so let me get this right...

Rei1988

Sunflower seeds/oil Paleo?
what about sesame?

String beans are Not Paleo?

What about raw honey?
Maple?

Root vegetables? Nightshade?

Fatty meat?

Vinegar?

Anyone have an infinite list? I have been searching but sources are contradicting.

Akimajuktuq

Yes, there are lots of contradictions. In my opinion seed oils are not healthy so I don't purposefully eat lots but I still put a bit of sesame oil in a stir fry. I don't even think olive oil is healthy in large amounts but I still use it in mayo, but I don't go crazy with my consumption.

String beans are usually considered fine since it's the largest part is the pod. But I don't go out of my way to eat them either.

I think raw honey, especially local, might be ok once in awhile in small amounts for some people. Not so good for me, right now. A little bit of maple syrup here and there, for some people sure. Not for me right now. Even a banana is not ok for me, right now.

Root veggies-great for most people. Not for me, right now. Nightshades I have to limit unless I want to have knees that hurt. I can eat them, just not lots.

Fatty meat is a must for me. Best if it's wild or grass fed. Do the best you can with what you have. Get to know local farmers. I have no local farmers because I live in the Arctic so I am still searching for a farmer who will ship to me. Of course, I eat wild meat too.

I eat apple cider vinegar in a few things. I eat olives and pickles on occasion. I use a little balsamic in my homemade salad dressing. Seems ok for me.

Another thing: Paleo substitutes. In the beginning I made some Paleo subsitutes (muffins, tortilla wraps, banana bread, etc). They tasted great but I couldn't control myself with them. So for me, Paleo substitutes are a fail, at least for now. For others, they may be a win.

Oh, and butter. Great for me. Not so great for others.

I personally don't understand eating over 100 grams of carbs in a day, but if other people can do so and are successful, power to them.

Point being: Paleo rules are guidelines. The most important things are the basics: eliminate wheat, legumes, dairy, processed foods, artificial foods.

Lizzard_77

So, not exactly an answer directly but, Whole30 guidelines are a good place to start even if they are extremely strict paleo. Here is a link to a page Whole9life has created that has great information on foods that are acceptable or not. As Akima^^ said, they are guidelines. What is firm is no: grains, legumes, dairy, soy, refined sugars. i also continued with no MSG or Sulfites.

Many items you mention are personal choice. Root veggies are great, in moderation. If you plan on eating say, sweet potato at one meal during the day, you probably want to avoid another starchy carby veggie or fruits for the rest of your meals. Vinegars -look out for ADDED sulfites. Nightshades -many have cut them out due to the inflammatory effects they have, if you have gut or joint inflammation you may want to reduce or eliminate them.

Fatty meat is awesome (fat is awesome in general) but you want to only eat the fat of high quality, essentially "happy" meat. If your meat is generic, grocery store bought and not from their "happy meat" section then remove the fat from the meat due to GMO feed they were raised on.

Sugars, nothing refined and keep unrefined sugars to a minimum.

Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo and It Starts With Food From Melissa and Dallas Hartwig are great informational resources. Well Fed by Mellisa Joulwan is a great beginning cook book and one I have gone back to over and over and have made every single recipe (never happens).

I am more Whole30 "trained" but also follow an 80/20 primal/WAPF eating lifestyle so that being said, I will not mind any corrections made to my statements and please understand that everyone has their own take on what to follow when it comes to these lifestyles

ezconklin

I have an app on my phone that tells me if something is paleo or not. It's called Paleo Central, sooo nice when I'm not sure! I just type the name of the food and it gives green for good and red for don't eat it. It also has lists and lists of paleo approved foods.

I'm totally in love with it

Rei1988

I have an app on my phone that tells me if something is paleo or not. It's called Paleo Central, sooo nice when I'm not sure! I just type the name of the food and it gives green for good and red for don't eat it. It also has lists and lists of paleo approved foods.

I'm totally in love with it

Oh cool! I'll have to check that out, thank you!

Dragonwolf

Sunflower seeds/oil Paleo?
what about sesame?

String beans are Not Paleo?

What about raw honey?
Maple?

Root vegetables? Nightshade?

Fatty meat?

Vinegar?

Anyone have an infinite list? I have been searching but sources are contradicting.

Sunflower seeds are technically paleo (they're whole foods), but they have a high level of Omega-6 fatty acids, so keep them in moderation (some strict versions will cut all nuts and seeds out entirely). Sunflower oil is, again, largely Omega-6, so there are better oils out there to use. As with all items with a high polyunsaturated fat content, go for raw when possible (PUFAs aren't stable and will oxidize when cooked, becoming trans fats). See more about PUFAs at MDA: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/polyunsaturated-fat/

String beans and green beans are out in strict versions of Paleo (ie - Whole 30), but are discretionary otherwise. As someone else mentioned, green beans are eaten for the pod moreso than the bean.

Raw honey and maple syrup are considered whole foods (especially honey), and are considered "use in moderation" in most cases, except during a Whole 30 challenge (they're considered "added sweeteners" and are out for that). Honey should be raw, local, wildflower for best benefits, but aim for at least raw and prefer raw + local/wildflower if you can't get all three. Maple syrup must be the real thing, none of the Mrs. Butterworth/Aunt Jemima crap.

Root vegetables are great, but should be eaten in moderation or very limited if you're doing a low-carb version, as they tend to be carb-heavy. If you're active and at a healthy weight or are trying to gain weight, tubers are a big staple.

