More and more people are interested in the paleo diet but don’t know where to start. The simplest way to have an overview of the paleo diet food list is to follow this rule: never eat anything with preservatives. Essentially, you will only eat what our cavemen ancestors are likely to have eaten as well, which means there are no preservatives, additives, or artificial ingredients.
Naturally, it is difficult to determine what our paleolithic ancestors ate. They did not leave menus of their typical diet. They did, however, leave cave paintings, cooking artifacts, fossilized food remains, and hunting implements. They also left behind DNA evidence in their skeletons. Based on that, we now know that cavemen were likely to have eaten a lot more of meat and fish than what we do, and around four times more vegetables and fruits. Essentially, they didn’t eat any grains, simply because they weren’t available.
The concept of the paleo diet is that, in evolutionary terms, our bodies have not yet become accustomed to the grains, preservatives, and additives that are now found in most foods. Hence, if we return to the foods that our ancestors ate, we should become healthier. Essentially, it takes us back to before the agricultural revolution.
Overview of the Paleo Diet Food List
Naturally, our paleolithic ancestors never knew where their next meal would come from. Only if they were able to hunt and kill a wild animal would they have the luxury of eating meat. Berries, weeds, and plants, therefore were far more likely to be part of their everyday diet, and you will find that any overview of the paleo diet food list will also focus strongly on these. At the same time, the diet does not expect you, as a modern day human, to go hunting and foraging again, unless that is something you enjoy. Rather, it is suggested that you eat wild meat where possible, which you can now purchase from most butchers. It is also about making the most out of the meat you do buy, for instance, by making soup from the bone leftovers.
You should also eat plenty of shellfish, trout, salmon, and tuna. The main focus should be on fruits and vegetables. Eat as many plums, figs, bananas, and avocados as you like. You can also eat any vegetables and nuts, except for peanuts. Peanuts are technically a legume, rather than a vegetable. And you can cook in flaxseed, coconut, or olive oil.
Paleo is also strongly about what you cannot eat. Unfortunately, anything that contains starch is off your list. You also cannot have any type of dairy, and no grains either. Comfort foods, legumes, chocolate and sugar are all off the list. If you like your cups of tea and coffee sweet, therefore, you need to get used to honey.
You can have as much water as you like. You can also have some coconut water, but not carbonated, diet, or soda drinks. If you want to season your food, you can use fresh herbs, but no salt.
Hopefully, the above overview of the paleo diet food list will give you a general idea of what to expect from this diet.
