The Paleolithic diet, also known as the Paleo diet, is a dietary approach that is modeled after the stone age "caveman" food consumption. While practicing this diet, one generally focuses on eating meat, fish, fruit and vegetables. It also includes roots and nuts, but there are exclusions. There are no grain, dairy products, legumes or refined sugar and processed oils. This means that many snacks are automatically disqualified in this diet plan.
While there are many items that are not included in the Paleo diet, there are simple things you can keep on hand to eat. Simple planning takes the guesswork out of snack foods on the Paleo diet plan.
FRUITS AND NUTS
There are many types of fruit and nut combinations that you can choose from. Many of these are even made into "eat on the go" bars, eliminating the need to prep food. While having pre-made snacks at home makes it easy to get a quick snack, you can also purchase a wide range of fruits and nuts and mix your own snacks. There are an endless array of combinations, with nuts such as pistachios or macadamias, or more traditional choices such as almonds and pecans, along with all types of dried fruits. You can use honey as a binding ingredient to create your own bars, or simply keep a mix in a baggie for a quick snack.
VEGETABLES
The Paleo diet is an opportunity to explore new vegetables, as well as to consume your favorites. Keep multiple choices on hand, such as fresh tomatoes, carrots, peppers, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower, and squash. These can be eaten fresh, or quickly stir fried for an easy snack. New combinations can be created and used in unique ways.
FRUITS
While fruit intake is supposed to be kept minimal on the Paleo diet, it is fine in moderation. Many fruits are delicious eaten fresh, while many prefer to add some honey for a dessert snack. Ideas for fruits include apples, strawberries, kiwi, bananas and grapes. When purchasing produce, make sure that you consider the shelf life so you don't waste food. One way to make sure your fruit does not spoil is to purchase frozen fruits with a combination of fruits. This is an economically good choice for fruit long term, and the fruit can be thawed in about an hour, or quickly placed in the microwave.
QUICHE
Since the three main foods included in the Paleo diet are eggs, meat and vegetables, then making quiche in bulk and freezing some "mini quiches" are a great way to have a quick snack, or even a full meal. This is a time saver if you make your quiche all at once and simply take a snack out when needed, and adds a delicious snack to your list of options.
There are many other food ideas for snacks while on the Paleo diet. You are limited only by your creativity. The best way to find good snacks is to read up on some recipe ideas, and then keep ingredients on hand. When on any diet, the best chances of success are planning and purpose.
The Paleo diet has been a choice for diets for almost forty years, based on the fact that our bodies haven't changed since the caveman era. The food choices reflect what was eaten at the dawn of mankind, and even today, leaving out the preservatives and eating fresh, healthy food choices makes sense for many reasons.
