The hunter-gatherer diet, also known as the Paleolithic or Paleo diet, draws inspiration from the eating habits of our early human ancestors during the Paleolithic Era. Emphasizing whole, unprocessed foods, the diet aims to mirror what hunter-gatherers consumed thousands of years ago.
The Essence of the Hunter-Gatherer 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.
A "hunter-gatherer" can be defined as a population that obtains their food directly from wild natural sources, including wild plant foods and game animals. Hunter-gatherers, also know as foragers, are the basis for the popular 'Paleo Diet'.
What Did Hunter-Gatherers Eat?
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. Hunter-gatherers both today and historically obtain food by gathering the leaves, shoots, stems and roots of plants, berries, fruits, roots, nuts, seeds and tubers (potato-like) of plants. They gathered wild eggs and honey and consumed meat, bone marrow, fish and insects from animals that they hunted.
Across the globe, historically, the diet varied: hunter-gatherers living closer to the equator ate a more plant-based diet, with fewer animal sources, but those in colder climates had to rely more on meat, fish and other animal sources for sustenance. The Greenland Eskimos or Inuits, are hunter-gatherers living in the remote arctic whose diet is almost entirely seal and whale blubber, with very low intakes of fruits, vegetables, nuts or any food of plant origin.
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Foods Included in the Paleo Diet
The paleo diet plan includes:
- Unprocessed meats
- Fish
- Eggs
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Herbs
- Spices
- Nutritious fats and oils
You can eat a variety of whole, unprocessed foods on the paleo diet. This includes:
- Meat: Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork, and others
- Fish and seafood: salmon, trout, haddock, shrimp, shellfish, etc (choose wild-caught if you can)
- Eggs: may be free-range, pastured, or omega-3 enriched
- Vegetables: broccoli, kale, peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes, etc.
- Fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, pears, avocados, strawberries, blueberries, and more.
- Tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, turnips, etc.
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and more
- Healthy fats and oils: extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and others
- Salt and spices: sea salt, garlic, turmeric, rosemary, etc.
Many people prefer grass-fed meats, pastured eggs, and organic produce while following a paleo diet. However, this is not required.
Foods to Avoid or Limit
Foods to avoid typically include:
- Processed foods
- Added sugar
- Soft drinks
- Artificial sweeteners
Foods to limit include:
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- Grains
- Most dairy products
- Legumes
The paleo diet discourages the consumption of certain foods, including:
- 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. You can also use the paleo diet as a starting point, adding in a few other healthy foods like grass-fed butter and gluten-free grains.
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.
When following the paleo diet, you can indulge in small amounts of red wine and dark chocolate from time to time.
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What to Drink
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.
Make water your drink of choice when following the paleo diet. Many people also drink tea and coffee.
Potential Benefits
The paleo diet includes whole, unprocessed foods like vegetables, nuts, seeds, and meat. It may benefit your overall health and reduce your risk for some health conditions, including obesity. This diet may lead to significant weight loss (without calorie counting) and major improvements in health. Anthropologists also speculate that the paleo diet influenced anatomic and physiologic changes in humans, including increased brain size and reduced gastrointestinal tract size. A paleo diet may help you lose weight or keep a healthy weight. It also may have other helpful health effects. You might be able to achieve the same health benefits by getting enough exercise and eating a balanced, healthy diet.
Drawbacks and Considerations
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.
Sample Menu
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
You can make a variety of delicious meals using paleo-friendly foods. Above is a sample menu of what 1 week on the paleo diet might look like.
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
Paleo snacks are easy to prepare and take with you on the go. A few ideas include fruit, nuts, hard-boiled eggs, or baby carrots.
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.
To get started on the paleo diet, use the shopping list above to stock your pantry and fridge with delicious, paleo-friendly foods
Eating Out on Paleo
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.
Eating out while following the paleo diet doesn’t have to be hard. Simply select a meat or fish dish on the menu and swap in some extra veggies.
Hunter-Gatherers Today
Foragers may consume their food the same day that they gather it, while others use storage techniques for food that they hunt or gather, some of which is available only seasonally. Traditionally, greater than 90% of the hunter-gatherers' diet came from wild foraged foods. Today there is no living human population left on earth that obtains this much of their diet from the wild; many hunter-gatherers have access to modern convenience foods and grains from nearby towns and civilizations. For example, the North American Indians, or native peoples, gathered over 130 species of plants. However, much of the information on ancient hunter-gatherers is based on observing modern-day groups that still obtain part of their food supply through foraging. Modern hunter-gatherers, such as the Hadza of Tanzania and the Philippine Tasaday, derive 50-80% of their food (by weight) from plants and 20 to 50% from animal sources.