Last Updated on December 7, 2023 by Cathy
Eating real food and not processed is not only delicious but it is also satisfying! When you are starting from the Standard American Diet (SAD) it can be a little overwhelming when you are trying to avoid all processed foods. Processed ingredients are in just about everything you eat, from cookies to “healthy” salad dressings. But buying paleo foods does not have to be hard either.
If you want to start the paleo diet and are not quite sure how to get started, check out “How to Start the Paleo Diet” for some tips.
For your body to start healing, you must REMOVE ALL PROCESSED FOODS! That means you need to start reading EVERY label, even if you’ve read it before. I found this out the hard way! I bought a product that had been okay to eat at one time, but then the company changed its ingredients and it was no longer Paleo-friendly.
There are many different versions of the Paleo diet. To heal your autoimmune disease like multiple sclerosis, you need to eat a nutrient-dense paleo diet. Whole nutrient-dense foods are the key to good health while avoiding grains, dairy, refined sugar, and alcohol (these are all processed foods).
Not all grocery stores have paleo-friendly foods, you will probably need to shop around until you find the best places, you can even check online. It is also helpful to take notes to compare prices, I actually shop at three different stores to get the best price.
Fortunately, as more people are eating healthier there are more and more places to shop. Print out my handy PDF shopping list (above). I like to shop at Fred Meyer since they have such an awesome health food section! I also shop at Natural Grocers, Costco, and online from Amazon. Occasionally I go to Whole Foods (it’s a 30-mile round trip!), they’re a little more expensive but they carry grass-fed meats (including bones) and pasture-raised poultry.
Produce
This is now your main meal, you need to eat as many vegetables as possible to get the most nutrients for your body to heal. Most of all, you need to eat a huge variety of dark leafy greens, different colors, and sulfur. Don’t get stuck in a rut eating the same thing over and over.
Include vegetables you have never eaten before, you can eat them raw, roast them, cook them on the stovetop with olive oil or coconut oil, you can even grill them. These aren’t the typical vegetables you grew up with being boiled in a pot of water – Yuck! As a result, you will discover how delicious vegetables are and you’ll have many new favorites.
Try to buy organic as much as possible, this way you will be avoiding fruits and vegetables with pesticides and GMOs, genetically modified organisms (not found in nature). If you can’t buy all organic produce, try buying organic from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) “Dirty Dozen” list. These fruits and vegetables have the most pesticides.
EWG also has a “Clean Fifteen” list, these items have the fewest pesticides. If you can’t always buy organic, these non-organic items are considered safer to eat.
Meat
This department gets a little trickier and not all stores will carry what you need to buy. Most beef sold in grocery stores is grain-fed, and farmers fatten them up by feeding them corn and other grains before being processed to lower their production costs.
Cows are grazers, meaning they should be eating grass and hay, furthermore, their bodies can’t digest grains making them more susceptible to being sick. For this reason, they are given antibiotics, my neighbor is a cattle rancher and said they were “required to give them antibiotics at birth before they hit the ground!” She was joking about the “before hitting the ground” but not about the antibiotics.
You need to look for grass-fed meat, these animals are allowed to roam in their natural environment. They eat grass and hay, and they are not given antibiotics or growth hormones. You usually can’t find grass-fed meat in your local grocery store, you may need to go to a local farmer or a higher-priced store like Whole Foods. You can check the internet to search for local organic farms or check the Eat Wild website to find an organic farm near you.
Poultry, Eggs, and Pork
Poultry that is raised in conventional farming is kept in small and overcrowded cages. This is not only stressful to the animals, but it’s also unsanitary and causes diseases. Avoid vegetarian feeding, chickens are omnivorous meaning they not only eat grains but also eat bugs.
There are many different labels and it can get confusing! When shopping for poultry, eggs, or pork, look for “Organic Pastured-Raised.” These animals are free to roam in their natural environment, in addition, to being organic they aren’t fed GMO grains.
Eggs are allowed on a Paleo diet. However, it is best to avoid eggs while you are trying to heal. In the book The Wahls Protocol, Dr. Terry Wahls recommends people avoid eggs.
Seafood
When buying seafood you want to look for wild-caught and sustainable on the label and not farm-raised. Sustainable seafood considers the long-term vitality of the fish (not overfishing) also the well-being of our oceans.
You will also need to watch out for canned fish like tuna, they can contain soy or other additives so they can sit on the shelf longer. Also, most cans are lined with Bisphenol A (BPA) which is a hormone disruptor and has many health concerns.
Save your money when buying “fresh” shrimp, unless you live on the coast. Most of the shrimp sold was previously frozen before arriving at your local grocery store. Many methods of catching shrimp are disastrous to our oceans and they destroy the ocean’s ecosystem.
Farming isn’t any better, the farming methods in Ecuador are destroying the land by dumping waste back into the ocean. Buy “caught and produced in the USA or Canada” and also buy salad shrimp because they are bought sustainably.
Many varieties of seafood are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, low in mercury, and sustainable. The best choices are wild salmon, sardines, mussels, rainbow trout, and Atlantic mackerel. You can also check the EWG for their Consumer Guide to Seafood.
Healthy Fats and Oils
No more vegetable oils or other common refined oils like canola or sunflower oil. Vegetable oils tend to oxidize which increases inflammation. The cause of MS is due to chronic inflammation.
Here’s a list of some healthy fats and oils:
- Avocado oil – has a high smoke point so you can use it for cooking.
- Coconut oil – becomes solid at colder temperatures so don’t keep it in your refrigerator, it is great for cooking.
- Bacon fat – is a great way to add extra flavor to your meals. After cooking your nitrate/nitrite-free bacon save the fat for later use, you can save it for up to one month.
- Macadamia Nut oil – has a high smoke point but it’s expensive so you may want to use it on special occasions.
- Olive oil – yes, researchers say it is NOW okay to cook with olive oil. Your best choice is high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Sesame oil – adds a great flavor to oriental foods like stir-fry also it’s best to keep refrigerated.
What to Look for When Buying Paleo Food
There are a lot of challenges and things to remember when you are first shopping for paleo-friendly foods. It helps to have your menu planned out for the week. Furthermore, bring a shopping list with you when you go to the grocery store. You want to eat as minimally processed foods as possible for your body to heal. The human body is amazing and it is possible to put your autoimmune disease into remission!
You may also like reading Easy Paleo Substitutes.
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What to Look for When Buying Paleo Food
