For some foods, even the newest newbies can immediately tell whether or not theyre Paleo. Salmon? Yes. Oreo Frosty? No.
But then there are other foods where people often get confused, sometimes because the food has a weird name and sometimes because its legitimately in a gray area.
The Paleo Verdict on Corn Considering the paleo meal plan’s focus on low-carb, nutrient-dense foods, corn doesn’t make the cut. Its grain classification, high starch content, and genetic modifications put it at odds with the core principles of paleo eating.
Don’t Take This the Wrong Way.
Just because a food isnt strictly Paleo, doesnt mean it isnt right for you. Theres no law where you have to be 100% perfect at Paleo eating or you get kicked out of the clubhouse. Its OK to eat mostly Paleo but make a deliberate choice to include some non-Paleo foods in your diet for whatever reason makes sense to you. But the point is that you should be making an informed decision to include that non-Paleo food in your life, not unintentionally eating something because you think its something else.
In the same vein, just because a food is strictly Paleo, doesnt mean its right for you. Eggs are Paleo, but lots of people have egg allergies and cant eat them. The same goes for shrimp and nuts. Theres nothing wrong with these foods in theory, but theyre not right for everyone.
Tyler Durden was wrong: you are a special snowflake! So with that said, heres an explanation of 5 commonly confused and misunderstood foods.
Many people think of corn as a vegetable. Its often served like a vegetable, especially in frozen vegetable mixes. But corn isnt a vegetable. Its a grain. And that puts it firmly in the “non-Paleo” category. Granted, corn is a gluten-free grain. But its still a grain, and gluten isnt the only problem with grains.
A lot of gluten-free products are made with corn flour, which is one reason why gluten-free does not equal Paleo. Check the ingredients list before you buy! Dont rely on front-of-package advertising claims like “gluten-free” or “natural.”
In terms of non-Paleo foods, corn is far from the worst thing you could be eating. But before you decide to include in your diet, make sure you understand what youre including. Its fine to make an informed choice that corn is a non-Paleo food that fits into your life, but its not so great to eat it thinking its Paleo.
Peanuts are legumes, the same family of plants as lentils, beans, and soy. That makes them officially non-Paleo for reasons you can read about here.
That means peanut butter, mixed nuts that include peanuts, any kind of nuts roasted in peanut oil – all of it is off the Paleo table, at least if youre being super-strict about Paleo. In many recipes, you can substitute with almond butter or another nut butter without really changing the recipe much, so its not a huge sacrifice for most people to make.
Again, some people choose to eat peanuts once in a while. But if youre choosing to do that, it should be an informed choice, not a mistake.
White potatoes, the food that launched a thousand angry internet rants! Sometimes it feels like 90% of people in the Paleosphere have already made up their minds about what theyre going to think about white potatoes, and theyre determined to stick to it regardless of any evidence they see.
But for the 10%, heres the quick rundown on white potatoes:
Carbs. White potatoes are high in carbs, but not any higher than sweet potatoes. In fact, the carb content of white potatoes is slightly lower. Lets take a look at the USDA nutrient database.
- Raw white potatoes: 16 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams of raw potatoes.
- Raw sweet potatoes: 20 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams of raw potatoes.
It makes precisely 0 sense to eat sweet potatoes but avoid white potatoes because theyre “too high in carbs.” If youre avoiding both white and sweet potatoes to keep carbs low, then congratulations: youre being consistent and logical about carb-cutting and hopefully its working out really well for you. But even if that works for you personally, Paleo doesnt prescribe any one particular carb level for everyone. Some people do very well with carbs. Other people do very well with no carbs. That doesnt make carbs “good” or “bad.” It means that theyre appropriate for some people and not for others.
Glycemic index. White potatoes have a higher glycemic index than sweet potatoes, which doesnt matter because the glycemic index means almost nothing unless your entire meal is just plain boiled white potatoes with nothing else. Next!
Nutrients. White and sweet potatoes have different nutrients, but theyre about equally nutritious overall. If youre curious, you can read more about white potatoes and see a fancy little comparison chart of different nutrients here.
