The Ultimate Guide To The Paleo Diet

PALEO DIET FOOD LIST

The following is a comprehensive paleo diet food list. In it, you’ll find a list of paleo diet meats, vegeta-
bles, fruits, nuts, seeds, oils that are allowed on the paleo diet (and even some paleo diet desserts – yes,
they exist!). This list will not only give you a solid starting point for the paleo diet, but also get your mouth
drooling (but you won’t hear us complaining). Want more specifics on the types of food you can put on
your paleo diet food list the next time you go to the grocery store? Nom, nom nom. Let’s get started!

FOODS ALLOWED FOODS NOT ALLOWED

• Meats • Dairy • Salty Foods
• Vegetables • Soft Drinks • Starchy Vegetables
• Oils/Fats • Fruit Juices • Snacks
• Nuts • Legumes • Energy Drinks
• Fruits • Grains • Sweets
• Fatty Meats

Meats
This is a list of paleo diet meats allowed on the
diet. Almost all meats are paleo by definition.
Of course, you’ll want to stay away from highly
processed meats and meats that are very high
in fat (stuff like spam, hot dogs are other low-
quality meat), but if it used to moo, oink or make
some other sound – it’s almost certainly paleo
(and yes, that means you can still have bacon
– although don’t do anything too crazy with it).
Here’s the full list below:

• Poultry • Bison Jerky

• Turkey • Bison Ribeye
• Chicken Breast • Bison Sirloin
• Pork Tenderloin • Lamb Chops
• Pork Chops • Rabbit
• Steak • Goat
• Veal • Elk
• Bacon • Emu
• Pork • Goose
• Ground Beef • Kangaroo
• Grass Fed Beef • Bear (good luck getting this!)
• Chicken Thigh • Beef Jerky
• Chicken Leg • Eggs (duck, chicken or goose)
• Chicken Wings (yum!) • Wild Boar
• Lamb rack • Reindeer
• Shrimp • Turtle
• Lobster • Ostrich
• Clams • Pheasant
• Salmon • Quail
• Venison Steaks • Lean Veal
• Buffalo • Chuck Steak
• New York Steak • Rattlesnake
• Bison
• Bison Steaks

Yes, we love bacon so much as a paleo diet meat,

that we put it on there twice! Now for a photo of it!

Nom. Nom. Nom. Delicious!

Fish
Fish are definitely on the paleo diet and they’re chock full
of good stuff like Omega 3s as well. If it swims and has
fins, it’s definitely paleo. Have at it!

• Bass • Shark
• Salmon • Sunfish
• Halibut • Swordfish
• Mackerel • Tilapia
• Sardines • Trout
• Tuna • Walleye
• Red Snapper

Seafood
Down in New Orleans and want to have a crawfish
boil? Paleo. Swap it out for shrimp? Ditto. Heck, even
a stop at Red Lobster is good as long as you stay
away from the rolls. Check out the tons of different
seafood you can eat on the paleo diet.

• Crab • Clams
• Crawfish • Lobster
• Crayfish • Scallops
• Shrimp • Oysters

Vegetables
Paleo diet vegetables. Almost all vegetables foods are on the paleo diet as well – but you need
to be careful in discerning the difference here. Vegetables with a high starch content – such as
potatoes, and squashes - tend to have low nutritional value in comparison to the amount of
starches/carbs/sugars they contain. While they’re not bad for you, they’re not always that great
for you either.

• Asparagus • Peppers (All Kinds)

• Avocado • Cauliflower
• Artichoke hearts • Parsley
• Brussels sprouts • Eggplant
• Carrots • Green Onions
• Spinach • Butternut Squash*
• Celery • Acorn Squash*
• Broccoli • Yam*
• Zucchini • Sweet Potato*
• Cabbage • Beets*

Oils/Fats
Paleo diet oils. Contrary to popular belief, fat doesn’t make
you fat – carbs do (and the standard american diet has a ton
of them!). Natural oils and fats are your body’s preferred way
of creating energy so it’s best to give your body what it’s
asking for! The following are some of the best types of paleo
oils and fats that you can give your body if you’re in need of
some additional sustained energy.
• Coconut oil
• Olive oil
• Macadamia Oil
• Avocado Oil
• Grass fed Butter

Nuts
We love nuts! (does that sound bad?) Nuts are decidedly
paleo. Be careful as cashews and peanuts are high in fat
and for some reason, they’re incredibly easy to eat an entire
jar in one sitting (that’s just not us, is it?). If you’re trying to
lose weight, limit the amount of nuts you’re consuming –
otherwise have it. I mean, after all, you can’t beat a good
almond/pecan/walnut nut mix can you?

• Almonds
• Cashews
• Hazelnuts
• Pecans
• Pine Nuts
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Sunflower Seeds
• Macadamia Nut
• Walnuts

Fruits**
Paleo diet fruits are not only delicious, but they’re great for you. Fruits, even paleo-approved
ones, contain large amounts of fructose which – while much better than HFCS (high-fructose corn
syrup) – is still sugar. If you’re lookign to lose weight on the paleo diet, you’ll want to cut back on
the fruit intake and focus more on the vegetables allowed on the paleo diet. However, feel free to
have 1-3 servings of fruit a day and enjoy yourself. Check out this list of paleo diet fruits and see
if you’re not hungry by the end! (we’ll admit, we’re partial to the blackberries).

