Paleo Diet Foods

The Paleo diet is based on the idea that humans should eat the foods our Paleolithic hunter-gatherer ancestors ate. Paleo diets include pre-agrarian foods that primitive humans could have obtained through hunting or foraging: meat, seafood, plants, some fruits and nuts.

Meat

All meat, including organs, chicken, fish and eggs are considered Paleo foods. Grass-fed animals and wild-caught fish are optimal.

Vegetables

Most vegetables are considered Paleo diet foods, especially root vegetables such as carrots, turnips and parsnips. The Paleo plan, though, forbids vegetables that are newer to the human diet, such as corn, potatoes, beans and sweet potatoes.

Fruits

The Paleo diet includes fruits such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. The diet includes other fruits, but many Paleo dieters avoid modern types of fruit such as apples and peaches that have been cultivated to have much more sugar than the original types.

Nuts

Limited quantities of nuts are part of the Paleo diet. Early humans had to gather and remove the shell from every nut they ate, and nuts were available only seasonally.

Foods to Avoid

The Paleo diet does not include grains or grain-based foods, such as bread or pasta. Dairy foods, sugar, salt, potatoes, peanuts, and cashews are also forbidden.