How Paleo Is Your Diet?

Paleo Food Pyramid

According to The Guidelines Below, How Paleolithic is Your Diet?

Paleo Food List Guidelines

Meats:
Beef, Flank steak, Top sirloin steak, Hamburger, London broil, Chuck steak, Veal, Pork, Pork loin, Pork chops, Rabbit, Goat, Lamb.

Game meat:
Alligator, Bear, Bison (buffalo), Caribou, Elk, Emu, Goose, Kangaroo, Muscovy duck, New Zealand cervena deer, Ostrich, Pheasant, Quail, Rattlesnake, Reindeer, Squab, Turtle, Venison, Wild boar, Wild turkey.

Organ meats:
Beef, lamb, pork and chicken livers, Beef, pork and lamb tongues, Beef, lamb and pork marrow, Beef, lamb and pork “sweetbreads”

Poultry:
Chicken breast, Turkey breast, Game Hen breasts.

Eggs:
Chicken, Duck, Goose.

Fish:
Bass, Bluefish, Cod, Drum, Eel, Flatfish, Grouper, Haddock, Halibut, Herring, Mackerel, Monkfish, Mullet, Northern pike, Orange roughy, Perch, Red snapper, Rockfish, Salmon, Scrod, Shark, Striped bass, Sunfish, Tilapia, Trout, Tuna, Turbot, Walleye, Any other commercially available fish.

Shellfish:
Abalone, Clams, Crab, Crayfish, Lobster, Mussels, Oysters, Scallops, Shrimp.

Vegetables:
Artichoke, Asparagus, Beet greens, Beets, Bell peppers, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Collards, Cucumber, Dandelion, Eggplant, Endive, Green onions, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard greens, Onions, Parsley, Parsnip, Peppers (all kinds), Pumpkin, Purslane, Radish, Rutabaga, Seaweed, Spinach, Squash (all kinds), Swiss chard, Tomatillos, Tomato ( a fruit that think is a vegetable), Turnip greens, Turnips, Watercress.

Fruits:
Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Blackberries, Blueberries, Boysenberries, Cantaloupe, Carambola, Cassava melon, Cherimoya, Cherries, Cranberries, Figs, Gooseberries, Grapefruit, Grapes, Guava, Honeydew melon, Kiwi, Lemon, Lime, Lychee, Mango, Nectarine, Orange, Papaya, Passion fruit, Peaches, Pears, Persimmon, Pineapple, Plums, Pomegranate, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Star fruit, Strawberries, Tangerine, Watermelon, All other fruits.

Nuts & Seeds:
Almonds, Brazil nuts, Cashews, Chestnuts, Hazelnuts (filberts), Macadamia nuts, Pecans, Pine nuts, Pistachios (unsalted), Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts.

Oils & Fats:
Olive, avocado, walnut, flaxseed.

Beverages:
Coffee, Tea, Wine, Beer, Spirits.

Note:
Any food NOT in the chart above falls into the non-paleo category. This is straight-up “Paleolithic Diet” we are talking here, not The Primal Blueprint and/or it’s exceptions or “sensible vices”.

Feel free to expand your thoughts about what is/isn’t paleo, but for the data’s accuracy, please follow the guidelines above.

Now for the Questionnaire

Do you Follow the 80/20 rule as in plans like the Primal Blueprint?
How are your diet’s percentage % numbers broken down?
How often do you fall off the wagon? (Be honest)
Are strays in your diet intentional? (People do indulge and/or mess up. Be honest)
If your “20%” is a class of foods, which foods do you allow? (Mine is raw dairy)

Please Re-Tweet if you’re using twitter, or post to your Facebook if you do that whole thing. The more answers we get the better! I have a plan for this data.

Please leave your answers in the comments section. If you’re embarrassed by telling the truth, please use a fake name. I’d rather have the correct data than you fudging data to look more Paleo/Primal than you really are.

Thank You in Advance for Participating!

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 4:28am and is filed under Food, Primal Health and tagged with Food, Paleo Diet . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Grok - Nov 19, 2009 @ 4:33am

1.) Yes
2.) Right now 95/5. Normally 80/20-ish.
3.) It’s been 2 full months since a stumble. Normally 1 day a month.
4.) About 1/2 the time they’re planned. Usually Holiday/Birthday events.
5.) Yes. My current 5% is whey shakes. 20% is fermented Raw dairy & sugar ferments.

Like or Dislike: 0 0

thania1 - Nov 19, 2009 @ 5:49am

Hi Grok, thanks for the summary , how about the coconut oil?

Ok now:

1) Yes
2) 80/20 mostly
3) Cant tell, but not often. The last one was about 10 days ago, I almost died Lol
4)Not planned , when angry is a v high probability, Uffff
5) Mostly dairy , now whey shakes, and I give in to rice .., ( Is the hardest issue for me with this way of eating:)

IMO totally as/more paleo than Olive oil, but it’s not on the list ~Grok

vgdave - Nov 19, 2009 @ 8:43am

1. No
2. 95% on.
3. Rarely since a couple of months into paleo
4. Yes
5. Dairy/scotch/beer/dark chocolate

No animal fats in your fat/oil section? What about coconut/palm?

Not my list or it would be. Is heavy on my personal chart up top.

IMO 100% cacao is an ancient food source and is completely paleo. I’m on board with CO/Palm to, but it does take processing to get it out, but so does olive oil?

Funny enough, beer and scotch is on this list?

Desavoir - Nov 19, 2009 @ 11:37am

1. Yes?
2. 90% (When I eat out I know I can’t control every sauce, try as I might)
3. Just started two months ago and I haven’t fallen off once.
4. No (I’m still new so I’m focused on being as good as possible)
5. Red wine/dark chocolate

Great Job! Wine is approved in moderation I guess too.

Max Barry - Nov 19, 2009 @ 2:31pm

Hey Groc, Like the post bro, will definately RT this one…

2.) About 90-95% for me: 5% non-Paleo: my Stevia habit!

ALL meats, fish, game – Veg: celery, zukes, greens, ginger – Fruit (rare): lemons, berries – Fats: Coconut/Cod liver oil, marrow (whenever I can get my paws on it), nuts, cacao – Beverage: H2O, coffee, green tea

Avg carb intake: 50g/day – Avg workout: 40 min/day (high intensity) – Been playing w IF for a while now(2yrs)… right now I’m fasting 20+ hours most days, besides CLO intake which is about 1-3 TBS/day.

Be well,
Max – President Nu-FiT
Nu-FiT.net

Thanks Bro! Big CLO fan here too. I take 1-2T most days. Sounds a lot like mine. My veg are roots & greens too. I compacked your comment, but the content is all there still. Hope you don’t mind.

Chris - Nov 19, 2009 @ 2:57pm

1-yes
2-like 90-10
3-never
4-yes
5-raw dairy,occasional rice or gf oats

Raw dairy lovers so far… Good stuff!

Rice is probably a good vice. Billions of people eat it in moderation and stay healthy. I haven’t partaken since going primal, but I used to eat a lot of it. Still have sealed containers of some quality stuff in cupboard.

Jason - Nov 19, 2009 @ 4:21pm

Grok, thanks for all of your entertaining info and help!

1) I do not hold myself to a true 80/20, but I do try to make all of my food choices as Paleo as possible.
2) If you’re 80/20, then I’m probably closer to 70/30
3) With my line of reasoning, I don’t fall off the wagon. I’m not strict Paleo, but do my best with what I have. I probably won’t have the “best” results, but my choices have already made a difference to me and set me ahead of 95% of the population. I’m OK with that.
4) Yes, my strays are intentional and there is a cost/benefit discussion internally. Sometimes the cost is too high, but when I do splurge, I ENJOY it!
5) I’m with you on dairy. I also have a hard time giving up peanut butter.

You’re welcome. Thank you for contributing!

Probably 99% above the population… your body is ok with that too! I like to think a stray once every blue moon is a system shocker and potentially beneficial. Surely Grok found a Beehive now and again? Peanut butter? With so many other delicious butters that are way better (IMO)?

findchris - Nov 19, 2009 @ 6:22pm

1. I am probably close to 80/20. Having balance allows me to enjoy going out to nice restaurants.
2. Some weeks 100%/0%, some %60/40%.
3. Once/week
4. Definitely conscious and intentional.
5. Cheese, alcohol, chocolate, and sometimes fresh restaurant bread/dessert (rare).

Keep up the good work

Thanks @findchris. Feel better when they’re intentional. Master of your own domain That restaurant bread is like crack, be careful buddy! Actually there’s a study now showing it’s worse than crack! Ha-ha

Olivia - Nov 19, 2009 @ 6:37pm

1. Yes.

2. About 80/20.

3. I’ve only been doing this for 3 weeks, so twice so far. Twice I had some croutons on a Caesar salad, and I didn’t ask about the Caesar dressing.

4. Not planned at all.

5. I allow raw dairy, coconut oil, Synergy, and sometimes don’t ask about details when I eat out at a nice restaurant. Usually at a restaurant I eat just what I’m absolutely sure of (like just avoid the dressing on the salad or the mango salad if I think it might have sugar added).

Doing great Olivia! You can make requests at restaurants you know. Ask them hold the croutons and add extra nuts or something, and ask for olive oil instead. They don’t care. I never eat out, so I don’t have many of the temptations many of you have.

TruckerGirl - Nov 20, 2009 @ 2:56pm

1) yes. I’d like to go 100%, but with limited truck stop choices it’s not really practical.

2) Some days it’s 90%/10%, others it’s closer to 60%/40% – depends on what’s available.

3) Every couple of days.

4) Not intentional – necessary. I can only IF for so long, and again – truck stop fare, and not all of them have restaurants (think foraging for primal food in a convenience store.)

5) Dairy (cheese mostly), dark chocolate to celebrate a milestone, less than perfectly primal meat choices (ie – commercially made beef jerky which usually has sugar, too much salt, and even MSG added)

I know all about the cellophane wrapped truck stop food. Bleh…. I worked in an industrial area for about a decade. Nasty mayo-soaked soggy white bread, w/gross ham & iceberg lettuce. A pickly slice if you’re lucky! If you’re really lucky… you might find a 5 bite sized lettuce salad w/one sliced egg, bacon bits and a chopped up slice of tomato.

