The Paleo Diet Food List for Weight Loss

What is Paleo?

Following a Paleo diet is actually pretty simple. There's a huge variety of health-promoting nutrient-dense foods to choose from, including:

All meats (and all parts of the animal)
All seafood (fish, shellfish, and sea vegetables)
Eggs
Vegetables of all kinds (and lots of them)
Fruits of all kinds
Edible fungi, like mushrooms
Nuts and seeds
Herbs and spices
Healthy unrefined, unprocessed fats from both animals and plants
Probiotic and fermented foods

As you dig into the Paleo diet foods lists below, you'll see that the variety of foods that fall within these categories in vast—you won't be bored eating a Paleo diet!!

What is the Paleo Diet?

The Paleo diet is described thoroughly here, but to recap: Paleo is a nutrient-focused whole-foods diet, with the goal to maximize foods that heal and minimize foods that harm. It improves health by providing balanced and complete nutrition while avoiding most processed and refined foods and empty calories. It's not a way to simply lose pounds quickly (even though it has that effect for many people!), and it's not a fad that dissolves under scientific scrutiny; rather, every Paleo principle is solidly rooted in the latest research and data (for the most comprehensive resource, see Paleo Principles).

At its core, the Paleo diet is a plant-based diet, with two-thirds or more of your plate covered with plant foods and only one-third with animal foods. Of course, meat and seafood consumption is enthusiastically endorsed because it provides vital nutrients that are not obtainable from plant sources. Sourcing the highest-quality food you can buy is encouraged, meaning choosing grass-fed or pasture-raised meat, wild-caught seafood, and local in-season organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible. See also The Importance of Vegetables and The Importance of Nutrient Density

By focusing on the most nutrient-dense foods and eliminating foods that can contribute to hormone dysregulation, inflammation, and gut dysbiosis (where the bacteria in your gut are the wrong kinds, wrong diversity, or wrong numbers and/or are in the wrong part of the gastrointestinal tract), a Paleo diet can improve a vast array of health conditions. Clinical trials demonstrate that a Paleo diet improves cardiovascular disease risk factors, reduces inflammation, improves glucose tolerance, helps with weight loss, and can even improve autoimmune disease. The current status of scientific research on Paleo-style diets is summarized in Paleo Diet Clinical Trials and Studies.

There are no hard-and-fast rules about when to eat or how much protein versus fat versus carbohydrates to eat (beyond eating some of each with every meal), and there are even some foods (like high-quality dairy and potatoes) that some people choose to include in their diets whereas others do not. This means that there's room to experiment, so you can figure out not just what makes you healthiest but also what makes you happiest and fits best into your schedule and budget. See also Carbs Vs. Protein Vs. Fat: Insight from Hunter-Gatherers, The Diet We're Meant to Eat, Part 3: How Much Meat versus Veggies?, Is Breakfast The Most Important Meal of the Day? New Science Has Answers!.

Best of all, the Paleo diet is not a diet in the sense of being some hard thing that requires a great deal of willpower and self-deprivation until you reach a goal. It's a way of life. Because the focus is long-term health, the Paleo template allows for imperfection but educates you so that you can make the best choices.

Foods to Eat

Now, let's review the amazing variety of health-promoting Paleo diet foods that form the basis of an optimal human diet.

All the foods listed here are great to include in your diet. They are beneficial foods containing vital nutrients that will help you achieve and maintain optimal health. You don't need to eat all of these foods (it's okay if snails and crickets aren't your thing, and it's okay if you just can't get kangaroo meat or mizuna), but the idea is both to give you a definitive "yes list" and to introduce you to some innovative ways to increase variety and nutrient density by exploring new foods.

The following food groups are divided not just by their taxonomy, but more importantly, by the nutrients they contain. This more granular way to look at foods helps to encourage eating a greater variety of foods. Variety is very important because different foods supply different nutrients. Focusing on as many different whole foods as possible makes it easier to achieve sufficient and synergistic quantities of all the nutrients, potentially including some that haven't been discovered yet. Easy strategies to increase variety include "eating the rainbow," meaning that you choose fruits and vegetables of different colors, and "eating snout to tail," meaning that you eat every part of the animal, including offal (organ meat).