White potatoes with a green tinge on the end should be avoided, since they have high levels of gut-irritating saponins. But other than that, there arent really antinutrients in white potatoes that would make them dangerous in general. Theres no reason to ban them from the Paleo plate for people who do well with them.
White potatoes can be part of a Paleo diet if they sit well with you. Theyre optional. If you dont like them or dont do well with them, dont eat them – but that doesnt make them “bad” in general. It just means theyre not right for you.
Rice is a grain. But its a gluten-free grain and some people in the Paleo world (notably Paul Jaminet of the Perfect Health Diet) support eating white rice as a decent source of glucose for people who need extra carbs.
Why white rice? Brown rice is brown because it has an extra layer around the grain. That extra layer has most of the nutrition in the rice, but it also has antinutrients that can irritate the gut. In white rice, that extra layer has been polished off, so the rice has fewer nutrients (unless its been fortified with extra nutrients added after polishing) but also fewer gut irritants.
For people who need a carb/calorie supplement, white rice is a reasonably inoffensive and cheap way to get that. There are some people in this world who need a carb/calorie supplement – people who are underweight because theyre recovering from malabsorptive diseases, athletes who train really hard, kids who struggle to get enough to eat.
But for most people who start Paleo to lose weight, white rice probably isnt something that will really get you closer to that goal. If you want carbs, there are plenty of more nutrient-dense carb sources – both white and sweet potatoes are more nutritious than white rice. A good policy might be to save the rice for eating out or special occasions and focus on more nutrient-dense foods for everyday meals.
Green Beans/Bean Sprouts
Lima beans, kidney beans, and other types of beans arent Paleo. So why do green beans and bean sprouts get a pass?
Basically, the answer is that theres no magic power in the name “beans” that makes a food unhealthy just by being attached to it. “Beans” is just a word. And English is weird and occasionally uses misleading names for things – just look at “peanuts” (not actually nuts) and “eggplant” (not actually an egg, although that would be a pretty interesting-looking chicken!) The names of foods dont always reliably group them by nutritional quality!
The problem with Lima beans and kidney beans and most other “beans” isnt the name “beans;” its the antinutrients and gut irritants found in them. Green beans and bean sprouts have the same name, but not the same problems.
- Green beans: are much lower in antinutrients than most beans. Most of the bulk of a green bean is the fiber-rich pod. You can read a full breakdown of all the antinutrients that arent in green beans here.
- Bean sprouts: are almost entirely fiber and water. Also, theyre not the same part of the plant as the actual bean and they dont need antinutrients to protect their stored nutrients. Theyre basically harmless, and a decent source of Vitamin C.
If youre trying for 100% Paleo purism, then you might consider eliminating them, but for the vast majority of people, its unnecessary.
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FAQ
Why is corn not allowed on paleo diet?
Why is corn starch not paleo?
Are corn tortillas allowed in paleo?
Why are chickpeas not paleo?
Can I eat corn if I’m Paleo?
That doesn’t mean you should eat only oysters and pastured beef liver, though. (Nor would you probably want to.) Corn is neither healthy nor Paleo because it falls pretty far to the wrong end of the spectrum. Corn has very little nutritional value, like most grains.
Can someone with corn sensitivity eat Allulose?
People with sensitivity to corn should avoid allulose, since it is a product obtained from corn. It is corn syrup or corn syrup and is used as a sweetener.
Is corn primal/Paleo?
With these products, his verdict is the same: not primal/paleo. The point is that corn in any form – whether it’s fresh corn on the cob, polenta, corn oil or cornmeal – should be avoided. And do I even need to mention the detrimental effects of high fructose corn syrup?
Are corn tortillas Paleo?
Coincidentally, Mark Sisson recently wrote an article regarding corn tortillas and popcorn specifically. With these products, his verdict is the same: not primal/paleo. The point is that corn in any form – whether it’s fresh corn on the cob, polenta, corn oil or cornmeal – should be avoided.