Sounds to me like you’re doing fairly well. You may have to start packing more of your own food. Some of the vendors on my Real Food resource page have some good not-so perishable stuff you could rathole in the truck.

Stacey Clayton - Nov 20, 2009 @ 3:15pm

1. Yes!

2. I like to think more 90/10

3. Family gatherings is tough, like this Thanksgiving I volunteered to work 12 hours so I could avoid the overabundance of that meal that day.

4. No, cheating to me is maybe eating bigger portions

5. Synergy lately and whey protein powder.

I stay away from fruits, I have been strict on the avoidance of sugars. I have been into so many heated discussions on that subject that I have to stay true to myself. WE ALL HAVE CHOICES!

Grok on!

Like my new pic? Thanks CastleGrok new avatar? I still see the purple bug

Sounds almost exactly like me. I doubt I’ll stray/cheat anymore, but I do enjoy a big primal feast! I’ll be only eating fruit in season and in very little quantities in the future. I have some dried apple and pears from this year, so I will probably crumble some of those into my coconut flakes once I start training a little harder in about 6 months. I don’t really put berries in with fruit since they are lower glycemic and have more AOX, but I’m limiting quantities of those also. I have a bunch of frozen berries I picked in the freezer.

Mudbeard - Nov 21, 2009 @ 1:26am

1. Not intentionally
2. 85/15
3. Once in a while. I try not to be too restrictive to myself. It’s a menu to me, not a diet.
4. Nope.
5. Dairy (mostly only fermented (yoghurt, kefir, cheese)

“It’s a menu to me” PERFECT! And I love looking at your menu. I hate using the word “diet” when I’m talking with people. Most automatically pop “fad” into their mind. I’ve been at this long enough now, that people who know me at all are starting to realize my interest in this “diet” is hardly a fad.

I’m with you on the ferments. Every once in a blue moon I’ll put straight raw milk into my coconut flakes. Honestly, right now I’m scared of the carbs. I’m so damn sick of dieting. Cant wait to get back to maintenance! I may drinking more straight Raw goat milk post-workout for glycogen replenishing. That wont happen until I’m done with this cut and start training longer again.

Rachel - Nov 21, 2009 @ 2:23am

1. Most of the time, yes.
2. Not including this week, 80/20 most of the time. Stress shakes up that ratio =/.
3. More often than I’d like.
4. Yep.
5. Dark chocolate, wine, dairy.

Lack of sleep definitely leads to massive overeating for me. Since I upped my dose of Vitamin D to 6,250iu, I’ve been MUCH less stressed and had a much easier time eating healthy and in normal portion sizes. See my Vitamin D Super-dosing page. There’s some outgoing links there that will give body-weight dosing recommendations. This might be something worth looking into for you too.

Sandy Sommer, RKC - Nov 21, 2009 @ 6:28am

1) Yes

2) 85/15 I’d say. Raw dairy and coconut oil are the main culprits.

3) Fall off for birthdays without guilt and have been known to eat Localavore ice cream once a month.
4) Yes my strays are thoughtful.

5) See above.

Pretty sad coconut oil is not on the list and Olive is. Not sure what Professor Cordain’s logic is there (maybe someone knows?), but he is a very smart guy and must have a reason. Coconut is most certainly an ancient food (not for all of us) and a great source of MCTs.

Beastie Girl - Nov 21, 2009 @ 1:59pm

1. Do you Follow the 80/20 rule as in plans like the Primal Blueprint?

No, I try to make everything as 100% as possible, but some days I just go “fuck it” and have pizza and ice cream – but that happens less than once every three months. Every now and again I’ll have a little milk in my coffee or a plain full fat yoghurt, but actually I strive for 99/1. This has mostly to do with the fact that I’m very overweight and need to drop a huge amount. Once I’ve shed what I need to I probably will relax a bit and eat tubers…

2. How are your diet’s percentage % numbers broken down?

I have no idea, really, but I suspect about 15-25% protein, 70% fat and 5% carbs.

3. How often do you fall off the wagon? (Be honest)

Really truly fall off the wagon and binge on neolithic foods? About once every three months. But ONE meal with ONE neolithic aspect such as rice, potatoes or a dessert? About once every two weeks.

4. Are strays in your diet intentional? (People do indulge and/or mess up. Be honest)

Uhm, sometimes out of either laziness or a desire for variety I’ll just say “hang it all’ and have cheese or bread for example and I’ve definitely CHOSEN to go that route, so in a sense they are intentional. NOW they are – they never used to be. It took me one year to get in full control of my eating patterns.

5. If your “20%” is a class of foods, which foods do you allow? (Mine is raw dairy)

My forays into less-paleo foods are always chocolate, ice cream and cheese.

Sounds like your “20″ is the occasional “fuck it” I’m a bit surprised I haven’t see a little bit more of that. Not as many people demonizing dairy like the grains as I expected. However, most of the dairy above is fermented.

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