As I sit here typing this post eating carrots and edamame hummus, I’m glad I do not follow the Paleo diet. You can’t have soy products (edamame) or legumes (chickpeas) both of which are in my hummus. You can’t even have an apple with peanut butter because peanuts too are considered a legume. I do however appreciate some of the Paleo principles.
Paleo Rules
No grains, processed foods, dairy, legumes or added sugar allowed. Eat a generous amount of healthy saturated fats and animal protein. Limit fruits and nuts. Enjoy plenty of vegetables. It ends up being high in fat, moderate in animal protein and low to moderate in carbohydrates without counting calories.
While I appreciate any diet high in vegetables and one that limits processed foods, I don’t like the fact that foods such as quinoa, oats, corn, brown rice, peanuts, kidney beans or pinto beans are labeled as off limits.
I do like that the Paleo diet doesn’t count calories. I once got in a heated argument with a male fitness youtuber/ex Real World cast member about counting macros and calories. He was adamantly for it. I think it works for some people but generally it makes people lame and my schtick as you know is living a healthy lifestyle without giving up your social life. Who wants to try to count calories at a restaurant or BBQ drinking with friends? The paleo principles help you make smarter decisions by choosing options that your body can use and will fill you up. For that reason, I often choose snacks and meals that are Paleo friendly without committing to the lifestyle.
In this video, I feature delicious new-to-me non-GMO, gluten free bars from Caveman Foods. I know bars can be expensive so if you want to try them for free visit CavemanFoods.com. They will send you 2 bars and all you have to do is cover shipping/handling which is a $1.
Here are the snack ideas from the video above listed:
- Apple with Almond Butter
- Gluten Free Crackers (Mary’s Gone Crackers or Flackers) with avocado or baba ganoush (eggplant based hummus-like dip)
- Grain free primal bars, like Caveman
- Beef or chicken jerky (preferably grass fed or organic)
- Carrots or sliced bell peppers with guacamole
Here are some more links to other Paleo snack ideas. Many of these I found to be time consuming and something I would never do for a snack but go for it if you are feeling adventurous.
- 51 ideas from The Greatist (this includes a pepperoni pizza idea that looks fun but I’m too lazy to make)
- 18 ideas from PopSugar
- 53 idea from Paleo Grubs
- 18 idea under 200 calories from Livestrong
- 48 Superbowl – OR 4th of July – snacks from PaleOMG
I haven’t tried to eat a Paleo diet but I could be up for the challenge. I just will always wonder why a slice of bacon is allowed and a bowl of quinoa is not…
Have you given it a go? What are your thoughts?
Another classic Paleo snack? Eggs! Fried, scrambled, boiled, anyway you like ’em!
I follow some of the princiapls but I don’t embrace it completely. Nice ideas! I just tried the Caveman bars recently and they’re really good.
I love dipping veggies in guacamole. While I don’t eat paleo, I appreciate the snack ideas.
Great snack ideas!
Hi Sarah!
My name is Emily and after two years in corporate marketing, I decided to follow my true passion -- health and fitness. Now, I am a personal trainer and writer for lifeinspandex.com, a health and fitness blog promoting healthy body image with about 350 followers. I’ve been following your blog for about two years now and I think we share a lot of the same type of content and messages with our readers. I would love to partner with you in some way -- guest or joint post, sponsor recommendations, or just blogging advice.
Sorry to post this under comments, but I couldn’t find contact information on your site!
Hope to be hearing from you soon!
Best,
Emily
I too can appreciate some aspects of a Paleo diet, but it is not something I could fully adopt. But you can bet I’m on the unprocessed food and no dairy train. I have seen these Caveman bars around and wondered if they are worth the cost. I’ll give them a try! Thanks!
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