68 Paleo Thanksgiving Recipes That Will Make the Diet Look Easy (2024)

FAQs

What is not allowed on a paleo diet? ›

The diet excludes cereal grains, legumes, dairy, processed oils, refined sugar, alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and trans fats. Some paleo-friendly foods include lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

Many paleo followers wonder if bananas are paleo because of their higher sugar content. They are considered paleo. One medium banana has 113 calories, 2 grams of fiber and 26 grams of carbohydrates. Bananas are an unprocessed, whole food with a good source of potassium.

The typical paleo diet focuses on naturally raised meat and fish, as well as vegetables and fruits. It promotes avoiding dairy products and grains. This diet can put you at risk for deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, which are critical to bone health.

This makes sense Paleo replaces grains with fat, which is much more calorie-dense, so the volume of food consumed on Paleo is often much smaller. This obviously makes for smaller bowel movements, especially if you're also going from eating a calorie surplus to eating a calorie deficit (less food overall).

Peanuts are technically legumes, which are not paleo compliant, and that means peanut butter is off limits for paleo eaters. All other nuts and seeds are fair game, so if nuts and seeds are the only ingredients, snack away!

A modern paleo diet includes fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds. These are foods that in the past people could get by hunting and gathering. It doesn't include foods that became more common when small-scale farming began about 10,000 years ago.

Potatoes are a tuber and were part of the early human diet, so you can eat them on the paleo diet. The paleo diet is sometimes called the caveman or Stone Age diet.

Strict paleo dieters exclude all grains from their diets — including rice — primarily due to their high phytate content. Although it's technically prohibited, many people still consume small amounts of white rice while following a paleo diet because it's lower in phytates, compared with other types.

Eat whole, unprocessed foods like meat, seafood, eggs, veggies, fruits, potatoes, nuts, healthy fats, and spices while on the paleo diet. If possible, choose grass-fed and organic products.

Do you lose weight on paleo? ›

Can you lose weight on the Paleo diet? Yes. The diet does not include added sugar, added salt, or highly processed foods, so you won't be eating calorie-dense foods such as salty snacks, candy, and cookies. Instead, you'll eat fiber-rich, high-protein foods that tend to keep you feeling full longer.

The paleo diet can be a healthy dietary pattern. However, like any restrictive diet, it may lead to some side effects. Studies show that some people may experience diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, and changes in gut bacteria when following a paleo dietary pattern.

While it has the benefit of promoting several high-protein and high-fiber foods that are also usually lower in fat and calories, experts say the paleo diet is too restrictive for long-term health and weight loss and doesn't have robust science backing up many of its purported health benefits.

Risks with the paleo diet

“If you aren't getting dairy, legumes or whole grains, you may be at greater risk of deficiencies in calcium, vitamin D and B vitamins,” Shupe said. “Over time, this could put you at risk of developing osteoporosis and bone fractures .”