elizabeth
July 18th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Try these: http://www.civilizedcavemancooking.com/2011/07/strawberry-almond-brownies.html
There are some delicious Paleo desserts out there, just use raw honey or agave necter, and dont over do it.
Mikey
June 06th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Have been on the paleo diet for about 7 months now. The way I’ve been categorizing foods is if u can’t eat it raw, don’t eat it. Although I still cook things such as meat, it really can be eaten raw, it’s just not recommended. I found that foods such as potatoes, corn and beans should never be eaten raw so I attempt to avoid such foods. Love the idea and premise behind the diet. Within only a couple of months I went from 15.4% body fat to 8.2% and I feel healthier than ever. My VFFs also helped a great deal. Ohh and whenever I need something sweet I would usually indulge in a spoon full of organic honey, that seemed to do the trick. Do I have the right idea Adam?
Adam Farrah
June 07th, 2011 at 7:20 am
Sounds like your absolutely right on, Mikey!
How do you think the VFFs helped you? What improvements did you see from them?
Adam
SRM
June 06th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
I’ve been living a paleo lifestyle for about 1.5 years and feel incredible. I do, however, indulge a bit more in seeds and nuts, fruit, and supplement more with protein because of intense athletics require it for me. If I ever want something sweeter, I might have a date or a fig or two along with some pecans, walnuts or other nuts that tastes like eating pie, but still hanging on the paleo wagon. I find that balancing fat, protein and carbohydrates on paleo (sort of zoning paleo) helps keep insulin levels in check so hunger is under control and cravings for sweets are gone. Best of luck everybody.
Mike
June 06th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
So what would some examples of breakfast be? Is bacon ok? Or is that more “handled” than is preferred on Paleo?
Adam Farrah
June 07th, 2011 at 7:23 am
Mike, bacon is the Saving Grace of Paleo! LOL I eat a lot of it. I get a nitrate and hormone free one from Whole Foods (their 365 brand). Not sure how TRULY Paleo we can call it, but it fits the criteria of meat and has a lot of good fat when the animals it’s made from are healthy.
If you go to my site, http://practicalpaleolithic.com, there are some free downloads that include my thoughts on meal timing and breakfast.
I prefer to fast in the morning and have a green smoothie as my first meal around noon.
Adam
Rob
June 06th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Bacon should be paleo and even if it isn’t I’m still going to eat it.
I found just by cutting out packaged and processed foods, you practically end up eating paleo.
I am curious as to why coconut milk should be used sparingly? I eat a fair bit of it a week.
I wouldn’t say I’m strictly paleo but I’m about 80% there. I’m a big fan of Mark Sisson this pretty much seems to follow his advice.
Looking forward to the remaining posts on this.
Adam Farrah
June 07th, 2011 at 7:27 am
Rob, coconut milk is a VERY concentrated food. You’d have to crack a lot of coconuts in the wild to get what you get in a can or two of the milk.
Some people really overeat it thinking they can eat as much as they want because it’s “Paleo.” With everything, just remember it’s how it works in YOUR body that counts more than “Paleo” or “non-Paleo.”
Adam
Elizabeth
July 18th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
We found that Coconut Milk has a very high negative number on the anti-inflamatory list and is high in Omega 3s, which is only good in moderation. We make our own Almond milk, which is delicious and much better for you.
Primo Health Coach
June 06th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Great post! I have Celiac Disease and have been Paleo for about a month now. It’s really helping me after my latest flare-up. Grain-free I think is the best way to go for those with Celiac Disease
Adam Farrah
June 07th, 2011 at 7:28 am
Thanks Primo!
I had Ulcerative Colitis and Paleo was a Godsend. That, and massive lifestyle change…
In my book and in my free downloads on my site I tell some of my story about the recovery from colitis and journey to Paleo. You might find it interesting.
Adam
Damian
June 09th, 2011 at 12:10 am
Hi, just wondering bout science backin the diet and if fats are main fuel source are we lookin at a lower or higher number of total calories? I like the raw idea and try to hav at least 2 portions a day, im concerned to hear many cook fruit!
