Whether you're new to the Paleo Diet or a long-time follower, a well-prepared paleo grocery list can make your shopping trips easier. This article provides an informative guide to essential items to stock up on for a high-protein, low-carb lifestyle without stress.
Introduction to the Paleo Diet
The paleo diet, often called the "caveman diet," centers on eating foods consumed by our Paleolithic ancestors. This includes foods that could be sourced thousands of years ago, such as meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit. The paleo diet is founded on the belief that we should avoid processed foods like dairy, grains, and refined sugar because our bodies are not evolved enough to digest these foods properly.
Understanding the Paleo Diet
The paleo diet is designed to resemble what human hunter-gatherer ancestors ate thousands of years ago. Although it’s impossible to know exactly what human ancestors ate in different parts of the world, researchers believe their diets consisted of whole foods. By following a diet of whole foods and leading physically active lives, hunter-gatherers presumably had much lower rates of lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
Anthropologists also speculate that the paleo diet influenced anatomic and physiologic changes in humans, including increased brain size and reduced gastrointestinal tract size.
Foods to Include in Your Paleo Diet
Paleolithic humans thrived on various diets, depending on what was available at the time and where in the world they lived. Some ate a low carb diet high in animal foods, while others followed a high carb diet with lots of plants. Some even ate insects, but fortunately, this delicacy is not included in today’s modern interpretation of the paleo diet.
Read also: Shopping for the Carnivore Diet
The paleo diet plan includes:
- Unprocessed meats
- Fish
- Eggs
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Herbs
- Spices
- Nutritious fats and oils
Protein Sources
You’re gonna eat lots of protein.
- Chicken: A Paleo-er’s BFF.
- Eggs: So. Many. Eggs.
- Fish: All seafood, really. Tuna is a paleo must-have, and Wild Planet makes it easy to source sustainably caught seafood that’s full of flavor. Each filet of this sustainably caught tuna is cooked only once to help retain nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids in every can.
- Pork: Just wait until you try Paleo pulled pork.
- Red meat: Especially Applegate Organics® The Great Organic Beef Hot Dog. Paleo eaters like to consume grass-fed, wild-caught, and free-range meat because animals in the early human era lived in these conditions. Don’t beat yourself up if that doesn’t fit your budget.
- Turkey: Not to be confused with turkey sandwiches.
- Chicken sausage: A breakfast necessity.
Vegetables
Veggies are another paleo favorite at the grocery store. Buy the ones you’re actually going to eat (wilted greens are the worst).
- Acorn squash. Best enjoyed with a drizzle of honey.
- Beets
- Bell peppers
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts. News flash: They go great with bacon.
- Butternut squash
- Cabbage. Don’t knock it ’til you try it.
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Mushrooms
- Leafy greens
- Onions
- Spaghetti squash
- Sweet potatoes. Swoodles, anyone?
- Zucchini. And zoodles, duh.
Fruits
Fruit lovers, rejoice! All fruit is on the table because they were part of the hunter-gatherer diet in Paleolithic times. But watch out for fruits with a higher glycemic index that can elevate blood sugar, Bannister says. For example, bananas and pineapple. We like to think of these as nature’s desserts.
- Apples
- Avocados. Stock up.
- Bananas
- Berries
- Cantaloupe
- Dates. Add a little almond butter for a sweet treat.
- Grapes. snack.
Nuts and Seeds
Great as a snack on their own or worked into a meal, nuts are indeed paleo-friendly and a favorite of paleo followers.
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Cashews
- Hazelnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Walnuts
- Nut butters and spreads are paleo if they only contain nuts and/or healthy oils. Artisana was awarded both R.A.W. Offering a range of minimally processed nut butters. The only ingredient in this rich and creamy butter is organic almonds.
- Seed butters and spreads are paleo if they only contain seeds and/or healthy oils.
Healthy Oils and Fats
Healthy oils and fats are must-have paleo pantry staples.
Read also: Convenient Diet Meal Options
- Almond butter
- Coconut milk
- Coconut oil
- Ghee
- Olive oil
- Epic is known for its high-quality bone broths, pork rinds, bars, and animal cooking oils, but the brand is also an advocate for sustainability.
Condiments
There are limited paleo condiments out there because many popular condiments like ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise are highly processed and off-limits.
- Coconut aminos. Tastes like soy sauce.
- Honey
- Hot sauce. Makes everything better.
- Maple syrup.
Beverages
Wine isn’t on the list, but if you ask us, it’s not totally off-limits.
