Nutrition Diet: What is an example of a paleo diet?

October 24, 2025 •

4 min read

The Paleo diet, which emphasizes whole, unprocessed foods like those presumed to be eaten by our hunter-gatherer ancestors, is a popular modern eating plan. A key component of this diet is eliminating food groups that emerged with farming, including grains, legumes, and dairy.

Quick Summary

The Paleo diet is based on the eating habits of ancient humans, focusing on lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds while avoiding modern processed foods, grains, dairy, and legumes. A typical day on a paleo diet includes meals like scrambled eggs with spinach, a grilled chicken salad, and baked salmon with roasted sweet potatoes, relying on natural, whole ingredients.

Key Points

Core Principle: The Paleo diet emphasizes eating whole foods from before the agricultural revolution, such as lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
Exclusions: It strictly avoids grains, legumes, dairy products, and all processed foods, including refined sugar, salt, and most industrial oils.
Meal Example: A typical Paleo meal might be baked salmon with roasted vegetables and sweet potatoes, showcasing the diet's focus on nutrient-dense, unprocessed ingredients.
Weight Management: By eliminating calorie-dense processed foods and promoting high-protein, high-fiber intake, the Paleo diet can aid in short-term weight loss and increased satiety.
Nutrient Considerations: The diet’s restriction of whole grains and dairy may result in lower intake of certain nutrients like fiber, calcium, and vitamin D, requiring careful planning.
Comparison to Other Diets: Unlike the Mediterranean or DASH diets, Paleo completely eliminates several food groups, like grains and legumes, which are included in those plans.
Sourcing Food: Many followers prioritize grass-fed and wild-caught animal products, believing they are closer to ancestral food sources.

The Paleo diet, also known as the "caveman" or "Stone Age" diet, is based on the premise that our bodies are best suited to consume the foods available before the agricultural revolution began approximately 10,000 years ago. This nutritional approach emphasizes whole, unprocessed foods and avoids modern staples like grains, legumes, and dairy products. Understanding what is an example of a paleo diet goes beyond a simple food list and involves grasping the philosophy behind it. In practice, it looks like a plate filled with nutrient-dense foods that would have been hunted, fished, or gathered.

A Detailed Paleo Diet Example

A practical example of a Paleo diet follows a structure focused on lean proteins, a wide array of vegetables, and healthy fats, with fruits and nuts in moderation. Here is a sample day to illustrate the plan:

Breakfast: A common Paleo breakfast is an omelet made with free-range eggs and sautéed vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Instead of toast, avocado slices provide healthy fats and fiber. Fresh berries can be enjoyed on the side.
Lunch: For lunch, a large, vibrant salad is a staple. It can feature grilled chicken breast or tuna, mixed greens, sliced cucumber, carrots, and tomatoes. The dressing is typically a simple vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. A handful of walnuts or pecans can be added for extra crunch and healthy fats.
Dinner: A satisfying dinner might consist of baked salmon flavored with herbs and lemon, served alongside roasted sweet potatoes and steamed asparagus. The sweet potatoes offer a nutritious, paleo-friendly carbohydrate source.
Snacks: Paleo-friendly snacks often include raw vegetables with guacamole, a handful of mixed nuts, or an apple with almond butter (avoiding peanut butter, as peanuts are legumes).

Paleo Diet Food Categories

To build a comprehensive menu, it's essential to know which food groups are included and excluded. The diet prioritizes foods that are minimally processed and nutrient-dense.

Paleo-Approved Foods

Lean Meats: Beef (grass-fed preferred), chicken, turkey, and pork.
Fish and Seafood: Salmon, mackerel, and halibut, especially wild-caught varieties.
Eggs: Free-range or omega-3 enriched eggs are often emphasized.
Vegetables: All vegetables are fair game, including leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and sweet potatoes.
Fruits: A wide variety of fruits like berries, apples, and bananas.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and chia seeds (in moderation).
Healthy Fats and Oils: Olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil.

Foods to Avoid on Paleo

Grains: Wheat, rice, oats, and barley.
Legumes: Beans, lentils, peas, and peanuts.
Dairy Products: Milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Refined Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners: Candy, pastries, sodas, and most sweetened beverages.
Processed Foods: Most packaged foods, refined vegetable oils, and fast food.