Nightshades are fine unless you're doing Autoimmune Protocol or similar allergy variation, though some weight loss variations recommend reducing your intake of them due to their sugar content.

Fatty meat - yes, yes, yes, yes! The only sources you should see these days that say no to all fatty meats are old Cordain works, when he still subscribed to the CW about saturated fat. He has since turned around his opinion on them. The only caveat here is that the fatty meats should be grass fed and finished or at the very least organic, or wild. The toxins/antibiotics/hormones are stored with the fat, so you shouldn't eat fatty CAFO meat (get lean cuts and add fat by cooking them in oil).

Vinegar, for the most part, is fine. Apple Cider Vinegar is usually the standard. The only one that's out completely is Malt Vinegar, because it's made with grains (that's the only one I know of, if you're not sure, look it up and see what it's made of).

Also, while we're at it - saturated fats in general - yes. Saturated fats are good and won't "clog up arteries," just get them from natural sources, including meat and coconut oil.

There is no be-all-end-all list, because Paleo is a framework - a set of guidelines from which you can make your own decisions - not a list of "good" and "bad" foods to be blindly followed.

A better way to go about it is like this flowchart:


( http://dearpaleo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/paleo-flowchart.jpg )

or even Bulletproof Exec's illustrated scale (note: his is largely Paleo, but he does have some variations): http://www.bulletproofexec.com/the-complete-illustrated-one-page-bulletproof-diet/

Your best bet is to do some more research and find out why certain things are Paleo or not. Foods aren't typically included or excluded arbitrarily, there's usually a reason behind the decision. Mark Sisson has a number of posts of "Is it Primal?" which very often explain why something is or isn't Primal (and most things that are Primal are also Paleo, save mainly for dairy, but it's a good starting point). Once you find out why a class of foods is excluded, you can start to make your own decisions about a new piece of food that you're debating on.

jennaworksout

IMO anyways:

Sunflower seeds/oil Paleo? yes
what about sesame? yes

String beans are Not Paleo? yes

What about raw honey? yes
Maple? yes

Root vegetables? not white potato
Nightshade? not sure

Fatty meat? yes

Vinegar? no

Rei1988

Sunflower seeds/oil Paleo?
what about sesame?

String beans are Not Paleo?

What about raw honey?
Maple?

Root vegetables? Nightshade?

Fatty meat?

Vinegar?

Anyone have an infinite list? I have been searching but sources are contradicting.

Sunflower seeds are technically paleo (they're whole foods), but they have a high level of Omega-6 fatty acids, so keep them in moderation (some strict versions will cut all nuts and seeds out entirely). Sunflower oil is, again, largely Omega-6, so there are better oils out there to use. As with all items with a high polyunsaturated fat content, go for raw when possible (PUFAs aren't stable and will oxidize when cooked, becoming trans fats). See more about PUFAs at MDA: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/polyunsaturated-fat/

String beans and green beans are out in strict versions of Paleo (ie - Whole 30), but are discretionary otherwise. As someone else mentioned, green beans are eaten for the pod moreso than the bean.

Raw honey and maple syrup are considered whole foods (especially honey), and are considered "use in moderation" in most cases, except during a Whole 30 challenge (they're considered "added sweeteners" and are out for that). Honey should be raw, local, wildflower for best benefits, but aim for at least raw and prefer raw + local/wildflower if you can't get all three. Maple syrup must be the real thing, none of the Mrs. Butterworth/Aunt Jemima crap.

Root vegetables are great, but should be eaten in moderation or very limited if you're doing a low-carb version, as they tend to be carb-heavy. If you're active and at a healthy weight or are trying to gain weight, tubers are a big staple.

Nightshades are fine unless you're doing Autoimmune Protocol or similar allergy variation, though some weight loss variations recommend reducing your intake of them due to their sugar content.

Fatty meat - yes, yes, yes, yes! The only sources you should see these days that say no to all fatty meats are old Cordain works, when he still subscribed to the CW about saturated fat. He has since turned around his opinion on them. The only caveat here is that the fatty meats should be grass fed and finished or at the very least organic, or wild. The toxins/antibiotics/hormones are stored with the fat, so you shouldn't eat fatty CAFO meat (get lean cuts and add fat by cooking them in oil).

Vinegar, for the most part, is fine. Apple Cider Vinegar is usually the standard. The only one that's out completely is Malt Vinegar, because it's made with grains (that's the only one I know of, if you're not sure, look it up and see what it's made of).

Also, while we're at it - saturated fats in general - yes. Saturated fats are good and won't "clog up arteries," just get them from natural sources, including meat and coconut oil.

There is no be-all-end-all list, because Paleo is a framework - a set of guidelines from which you can make your own decisions - not a list of "good" and "bad" foods to be blindly followed.

A better way to go about it is like this flowchart:


( http://dearpaleo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/paleo-flowchart.jpg )

or even Bulletproof Exec's illustrated scale (note: his is largely Paleo, but he does have some variations): http://www.bulletproofexec.com/the-complete-illustrated-one-page-bulletproof-diet/

Your best bet is to do some more research and find out why certain things are Paleo or not. Foods aren't typically included or excluded arbitrarily, there's usually a reason behind the decision. Mark Sisson has a number of posts of "Is it Primal?" which very often explain why something is or isn't Primal (and most things that are Primal are also Paleo, save mainly for dairy, but it's a good starting point). Once you find out why a class of foods is excluded, you can start to make your own decisions about a new piece of food that you're debating on.

Thanks for the info! yes I love those paleo flow charts