Adam Farrah
June 09th, 2011 at 8:23 am
Hi Damian,
Loren Cordain from the University of Colorado is one of the most prominent researchers looking at Paleo right now. If you use google scholar you’ll find a lot of peer reviewed scientific studies on Paleo and health.
The calorie thing is a BIG topic. Many Paleo people don’t count calories at all. It’s one of the Paleo “fundamentals.” I talk a lot about determining daily calories in my book though because I think it’s important.
Calories are always an individual thing and it really depends on a lot of different factors. You CAN eat more on Paleo and potentially stay leaner because the diet reduces insulin secretion and has other positive effects.
Hope that helps a bit!
Adam
Nick
June 11th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Hi Adam! What is your opinion on beef protein suplements?, I bought one called carnivor thinking it might be more paleo than the regular whey ones. And what do you think about not eating breakfast 2 to 3 times a week? is it good or bad for my metabolism? and what about if a skip a whole day once a month?
Thank you very much
Damian
June 11th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Sorry another question.
As regards young children (he has jus four teeth) how do you reccommend providing a paleo diet? Until now we have had lots of fruit n veg smoothies made with hemp,flax and pumpkin seeds. I know all the complex carbs r good for no1 but we hav been having to giv him rice and pasta as its soft n fills him up.
Moved him to eggs in the morning what other foods would you reccommend to maximise and ensure complete nutrition?
Thanks
Damian
Adam Farrah
June 13th, 2011 at 8:12 am
Nick, I skip breakfast every day. In Paleo we call it “intermittent fasting.” It can definitely be good for you. Check out “The Warrior Diet” by Ori Hofmekler for more on the topic.
As far as the protein, I’m not a fan of ANY protein powder. I use a rice protein powder from time to time for convenience, but I will ALWAYS work at getting real food instead. Since both are processed, I don’t think beef protein is much more “Paleo” than whey. I’d prefer to see you do some goat yogurt or raw grassfed milk with raw eggs as a protein shake.
The closer you can stay to “real” food the better.
Adam
Adam Farrah
June 13th, 2011 at 8:14 am
Damian, the kids thing really isn’t my area of expertise. I could make suggestions, but I really don’t know.
My friend Travis Schefcik from http://uncommonwellness.com is more into kids nutrition than I am. If you reach out to him, tell him I sent you. He can likely point you toward some good resources. He and I are good friends…
Adam
Tashina
June 27th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
It seems like I’ve seen paleo coming up more and more often lately and I’m really Intrigued by it. Although the logic makes total sense, I’ve tried low carb diets in the past and have found that they leave me really low on energy. I would love to try and make the switch to paleo and would like any suggestions you might have to help with this situation. Thanks!
Elizabeth
July 18th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
The difference is that you can still have some of the carbs that you couldnt have on a traditional ‘low carb’ diet, fruits and veggies are good sources of carbs. Once you switch 100% you may have a week or two of a slump while you’re body is switching to getting it’s energy from fat, but then you’ll probably have more energy.
Adam Farrah
June 28th, 2011 at 7:08 am
Hey Tashina,
Definitely read the other two articles in this series. Part 3 gives some suggestions about carbs and discusses higher carb Paleo variations..
Removing dairy and gluten-containing grains could be a good first step for you. You could keep things like brown rice…
Let me know if that helps!
