21 Easy Paleo Recipes That Are Perfect for Beginners (2024)

FAQs

How do you jumpstart a paleo diet? ›

Eat good amounts of animal protein.

This includes red meat, poultry, pork, eggs, organs (liver, kidney, heart...), wild caught fish and shellfish. Don't be scared to eat the fatty cuts and all meals with proteins should contain fat as well. Learn to cook with bones in the form of stocks and broths.

The diet excludes cereal grains, legumes, dairy, processed oils, refined sugar, alcohol, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and trans fats. Some paleo-friendly foods include lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.

Studies have shown that the paleo diet is effective at reducing belly fat. In one study, 10 healthy women followed a paleo diet for five weeks. On average, they experienced a 3-inch (8-cm) reduction in waist circumference, which is an indicator of belly fat, and around a 10-pound (4.6-kg) weight loss overall ( 23 ).

The bottom line is that the Paleo lifestyle focuses on eating healthy, nutrient-rich foods that help you burn more calories while keeping your calorie intake low. If you're looking for a simple way to lose weight, the Paleo lifestyle is definitely worth a try!

There really is no need to eat more than 3 meals per day, but if you get hungry then here are some paleo snacks that are simple and easily portable: Baby carrots. Hard boiled eggs. A piece of fruit.

“Other alternatives include almond milk creamer, coconut milk, and coconut creamer, which are not usually fortified and not as nutritionally rich.” If you like sweeteners or sugar in your coffee, go for honey, coconut sugar, maple syrup, or stevia. A sprinkle of cinnamon in your coffee tastes great, too!

These fats combined with vegetables such as broccoli, leafy greens, brussel sprouts, squash, onions, and cauliflower; tubers including sweet potatoes and plantains; and fruits including berries, pears, mangos, apples, and dried figs all yield a high fiber intake.

Fatty, calorie-dense foods include fatty meats, oils, nuts and seeds, avocados, coconut, and coconut products. If you tolerate dairy well, full-fat dairy can also add a significant number of calories to your daily intake.

Why am I not hungry on paleo? ›

The high-fiber part, paleo diet devotees maintain, is the key. Because fiber is bulkier and harder to digest, it serves as an appetite suppressant by effectively turning off hunger signals. Except that's not what scientists found when they put the ancient paleo diet to the test—in a test tube.

A modern paleo diet includes fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds. These are foods that in the past people could get by hunting and gathering. It doesn't include foods that became more common when small-scale farming began about 10,000 years ago.

Mark Hyman, MD, the author of Food: What the Heck Should I Eat? and the director of the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Functional Medicine, says these “detox symptoms” usually last seven days. “After about a week, [my patients] start to feel way more energized and clearheaded, and they start to feel good,” he says.

Studies have shown that the paleo diet is effective at reducing belly fat. In one study, 10 healthy women followed a paleo diet for five weeks. On average, they experienced a 3-inch (8-cm) reduction in waist circumference, which is an indicator of belly fat, and around a 10-pound (4.6-kg) weight loss overall ( 23 ).

THE “WADE IN” METHOD: Instead of going 100% Paleo, you decide to SLOWLY transition to the diet over weeks or months. You swap out a food here and there, eliminate one type of food after weaning yourself off of it for months, and you make adjustments along the way.