Red Meat

antelope
bear
beaver
beef
bison/buffalo
boar
camel
caribou

deer
elk
goat
hare
horse
kangaroo
lamb
llama

moose
mutton
pork
rabbit
sea lion
seal
whale
(essentially, any mammal)

Poultry and Eggs

chicken
dove
duck
eggs (chicken, duck, goose, quail, and so on)
emu

goose
grouse
guinea hen
ostrich
partridge

pheasant
pigeon
quail
turkey
(essentially, any bird)

Other Animal Foods

crocodile
frog
snake
turtle

Fish

anchovy
Arctic char
Atlantic croaker
barcheek goby
bass
bonito
bream
brill
brisling
carp
catfish
cod
common dab
conger
crappie
croaker
drum
eel
fera
filefish
gar
haddock

hake
halibut
herring
John Dory
king mackerel*
lamprey
ling
loach
mackerel
mahi mahi
marlin*
milkfish
minnow
monkfish
mullet
pandora
perch
plaice
pollock
sailfish
salmon

sardine
shad
shark*
sheepshead
silverside
smelt
snakehead
snapper
sole
swordfish*
tarpon*
tilapia
tilefish*
trout
tub gurnard
tuna
turbot
walleye
whiting

* may contain higher levels of methylmercury than selenium; consume in moderation and see The Mercury Content of Seafood: Should we worry?

Shellfish

abalone
clam
cockle
conch
crab
crawfish
cuttlefish

limpet
lobster
mussel
octopus
oyster
periwinkle

prawn
scallop
shrimp
snail
squid
whelk

Also see Oysters, Clams, and Mussels, Oh My! Nutrition Powerhouses or Toxic Danger?

Other Seafood

anemone
caviar/roe
jellyfish
sea cucumber

sea squirt
sea urchin
starfish

Offal

blood
bone broth
bone marrow
brain
chitterlings and natural casings (intestines)
fats and other trimmings (tallow and lard)

fries (testicles)
head meat (cheek and jowl)
heart
kidney
lips
liver

melt (spleen)
rinds (skin)
sweetbreads (thymus gland or pancreas)
tail
tongue
tripe (stomach)

Edible Insects

agave worm
ant
bamboo worm
bee larvae
centipede
cicada
cockroach

cricket
dragonfly
dung beetle
earthworm
fly pupa
grasshopper

hornworm
June bug
locust
mealworm
sago worm
silkworm

Leafy Greens and Salad Veggies

amaranth greens
beet greens
borage greens
carrot tops
cat's-ear
celery
celtuce
Ceylon spinach
chickweed
chicory
Chinese mallow
chrysanthemum leaves
cress
dandelion greens
endive

fat hen
fiddlehead
fluted pumpkin leaves
Good King Henry
greater plantain
komatsuna
Lagos bologi
lamb's lettuce
land cress
lettuce
melokhia
New Zealand spinach
orache
pea leaves
poke

pumpkin sprouts
radicchio
radish sprouts
sculpit (stridolo)
sorrel
spinach
squash blossoms
summer purslane
sunflower sprouts
sweet potato greens
Swiss chard
water spinach
winter purslane

Cruciferous Vegetables

arugula (rocket)
bok choy
broccoli
broccoli rabe (rapini)
broccoflower
Brussels sprouts
cabbage
canola (rapeseed)
cauliflower
Chinese broccoli
collard greens

daikon
field pepperweed
flowering cabbage
garden cress
horseradish
kale
kohlrabi
komatsuna
land cress
maca

mizuna
mustard
radishes
Romanesco
rutabaga
tatsoi
turnips
wasabi
watercress
wild broccoli

Onions, Garlic, and Other Alliums

abusgata
chives
elephant garlic
garlic
kurrat

leek
onion
pearl onion
potato onion
scallion

spring onion
shallot
tree onion
wild leek (ramp)

Root Vegetables and Winter Squash

acorn squash
ambercup squash
arracacha
arrowroot
bamboo shoot
banana squash
beet root
broadleaf arrowhead
burdock
butternut squash
calabaza
camas
canna
carnival squash
carrot
celeriac
Chinese artichoke
daikon
delicata squash

earthnut pea
elephant foot yam
Ensete
ginger
gold nugget squash
Hamburg parsley
horseradish
Hubbard squash
Jerusalem artichoke
jicama
kabocha squash
lotus root
maca
mashua
parsnip
pignut
prairie turnip

pumpkin
salsify
scorzonera
skirret
spaghetti squash
swede
sweet potato
squash, winter (all varieties)
taro
ti
tiger nut
turban squash
ulluco
water caltrop
water chestnut
yacón
yam
yuca (cassava, manioc, tapioca, yucca)

