The Paleo Diet Food List

The Paleo Diet is predicated on the fact that humans evolved for millions of years consuming only that which be could hunted, foraged and gathered; meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, tree nuts, vegetables, roots, fruit, berries, and mushrooms. Ideally, all foods we consume should be as close to their forms found in nature as possible (though much of our food doesn't actually exist in nature...). The less processing, manipulating and general handling that occurs between coming off the farm, the forest, and/or out of the ground and finally reaching your mouth, the better.

DOMESTICATED MEAT/POULTRY
*Preferably (ideally) grass-fed or natural-feed (i.e. what animal would consume in nature; this means grass for ruminants such as cows, bison, lamb, goats, meat scraps for pigs/hogs, and insects, seeds etc for poultry) free-grazing, pasture-raised, free of hormones, antibiotics, no additives/chemicals/genetically-modified or pesticide-contaminated feed, humane treatment from beginning to ...end.

• Beef and Veal - Any and all cuts of beef; flank, shortribs, tenderloin, chuck, sirloin, round, brisket, shank, ribeyes, oxtails, ground beef etc
• Pork - (Natural feed) Any and all cuts of pork; shoulder, leg, hocks, ribs, loin, chops, bacon, ground pork etc
• Lamb - Any and all cuts of lamb; leg, loin, shoulder, chops, mince, chump, tenderloin, shank, neck, ribs, ground lamb etc
• Goat - Any and all cuts of goat
• Bison - Any and all cuts of buffalo/bison
• Chickens - Breasts, thighs, legs/drumsticks, wings, etc (chicken skin is good for you)
• Turkey - Breasts, thighs, legs etc etc etc
• Eggs – Organic, free-range, pastured chicken, goose, turkey, quail, duck eggs (and you better not be ordering no egg white omelets!!)

GAME MEAT
*Obtained from wild animals in their natural habitats, consuming their natural diets, free of above mentioned contaminants implied; more and more of these animals seem to becoming available from farms...

• Venison
• Elk
• Wild Bison
• Caribou
• Kangaroo
• Reindeer
• Wild boar
• Wild turkey
• Goose
• Pheasant
• Duck
• Quail
• Emu
• Ostrich
• Squab
• Snake
• Alligator
• Bear (yes... bear)

ORGAN MEATS, BONE MARROW, BLOOD ETC
* Of ALL above mentioned animals. For Indigenous societies, these are generally the most prized parts of the animal; staples of classic French, Italian etc gastronomy, yet largely ignored (detested even) in the American Diet. Organ meats and marrow are EXCELLENT sources of so so many good things for the human body, and calorie-for-calorie and gram-for-gram they're some of the most nutrient dense foods you can eat.

• Liver – Unmatched source of pre-formed Vitamin A, packed with all the B vitamins including ridiculous amounts of B-12, as well as iron and other minerals.
• Heart – Lot's of B vitamins, minerals, and a great source of CoQ10 (who knew- eating heart is good for your heart!) collagen and elastin for that healthy glow!
• Kidney – Excellent protein source, lot's of B vitamins including Riboflavin and B-12, TONS of selenium as well as other minerals.
• Brain – Amazing source of high quality Omega-3's, plenty of B-12 and lot's of minerals
• Sweetbreads – The thymus gland generally of beef, lamb and pork
• Tongue
• Tripe
• Bones/Bone Marrow, Turkey&Chicken Feet – Used to make delicious and nutritious stocks, broths, soups etc, or roasted and spooned right out of bone; Slow-simmered bone broths are packed with minerals like calcium, magnesium, trace minerals; also gelatin- great for digestive tract, skin, amazing source of Glucosamine (eating bones = good for your bones... are you seeing a pattern here?).

FISH
*Preferably wild-caught, not farm-raised, obtained from sources that ensure sustainable-catch, NOT damaging marine ecosystems (see Seafood Watch). As fresh as possible; if canned, choose either spring water or olive oil packed with no salt added- NOT canned in soy or any other questionable oil. BPA-free can preferred. Canned salmon, sardines, mackerel with bones and skin still intact are great sources of calcium and other vitamins & minerals. Be aware of potential for mercury and/or other heavy metal contamination.

