Can you eat potatoes on a paleo diet?

It's highly debated among different individuals whether potatoes are paleo-friendly or not. It is generally best to avoid potatoes on a paleo diet as they can be high in carbohydrates and glycemic index.

Is peanut butter ok on a paleo diet?

In general, peanut butter should be excluded from the paleo diet because they are considered to be legumes. However, if you are not following a strict diet, you can consider adding peanut butter to your meals but ensure that you do so in moderation.

Is oatmeal ok for a paleo diet?

Oats, including oatmeal, should be avoided on paleo. It is a type of grain, and grains are part of the exclusion for this diet.

Cheese is generally not considered Paleo, so you should avoid all types of cheese while on the diet. The exception is that if you are going on a modified version of the diet, you can consider consuming minimally processed cheese such as Parmesan cheese.

What foods heal autoimmune?

Certain anti-inflammatory foods may help support autoimmune healing, such as fatty fish, leafy greens, bone broth and fermented foods, turmeric, and healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, and coconut oil.

The Complete Paleo Food List: Foods to Eat and Avoid on Paleo

Ever wondered what our ancestors ate millions of years ago to survive on Earth? According to scientists and anthropologists, our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have probably been on a Paleolithic diet, or a diet that focused on whole foods. So what exactly are paleo foods? This is what we will be exploring in this article, along with a complete paleo food list to guide you.

Key Takeaways

The Paleo diet emphasizes fresh meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and healthy fats.
Also called the AIP diet, it removes foods that may trigger inflammation and follows an elimination-reintroduction protocol to support autoimmune and gut health.
Avocado, olive oil, and certain nuts are included to support satiety and good cholesterol, showing that not all fats are off-limits.
The 85-15 rule allows 85% paleo-friendly foods and 15% non-paleo foods, helping beginners adapt without feeling restricted or overwhelmed.
Meal prepping, reading labels, finding paleo-friendly alternatives, staying hydrated, and listening to your body can make following the diet easier.

What is the Paleo Diet?

Grilled paleo skewers with chicken, zucchini, mushrooms, and bell peppers cooked in olive oil for a healthy paleo meal. — Credit: Canva

The Paleo diet, also known as the Paleolithic diet, is an eating plan that involves eating whole foods and avoiding grains, dairy products, legumes, refined sugars, and processed foods [1].

The diet is reconstructed by scientists and anthropologists based on what they thought our ancestors ate approximately 2.5 million years ago, during the Paleolithic era. It is sometimes referred to as the Stone Age or caveman diet.

What Is the Autoimmune Paleo Diet?

The autoimmune Paleo diet, more commonly referred to as the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP), is an extension of the Paleo diet framework [2]. It can be considered a strict Paleo diet version.

It follows an elimination and reintroduction protocol based on a Paleo food list where foods that may trigger inflammation in the gut are eliminated, and the ones that do not trigger symptoms are gradually reintroduced into a normal diet. The diet is designed to help manage autoimmune diseases by enhancing immune regulation responses, promoting good gut health, and maintaining hormonal balance.

Under the AIP diet, there are several restrictions on what you can or cannot eat. For instance, you’ll need to avoid all types of grains, eggs, and legumes such as azuki beans, kidney beans, black beans, lentils, soy, peanuts, hummus, and peas.

Barley, corn, millet, oats, rice, rye, almond, macadamia nuts, flax seeds, quinoa, buckwheat, cane sugar, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, fruit juices, alcohol, wine, beer, and coffee are also examples of foods to avoid within the Paleo food list. It can be rather restrictive and unsustainable in the long term.

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What Foods Can You Eat on a Paleo Diet?

For the normal Paleo diet, you are restricted to eating whole, unprocessed foods as listed in the Paleo food list, most of which are highly popular and accessible, while excluding certain food items [3].

a) Meats

Different kinds of raw meat that can be eaten on the paleo diet laid out on a plate. — Photo by Becerra Govea

List of meats and grass-fed meats that can be eaten on the diet:

Flank Steak
Sirloin Steak
London broil
Chuck Steak
Veal meat
Pork loin
Pork chops
Chicken breast
Turkey breast
Rabbit meat
Goat meat
Alligator
Ostrich
Bear
Pheasant
Bison (buffalo)
Quail
Caribou
Rattlesnake
Elk
Reindeer
Emu
Squab
Goose
Turtle

b) Organ meats

Fresh raw organ meats displayed on a chopping board, nutrient dense foods valued in the paleo food list diet for their health benefits.