High-Fat Fruits

avocado
coconut
olives (green and black)

Sea Vegetables

aonori
arame
carola
dabberlocks
dulse

hijiki
kombu
laver
mozuku
nori

ogonori
sea grape
sea kale
sea lettuce
wakame

Mushrooms and Other Edible Fungi

beech mushroom (shimeji)
boletus, many varieties
button mushroom, many varieties (includes portobello and crimini)
cauliflower mushroom (Sparassis crispa)
chanterelle, many varieties
field blewit
gypsy mushroom
hedgehog mushroom (sweet tooth fungus)

kefir (includes both yeast and probiotic bacteria)
king trumpet mushroom
kombucha (includes both yeast and probiotic bacteria)
lion's mane mushroom
maitake
matsutake
morel, many varieties
oyster mushroom, many varieties

saffron milk cap
shiitake (oak mushroom)
snow fungus
straw mushroom
tree ear fungus
truffle, many varieties
winter mushroom (enokitake)
yeast (baker's, brewer's, nutritional)

Berries

açaí
bearberry
bilberry
blackberry
blueberry
cloudberry
cranberry
crowberry
currant

elderberry
falberry
gooseberry
grape
hackberry
huckleberry
lingonberry
loganberry
mulberry
Muscadine grape

nannyberry
Oregon grape
raspberry
salmonberry
sea buckthorn
strawberry
strawberry tree
thimbleberry
wineberry

Citrus

amanatsu
blood orange
Buddha's hand
cam sành
citron
clementine
fernandina
grapefruit (many varieties)
kaffir lime
key lime
kinnow

kiyomi
kumquat
lemon (many varieties)
lime (many varieties)
limetta
mandarin
Meyer lemon
orange (many varieties)
orangelo
oroblanco

pomelo
pompia
ponkan
rangpur
shonan gold
sudachi
tangelo
tangerine
tangor
ugli
yuzu

Other Fruits and Veggies

abiu
acerola
ackee
African moringa
ambarella
apple
apricot
artichoke
asparagus
babaco
banana
biriba
bitter melon (bitter gourd)
camucamu
canary melon
canistel
cantaloupe
capers
cardoon
casaba
celery
ceriman
Charentais
chayote
cherimoya
cherry
chokeberry
chokecherry
Christmas melon
coco plum
crabapple
Crenshaw melon
cucumber
custard apple
date
derishi
dragonfruit
durian
edible flowers (such as carnation, clover, dandelion, gladiolus, hibiscus, honeysuckle, lavender, marigold, nasturtium, pansy, primrose, scented geranium)

fennel
fig (many varieties)
Florence fennel
Galia
gambooge
granadilla
greengage
guanabana
guava (many varieties)
guavaberry
hawthorn
honeydew
horned melon
ilama
ivy gourd
jackfruit
jujube
karonda
kiwi
korlan
kumquat
lizard's tail
longan
loofa
loquat
lychee
mamey sapote
mango
mangosteen
maypop
medlar
muskmelon
nance
nectarine
net melon
nopal
ogen melon
okra
papaya
passion fruit

pawpaw
peach
peanut butter fruit
pear
pepino melon
Persian melon
persimmon
pineapple
plantain
plum
pomegranate
Prussian asparagus
pulasan
quince
rambutan
rhubarb (only the stems are edible)
riberry
rose apple
rose hip
rowan
Russian melon (Uzbek melon)
safou
salak
samphire
santol
sea beet
sea kale
service tree
serviceberry
sharlyn
shipova
soursop
squash blossoms
star apple
star fruit (carambola)
sugar apple
sweet melon
tinda
ugni
wampee
watermelon
West Indian gherkin
winter melon
zucchini

