Paleo Cookbook For Dummies (47 page)

Oils best to just drizzle over food or cook at very low temperatures include

Avocado oil

Flaxseed oil (occasional use only)

Macadamia nut oil

Olive oil

Walnut oil

Chapter 6

Hunting for Paleo Foods

In This Chapter

Exploring new and traditional places for modern hunting and gathering

Getting a handle on why food quality matters

Falling in love with Paleo is easy. The food is top-notch; the recipes are fun and easy to make; and you'll lose weight, boost immunity, fight aging, improve performance, and heal conditions. What's not to love?

Like anything new, going Paleo involves a learning curve. The good news is that's it's a small one. Making the switch to Paleo starts with buying the right foods. In addition to discovering some of the Paleo yes and no foods, you also want to figure out how to sleuth your way through the grocery stores and other places you can hunt and gather.

This chapter slices through your learning curve by giving you the scoop on all the shopping outlets, such as traditional grocery stores, natural grocery stores, and big-box stores, and explaining how to get the best nutrition from your local farm or online.

Shopping Primally: Where to Go

Primal shopping
is simply about putting real foods — the foods you're designed to eat — first. You become connected to your food in a whole different way when you begin to understand where your food comes from and focus more on quality. One key to Paleo success is to keep your pantry and refrigerator stocked with Paleo-approved foods help you stay on track.
Chapter 5
has details on stocking a Paleo kitchen; you can find a comprehensive shopping list and tips on how to navigate the grocery store at
www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-create-a-paleoapproved-grocery-list.html
.

You may be surprised by what you can find at traditional grocery stores these days. Let yourself adapt to your new grocery needs by also exploring natural food stores and buying from farm markets, farm stands, vegetable and meat shares, and online sources.

Traditional grocers

Finding Paleo-approved foods in traditional stores used to be a royal pain. But because most areas have seen increased demand for organic produce, many stores are carrying at least some organic options for fruits, vegetables, and Paleo-approved pantry items. I was shocked when visiting a small suburban grocery store to find that it actually carried grass-fed meat! If your local store doesn't stock what you're looking for, make a request; often, stores will make an effort to carry what their customers need.

To shop like a Paleo aficionado in traditional stores, following the
perimeter rule
(sticking to the outside rim of the grocery) is your best bet. The fresh produce, meat, and seafood are where you should concentrate your time in the grocery store, and those items are stocked around the perimeter

Here are some more tips for getting the most Paleo bang out of your conventional grocery's aisles:

Produce department:
This area is where you'll find a great deal of your shopping list. Go for rainbow colors when choosing vegetables, and give a new vegetable a shot every once in a while. Simply choose an in-season vegetable that you may have never tried before.

Corn and white potatoes aren't Paleo-approved produce. Corn is actually a grain, and white potatoes contain
antinutrients
(substances that inhibit your ability to absorb nutrients), in addition to giving you an unfavorable blood sugar spike.

Though all fruits are okay, your best choices are the ones lowest in fructose, including berries, cherries, avocadoes, lemons, and limes.

Meat and seafood:
Stick to the Paleo-approved protein lists in
Chapter 5
and avoid the crop of meat invaders that are often processed.

Middle aisles:
The Paleo-approved pantry list in
Chapter 5
is your treasure map here. Get what you need and get out of those middle aisles to resist temptation.

Big-box stores

Big-box stores used to be synonymous with cheap everything — including food. Times have really shifted here. Many of the big-box membership stores are really getting into healthier food selections. In fact, these stores are great places to stock up.

Of course, the location and the season matters, but here are some of the high-quality, Paleo-approved foods I have scored at big-box outlets:

Almond butter

Avocadoes

Baby cucumbers