What is the Paleo Diet? – Paleo Diet FAQ
The ultimate Paleo Diet FAQ’s answered for you – including the most popular: What is the Paleo diet? If you’ve been wanting to check paleo out, or have heard how it can help you lose weight and get healthy and want to know how to begin, check out this helpful guide to what is the paleo diet.
So many questions about Paleo… here are the most popular Paleo Diet FAQ ‘s answered just for you. If you ever have any questions that have not been answered here, then feel free to contact me anytime! Leave a comment below.
What is the Paleo Diet FAQ:
What is the Paleo diet?
One of the most popular questions is what is the paleo diet? And for good reason… most don’t even know what it is….. Paleo is also known as the Caveman Diet since it’s based off what palaeolithic man would have eaten. You avoid processed foods with additives, refined sugars, chemicals and hormones and instead stick with “whole” foods such as proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, natural fats, etc. This diet has been noted as the best for human digestion and health.
Can I lose weight on Paleo?
Yes, of course, you can. Especially if you’ve been following a real crappy diet and staying inactive – you will see results. Not only weight loss results, but you’ll also notice a change in energy levels, sleeping patterns and overall lightness to your body. I recommend taking before/during/after photos from the beginning and taking more each week or every 2 weeks to compare. This will help you see the changes you made physically. Here are examples of 3 women who lost weight with paleo and share their before/after pics.
Can you give a sample of a daily meal plan on Paleo?
Sure, here is a post we did with a sneak peek meal plan of what you could eat from day to day.
Where can I find good paleo recipe ideas?
Pinterest is a good place. This is our Paleo Lifestyle Community Board filled with recipes. Or you could check out our Paleo Meal Plan app that comes with hundreds of extra recipes in it.
Do I need to exercise on Paleo?
You don’t have to, but since you’re already changing your health with the foods you eat, why not add a bit of activity to your life. It’s so good for your heart and overall bone and muscle health to exercise regularly, I highly recommend it. You won’t regret it, I am sure of it. Start by adding just a little bit of exercise a few days a week. At first it might be tiring, but you’ll get used to it and love it. Try new things: walking, running, swimming, dance, cycling, strength training, weight lifting, yoga, pilates, HIIT… the list goes on and on. Mix and match and keep things fresh from week to week.
Can I have breads/grains?
No. Breads, wraps, wheat, oats, rice, quinoa, corn, barley, buckwheat, and rye are not Paleo. Grains have been shown to cause negative effects on our bodies. We cannot digest them well and they’ve been shown to also cause insulin jumps which can lead to a large number of health issues. GOOD NEWS: There are “paleo friendly” breads, wraps, crackers and pizza dough available over at Julian Bakery. Or, here’s a list of good paleo bread recipes you can make in your own kitchen. For rice or couscous you can use a cauliflower and food processor. No joke, pretty awesome.
Why no legumes/beans?
Again, this is one of those foods that have been shown to cause digestive and other health issues. So, they’re highly recommended you avoid them. I can suggest taking off a couple weeks from beans/legumes. After the 2 weeks are up, have some beans and see if your body reacts badly. The reason for the break is that you might not notice you have a problem if you’ve always had beans/legumes. But if you see a change once you stop eating them for a couple weeks then you should definitely avoid them.
Are dairy products allowed?
That really depends on you. Die-hard paleo people say NO! But some choose to have grass fed milk products every once in a while and are fine with that. The reason behind the “NO” is that dairy is highly processed and our bodies have a hard time digesting it, so it’s definitely not paleo. I can suggest taking off a couple weeks from any dairy products. After the 2 weeks are up, have something dairy and see if your body reacts to it. The reason for the break is that you might not notice you have a problem if you’ve always had dairy. But if you see a change once you stop eating/drinking it for a couple weeks then you should definitely avoid it.
Can I have sweets/desserts when I am on Paleo?
Yes, you can! I am not talking about store bought donuts, cookies or ice cream. Making your own sweets is probably your best bet, or you might find something paleo friendly at Whole Foods. Here is a small collection of sweets you can make yourself on the Paleo diet.
What foods can/can’t I have?
Since paleo is a clean eating diet, you’ll want to avoid any ultra-processed foods with refined sugars, additives, chemicals and hormones and stick with “whole foods” – you’ll want to avoid things like pre-made and packaged meals, frozen meals, boxed meals, fast food, etc. You can still enjoy a lot of your favorite foods – it’ll just be a process of creating them on your own in your kitchen so you know for sure you’re avoiding the junk. Here is a Paleo Food List we created. Hope you find it handy.
I don’t cook, do you think I can still eat Paleo?
Of course, this won’t be a problem. Here’s a collection of 31 no-cook paleo recipes.
How do I start Paleo?
You cannot get started with paleo if you are still practising your old eating habits. Start expelling dairy, legumes, grains, processed foods, junk foods, alcohol, and soft drinks from your diet. Take baby steps if necessary removing one type of food a week if that helps. You will lose weight on paleo if you change your bad habits to healthy habits.