• Apple • Strawberries
• Avocado • Watermelon
• Blackberries • Pineapple Guava
• Papaya • Lime
• Peaches • Raspberries
• Plums • Cantaloupe
• Mango • Tangerine
• Lychee • Figs
• Blueberries • Oranges
• Grapes • Bananas*
• Lemon

*You’ll notice, while these starchy foods are great for energy replacement
for paleo diet athletes who are spending long periods of time exercising
and need some of the starchier foods on the paleo diet to sustain their
energy levels. As long as you’re training, you’ll find these are great sources
of energy replacements, especially post- workouts. However, if you’re
trying to lose weight on the paleo diet, you’ll want to limit the quantities
of these that you’re eating.

**Eat high-sugar fruits in moderation. They’re great for you, but easy to
overdo. Remember your caveman predecessor didn’t have access to
Florida orange groves 24/7 so you probably shouldn’t try to eat a bushel
of oranges in your next paleo diet meal.

List of Foods Not Allowed on The Paleo Diet

This is a complete list of foods not allowed on the paleo diet. It’s a sad day when you first have to
say goodbye to these foods while starting out on your paleo diet journey, but once you start, it’s
much easier and you find there are even better paleo substitutes for these. The first few weeks
might be tough, but if you stick with it over time, it’ll be worth it. We promise. Here’s the ultimate
list of foods not allowed on the paleo diet.

Dairy
• Butter • Cream cheese
• Cheese • Powdered milk
• Cottage Cheese • Yogurt
• Non fat dairy creamer • Pudding
• Skim milk • Frozen Yogurt
• 2% milk • Ice Milk
• Whole milk (sometimes) • Low fat milk
• Dairy spreads • Ice cream

Soft drinks
Soft drinks, pop and coke are packed with sugar
and high fructose corn syrup and are definitely
NOT paleo.

• Coke
• Sprite
• Pepsi
• Mountain Dew

Fruit Juices
Fruit juices are super high in sugar (fructose) and
will throw your paleo diet off track. Stay away
from these ones.

• Apple Juice • Starfruit Juice

• Orange Juice • Mango Juice
• Grape Juice
• Strawberry Juice
• Chinola Juice

Grains
Anything that has a grain in it you should
avoid on the paleo diet. Yes, anything.
If you pretend that grains are the devil –
you’ll find it’s much easier to avoid them.

• Cereals
• Bread
• English Muffin
• Toast
• Sandwiches
• Triscuits
• Wheat Thins
• Crackers
• Oatmeal
• Cream of Wheat
• Corn
• Corn Syrup
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Wheat
• Pancakes
• Hash Browns
• Beer (and the world mourned)
• Pasta
• Fettuchini
• Lasagna

Legumes
Don’t know what a legume is? That’s okay, we’ve put
together a primer on what legumes are and why, unfor-
tunately, they’re not paleo. For the paleo diet, legumes
are not on the menu, sorry. Here’s the ones you should
specifically avoid:

• All beans • Black Eyed Peas (the

• Black Beans band) too
• Broad Beans • Chickpeas
• Fava Beans • Snowpeas
• Garbanzo Beans • Sugar snap peas
• Horse Beans • Peanuts
• Kidney Beans • Peanut butter
• Lima Beans • Miso
• Mung Beans • Lentils
• Adzuki Beans • Lupins
• Navy Beans • Mesquite
• Pinto Beans • Soybeans
• Red Beans • All soybean products
• Green Beans and derivatives
• String Beans • Tofu
• White Beans
• Peas

Fatty Meats Salty Foods

If you’re going to eat meat, go ahead and These overly salty foods fall outside
spring for some steak. Stay far away from these the paleo guidelines.
non-paleo foods.
• French Fries
• Spam • Ketchup
• Hot Dogs
• Low-quality meats (if you do eat them, eat
them in moderation)
Snacks
These easy, cheap and pre-pack-
aged snacks could last years on their
own. That means they’re definitely
not paleo.

• Pretzels
• Chips
• Triscuits
• Wheat Thins
• Cookies
• Sun Chips
• Pastries

Energy Drinks
These are not good for you and are
definitely not paleo. Stay far, far away.

• Red Bull
• Monster
• Rockstar
• Starbucks Refreshers
• Mountain Dew MDX
• Vault
• XS Energy Drink
• 5 Hour Energy

Alcohol
Unfortunately, almost all alcohol is not paleo.
Yes, this includes, but isn’t limited to:
• Beer
• Whiskey
• Tequila
• Rum
• Vodka
• Alcohol + Mixers

Sweets
Sugar is almost all manufactured and should be avoided in the paleo diet. This means cutting out
delicious but destructive sweets and sugars that are standard in the Standard American Diet. The
rule of thumb here is: if it has a ton of sugar – it’s probably not paleo. That said, here’s a specific
lists of sweets that are not on the paleo diet food list. You might want to take a moment to say
goodbye to them before you start your paleo diet journey.

• Candy bars (Listed Below) • Twizzlers

• Snickers • Hershey’s
• Snickers Peanut Butter • Nestle Crunch
• 100 Grand • Almond Joy
• Butterfinger • Mounds
• Milky Way • Reese’s Fast Break
• Reeses (NOOOO!) • Reeses’ Pieces
• Payday • Twix
• M&Ms • Twix Peanut Butter
• Skittles • Sugars
• Red Vines • Honey (sometimes allowed in moderation)

For more paleo resources visit UltimatePaleoGuide.com

photo credit: Linda Cronin | wEnDaLicious | woodleywonderworks | Daniel Panev | Robert Mehlan
Another Pint Please… | Micky** | Phú Thịnh Co | JD | Photography | pizzodisevo,on/off via photopin cc