What is paleo plus dairy called? An Introduction to the Primal Diet

October 21, 2025 •

4 min read

While the strict Paleo diet prohibits dairy, a growing number of adherents have adopted an alternative known as the Primal Diet. This variation is the answer to the question 'What is paleo plus dairy called?' and incorporates some dairy back into an ancestral-inspired eating plan.

Quick Summary

The Primal Diet is an evolved version of the Paleo diet that includes high-quality, full-fat dairy products like butter and fermented options. It emphasizes ancestral eating principles with more dietary flexibility.

Key Points

The Primal Diet: This is the name for a paleo-style diet that includes dairy, but focuses on high-quality, full-fat, and fermented options.
Quality Over Quantity: Not all dairy is permitted; Primal followers prefer products from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals, such as grass-fed butter, kefir, and full-fat yogurt.
Individual Tolerance: The Primal approach emphasizes testing your personal tolerance to dairy, as factors like genetics and casein sensitivity can cause issues for some.
Expanded Principles: The Primal Diet is a broader lifestyle that includes diet, regular exercise, sufficient sleep, and sun exposure, beyond just food choices.
More Flexible than Paleo: While both diets shun processed foods and grains, the Primal Diet is generally considered more flexible, allowing moderate amounts of dairy and some legumes.

What is the Primal Diet?

The Primal Diet, as outlined by Mark Sisson in his book The Primal Blueprint, is often the term used for an eating plan that is essentially Paleo plus dairy. While the core tenets of avoiding processed foods, refined sugars, and grains remain, the Primal approach distinguishes itself by allowing for the moderate consumption of certain high-quality dairy products. This philosophy goes beyond just food, encompassing a broader lifestyle that includes exercise, sleep, and sun exposure, aligning with what is believed to be the health-promoting ways of pre-agricultural humans.

Origins and Principles

Like the Paleo diet, the Primal diet is rooted in the belief that the modern Western diet, particularly the introduction of agriculture, has led to a rise in chronic diseases. Both diets focus on whole, unprocessed foods that early humans would have hunted or gathered. However, Primal acknowledges that human evolution didn't stop with the Paleolithic era. It recognizes that some populations adapted to thrive with the introduction of certain foods, such as dairy. For Primal adherents, the key is not just whether a food is 'Paleo,' but how well a person's body tolerates it and the food's quality.

The Place of Dairy in the Primal Diet

For those who tolerate it well, the Primal diet permits certain types of dairy. The emphasis is on quality over quantity. This means choosing products from grass-fed, pasture-raised cows, as these contain higher levels of beneficial nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Highly processed, pasteurized, and skimmed dairy is typically avoided, with raw, full-fat, and fermented options being preferred.

Types of dairy allowed on the Primal diet:

Grass-fed butter and ghee: These are mostly milk fat, containing very little lactose or casein, making them well-tolerated by many people.
Full-fat, fermented products: Kefir and yogurt are excellent sources of probiotics, and the fermentation process breaks down lactose, improving digestibility.
Raw, full-fat milk: Sourced directly from grass-fed animals, some Primal followers believe this retains beneficial enzymes and bacteria lost during pasteurization.
Hard cheeses: Cheeses that have been aged for a long time have very low lactose content, making them a suitable option for some.

Benefits of Adding Dairy

Including high-quality dairy can offer several nutritional advantages, helping to fill gaps sometimes found in a strict Paleo diet:

Nutrient Density: Dairy is a rich source of essential nutrients, including calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, and B vitamins.
Healthy Fats: Full-fat dairy, especially from grass-fed sources, provides beneficial fats like CLA and vitamin K2.
Probiotics: Fermented dairy like kefir and yogurt can boost gut health by introducing beneficial bacteria.

Potential Downsides and Considerations

Despite the benefits, dairy can cause issues for some individuals. A person's tolerance depends on several factors, including genetics and overall gut health.

Lactose Intolerance: Many adults lack the enzyme lactase needed to digest the milk sugar, lactose.
Casein Sensitivity: The protein casein, particularly the A1 variant found in many commercial dairy cows (Holsteins), can cause digestive and inflammatory problems for some. Raw or goat's milk often contains the easier-to-digest A2 casein.
Insulinogenic Effect: Dairy can have an insulin-promoting effect, which may be a concern for those managing blood sugar or certain skin conditions.

To determine if dairy is right for you, an elimination diet is often recommended. Remove all dairy for a period, then reintroduce it slowly while monitoring your body's reaction.

Primal Diet vs. Paleo Diet: A Comparison


Feature	Strict Paleo Diet	Primal Diet
Dairy	Excludes all dairy, though some may permit ghee or grass-fed butter.	Allows high-quality, full-fat, and fermented dairy from grass-fed sources.
Grains	Excludes all grains, both whole and refined.	Excludes all grains, aligning with the Paleo stance.
Legumes	Excludes all legumes, including beans, peas, and lentils.	Allows for the occasional intake of some legumes, especially fermented soy.
Lifestyle	Primarily a dietary framework.	A comprehensive lifestyle blueprint, including diet, exercise, sleep, and sun exposure.
Flexibility	Generally more rigid and less flexible.	More flexible, emphasizing individual tolerance and well-being.

The Evolution of Ancestral Eating

The Primal Diet represents an evolution of ancestral eating principles, moving from the rigid rules of early Paleo to a more personalized approach. It acknowledges that human dietary needs and tolerances can vary widely. Instead of a one-size-fits-all plan, it encourages adherents to listen to their bodies and incorporate elements that promote optimal health.

This adaptability is why many find the Primal approach more sustainable in the long run. By not demonizing an entire food group based solely on ancient history, it allows individuals to benefit from nutrient-rich options like fermented dairy, provided they can tolerate them without adverse effects. The ultimate goal is to move away from processed foods and towards a diet of whole, real foods, leveraging the best of ancestral wisdom for modern health.

In conclusion, what is paleo plus dairy called? The answer is typically the Primal Diet. It is a refined version of Paleo that permits high-quality dairy, offering a more flexible and potentially more nutrient-dense approach for those who can enjoy it. Before making any significant dietary changes, it is always recommended to consult a healthcare professional to ensure it aligns with your individual health needs. You can explore more about primal living on Mark's Daily Apple, a central resource for this approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main difference is the inclusion of dairy in the Primal diet. While strict Paleo excludes all dairy, the Primal diet allows for moderate amounts of high-quality, full-fat, grass-fed, and fermented dairy products.

Not necessarily. While fermented and hard cheeses have lower lactose content, individuals with lactose intolerance may still have issues. Some may tolerate A2 casein-rich milk from sources like goats or certain cow breeds better.

Primal followers generally favor full-fat dairy from grass-fed sources. Common choices include grass-fed butter, ghee, full-fat yogurt, kefir, and certain hard cheeses.

People add dairy to a Paleo-style diet for the nutritional benefits, such as calcium, vitamin D, and probiotics, and to improve the diet's sustainability and enjoyment. These individuals are essentially following the Primal approach.

Ghee, or clarified butter, is generally considered acceptable on both diets. The process of making ghee removes most of the milk solids, including lactose and casein, leaving behind pure milk fat.

The rationale is that some human populations evolved to tolerate and thrive on dairy after the agricultural revolution. The Primal diet acknowledges this, focusing on high-quality, easily digestible dairy options for those who tolerate them well.

Yes, beyond dairy, the Primal diet is slightly more lenient on some other foods. For instance, it allows for occasional legumes (especially fermented soy) and nightshade vegetables, which are often limited on a strict Paleo diet.