• Anchovies
• Bass
• Bluefish
• Catfish
• Caviar
  
• Cod
• Eel
• Grouper
• Haddock
• Halibut
• Herring
• Mackerel
• Mahi Mahi
• Monkfish
• Mullet
• Northern pike
• Opah
• Orange roughy
• Perch
• Red snapper
• Rockfish
• Salmon – Coho, Keta, King, Sockeye etc
• Sardines
• Scrod
• Snapper
• Shark
• Striped bass
• Sunfish
• Tilapia
• Trout
• Tuna
• Turbot
• Wahoo
• Walleye

CRUSTACEANS/SHELLFISH/MOLLUSKS
* Issues related to some of these creatures- “bottom feeders” or “filter feeders”- possible high-amount of accumulated toxins in some shellfish, both due to chemical and heavy-metal pollution in oceans, coastal areas/inlets etc, but also accumulated toxins produced by microscopic algae can cause poisoning[*] Allergies to some of these foods can be rather severe (Allergies vs. poisoning...?)

• Abalone
• Clams
• Crab
• Crayfish
• Lobster
• Mussels
• Octopus
• Oysters
• Prawns
• Scallops
• Shrimp
• Snails
• Squid/Calamari

INSECTS
...just kidding... Although, if you were feeling particularly adventurous, you could explore quite a vast array of nutritious and maybe even delicious avenues here...


VEGETABLES
*Preferably organic, as local as possible, in-season, picked at optimal ripeness, prepared with care and precision. Eat a diverse array across a rainbow-spectrum for maximal variety of phytochemicals and antioxidants. Eat raw, steamed, baked, grilled, roasted, pickled/preserved (by you), sauteed, stir-fried, sun-dried etc. Some veggies contain compounds which are slightly toxic, but still beneficial; rotation of different veggies ideal, i.e. don't eat spinach or broccoli every day for a month... eating seasonally helps address this. Some veggies shouldn't be eaten raw. Whenever introducing new foods monitor how you feel and/or any physical symptoms; some handle different veggies better or worse than others.
* = Paleo status debated

• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Beets and beet greens
• Beets
• Bell peppers*
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery & celery root
• Collards
• Cucumber
• Dandelion
• Eggplant*
• Endive
• Green onions
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce
• Mushrooms – Button, shitake, portabella, crimini, truffles, morels, oyster, chanterelles, cloudear etc
• Mustard greens
• Onions
• Parsley
• Parsnip
• Peppers*
• Pumpkin
• Purslane
• Radish
• Rutabaga
• Seaweed
• Spinach
• Squash*- acorn, spaghetti, butternut, kabocha, etc
• Swiss chard
• Tomatillos
• Tomato*
• Turnip greens
• Turnips
• Watercress
• Yams & sweet potatoes*

FRUITS
*Preferably organic, as local as possible, in-season, picked at optimal ripeness, prepared with care and precision. Eat a diverse array across a rainbow-spectrum for maximal variety of phytochemicals and antioxidants. Eat raw, steamed, baked, grilled, roasted, pickled/preserved (by you), sauteed, stir-fried, sun-dried etc. Acknowledge that certain fruits are bred for high-sugar contents; don't overconsume. Optimal fruits include berries, kiwi, smaller amounts of mango, pineapple and papaya. Also important to consider bio-evolutionary disconnect of consumption of certain fruits; wild varieties of fruits (and vegetables) often vary considerably from their cultivated counterparts in numerous ways.

• Apple
• Apricot
• Avocado
• Banana
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Boysenberries
• Cantaloupe
• Carambola
• Cassava melon
• Cherimoya
• Cherries
• Clementines
• Coconut
• Cranberries
• Dragonfruit
• Durian
• Figs
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Guava
• Honeydew melon
• Kiwi
• Lemon
• Lime
• Longan
• Lychee
• Mango
• Minneolas
• Nectarine
• Orange
• Papaya
• Passion fruit
• Peaches
• Pears
• Persimmon
• Pineapple
• Plantain
• Plums
• Pomegranate
• Rambutan
• Raspberries
• Rhubarb
• Star fruit
• Strawberries
• Tangerine
• Watermelon

NUTS AND SEEDS
* Preferably raw (if you want roasted nuts, do it yourself), unsalted, unseasoned. Important to be aware of Omega-3 and Omega-6 intake ratio which should ideally be as close to 1:1 as possible; nuts very high in Omega-6, so don't overconsume. Nuts may also be high in phytates and/or anti-nutrients that bind with minerals and leech them out of your body; Consider soaking and/or sprouting. High unsaturated fat content, so very prone to oxidation/rancidity; ideally they should be refrigerated if removed from shell. (Nuts purchased from groceries in colorfully marketed packaging probably not ideal). Potential semantics debate as to what qualifies as "true nuts". Also consider the effort needed to de-shell nuts, vs. eating them already de-shelled; and subsequent speed/quantity in which you could eat them w/o processing.