List of organ meats that can be eaten on the diet:

Beef, lamb, pork, chicken livers
Beef, pork and lamb tongues
Beef, lamb and pork marrow

c) Fish and seafood

Fresh salmon with vibrant red fish roe and lemon slices, a protein rich seafood high in healthy fats and perfect for paleo diet meal plans. — Photo by Valeria Boltneva

Here’s a list of fish and seafood that can be eaten on the diet:

Seabass
Perch
Bluefish
Red snapper
Cod
Rockfish
Salmon
Eel
Flatfish
Grouper
Striped bass
Haddock
Sunfish
Halibut
Tilapia
Herring
Trout
Mackerel
Tuna
Monkfish
Abalone
Mussels
Clams
Oysters
Crab
Scallops
Crayfish
Shrimp
Lobster

d) Vegetables

Non-starchy vegetables that can be eaten:

Artichoke
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Mustard Greens
Beet
Greens Onions
Parsley
Bell Peppers
Parsnip
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Pumpkin
Cabbage
Purslane
Carrots
Radish
Cauliflower
Celery
Collards
Spinach
Cucumber
Squash (all kinds)
Eggplant
Tomato
Kale
Lettuce

e) Fruits

Assorted fresh fruits like watermelon, papaya, bananas, and grapes, colorful paleo friendly foods rich in essential nutrients and natural sugars.

Here’s a list of fruits that can be eaten on the diet:

Apple
Cranberries
Apricot
Figs
Avocado
Gooseberries
Banana
Grapefruit
Blackberries
Grapes
Blueberries
Guava
Boysenberries
Honeydew melon
Cantaloupe
Kiwi
Carambola
Lemon
Cassava
Melon
Lime
Cherimoya
Lychee
Cherries
Mango
Nectarine
Pomegranate
Orange
Raspberries
Papaya
Rhubarb
Passion Fruit
Star Fruit
Peaches
Strawberries
Pears
Tangerine
Persimmon
Watermelon
Pineapple

f) Nuts and seeds

almonds, cashews, walnuts, and macadamias arranged neatly on a wooden table, showing healthy paleo foods. — Photo by Marta Branco

Almonds
Pine Nuts
Pistachios
Cashews
Hazelnuts
Chestnuts
Macadamia Nuts
Pecans
Walnuts
Pumpkin Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Sunflower Seeds

g) Healthy fats and oils

olive oil being poured into a glass bowl beside fresh olives, a staple healthy fat in paleo food list that supports heart health. — Photo by Pixabay

Healthy fats and oils that can be eaten in moderation:

Olive oil
Avocado oil
Walnut oil
Flaxseed oil
Coconut oil
Macademia oil

h) Beverages

Drinks to take in moderation:

Diet Sodas
Coffee
Tea
Wine
Beer
Spirits

What Foods Are Not Allowed on the Paleo Diet?

Foods that you want to avoid on the paleo diet include dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, ultra-processed foods, fatty meats, sweets, and drinks with refined sugars. These are food items that are not on the Paleo food list.

a) Dairy Foods

Here’s a full list of dairy foods to avoid consuming:

Butter
Cheese
Cream
Cream cheese
Non-fat dairy creamer
Skim milk
Dairy spreads
Frozen yogurt
Powdered milk
Low-fat milk
Ice cream
Yogurt

b) Cereal Grains

Here are all the cereal grains to omit:

Barley
Corn
Millet
Oats (steel-cut oats, rolled oats)
Rice (brown rice, white rice, rice noodles, basmati rice, rice cakes, rice flour)
Rye (rye bread, rye crackers, & all processed foods made with rye)
Sorghum
Wheat
Wild rice
Grains and Seeds
Amaranth
Buckwheat
Quinoa

c) Legumes

Azuki beans
Black beans
Broad beans
Fava beans
Garbanzo beans
Kidney beans
Lima beans
Mung beans
Pinto beans
Red beans
String beans
Black-eyed peas
Chickpeas
Peanuts
Lentils
Snowpeas
Peas
Sugar snap peas
Peanut butter
Miso
Soybeans & all soybean products, including tofu
Starchy Vegetables
Starchy tubers
Sweet potatoes
Cassava root
Yams
Tapioca
Potatoes

d) Ultra-processed foods

List of highly processed foods to avoid:

Bacon
Pork rinds
Salami
Deli Meats
Frankfurters
Ham
Hot Dogs and sausages
Ketchup
Pickled foods
Olives
Salted nuts
Salted spices

e) Soft drinks

All sugary soft drinks

f) Sweets

Candy
Honey
Sugars
High fructose corn syrup
Artificial sweeteners

g) Inflammatory oils

Corn oil
Soybean oil
Canola oil
Sunflower oil
Palm oil
Safflower oil
Peanut oil

You can also find the full list of paleo-friendly foods in PDF Format here:

Paleo Diet Food List Download

7 Tips and Tricks for Trying the Paleo Diet

Paleo food list include salmon, nuts, spinach, and broccoli on a white plate. — Credit: Canva

1. Focus on whole food options

The easiest way to think about eating whole foods is to remember that they should be fresh and not frozen. This means fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, and seeds.

2. Meal prep whenever possible

Try to meal prep whenever you can by planning and prepping them in advance. It could be on a weekend or when you have a few hours of free time. Doing so helps you to avoid the temptation to reach out for processed or non-paleo foods on the shelves.

3. Read food labels carefully

Before placing any foods or snacks into your shopping cart, it’s important to ensure that you are checking the food labels and nutritional content. Even the so-called “healthy” snacks may sneak in non-paleo ingredients like added sugar or preservatives.

4. Try paleo-friendly alternatives

If you find yourself craving unhealthy foods or snacks that you know you should be avoiding, try searching for paleo-friendly alternatives as a replacement. Examples are spaghetti squash for pasta, almond milk, or coconut milk for regular whole milk.

5. Don’t be afraid of fats

When we say not to be afraid of fats, we mean the healthy fats that can be found in avocado, olive oil, and certain nuts. Healthy fats can keep you satiated for longer and raise good HDL cholesterol levels.

6. Stay hydrated

It’s important to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day by drinking 2 to 3 litres of water. It also helps to keep you energized and focused.

7. Listen to your body

Last but not least, don’t forget to listen to your body. If you feel dizzy or lightheaded, it’s okay to stop the diet. Everyone’s body is different, and it may take a shorter or longer time for you to adjust to a new diet.

What is the 85-15 rule for paleo?

The 85-15 rule refers to an approach or principle whereby you focus on eating paleo-friendly foods for 85% of your diet and eating non-paleo foods for the remaining 15% of your diet [4].

This approach is particularly useful for those who are starting on the Paleo diet for the first time, as it offers some flexibility so that you can gradually adjust to it.

The problem with diets is that it’s very easy to approach them with an “all-or-nothing” mindset. But, having this mindset often results in feeling very overwhelmed by all the restrictions that you end up not being able to sustain the diet for long. So, this rule is meant to tackle this problem so that you can approach diet in a positive manner.

The Final Takeaway

The Paleo Diet is generally a healthy and sustainable diet to follow. It’s rather similar to diets like the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet. There are loads of healthy foods that you can have on the diet, but it also restricts certain foods that can be good for health. If you find it hard to follow the principles of the Paleo diet exactly, consider applying the 85-15 rule or adjusting according to your body’s needs.

To help you get started on any diet, consider using the Eato app. Eato offers a smart food logging feature so that you can easily log your meals and keep track of your macronutrients. With just a few minutes a day, eating clean is made so much simpler. Try the Eato app today for free, 100% free, no commitment required.

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The Complete Paleo Food List: What to Eat or Avoid on the Paleo Diet

Key Takeaways

What is the Paleo Diet?

What Is the Autoimmune Paleo Diet?