Animal Fats*

bacon fat
lard
leaf lard
poultry fat
salo

schmaltz
strutto
tallow
pan drippings

*ideally grass-fed or pasture-raised

Plant Oils**

avocado oil
coconut oil
macadamia nut oil
olive oil
palm oil

palm shortening
red palm oil
sesame oil
walnut oil

**ideally cold-pressed, unrefined, organic, and ethically sourced

Probiotic Foods

beet and other vegetable kvasses
coconut milk kefir or yogurt
kombucha
raw, unpasteurized, lactofermented vegetables (kimchi, beets, carrots, pickles)
raw, unpasteurized, lactofermented fruits (green papaya, chutneys)
raw, unpasteurized, lactofermented condiments (relishes, salsas)
raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut
water kefir

Nuts***

almonds
Brazil nuts
cashews
chestnuts
coconut
hazelnuts

macadamia nuts
pecans
pine nuts
pili nuts
pistachios
walnuts

Seeds***

cacao (chocolate)
chia (technically a pseudograin, but without the issues of other pseudograins)
flax (caution: high in phytoestrogens)
hemp

poppy
pumpkin
sacha inchi
sesame
sunflower

***limit nut and seed consumption to 1 ounce per day

Herbs

balm (lemon balm)
basil leaves (sweet)
bay leaves (laurel leaves)
chamomile
chervil
chives
cilantro (coriander leaf)
curry leaves
dill weed

epazote
fenugreek leaves
Kaffir lime leaves
marjoram
lavender
lemongrass
oregano
perilla leaves (beefsteak leaves)

parsley
peppermint
rosemary
sage
savory
spearmint
tarragon
thyme

Spices

amchur (mango powder)
ajwain
allspice
anise seed
annatto seed
asafetida*
black caraway
black pepper
caraway
cardamom
celery seed
cinnamon
cloves

coriander seed
cumin seed
dill seed
fennel seed
fenugreek seed
garlic
ginger
green peppercorns
juniper
mace
mustard seed
nutmeg

pink peppercorns
saffron
star anise
sumac
truffles
turmeric
vanilla bean
wasabi
white pepper

*frequently sold mixed with wheat starch

Minerals

Celtic sea salt
Himalayan pink salt
sea vegetable powder (or salt)
sel gris
truffle salt

Beverages

almond milk (emulsifier-free)
beet and other vegetable kvasses
carbonated or sparkling water
coconut milk (emulsifier-free)
coconut milk kefir
coconut water
coffee (in moderation)
kombucha
lemon or lime juice
nut and seed milks (emulsifier-free)

mineral water
soda water
tea, green, black, or white
tea, herbal (including chamomile, chicory, cinnamon, citrus rind, clove, dandelion root, dried fruit, ginger, Greek mountain, hibiscus, honeybush, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, marshmallow root, milk thistle, mint, olive leaf, rose hip, rooibos, sage, sea buckthorn, turmeric, and yerba mate)
vegetable juices and green smoothies (in moderation)
water
water kefir

Pantry Items and Flavoring Ingredients

almond flour
agar agar
anchovies or anchovy paste (check ingredients)
apple cider vinegar
arrowroot powder
baking soda
balsamic vinegar
blackstrap molasses (see Blackstrap Molasses: The Sugar You Can Love!)
bonito flakes
capers
carob powder (in moderation)
cassava flour
chestnut flour
chocolate (dark)
chutneys (check ingredients)
coconut aminos (a great soy sauce substitute)
coconut butter (aka creamed coconut, coconut cream concentrate)
coconut cream
coconut flour
coconut milk
coconut water vinegar
cream of tartar
dried fruit (in moderation)
fish sauce (check ingredients)
gelatin
green banana flour
honey (in moderation)
jams and jellies (in moderation; check ingredients)

kuzu starch
maple syrup (in moderation)
molasses (in moderation)
nutritional yeast (caution: common sensitivity)
nuts and seeds (including butters, oils and flours)
olives
plantain flour (check ingredients)
pomegranate molasses (in moderation)
red wine vinegar
sea vegetables
shrimp paste (check ingredients)
sweet potato flour or starch
sunflower seed flour
tamarind paste
tapioca starch
tiger nut flour
truffles
truffle oil (made with extra-virgin olive oil; check ingredients)
truffle salt (check ingredients)
umeboshi paste
unrefined cane sugars (in moderation)
vegetable powders (such as pumpkin, sweet potato, spinach)
water chestnut flour
white wine vinegar

The Paleo Diet Food List for Weight Loss

Source: https://www.thepaleomom.com/paleo-diet-foods/