There’s pretty much a diet out there for everyone these days.
And this is avery good thing!
Every human body may be designed similarly, yet we’re all drastically different with varying needs and sensitivities and allergies, as well as simple likes and dislikes.
One diet that has taken off with speed is the Paleo diet.
Aptly named after the diets of hunter-gatherers — whom researchers argue “presumably had much lower rates of lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease” — a traditional Paleo diet relies exclusively on whole-foods including “meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, healthy fats, and oils,” while excluding “processed foods, sugar, soft drinks, grains, most dairy products, legumes, artificial sweeteners, vegetable oils, margarine, and trans fats.”
By following this regimen, researchers have found that the Paleo diet can lead to increased weight loss, improved glucose intolerance, better blood pressure control, lower triglycerides, and better appetite management (which may be a key factor for weight loss and healthy weight management!).
Sounds great, right?
Yet, what about those strict plant-based eaters out there? What if a vegan wants to get those health benefits of a Paleo dietwithouthaving to compromise on the animal-product part?
Luckily, this is totally doable!
The best way to go about incorporating a vegan and paleo diet is to begin with vegan — which assures that you won’t have any animal products — and begin incorporating non-animal, paleo-friendly ingredients as much as you can.
Need a helping hand?
Here are some recipes that can easily be given a Paleo diet twist! Make sure to avoid any added sweeteners — even if they’re plant-based — as well as grains!
We also highly recommend downloading theFood Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help you get healthy! And, don’t forget to check out ourWhole Foods Archives!
1. Baked Sweet Potato and Apple
Source: Baked Sweet Potato and Apple
Just because you go paleo-vegan, doesn’t mean you can’t have something a little sweet! The key is to stick with all-natural sweet foods. This Baked Sweet Potato and Apple recipe by Heather Thomas is the perfect mash-up of naturally sweet, paleo-friendly sweet potatoes and apple, plus healthy fat such as coconut oil. To make thistrulypaleo-friendly, nix the sugar altogether!
2. Scrambled “Eggs”
Source: Scrambled “Eggs”
You’ll see lots of egg recipes in paleo Cookbooks, so all you need to do is choose your favorite egg replacement! This Scrambled “Eggs” recipe by Amarilis Moldes is a great place to start! Instead of eggs, use tofu, and then load up on all the other paleo-friendly staples such as onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach, as well as spices and herbs such as turmeric, pepper, salt, and olive oil. If you’re looking to really go paleo, try to opt-out of the soy or tamari sauce!
3. Green Goddess Mexican Lettuce Wraps
Source: Green Goddess Mexican Lettuce Wraps
This Green Goddess Mexican Lettuce Wraps recipe by Kaylee Pauley is loaded with lovely veggies such as carrot, cauliflower, onion, and Bibb lettuce, as well as spices and herbs such as cilantro, cumin, and chili powder. You’ll also get a nice dose of healthy fat from avocado and pecans!
4. Raw Portobello and Shallot Burger
Source: Raw Portobello and Shallot Burger
Even though meat is a staple of the paleo diet, that doesn’t mean you can’t practice as a vegan. Instead of using meat, try this Raw Portobello and Shallot Burger by Valentina Chiappa which sources paleo and vegan-friendly portobello, shallot, and a slew of natural flavors such as lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and paprika. To make this recipe truly paleo, nix the agave and swap the bread bun for hardy lettuce!
5. Cinnamon Turmeric Sweet Potatoes
Source: Cinnamon Turmeric Sweet Potatoes
This Cinnamon Turmeric Sweet Potatoes recipe by Holly Bertone is the perfect natural mashup of vegan and paleo goals! It has zero sugar or artificial ingredients added, is rich in tubers, loads up on healthy extra virgin olive oil sourced fat, and is naturally flavored with herbs and spices.
6. Carrot Coconut Salad
Source: Carrot Coconut Salad
Salads may be the easiest recipe to transform into a vegan-paleo delight! This Carrot Coconut Salad recipe by Rachael Campbell is already 100 percent of the way there. Loaded with carrots, this recipe uses other plant-based ingredients to fill it out nicely such as sesame seeds, olive oil, and lime.