Once you’ve ditched your old unhealthy lifestyle, and emptied out your kitchen of anything NOT PALEO (junk foods, processed foods, etc). Be sure to restock your fridge and pantry with healthy, clean and paleo friendly foods as way to push on with the new lifestyle. Since the quality is very important here, you should seek out for these foods in the farmers’ market or from the local farmers in your area.
HAVE A PLAN: A paleo diet requires proper planning because it is NOT usually based around pre-packaged meals or drive thru runs. You can create weekly meal plans to guide you along the way so you’re always prepared. Plan out daily meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and healthy snacks).
If you don’t have time for planning meals weekly, yet you love to cook, one way to start is by trying our Paleo Meal Plans. They’re made fresh every week with new recipes. We plan 4 meals a day for you, so all you have to do is shop, cook and eat! Check out the app for free today. It will help you better understand what is the paleo diet and help you follow it the right way with its recipes and meal plan.
Or do meal prep:
What is Paleo Meal Prep?
You can do a bit of meal prep one day of the week and make the whole week ahead “heat and eat”. By cooking up some proteins (fish, chicken, beef, shrimp, etc.) and veggies ahead of time, then storing them in the fridge – you can make easy and healthy paleo recipes in no time every night of the week. Choose a day or 2 of the week (most likely a day off – usually Sunday is best for most people, but not everyone has a M-F work/school schedule!) and then follow these tips for easy paleo meal prep:
- First buy lots and lots of storage containers to store pre-prepped meals or pre-chopped veggies or protein in. This will help you greatly. I love these for storing prepped meals in. Ziplock bags work too for storing chopped veggies.
- Chop veggies and store in tupperware or ziplock bags in the fridge. They’ll then be washed, prepped and cut up already when you’re ready to cook. It will make your life so much easier. Even easier would be to buy frozen, already cut up veggies (and fruit,too). Veggies are a huge staple in the paleo diet plan.
- Use your crockpot for cooking up big batches of meat. Check out our collection of 9 Paleo Crockpot recipes here for ideas. You can use any of these recipes to make meals for the week. Store in fridge either in single serving containers (for those who work all week), or in one container (for people who stay home). The crockpot saves lots of time, not only because it’s a super easy way to cook a meal, but also because it can prep food for the whole week if you want it to.
- Saute 2lbs of ground meat (beef or turkey). Another way to cook up some protein, you can store this in the fridge for use in many different kinds of recipes: tacos, salads, or just eat it as is with some side veggies.
- Keep canned fish on hand. Salmon and tuna in the can are easy to store for use at any time. It’s already cooked, so all you have to do is open the can and add to a salad or other recipe. Fish is a great lean protein for eating on a paleo diet plan.
- Hard boil a dozen eggs. Store in fridge. These are a great go to snack, or to add to a salad for some added protein. You can also eat them for breakfast with some bacon or fruit.
- Roast some sweet potatoes or yams. Roast 5-8 and store in fridge. These are easy to heat right back up for a simple side meal to some of those tasty proteins you made. To roast a sweet potato, simply prick it with a fork or knife a few times (so it doesn’t explode in your oven), then heat oven to about 350F and bake on cookie sheet for up to an hour, depending on size of the sweet potato/yam. Poke with a fork at 1/2 hour to see if it’s tender and done, if not cook 10 more minutes and keep checking until its done.
- Make meals out of the prepped foods. Set up single serve meals in tupperwares or meal prep containers so you’ll have no excuse not to stay on the paleo path for meals throughout the week.
Is going paleo easy or hard?
Making the change from regular food to paleo recipes may not be easy, but for the sake of your health, you have to make an effort. You need to have the right mindset and courage to succeed. Like I mentioned up in step 3, take baby steps. Remove dairy one week, alcohol the next, etc and you will eventually love eating the paleo way. You’ll love the way you feel and the way you look. You’ll lose weight on paleo and never look back to your old habits ever again! Once you learn what is the paleo diet and implement the tips we’ve suggested above, you’ll be on the right path.
Do you have any suggested Resources I can check out?
Here are some of our most popular posts about paleo on our site you might find helpful:
Ultimate Paleo Shopping List – a huge list of food items you can fill your fridge and pantry with if you decide to go all the way with Paleo. Get rid of the junk and go full paleo, or use the list as a guide to get on the paleo path.
Paleo Meal Plan – Each week we give a new plan that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack recipe. Once subscribed we offer 1 free week to check out the app (for smart phones or tablets). If you like it, you can keep full access to all recipes and meal plans for just $9.99 USD monthly, cancel anytime. We have 100’s of recipes in the app to swap out meals with. Plus a shopping list. We also include a “diet chat” in the app where you can ask us any questions you have about paleo or the meal plan.
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Is there an android app?
Yes, we have 2:
Paleo Meal Plan
Paleo Complete (tracking app)
Nice article. Enlightening and helpful
Thank you, good article.
The most important thing about this diet is to eat exactly the same food our ancestors ate in their caves: food as raw as possible, minimally processed (meat, eggs, natural oils, season fruit and vegetables, seeds).
On the other hand, this diet strictly forbids wheat, corn, brown rice, soy, peanuts, beans, peas, sweets, and sodas.
The paleo diet is high in fats, proteins are in the second place, and carbs come last.