Adam
Tine
June 30th, 2011 at 5:30 am
I’m with you in this Tashina…Paleo sounds amazing, been reading a lot about it, but at the same time tried so many other low carb ‘diets’ but am not really that much of a meat lover and ended up yoyoing. Might have to give this one a go though…
Adam Farrah
July 20th, 2011 at 10:23 am
Tine,
You have to approach it more as a “lifestyle” of healthy and appropriate eating for you and your activity level, genetics, etc. If you ate lots of fruits and vegetables, eggs, some local and grassfed cheeses and fish, you’d still be “Paleo.” The main thing is cutting out refined carbs and grains and processed “industrial” dairy…
Adam
Louise
August 30th, 2011 at 11:00 am
Really interesting post, I must read the others. I changed my diet 18 months ago, I didn’t consciously move to a ‘Paleo’ diet but looking at your post it seems that’s pretty much what it amounts to. Basically, cut out all processed foods and only buy from the fish monger, the butcher and the organic farm shop. It works really well for me in terms of weight, body fat, energy levels, digestion – everything, it ticks all the boxes. My husband eats (mostly) the same diet as me, but the effects don’t seem to be as noticable – digestion and energy levels are great but weight loss and body fat are much slower to shift, and he still has a ‘sweet tooth’ (a rogue sugar craving!). I’m trying to work out what we need to add or remove from his diet to get the same results. Don’t suppose you have a theory?
Adam Farrah
September 15th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
It really depends, Louise. Leaving out an issue with thyroid or metabolism (maybe check that at some point), I’d next look at the “sweet tooth) and see what he’s eating. A lot of fruit – especially denser ones like bananas can keep the fat on. Also, too many total calories can create an issue as well.
Hope that helps.
Adam
Maja Carmouche
September 13th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
been practicing Paleo since May 2011. I have lost 20 lbs and feel so much better!
Adam Farrah
September 15th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Great, Maja! It’s awesome when everything falls into place, huh?
Adam
Maja Carmouche
September 13th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
My husband was having heartburn alot and since I have been feeding him the paleo lifestyle he has not has one occurance. I hope we are eating right. I do feel tired alot but lead a very active lifestyle. I am trying to read everything about the paleo lifestyle. Thanks for all of your posts!
Adam Farrah
September 15th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Maja, being tired a lot can be from too many or too few carbs as well as general fatigue. Drinking a lot of coffee can be an issue too..
Adam
Kevin Dougherty
September 13th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
The only issue I have with your article is the timeline that you created. Not with the dates but with the spacing that you put between the events. The overall line represents 2 million years. The line is 5.5 inches long. Each inch on the line represents a bit over 360000 years. agriculture started 10,000 years ago. Ten thousand years on your time line is 1/36 of an inch. 1/36 of an inch on your time line is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. All of the “moden” advances to food and eating at the very tip of your time line.
Adam Farrah
September 15th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
It’s not really to scale, Kevin. Just used Power Point to make a qualitative point about what’s happened to food over the years.
Adam
Connie
September 21st, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Adam > I live out in Midwest, Central IL, small town. Fresh fish isn’t easy to come by, no natural food stores, ect…you get the picture. We grow our own organic vegatables, not a problem…we buy our meat from the farmer, who has raised them without steroids, however corn fed…the meat gets sent to meat locker for cutting & packaging. Canned fish would be easier…we love canned salmon & tuna…what would you recommend? What should I look for? Unfortunately, with this Paleo diet, it’s assumed that some of these foods are readily available. If you think about it, when man was a nomad…he traveled to the food source…now we live in areas that man was never meant to be. This Paleo concept is interesting & Im learning alot…TY to all posters!
Adam Farrah
September 23rd, 2011 at 9:54 am
Connie,
For Salmon, look for wild-caught fish. Avoid farmed fish and look for dyes they might add to give it a more pink color.
For Tuna, all is wild caught as far as I know. It can have higher levels of Mercury than many other fish so go easy on it.
Don’t forget about smaller canned fish like anchovies, sardines and herring!
You can also get a lot of varieties of fish frozen…
Adam
Corin O'Connell
September 22nd, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Hi Adam, love your blogs. FYI, on cocoa/chocolate, it’s actually the seed of a fruit that grows on a tree (sorry if I missed the clarification on this somewhere else). From what I remember reading at the Chocolate Museum in Germany the trees sound pretty old world and relatively untampered with from a big-Agriculture standpoint and most of the processing is still done by hand by small local farmers. I typically eat the 85% stuff and most of my paleo friends consider it paleo or only a small “cheat.” I only go off it when I’m doing “strict” challenges at my local CF box.