7. 10-Minute Veggie Stir-Fry
Source: 10-Minute Veggie Stir-Fry
When in doubt, load up on the veggies! Vegetables are a staple in the paleo diet as long as you avoid all those added sweeteners and hydrogenated oils that hide in the sauce. This 10-Minute Veggie Stir-Fry recipe by Molly Patrick keeps it clean, vegan, and paleo with onion, mushrooms, celery, cabbage, salt, and pepper!
8. Golden Beet Salad
Source: Golden Beet Salad
If you’ve gone vegan-paleo, yet you’re still craving those off-limits sweet, give this Golden Beet Salad recipe by Angelina Papanikolaou a try! Beets are filled with all sorts of great nutrients, plus they’re naturally sweet. With a dash of healthy fat-filled olive oil and your choice of microgreens, greens, and natural flavorings, this is the perfect paleo-friendly recipe! Make sure to nix the agave to really make it paleo!
9. Vegetable Stock
Source:Vegetable Stock
When it comes to making vegan recipes paleo, it’s always a good idea to have those animal-based-product staples veganized in your fridge! This Vegetable Stock recipe by Vaishali Honawar is great to have on hand for vegan-paleo soups!
10. Macadamia Mayonnaise
Source:Macadamia Mayonnaise
Another staple to keep on hand! This Macadamia Mayonnaise recipe by Nikki Stokes utilizes healthy fat-filled macadamia nuts and avocado, as well as natural flavorings such as lemon juice, mustard powder, and salt.
11. Simple Turnip Salad
Source:Simple Turnip Salad
You couldn’t ask for more paleo-friendly foods than with this Simple Turnip Salad recipe by Natalie Yonan. Going raw is always a good bet to make a recipe paleo-friendly — our ancestors ate their foods raw for the most part. Complete with healthy tubers and root veggies, seeds, and lots of healthy fat, this recipe is already naturally designed to meet those vegan-paleo goals of yours.
12. Fruit Guacamole
Source:Fruit Guacamole
The perfect mixture of fruit and healthy fat! This Fruit Guacamole recipe by Deena Mehta sources avocado, mango, apple, lime, jalapeno, cilantro, and a bit of salt and pepper to create a vegan-paleo friendly dip.
13. Summer Tomato Basil and Avocado Salad
Source:Summer Tomato Basil and Avocado Salad
There’s really nothing better than a simple, fresh, chilled salad on a hot summer day! This Summer Tomato Basil and Avocado Salad recipe by Jesse Lane Lee is not only the perfect salad to meet these demands, but it’s also super simple and vegan-paleo-friendly!
14. Cauliflower Steak Burger
Source:Cauliflower Steak Burger
This Cauliflower Steak Burger recipe by Sofia Von Porat is super simple, 100 percent vegan, and 99 percent paleo! Simply swap out the hamburger buns for some hardy lettuce and you’ve got a truly vegan-paleo recipe.
15. Italian Fried Potatoes With Peppers
Source:Italian Fried Potatoes With Peppers
This Italian Fried Potatoes With Peppers recipe by Pavani Nandula is super simple, super filling, and paleo-friendly by design! This recipe is rich in filling tubers and veggies, — such as potatoes, peppers, and onion — and is naturally seasoned with healthy fats, spices, and herbs.
Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home!
Source: Spring Salad With Carrots, Beets, and Flowers
Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help withchronic inflammation,heart health,mental wellbeing,fitness goals,nutritional needs,allergies,gut healthandmore!Dairy consumption also has been linked many health problems, includingacne,hormonal imbalance,cancer,prostate cancerand has manyside effects.
For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend downloading theFood Monster App— with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about theenvironmentalandhealth benefitsof aplant-based diet.
Here are some great resources to get you started:
- Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
- Plant-Based Health Resources
- Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
- The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
- Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
- High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
- Plant-Based Meal Prep
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