- Coffee
- Coconut water
- Club soda
- Kombucha
- Sparkling water
- Tea
Foods to Avoid or Limit
Foods to avoid typically include:
- Processed foods
- Added sugar
- Soft drinks
- Artificial sweeteners
Foods to limit include:
- Grains
- Most dairy products
- Legumes
Specific Foods to Avoid
The paleo diet discourages the consumption of certain foods, including:
Read also: Your Plant-Based Shopping Guide
- Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup: soft drinks, fruit juices, table sugar, candy, pastries, ice cream, and many others
- Grains: bread, pasta, wheat, cereal, spelt, rye, barley, etc.
- Legumes: beans, lentils, and many more
- Dairy: most dairy, especially low fat dairy (some versions of paleo do include full-fat dairy like butter and cheese)
- Some vegetable oils: soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, and others
- Artificial sweeteners: aspartame, sucralose, cyclamates, saccharin, acesulfame potassium (use natural sweeteners instead)
- Highly processed foods: everything labeled “diet” or “low fat” or that has many additives, including artificial meal replacements
A simple guideline for the paleo diet is, if it looks like it was made in a factory, avoid it. To avoid these ingredients, you must read ingredient lists and nutrition labels, even on foods labeled as “health foods.”
Modified Paleo Diets
There are now several different versions of the paleo diet. Some allow more modern foods, such as grass-fed butter and gluten-free grains like rice. Today, many people think of paleo as a template to base your diet on, not necessarily a strict set of rules you must follow.
Sensible Indulgences
While following a paleo diet, the below foods and beverages below are perfectly fine in small amounts:
- Wine: Quality red wine is not only part of the paleo diet, but it is high in antioxidants, polyphenols, and beneficial nutrients
- Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate is very high in antioxidants and important minerals like magnesium and iron. Choose a product with 70% or higher cocoa content.
What to Drink on the Paleo Diet
When it comes to hydration, water should be your go-to beverage. The following drinks aren’t strictly paleo but are typically accepted as beverages you can consume as part of the diet:
- Tea: Tea, especially green tea, is very healthy and loaded with antioxidants and various beneficial compounds.
- Coffee: Coffee is very high in antioxidants as well. Studies show that it has many health benefits.
Potential Drawbacks of the Paleo Diet
While there are many benefits to the paleo diet, there are also some drawbacks. For example, the paleo diet eliminates several food groups that are highly nutritious, including legumes, dairy, and gluten-containing grains. Legumes are rich in fiber, protein, and various micronutrients, including iron, zinc, and copper, while dairy products have essential nutrients like calcium, which is important for bone health. Eliminating these food groups can put individuals following a paleo diet at risk of developing nutrient deficiencies. In addition, legumes are one of the primary protein sources in the vegan and vegetarian diet, which may make the paleo diet unrealistic for vegans and vegetarians.
The paleo diet includes foods high in fiber, like vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Since foods high in fiber can have a laxative effect, a person transitioning from a low fiber diet to a paleo diet could experience gastric distress, such as bloating, as a result.
It’s important to recognize that there’s no one “right” way to eat for everyone, so while the paleo diet may work for people you know, it may not be best for you. You may want to talk with a doctor or nutritionist before starting a paleo diet.
Tips for Paleo Diet Grocery Shopping
When you’re on a strict diet like paleo, grocery shopping can be tricky. But never fear. Keep in mind that Noom doesn’t endorse restrictive diets. Paleo-friendly foods are things that could’ve been hunted, fished, or gathered in the Paleolithic era. When it comes to grocery shopping on paleo, it’s important to look for nutrient-rich whole food staples you can use in many different ways. Paleo is a challenging way to eat, so buy what you think you’d love and enjoy. By keeping staple items and your favorites on hand, you’ll find the paleo diet easier to stick with.
Plan your shopping trip in a way that allows you to focus on whole foods. Focus on shopping along the edges of the store and skip the aisles containing foods you can’t eat. With paleo, planning out and prepping your meals makes the strict diet a lot easier to sustain. “When our diets are overly restrictive, we tend to become burnt out with the same foods every day, and that can lead to decision fatigue,” Bannister says.
Have a dedicated meal prep time: Schedule time on a specific day of the week to plan out and prep meals soon after you shop. Weekends are good because then you don’t have to worry about figuring out what you’re going to eat on busy weekdays. Keep caloric density in mind: Incorporate foods that are less calorie dense in the meals you’re prepping to leave you feeling full longer.
Sample Paleo Meal Plan
This sample menu contains a balanced amount of paleo-friendly foods. By all means, adjust this menu based on your own preferences.