Adam Farrah
September 23rd, 2011 at 9:56 am
Thanks, Corin!
My girlfriend does the same with chocolate. I don’t really care about it, so I don’t bother.
It’s a minor cheat for sure when it’s quality dark chocolate.
CHRIS COLLINS
October 24th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Adam,
I am thinking about starting the Paleo Diet. I have read a lot about it, but was wondering about spices and dressings. What is allowed as far as salad dressing? Also, i am a big tabasco user, so what do I do to to satisfy my “Hot and spicy” tooth? I live in Texas and I love my food as spicy as possible. What will happen if I buy meat at my local supermarket and I don’t know if it was grain fed or grass fed? Can I still eat it? Also if we go out to eat, I won’t know if its organic or not!
Adam Farrah
October 25th, 2011 at 8:34 am
Chris,
As far as sauces, dressing and Tabasco, I’d say it’s a pretty minor point. If you’re doing Paleo really well other than a sauce or some dressing here and there, don’t worry too much about it!
I use a lot of Bone Suckin’ Sauce over here myself. Stuff is great – even if there is some honey/sugar in it…
If you want to get strict, of course, you can’t really do any kind of bottled dressing because it’ll be made from some pretty nasty oil like corn or soy and any cream dressing will have dairy as well as probably gluten in it.
I’d try to just do lemon juice and olive oil or something. I used to make really big salads and just drop a big, rare piece of meat over the top and use the blood as a “dressing” :-)
As far as grassfed and organic, again, don’t worry about it right in the beginning. You’ll have a hard enough time dropping grains and dairy, don’t complicate it with thinking you need to go 100% organic right away too!
I STILL get some conventional meats in my diet due either to cost or availability. Not ideal, but sometimes you have to compromise!
Amanda Leonardi
December 22nd, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Three questions:
1. From a Paleo prospective what is the problem with beans & legumes?
1a. do lentils fall under these categories?
2. What is considered raw dairy? does cottage cheese count?
3. Are steel cut oats excluded?
Adam Farrah
December 23rd, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Hey Amanda,
Beans, Legumes and Lentils all fall under a “newer foods” heading. THAT argument isn’t as strong as the argument that they contain enough anti-nurtients and gut irritants that they should be avoided. Beans being known for making people “gassy” is essentially because they’re so hard to digest.
Raw dairy is unpasturized and homogenized dairy. Any cottage cheese from the store won’t fall into that category. Check out http://realmilk.com for more on that topic.
Steel cut oats are grains and excluded from Paleo, but could be OK for an athlete with a higher carb requirement and no overt sensitivity to gluten.
Adam
Shell
January 17th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
Canned tuna and salmon are great. But, seems there’s never a perfect solution, what about bpa in the cans. Any options out there without bpa? Also a consideration with coconut milk but I think there are bpa free coconut milk available. I know nothing is perfect out there, just thought I would ask to see if anyone has a solution.
Adam Farrah
January 21st, 2012 at 11:02 am
Not really sure about this because I don’t eat canned fish!
The coconut milk is probably available in “box” style containers somewhere as opposed to cans. Fish might be available in healthier cans at a natural food store, but I’m not sure…
Adam
Mike
February 07th, 2012 at 9:23 am
Brown rice and properly prepared Gluten-containing grains? I have never heard of these as Paleo. White rice is a better choice as, unlike other grains, the anti-nutrients are removed when you remove the bran. Of course, you are left with an ’empty’ carb, but there is very little nutrition in rice anyway, and with the anti-nutrients, you can’t absorb those anyway. Am I missing something?
Adam Farrah
February 07th, 2012 at 9:32 am
You’re right, Mike. They’re not Paleo. They’re a lot “older” than things like processed grains and while rice and many Hunter-Gatherer cultures eat them.
I put “Foods of Early Agriculture” into the discussion as a very small part of the whole picture – 8% vs 85% for meat, veggies and fruit – give perspective. I also like to differentiate between the grains that should absolutely be avoided vs. those that are OK in small quantities..