Comparing Paleo to Other Diets

While the Paleo diet shares its emphasis on whole foods with other popular diets, its specific restrictions set it apart. Here’s a comparison to illustrate the differences.


Feature	Paleo Diet	Mediterranean Diet	DASH Diet
Focus	Ancestral, unprocessed, hunter-gatherer foods.	Traditional foods of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.	Diet to Stop Hypertension, focused on blood pressure.
Grains	Excludes all grains, including whole grains.	Encourages whole grains.	Encourages whole grains.
Legumes	Excludes legumes (beans, lentils, peanuts).	Encourages legumes.	Encourages legumes.
Dairy	Excludes all dairy products.	Includes low-fat dairy in moderation.	Includes low-fat dairy.
Lean Protein	Lean meats, fish, eggs emphasized.	Fish and poultry emphasized over red meat.	Lean meats, poultry, fish.
Healthy Fats	Healthy oils like olive, avocado, coconut.	Olive oil is the primary fat source.	Healthy fats included from various sources.

How the Paleo Diet Works for Weight Management

The Paleo diet's structure can be an effective strategy for weight loss. By eliminating ultra-processed foods high in added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats, the overall calorie intake is naturally reduced. The high-protein, high-fiber composition of the diet promotes satiety, helping individuals feel fuller for longer and reduce overall food consumption. Instead of calorie counting, the focus is on eating nutrient-dense whole foods. However, the restrictive nature and potential nutrient deficiencies (like calcium from dairy) require careful planning to maintain a balanced intake.

The Role of Whole Foods and Nutrient Density

The core of the Paleo diet is its emphasis on eating whole, unprocessed foods. This approach naturally leads to a higher intake of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber found in fruits and vegetables. By removing highly processed items from the diet, proponents argue that the body is better able to function and manage weight. It encourages sourcing quality proteins, with many followers opting for grass-fed or wild-caught options, which may have a different fat profile than conventionally raised animals.

Conclusion

In summary, an example of a paleo diet is a nutrition plan that revives the eating habits of our hunter-gatherer ancestors by focusing on whole foods like lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. It deliberately excludes grains, legumes, dairy, and processed foods. This dietary approach has shown short-term benefits in studies, including improvements in weight and metabolic markers. While it encourages a healthy emphasis on unprocessed food, its highly restrictive nature contrasts with other popular diets like the Mediterranean and DASH plans, and can pose challenges to long-term adherence and nutrient balance, especially concerning calcium and fiber intake. As with any significant dietary change, it is advisable to consult a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian to ensure your nutritional needs are met.

What to Eat on a Paleo Diet

A Simple Shopping List

Protein: Lean cuts of beef, ground turkey, chicken breast, salmon fillets, and eggs.
Vegetables: Spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini.
Fruits: Berries, apples, bananas, avocados.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds.
Healthy Fats: Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil.
Herbs and Spices: Garlic, turmeric, rosemary, black pepper.

Sample Meal Ideas

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and avocado.
Lunch: Leftover bison burgers (in lettuce wraps) with a side of roasted sweet potato fries.
Dinner: Broiled halibut steak with steamed asparagus and a side salad with lemon-juice dressing.
Snack: Apple slices with a handful of almonds.

Frequently Asked Questions

A simple paleo breakfast could be scrambled eggs with sautéed spinach and avocado. Alternatively, a fruit and berry smoothie made with coconut milk is another popular option.

Yes, root vegetables and tubers like sweet potatoes are generally considered paleo-friendly. While some strict paleo followers may limit certain potatoes, sweet potatoes are a common and accepted source of carbohydrates.

Yes, nuts and seeds are a staple of the paleo diet. Examples include almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Peanuts, however, are a legume and are excluded.

The paleo diet excludes grains and legumes because they were not available to hunter-gatherer ancestors before the development of agriculture. Proponents argue that the human body has not fully adapted to digest them effectively.

Healthy fats and oils from fruits and nuts are recommended. Examples include extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil.

Natural sweeteners like honey are sometimes permitted in moderation on a paleo diet. However, refined sugar and artificial sweeteners are strictly avoided.

The Paleo diet is more restrictive than the Mediterranean diet, as it strictly eliminates grains, legumes, and dairy. The Mediterranean diet, in contrast, includes these food groups in its healthy eating pattern.