Welcome to my Paleo Diet Banned Foods List.
You have decided to take on Paleo. Then you realize there is quite a lot to it. There are of course the allowed foods list and then the banned foods.
I actually find the banned foods list easier to get my head around as a lot of it is logical based on foods that we all know are bad for us and that we should stay away from.
It is also about educating yourself. Understanding what is bad for you and why you shouldn’t have it and what makes our body react to certain foods we eat. For example for me I noticed the biggest difference was I removed carbs from my lifestyle. Starchy vegetables that can be used in a similar way to carbs work so much better and it makes me feel amazing.
In a nutshell you should avoid the following:
• Processed Foods & Drink
• Dairy
• Carbs
• Beans, Pulses & Lentils
• Alcohol
• Added Sugar
You look at that list and think to yourself – six things that must be easy and it is. You are kissing goodbye to a lot of the things that you end up bingeing on because they are full of useless calories.
For example when you are out and there are bread and butter available with the olives you end up having way too much bread. In the same sense at Christmas when there is unlimited chocolate available you will often end up bingeing and having way more than you should.
When you are eating healthy foods you never have the same urge to do this.
In regards to processed foods is often a case of lifestyle. I had a lot of them growing up, I was born in the early 80’s and food was often about canned pasta, more canned pasta, pasta in a sachet, ready meals and then when you had finished with all those you would have processed sliced meat from the Deli counter.
Thankfully, my Grandparents had an allotment and when I was with them I would be on a healthy eating binge. There would be lots of raw carrots, strawberries and tomatoes to eat and loads of other things. My Grandad was also a fisherman and he would make loads of fresh fishcakes and I would love every bit of food that I ate. They would of course give me money for the sweet shop but it was in moderation considering on the healthy food I had just had.
Now kids are brought up more and more on unhealthy processed foods that no wonder they have issues. When friends talk about their kids being ill and then they mention their diet I realize they need to change in the long term for improved health.
As a Paleo follower you could choose to totally ban all these foods on a day to day basis or have them as treats or as I would say “in moderation”. Get excited about cooking from scratch and feel happy that processed foods are not entering your kids systems.
But here is a run down in more detail about the banned foods:
Processed Foods
Processed foods are so bad for you and yet the majority of us have them everyday. We have cans of Diet Coke, we by processed meat from the Deli counter, we buy cooking sauces, we even use margarine and as a bad alternative to butter.
Here are some examples of processed foods that you should stay away from:
• Sunflower/Vegetable Oil
• Margarine
• Canned Meals (think spaghetti shapes in tomato sauce)
• Fizzy Drinks
• Cordial
• Fruit Juices (they are often incredibly high in sugar)
Dairy
Now I would be lying if I said I don’t miss dairy. I love my dairy foods and its weird not to have them as part of my day to day lifestyle.
Apart from eggs on Paleo they are all part of the banned food list. They often have different reasons for them being bad for you. The biggest one in our weight loss society is that we often go for low calorie versions that just make us need more of them as we want to get back what we have lost.
Then with the high calorie ones they are often bad for our bodies and too much of them can then lead to issues like high blood pressure. This is also one of the reasons why Paleo followers with high blood pressure can be cured once they have cut out dairy and processed foods for a couple of months.
Here is the dairy produce to stay away from:
• Butter
• Margarine/Dairy Spreads
• Single/Double Cream
• Cheese (all varieties including quark, cottage, cream)
• Milk (except coconut)
• Yoghurt
• Milkshake
• Icecream
Carbs
I love carbs. Give me potatoes, rice, bread, cereal, oats, flour and I am happy. I just love them. But my body never quite agrees. Since I have gone carb free I have felt so much better. I am not saying I am going to go the rest of life without them but “in moderation” is certainly key to my needs.
Here is some carbs to stay away from:
• Cereal
• Bread
• Muffins/Bagels
• Crackers/Biscuits
• Oatmeal
• Pancakes
• Cookies
• Crisps
• Doughnuts
• Corn & Corn Syrup
• Flour
• Pasta
• Rice
• Potatoes
Beans & Pulses
I must admit I have never been a huge beans fan so losing these is no loss to me. I would buy the odd can of baked beans in tomato sauce but that would be about the lot.
Many people get confused by what beans and pulses mean. In other words they are usually the extras that often go into vegetarian meals. They will include all beans, all peas and all lentils.
In a nutshell these are the foods to avoid
• All beans
• All peas (including garden peas, chickpea etc)
• Peanuts/Peanut Butter
• Miso
• Lentils
• Lupins
• Mesquite
• Soybeans (including Soy Sauce)
• Tofu
Since starting Paleo I have preferred having cans of tinned tomatoes as a replacement for beans and you’ll never miss them.
Alcohol
Sorry the booze has to go. But look on the bright side you won’t have a hangover anymore. You can wake up on a Sunday morning and feel refreshed rather than reaching for fat and sugar foods to help with the hangover.
I am not a big drinker anyway so this is no big deal to me, but for those with an addiction to lots of white wine it can probably be hard work!
No Added Sugar
OMG no added sugar? So I really have to give up on my tubs of Ben & Jerry’s? Or my bags of Haribos?
Maybe I will get over them eventually – who knows?
I am actually surprised when I was investigating foods for this blog post how much produce is very high in sugar. We can often have a daily supply just from one portion of cereal and that is really scary.
Here is the low down on some added sugar to stay clear of:
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Chocolate Bars
• White Sugar
• Cakes
• Shortbread
• Sweets
• Candy Floss
• Popcorn
Basically in the sugar world you want to concentrate on natural sugar, not white sugar or artificial sugars. Have honey and maple syrup in your biscuits instead of white sugar, make pancakes from egg and honey instead. Another option is to get your sugar from the fruit you eat.