Paleo / Stone Age Program
Allowed foods
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Any meats: choose from chicken, beef, lamb, pork, turkey, duck, 'game' meats such
as venison, pheasant, goose etc. Bacon and ham. Salami. Liver, kidney and offal are
fine too. Fatty meat is ideal and tastes wonderful!
Eggs - an excellent source of lecithin (eat soft yolks).
Any fish: salmon, mackerel, cod, haddock (care with smoked fish which often
contains dyes). Tinned fish in brine or olive oil is fine. Tinned shrimps, prawns,
mussels, cockles etc.
Any green vegetables
All salads: avocado, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, celery, peppers, onion, cress, bamboo
shoots, mushrooms etc.
French dressing: make your own from olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard.
Use cold pressed nut and seed oils liberally such as sunflower, olive, sesame,
grapeseed, hemp, linseed, rape and so on.
Spices and herbs: chilli, cumin, ginger, coriander, pepper, cloves etc
Herbs, salt (ideally Solo - a sodium reduced sea salt), olives, pork scratchings
We need two types of fats - long chain fatty acids to build membranes (vegetable and fish
oils) and medium chain fatty acids as a fuel to burn (animal fat i.e. lard, coconut oil, cocoa
butter fat). Eat both types of fat, medium chain fatty acids in abundance to fuel your body and
brain - the brain is particularly in need of animal fats. Vegetable fibre is fermented by
friendly bacteroides in the lower gut to short chain fatty acids - another good fuel source.
Fermented foods are excellent because the carbohydrate content has been fermented out and
gut friendly microbes grow. Sauerkraut is an example of a fermented vegetable. Kefir can be
used to ferment soya milk, coconut milk or rice milk and is very easy to work with - one
sachet lasts a life time since cultures can be grown from previous.
The following foods are very low in carbohydrates. Initially avoid them, but whether to
include them subsequently depends on whether or not there is a fermenting gut problem and
how bad it is.
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Dark chocolate at least 70% cocoa solids.
Berries
Seeds: sunflower, poppy, sesame.
Nuts: peanut, Brazil, hazel, cashew, pistachio, walnut etc.; nut butter spreads, tahini
(sesame seed spread).
Pulses: when cooked these are rich in starches and vegetable fibre the latter is
excellent but some people will ferment the starch in pulses
Oats and oatcakes
Allowed drinks
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Bottled or filtered water
Herbal teas: redbush ("rooibosch", "11 0'clock tea"), rosehip tea.
Tea and coffee in moderation are fine so long as caffeine is tolerated
AVOID fruit! Fruit is high in sugar in the form of fructose, which is readily fermented. In
some people this interferes with the mechanism by which the liver corrects low blood sugar
thereby making this problem very much worse. Most foods from packets and tins will have
hidden additives, so avoid these. Be careful with sausage which contains rusk.
ALL OTHER FOODS ARE FORBIDDEN!!! - this means no tap water, alcohol, all grains
including wheat (bread, biscuit, cake, pasta, pastry), rye (Ryvita), corn, rice, millet, dairy
products (milk, butter, cheese, yoghurt, dried milk), vinegar and sugar. Avoid high
carbohydrate vegetables such as potato, sweet potato, parsnip, swede. Try to avoid drugs and
medicines, many of which contain fillers of corn, lactose, colourings etc. Toothpaste must be
avoided.
Think of carbohydrates as an addiction - in this respect a no carb diet is easier than a low carb
diet. Low carb simply keeps the craving.
Getting Worse on the Diet
This is almost to be expected. The reasons for worsening are as follows:
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Hypoglycaemia - this is the commonest reason for worsening and may take weeks to
settle. There are some nutritional interventions which help .
Caffeine withdrawal - again common. Usually results in headache which clears in
four days.
Food allergy withdrawal may cause many different symptoms. Some people report
feeling 'flu like. Typically this last four days, but symptoms like eczema, arthritis,
allergic muscles and fatigue can take weeks to clear. One patient with prostatism took
4 months to clear his symptoms!
Meal suggestions
Breakfast
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Bacon, eggs, fried tomato.
Smoked fish (kippers, mackeral with lemon juice).
Nuts and seeds with natural yoghurt (coco or cow)
Lunch
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Cold meat, fish (tinned fish in olive oil is fine), prawns, salami, smoked fish, rusk free
sausage (ie 100% meat), avocado
Salad (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, celery, peppers etc), French dressing.
Green vegetables with nut/seed oils
Home-made soup (made from stock, only with allowed vegetables).
Nuts and seeds with yoghurt , oatcakes with hummus / nut butter (for the light lunch)
Supper
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Meat, fish or eggs, green vegetables.
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Berries, soya yoghurt.
Nuts, seeds
Initially be careful with root vegetables such as potato and parsnip, which are relatively high
in carbohydrate (but not as high as gluten grains!). Whether to include them in the diet later
depends on if there is a fermenting gut problem. Most people can introduce some; others not
at all!
Low Carb Almond Bread Recipe - useful for spreading things on!
Ingredients - 5 Cups Ground Almond Flour, 1 tsp Sea Salt, 1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda, 1 1/2
Cups Of Pure Dairy Free Butter, 4 Free Range Eggs
Mix dry ingredients together ( almond flour, salt and B Soda ) Mix wet ingredients together
with electric whisk ( dairy free butter and eggs ) Stir wet ingredients into dry with wooden
spoon, until a sticky mixture is formed ( dough like ) Take a small hand full of mixture, roll
into a ball, then flatten between hands ( should make about 16 ) Lay on a non stick baking
tray or on kitchen foil Cook on 150 C for about one hour or until turning golden brown.
Obviously the longer you cook them, the harder they will be. Leave to cool then store in
fridge.
You can toast them, eat fresh from the fridge, or,my favourite, warmed in microwave for
about 15 - 20 seconds, then served with raspberries, blueberries and ice cold coconut kefir. If
your feeling naughty you can warm it up with one square of 85% dark chocolate, it's really
filling.
In Brief
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Breakfast: protein/fat (eggs, meat, nuts, seeds, fish)
Lunch: meat, fish, vegetables.
Supper: ditto
Snacks: nuts, seeds and berries.
Eat meals at regular times.
Take time over eating.
Chew food properly.
Recommended reading
The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf