CrossFit Paleo Food List
There are lots of books and websites out there on the Paleo Diet. Our standards include and exclude certain foods due to the fact that we are all athletes and can use certain foods for recovery and energy. All meats are recommended to be grass-fead and “all organic” but we understand that this is unrealistic for a lot of you. Trader Joes and Whole foods sell organic meats and other organic foods. We encourage you to shop there, but you will not lose points if you cannot.
Be real careful when picking out mayonnaise and salad dressings. Soybean oil is the main ingredient in most, try to avoid products that are primarily made with soybean or vegetable oil and look for canola, olive, or flaxseed oil instead.
Paleo Foods/Highly Encouraged
Lean Meats:
- Lean beef (trimmed of visible fat)
- Beef Jerky (check label for added sugar)
- Flank steak
- Top sirloin steak
- Extra-lean hamburger
- Lean veal
- Lean pork (trimmed of visible fat)
- Pork loin
- Pork chopsLean poultry
- Chicken breast
- Turkey breast
Eggs
Fish:
- Bass
- Bluefish
- Cod
- Eel
- Grouper
- Haddock
- Halibut
- Herring
- Red snapper
- Salmon
- Scrod
- Shark
- Striped bass
- Tilapia
- Trout
- Tuna
Shellfish:
- Clams
- Crab
- Crayfish
- Lobster
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Scallops
- Shrimp
Fruit:
- Apple
- Apricot
- Avocado
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries
- Cranberries
- Grapefruit
- Grapes
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Lemon
- Lime
- Nectarine
- Orange
- Passion fruit
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Plums
- Pomegranate
- Raspberries
- Rhubarb
- Star fruit
- Strawberries
- Tangerine
- Watermelon
Fruits in moderation (high in sugar):
- Mango
- Banana
- Fig
- Guava
- Papaya
Vegetables:
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Bell peppers
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Collards
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Endive
- Green onion
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mushrooms
- Mustard greens
- Onions
- Parsley
- Parsnip
- Peppers (all kinds)
- Pumpkin
- Spinach
- Squash (all kinds)
- Tomato (actually a fruit, but most people think of it as a vegetable)
- Turnip greens
Nuts and Seeds:
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Cashews
- Chestnuts
- Hazelnuts (filberts)
- Macadamia nuts
- Pecans
- Pine nuts
- Pistachios (unsalted)
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Walnuts
Oils:
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
Whey Protein powder
Tofu
Seltzer water
Coconut water
Foods that should be eaten in moderation
(not cheats unless in excess)
• Bacon
• Sausage
• Chicken wings
• Ribs
• Canola oil
• Flaxseed oil
• Quinoa
• Dried fruit
• Sweet potatoes
• Coffee
• Red Wine
• Tequila
• Deli meat
CHEATS (-5/Serving)
Dairy Foods:
- All processed foods made with any dairy products
- Butter
- Cheese
- Cream
- Dairy spreads
- Frozen yogurt
- Ice cream
- Milk
- Nonfat dairy creamer
- Yogurt
***We are reducing the amount of points deducted for plain non-fat greek yogurt. You may deduct 3 points rather than the full 5 because of the high protein content. If there is added sugar subtract 5 points.***
Cereal Grains:
- Barley (barley soup, barley bread, and all processed foods made with barley)
- Corn (corn on the cob, corn tortillas, corn chips, corn starch, corn syrup)
- Millet
- Oats (steel-cut oats, rolled oats, and all processed foods made with oats) ***Subtract 3 instead of 5 points for plain oatmeal.
- Rice (brown rice, white rice, top ramen, rice noodles, bas mati rice, rice cakes, Ricebas mati rice, rice cakes, Rice flour (all processed foods made with rice)
- Rye (rye bread, rye crackers, and all processed foods made with rye)
- Wheat (bread, rolls, muffins, noodles, crackers, cookies, cake, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, pasta, spaghetti,lasagna, wheat tortillas, pizza, pita bread, flat bread, and all processed foods made with wheat or wheat flour)
- Wild rice
Cereal Grainlike Seeds:
- Amaranth
- Buckwheat
Legumes:
- All beans (adzuki beans, black beans, broad beans, fava beans, field beans, garbanzo beans, horse beans, kidneybeans, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red beans, string beans, white beans)
- Black-eyed peas
- Chickpeas
- Lentils
- Peas
- Miso
- Peanut butter
- Peanuts
- Snowpeas
- Sugar snap peas
- Soybeans and all soybean products
Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices:
- All sugary soft drinks and diet beverages
- Gatorade
- Vitamin water
- Coke
- Diet Coke
- Canned, bottled, and freshly squeezed fruit drinks (which lack the fiber of fresh fruit and have a much higher glycemic index)
Alcohol:
- White wine
- Vodka
- Gin
- Rum
- Beer
- Fourloco
Artificial Sweeteners:
- Sweet and Low
- Splenda
- Equal
***Subtract 2 points per packet when using***
Condiments:
- Processed salad dressings
- BBQ sauce
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Miracle WhipAnything made with soybean oil
- Anything made with high frutose corn syrup
- Anything with added sugar