• Almonds (my personal favorite)
  
• Brazil nuts
• Cashews
• Chestnuts
• Hazelnuts/filberts
• Hempseeds
• Macadamia nuts
• Pecans
• Pine nuts
• Pistachios
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Walnuts

FATS/OILS
*Oils get to be a little controversial; there is really no such thing as an unprocessed oil found in nature, but the right ones are not only harmless, but often quite beneficial - Cold-pressed, unrefined seed or fruit oils that is. NOT industrialized, expeller-pressed, high-heat refined vegetable oils such as corn, canola, soy, and cottonseed oils which are quite toxic and pro-inflammatory with *ridiculous* omega-6 levels, and more often than not rancid before they even reach your kitchen. Yet they are oh so cheap and rampantly pervasive everywhere in our "food" supply. Tallow, lard, schmaltz, bacon grease are also excellent food sources, and essential in paleo cooking. These foods (and they are whole foods) have been used for millennia and in traditional cooking and are both nutritious and delicious. Butter is also a great food and cooking tool if you choose to include dairy (I use some organic ghee/clarified butter in my cooking, but don't consume any other dairy) SATURATED FAT, CHOLESTEROL ARE NOT THE ENEMIES!!! ... NOT BY FAR!!!
Acceptable oils (all cold-pressed, virgin unrefined):

• Virgin olive oil
• Coconut oil, coconut milk
• Red palm fruit oil
• Avocado oil
• Macadamia nut oil
• Sesame seed oil
• Walnut oil
• Butter, Ghee/clarified butter (organic, pastured, grass-fed, raw ideal)
• Tallow, lard, schmaltz, bacon grease

SPICES/HERBS
*All are pretty much fair game here... as always, organic is optimal – be sure to get non-irradiated, additive free spices and herbs; gluten contamination is very possible, especially w/ pre-mixed spice rubs curry + chili powders. Good to rotate spices in the diet, to maximize diversity and phytonutrient/antioxidant intake. Buy from trusted sources; grow your own herbs if possible. Buy whole spices/seeds and grind them yourself to reduce oxidation.

• Allspice
• Anise seed
• Basil
• Bay leave
• Caraway seed
• Cardamom
• Cayenne
• Chervil
• Chili powder
• Chinese 5-spice
• Chipotle
• Chives
• Cilantro/coriander
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Cumin
• Curry powder
• Dill leaves
• Dill seed
• Fennel
• Fenugreek
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Herbes de Provence
• Horseradish
• Mace
• Marjoram
• Mint
• Mustard
• Nutmeg
• Oregano
• Paprika
• Peppercorns – black, pink, green, white
• Poppy seed
• Red pepper flakes
• Rosemary
• Saffron
• Sage
• Salt (unrefined sea salt, himalayan pink salt etc)
• Sesame seed
• Star Anise
• Steak rubs
• Thyme
• Turmeric
• Vanilla bean

CONDIMENTS/OTHERS&ETCS
*Seeing as how up til now, there has hardly been mention of a single processed food or ingredient. Stick to whole foods, avoiding gluten and grains, legumes refined vegetable oils and sugars, and eat as close to nature as possible, and you will be pretty much set. But everyone needs a little flavor-boost every now and then- additions to salad dressings, basting sauces, marinades, chutneys, aiolis, etc. Here is where you will need to get a little nit-picky. Many of these fall into a sort of paleo grey-area .First and foremost, be sure your condiments are free of artificial ingredients, preservatives, colorings, stabilizers etc; Also free of added sugar, gluten-free, soy-free, canola/soybean/corn and other vegetable oil-free, and preferably organic. General rule of thumb- the fewer ingredients the better.

• Vinegars – balsamic, white balsamic, white wine, apple cider (unfiltered/unpasteurized)
• Mustard – dijon, even yellow is generally good
• Hot sauces, cholula is delicious gluten free, you can also find a lot of great artisan small-batch hot sauces
• Gluten-free, soy-free and minimal-sugar Worcestershire sauce
• Fish Sauce (gluten-free) - watch sodium intake
• Gluten-free, soy-free and minimal-sugar barbeque sauces
• Homemade mayonnaise – absolutely essential in my kitchen
• Apple butter
• Unpasteurized sauerkraut
• Homemade chutneys, relishes, sauces etc
• Big, big *IF* – gluten-free organic Tamari (fermented, traditional soy sauce)

So there you have it folks. I will likely continuously revise and update this list- it certainly became more comprehensive then I intended, but I am happy to have it all laid out. Is you brain as overflowing with culinary possibility as mine is right now? I hope that this list makes you aware of the plethora of amazing healthy and delicious foods at your fingertips, and makes you excited as ever to be Paleo!!