Paleo meals are simple to fix, especially when a person understands exactly what they can eat, and what they can't. The great thing about this meal plan is that unlike other meal plans, there are far more foods that can be enjoyed, than foods that can't be enjoyed. So with this said, let's take a look at what you can buy at the store, and what you can fix to enjoy flavorful and healthy meals when you are creating a menu based on the principles of paleo meals.
Lean Meat: This is a wide group of meats that includes beef, chicken, and pork. While these are the three major meat groups that are common to all, there are other sources of lean meat that can be enjoyed as well. The exotic meats that a person will eat will depend upon their personal taste, and regional customs. The paleolithic man ate the animals that were available to them. In today's world, we can eat meat from all over the world. As long as it is lean and organic, then feel free to enjoy it. It's important to note that when you are buying your meat buy it organic. This means that it's free of hormones, pesticides, or any preserving chemicals such as nitrates or phosphates. Needless to say, these chemicals weren't around in earlier times. The human body wasn't meant to process these chemicals and therefore, they can be the cause of many health and digestive issues.
Seafood: Many early humans lived on or near coastal regions. As such, they would go fishing for a wide variety of fish, or shellfish. These food sources are wonderful sources of protein and minerals such as zinc and iodine. Not only this, but seafood is simply delicious. The great thing is that most people eat seafood and fish anyway, so they would already know how to prepare it. It's important to note that seafood or shellfish should not be coated with traditional flour, or with artificial coatings such as processed breadcrumbs. There are other ways to coat seafood, such as nut-based coatings. Having said this, seafood can be browned or fried in nut or fruit oils and coated in spices, for wonderful and delicious paleo meals.
Vegetables: Vegetables are a no-brainer for the most part, when it comes to enjoying paleo meals. Of course, vegetables can be roasted, grilled, baked, or steamed. However, butter basted vegetables are a no-no. This is because dairy products such as butter are processed products. Yes, there are organic butters on the market, but butter was not a food product that the paleolithic man ate. So how can a person enjoy their vegetables? They can feel free to drizzle their vegetables in oils such as olive oil, or coconut oil. There are nut oils that would go well with vegetables as well. Of course, a person can use a wide variety of herbs and spices to season their vegetables as well.
Fruit: When the paleolithic man ate fruit, they not only did they eat what was regional, but they ate what was seasonal. Of course, today's man can eat fruit from all over the world at any time of year. What one has to be careful of is that they are eating fruit that is organic. It wouldn't do to eat fruit that was processed with pesticides, fungicides, or with wax or dyes. But beyond these concerns, a person should feel free to eat fruit as a snack or as an ingredient for preparing paleo meals.