Basically, I’d rather see liberties taken with good, raw, grassfed dairy or sprouted whole wheat bread as opposed to whey protein supplements and Wonder Bread..
Adam
Mike
February 07th, 2012 at 10:21 am
Thanks for the quick reply. I hope I didn’t come off as being contentious. I believe in a ‘Paleo Concepts’ approach to diet. I personally can tolerate Raw Grass Fed milk and white rice. My question is: Why brown rice? The old argument was ‘all the nutrients are in the parts removed to make white rice’. We know that there is very little nutrient content there anyway, and little of that will be absorbed because of the anti-nutrient content. You are not the only one I have seen who recommends the brown, and I don’t get why. There is also no way to ‘properly prepare’ gluten containing grains… Other problematic components, phytic acid for example, can be neutralized through proper preparation. Not so with gluten. Otherwise, I agree with you. Good article Thanks,
Bart Emken
February 07th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
What about whey? What are your thoughts about using it as a protein source?
Cori
April 20th, 2012 at 11:12 pm
I’m having a very difficult time with this style of eating since I’m vegetarian. I eat a rediculous amount of fruits, vegetables and eggs. The stuff that should be in moderation are necessary to fill me up such as avocados, raw almond butter, olive oil, almond milk. I don’t have time to prepare complicated meals. I have three kids and still nurse two of them. So I need nearly 1000 extra calories just for breastfeeding. I also work out very hard everyday, so I’m generally starving afterwards. I just started having raw cheese in order to have another food option. I’ve been doing Paleo for about four months. What on earth do other Paleo Vegetarians live on? And I’m talking about vegetarians that have an appetite and like to eat.
Adam Farrah
April 21st, 2012 at 11:24 am
Hey Cori!
It’s hard to do Paleo as a vegetarian. We didn’t evolve as vegetarians, so a meat-free diet is going to be somewhat at odds with what your body really needs and requires.
When I tried to do a vegan diet – before I had found Paleo – I was pretty much always hungry and eating tons of heavy vegan foods like you’re describing.
The best you can do if you insist on staying vegetarian is go lacto-ovo. Try to find some good raw cow or goat milk from a local farm, learn to make yogurt with it, eat plenty of eggs, find local raw cheeses, etc.
Dairy isn’t strictly Paleo, but as long as you’re not too sensitive to it and can find local, raw, organic sources it’s an OK option.
I do offer a lot of advice on dairy and other things that would fit with your vegetarian implementation of Paleo in my book if you want to check it out: http://practicalpaleolithic.com/paleolithic-diet-blog/paleo-dieters-missing-link
Adam
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January 06th, 2013 at 3:13 pm
I have a teenage son with acne. We have tried many topical products without any success. I am desperate to help detox his body. We are only on day two and it is difficult. Can I make my own pasta to add to a chicken soup for him? Also do I need to purchase only organic veggies? We are on a budget here and this is expensive. But I want to help him.
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Don’t do pasta. The wheat isn’t going to help the acne. Go STRICT Paleo with NO grains or dairy.
You can get spaghetti squash and use that as “pasta.” I do that all the time and I love it. Google how to cook it and prep it.
It’s winter so organic veggies are harder to find and more expensive. I get them when I can, but you won’t always find them. I have conventional spaghetti squash more often than not.
Organic is preferable but not mandatory. Biggest issues are going to be sugar, gluten and dairy. Get rid of all that for about a month and he should be in good shape.
Adam
Val
March 12th, 2013 at 8:49 am
I am afraid that I may have missed this question and so I apologize if I did. Is this a good regime to follow if you have elevated blood pressures ? I am mid fifties, post menopausal and have never had high blood pressure before. I know there could be other factors at play but need to rethink my daily intake of food and what those foods are.
Adam Farrah
March 12th, 2013 at 12:55 pm
Hi Val,
Paleo will work very well for lowering blood pressure in many cases. Robb Wolf discussed a lot about markers of health and disease with regard to improving on Paleo in his book “The Paleo Solution.”
Definitely a good place to start and his blog might also have good info if you search there.
Adam
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