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Can I eat sweet potatoes while Paleo

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efirkey
efirkey Posts: 298 Member
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I am still a little confused about whether or not I can eat sweet potatoes while Paleo. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Also, I checked the ingredients for my cashews yesterday and noticed cottonseed oil may or may not be in it? Does this make eating cashews (planters) a no go as well?
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  • AshleyPaleo
    AshleyPaleo Posts: 121
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    I eat one every day almost, with butter and nutmeg!! They are my fave! Some say yes, some no, some people become all crazy with it! I say if you feel good eating it, and you like where you are going do it!
  • bethanylaugh
    bethanylaugh Posts: 237
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    I've definitely noticed a lot of nuts are roasted in other nut oils (especially peanut!)
    I don't know how disallowed that would technically be, but I found a few brands that have some options - wonderful almonds and pistachios, CVS's "gold emblem" brand macadamia nuts, raw salted pistachios, and raw almonds.

    I know on perfect health diet (paleo-based) they allow and encourage sweet potatoes but I don't know if Paleo does. I believe Primal likes sweet potatoes too!
  • strychnine7
    strychnine7 Posts: 210 Member
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    Sweet potatoes, along with coconut and avocado, seem to be a favorite among us cavemen and women. So to answer your question: yes, sweet potatoes are definitely paleo.

    Cashews are not usually considered paleo since they are a legume (like a bean) and not a nut or seed. The oil used to process them only makes them all the less paleo. However, you could probably do worse than eating cashews as a treat, here and there.
  • kjm3579
    kjm3579 Posts: 3,975 Member
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    I'm more Primal than Paleo but yes, sweet potatos are generally OK, especially if you are trying to gain some weight -- if you are loosing than can still be OK but some writers will say no potatos of any kind with weight loss.

    For nuts, peanuts are not OK as they are legumes and not actual nuts. Also, raw nuts would be the way to go to avoid the oils and salts/seasonings.
  • efirkey
    efirkey Posts: 298 Member
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    Great to hear that sweet potatoes are fine. I am going to have one tonight.

    I will finish the cashews I have and then re-think whether or not to continue eating them. Right now I eat about an ounce a day as a snack which really isn't very much.
  • AshleyPaleo
    AshleyPaleo Posts: 121
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    I'm more Primal than Paleo but yes, sweet potatos are generally OK, especially if you are trying to gain some weight -- if you are loosing than can still be OK but some writers will say no potatos of any kind with weight loss.

    For nuts, peanuts are not OK as they are legumes and not actual nuts. Also, raw nuts would be the way to go to avoid the oils and salts/seasonings.

    I eat one almost every day and have lost 30 lbs in 4 months =P
  • efirkey
    efirkey Posts: 298 Member
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    I am not sure where to buy raw nuts. I don't think they carry them at my regular grocery store. Would trader joes have raw nuts or do I need to visit the health food store?
  • bethanylaugh
    bethanylaugh Posts: 237
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    TJs has them!
    and CVS :)
  • AshleyPaleo
    AshleyPaleo Posts: 121
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    Trader joes, walmart, even the gas station I go to has raw nuts, you just have to look around
  • strychnine7
    strychnine7 Posts: 210 Member
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    I am not sure where to buy raw nuts. I don't think they carry them at my regular grocery store. Would trader joes have raw nuts or do I need to visit the health food store?

    Amazon is my best friend since I live in the sticks and have no cool shopping places like Trader Joes, Whole Foods or even Costco to go to.

    http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=raw nuts&sprefix=raw+n,aps&rh=i:aps,k:raw nuts
  • Mrs_Duh
    Mrs_Duh Posts: 263
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    Sweet Potatoes are definitely okay, and are an excellent source of good carbs if you are working out a lot. I Crossfit and run, so sweet potatoes make a great post workout snack.
  • alwebbert
    alwebbert Posts: 3 Member
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    On the days that I am working out hard I like to eat a sweet potato. I find that without the good carb source I tend to get dizzy or lack the energy to get through my workout.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    yess!!!! yummmm
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
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    Hell yes, sweet potatoes are awesome. White potatoes are good, too.

    Paleo and Primal =/= Low Carb. Don't fear the potato.
  • Twibbly
    Twibbly Posts: 1,065 Member
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    Hell yes, sweet potatoes are awesome. White potatoes are good, too.

    Paleo and Primal =/= Low Carb. Don't fear the potato.

    Caveat: If you have auto-immune issues, try it without nightshades, which include white potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. My joints and digestive system are much more fond of me when I don't eat them.

    I'm not saying they're not paleo or primal, just that they are something known to cause issues in a subset of the population.
  • meghanner
    meghanner Posts: 180 Member
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    Sweet potatoes are one of the safest paleo starches.

    Cottonseed oil is some of the worst oil around. It has the most pesticide residue and in my mind is totally toxic. It's used because it's extremely cheap. Try some raw nuts instead. You can still find them at costco :)
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
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    Hell yes, sweet potatoes are awesome. White potatoes are good, too.

    Paleo and Primal =/= Low Carb. Don't fear the potato.

    Caveat: If you have auto-immune issues, try it without nightshades, which include white potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. My joints and digestive system are much more fond of me when I don't eat them.

    I'm not saying they're not paleo or primal, just that they are something known to cause issues in a subset of the population.

    Indeed.

    Also, OP, I forgot to mention that if you find yourself reacting poorly to nuts in any way, don't eat them. Nut allergies are quite common and you'll feel better for doing so.
  • JohnNull
    JohnNull Posts: 133 Member
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    Sweet potatoes are GO! DO IT!

    To correct the poster above, cashews are NOT a legume. They are a nut. They are safe to eat, with the usual caveats as far as roasting and coating and such.

    A quick reminder: If you're going to eat nuts, keep it to one handful a day, tops. With the shells still on if possible.
  • strychnine7
    strychnine7 Posts: 210 Member
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    Sweet potatoes are GO! DO IT!

    To correct the poster above, cashews are NOT a legume. They are a nut. They are safe to eat, with the usual caveats as far as roasting and coating and such.

    A quick reminder: If you're going to eat nuts, keep it to one handful a day, tops. With the shells still on if possible.

    Indeed, they are nuts. Thank you for the correction. I could have sworn I read a credible source somehwere, at some point, that said they were legumes. This is good news, actually, since I like cashews quite a bit and had cut tem out entirely (I don't eat nuts very often anyway, so not a huge loss) because of hearing they were not nuts.
  • carissar7
    carissar7 Posts: 183 Member
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    YES! I eat them after workouts. Often I will stick a fork in one, nuke it in the microwave for about 5 minutes and then eat it like a baked potato with coconut oil and salt/cinnamon on top (like a baked potato) and chicken + veggies on the side. MMMM. Other times I will peel them, chop them up and make 'fries' out of them with olive oil and bake them in the oven. Most of the time I just use the microwave and they come out perfectly soft. I have yet tried to mash one, I think I am going to do that next!

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