How to create the perfect paleo shopping list. The paleo diet focuses on everything natural which means that it logically includes some fruit., vegetables, meat and protein, herbs and spices.
A while ago I wrote an article about how to prepare for food shopping to avoid situations where you buy junk food or spend too much because you were hungry when you went shopping.
As the paleo trend is growing substantially, I thought that today I would try and tailor some tips to help create the perfect paleo shopping list.
Fruit
The paleo diet focuses on everything natural which means that it logically includes some fruit.
Some of the fruits recommended for a paleo diet include apples, oranges, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, berries and grapefruit.
When deciding on quantity, try to buy enough for a maximum of one piece of fruit per person per day. This is because of the high sugar content and the fact that back in caveman days, fruit would have been uncommon and only eaten when in season.
Vegetables
In my mind you can never have enough vegetables, the challenge is finding the right balance and variety.
Lots of leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce and kale are fantastic. For extra carbohydrates I recommend sweet potato (this is one I use as a morning or afternoon tea snack). I would however try to avoid peppers, eggplant and tomatoes as these are nightshade vegetables and can be harmful to the digestive and immune systems.
Meats and proteins
When working out quantities, the amount of meat you will need will vary depending on your size and activity level. Depending on how big your freezer is, it can be great to stock up when produce is on sale (provided you remember you bought it).
Some great examples of proteins include beef, chicken, duck, fish and eggs.
Herbs, spices and oils
The best paleo cooking oils are extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and macadamia nut oil.
Spices such as cumin, thyme, basil, cinnamon and chili powder are great to keep in the cupboard as they get used in most paleo recipes.
Nuts such as walnuts, macadamias, cashews, almonds and chestnuts are great for morning or afternoon snacks however should be limited because of their high oil content.