Monday
- Breakfast: eggs and vegetables fried in olive oil, one piece of fruit
- Lunch: chicken salad with olive oil, a handful of nuts
- Dinner: burgers (no bun) fried in butter, vegetables, salsa
Tuesday
- Breakfast: bacon, eggs, one piece of fruit
- Lunch: leftover burgers from the night before
- Dinner: baked salmon with vegetables
Wednesday
- Breakfast: leftover salmon and vegetables from the night before
- Lunch: sandwich in a lettuce leaf, with meat and fresh vegetables
- Dinner: ground beef stir-fry with vegetables, berries
Thursday
- Breakfast: eggs, one piece of fruit
- Lunch: leftover stir-fry from the night before, a handful of nuts
- Dinner: fried pork, vegetables
Friday
- Breakfast: eggs and vegetables fried in olive oil, one piece of fruit
- Lunch: chicken salad with olive oil, a handful of nuts
- Dinner: steak, vegetables, sweet potatoes
Saturday
- Breakfast: bacon, eggs, one piece of fruit
- Lunch: leftover steak and vegetables from the night before
- Dinner: baked tilapia, vegetables, avocado
Sunday
- Breakfast: leftover salmon and vegetables from the night before
- Lunch: sandwich in a lettuce leaf, with meat and fresh vegetables
- Dinner: grilled chicken wings, vegetables, salsa
Simple Paleo Snacks
If you get hungry between meals, there are plenty of paleo snacks that are simple and easily portable:
- Toasted almonds or mixed nuts
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Fresh fruits and vegetables, including baby carrots, celery sticks, and sliced apples
- Dairy-free chia pudding
Simple Paleo Shopping List
There is an incredible variety of foods you can eat on the paleo diet. This simple shopping list should give you an idea of how to get started:
- Meat: beef, lamb, pork, etc.
- Poultry: chicken, turkey, etc.
- Fish: salmon, trout, mackerel, etc.
- Eggs
- Fresh vegetables: greens, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onions, etc.
- Frozen vegetables: broccoli, spinach, various vegetable mixes, etc.
- Fruits: apples, bananas, pears, oranges, avocado
- Berries: strawberries, blueberries, etc.
- Nuts: almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts
- Almond butter
- Olive oil
- Olives
- Sweet potatoes
- Condiments: sea salt, pepper, turmeric, garlic, parsley, etc.
Eating Out on the Paleo Diet
Eating out while following the paleo diet doesn’t have to be hard.
Here are some simple guidelines:
- Order a meat- or fish-based main dish.
- Get extra vegetables instead of bread or rice.
- Ask for your food to be cooked in olive oil or avocado oil.
4-Week Paleo Meal Plan
Take control of your meals and your health with this 4-week Paleo Meal Plan that is chock full of recipes (67 to be exact), 28 days completely planned out for you, and 4 weeks worth of grocery lists already put together. No need to worry about what to feed yourself and your family every day when dinnertime rolls around. Because with the prep and planning tips in this plan, you’ll have as much prepared in advance as you can so that food is on the table in no time. And leftovers for lunch most days mean that you have even less cooking and prep work to do each day.
Meal Prep Tips
- Make the Spaghetti Sauce in advance and refrigerate until ready to use. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 weeks (reserve some for Week 3).
- Make Spicy Egg Muffins in advance. They refrigerate and freeze very well.
- Make Frittata up to a week in advance.
- Make the Paleo Lime Mayo at the beginning of the week.
- Save all your bacon grease.
- Peel/slice/dice all vegetables and store them in food storage containers in the refrigerator. Carrots, peppers, and potatoes should be stored in water to keep them from drying out and browning. Brussels sprouts should be stored in a dry container.
- Make all the chicken nuggets for Day 8 and Day 13 in advance. Freeze or refrigerate the entire batch and just reheat what you need on those days. The nuggets actually taste better as leftovers. If you’re extra ambitious, make enough for Week 3.
- For Country Potatoes, boil and refrigerate the potatoes at least 1 day in advance.
- Make quiche in advance and refrigerate, tightly covered, until you’re ready to eat it.
- If you didn’t make extra Grain-Free Chicken Nuggets in Week 2, make them in advance now.
- The Asparagus Potato Hash can be made in advance to save time in the morning.
- When making Waffles for the Sloppy Joe’s, make extras for breakfast. They freeze and reheat well.
- Bake the meatballs earlier in the week and just reheat when ready to eat.
- You should have enough Spaghetti Sauce left from Week 1.
- If you didn’t make extra Spicy Egg Muffins in Week 1, make some now in advance.
- For Country Potatoes, bake and refrigerate the potatoes at least 1 day in advance.