What Is The Paleo Diet? (Everything You Need To Know To Get Started)

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What is the Paleo Diet?

The paleo diet is a style of eating that centers around the concept of consuming only foods that were available to humans during the paleolithic era, before the rise of agriculture. You may also hear this diet referred to as the caveman diet, the stone age diet, or the hunter-gatherer diet.

The idea behind the paleo diet is that the human body is physiologically created to thrive off a hunter-gatherer diet. Many proponents of the paleo diet report many benefits such as improved well-being and healing of an array of symptoms.

The paleo diet consists of eating whole foods as found in nature. Most will suggest that it include high-quality foods like grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish, and pasture-raised chickens and eggs. Eating foods in a wild-as-possible form would best mimic a hunter-gatherer diet.

* If you have any health concerns, make sure to check with your doctor before starting any new eating regimen and to find out if this diet is right for you.

What Can You Eat on Paleo?

One thing that is wonderful about the Paleo diet is that the list of foods to eat is full of fresh, unprocessed and natural products. The paleo diet allows you to nurture your body with foods found in nature.

There are some rules set in stone for the paleo diet, but there could also still be a few different versions out there. Here is a general list of foods that are recommended for the paleo diet:

Vegetables.
Fruits.
Nuts and seeds.
Lean meat.
Eggs.
Fish.
Unprocessed oils like olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil.
Sweet potatoes.

Consider a Paleo diet meal plan

Finding a Paleo diet meal plan can help you prepare yourself and get the most benefits out of this diet. There are many highly rated Paleo diet meal plans that you can find online to help you through your transition.

Check some of them out here:

What Can’t You Eat on Paleo?

The rules surrounding the list of foods to avoid on the paleo diet are pretty simple. However, it may feel difficult to give up foods that tend to be staples in the standard American diet, such as grains, dairy, sugar, alcohol, and salt.

Processed foods.
Grains.
Legumes.
Dairy.
Alcohol.
Salt.
Refined sugar.

Challenges on Paleo

Avoiding foods that are common staples of your culture’s diet does not come without challenges. Here are a few difficulties that people experience on the paleo diet:

It can be difficult to restrict grains, dairy, and processed foods all of the time.
It can be a bit difficult to eat out at restaurants. Though, as clean eating becomes mainstream, more restaurants and food brands are offering modifications that can help you stick with your paleo regimen even in a social setting.
If you do not usually consume a lot of meat, this diet could feel challenging to adopt.

What are the Benefits of Paleo?

There are many benefits of transitioning to a paleo diet. To start, simply eating a diet that is rich in whole, unprocessed foods will support your health.

Further, this diet is void of most highly inflammatory foods (processed meat, refined grains, added sugar, processed omega-6 oils, trans fat).

Chronic inflammation is a precursor for most chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, and can also cause less severe but uncomfortable symptoms, such as pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, digestive problems, and weight gain.

A nutritionist from UC Davis points to additional benefits such as:

High in fiber, potassium, and antioxidants.
Low in simple carbohydrates and sugar.
Emphasizes local, sustainable, organic, non-GMO, and grass-fed options.
May help with weight loss and maintaining healthy blood sugar and lipid profiles.

People who love Paleo also report:

Generally feeling better.
Improved mental health.
Improved digestive symptoms.
Improved physical health.
Better athletic performance.

Can you do the Paleo Diet as a Vegetarian?

It is definitely possible, but difficult, to adhere strictly to this diet as a vegetarian or vegan. This diet is pretty reliant on meat.

If you are vegetarian or vegan and inspired by the idea of eating like your paleolithic ancestors, you could create your own paleo-ish regimen with some custom modifications that incorporate unprocessed plant proteins.

You would not technically be following a full paleo diet. However, you would still likely reap benefits from focusing on whole, unprocessed foods.

Vegetarian-friendly Paleo diet recipes

There are many vegetarian-friendly Paleo diet recipes that can help you stick to this diet. Check out these delicious Paleo diet recipes below for inspiration on your next meal!

Concerns About Paleo

Dietitians express concern that the typical paleo diet can lead to vitamin deficiencies, namely calcium and Vitamin D. There are also concerns that eating too much protein and saturated fat can increase the risk of kidney, heart disease, and certain cancers.

It can be tempting to eat mostly meat on this diet, but it is important to get in your vegetables and fruits as they supply important nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber that support health.

Resources for Paleo

Paleo has become very popular and you can find many wonderful online resources that can give you a more in depth overview of the diet rules and support you through your journey.

You can find great recipes and information on:

Anaiah Michelle

Hi! I'm the founder of Speak Veggie To Me, a fun health and food blog where I share my favorite mouthwatering vegan and vegetarian recipes.