Paleo Food List part 2
Ok, we’ve covered a list of foods that can be considered “paleo”, or along the lines of what paleolithic man ate.
Now, we can move on to a much longer list- what foods are NOT paleo? To list everything would be like writing a book, and much of it is pretty obvious anyway (is there any question whether paleolithic man had access to donuts or cheetos??).
And then there is the breakdown of packaged foods vs. their actual ingredients.
So I’ll stick with the most questionable and relevant foods. What’s not paleo? Here are a few examples. Feel free to chime in with a comment below on what you would add to the non-paleo list!
1. Bread
2. Pasta
3. Cereal
4. “Whole Grains” (or any grains)
5. Tortillas
6. Ketchup
7. High Fructose Corn Syrup (or any corn syrup)
8. Rice
9. Soy- including soy sauce and soy protein isolate)
10. Pop Tarts (they probably ate Toaster Strudels ;))
11. Pancakes
12. Protein shakes
Put down in the comments below what your favorite (or least favorite) non-paleo foods, and ask a question if you aren’t sure!
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Jamie Guined on Mon, 26th Jul 2010 9:22 pm
I would add sugar to the list…although that should be a no-brainer; as well as peanut butter, legumes, and dairy. It’s also important to limit your intake of salty foods such as most salad dressings and condiments, bacon, and deli meats. Additionally, while olives are generally considered to be a source of ‘healthy fat,’ they also contain a large amount of sodium…consider rinsing them in water if you include them in dishes such as salads.
Kevin F on Mon, 26th Jul 2010 11:41 pm
Can someone explain why protein shakes are there, some have very few carbs. I understand this shouldn’t be used in place of natural protein though.
Kim on Wed, 28th Jul 2010 5:40 pm
The toughest thing for me to give up to go Paleo would be dairy. I love my raw milk and raw milk cheese. I have usually 1 or 2 servings every day.
Otherwise, my low carb diet looks closely like the Paleo.
Wes on Thu, 29th Jul 2010 1:36 am
You’re tellin’ me, Kim! Cheese has been my friend for as long as I can remember. Great ratio of fat and protein. I gave up milk back in ’02 because I wanted to cut out those extra carbs (blood readings got even better, btw). If you don’t have an autoimmune disease like me (type 1), there’s probably not too much to worry about with with dairy, as long as it’s whole fat and not reduced fat or skim. I’m going to try to tweak my immune system into not attacking my insulin-producing beta cells by going strict paleo for a couple months. We’ll see what happens…I’ll report the results on the podcast.
Wes on Thu, 29th Jul 2010 1:52 am
I’ve been consuming whey protein powder for years, Kevin, with my breakfast. The reason why it doesn’t accord with paleo (aside from not being “natural” in form) is because it’s from dairy. Same goes for milk (or casein) protein powder, as well as soy (because it’s in the legume category). I’ll be looking for egg protein power instead, when I go full-on paleo. It’s a bit more expensive (over 10 dollars per pound), but eggs were definitely consumed by paleo humans (albeit not in the same quantities, as Cordain et al. have noted).
And good points, Jamie. While conventional understanding of sodium intake indicates that as long as you drink enough water, your body will find a proper equilibrium, paleo humans didn’t have nearly as much access to salt (if any, in raw form). However in terms of full-on paleo priorities, I’d say avoid grains, legumes, and dairy first, then steer clear of excess salt consumption.
Kevin on Thu, 29th Jul 2010 6:50 pm
Jamie, good points about sugar and olives. I love me some olives, but the sodium content can make too many of them problematic!