Make it Paleo: 10 Easy Paleo Food Swaps

I saw someone wearing a T-shirt the other day that said, “No Grains No Dairy No Legumes No Kidding.” It was awesome. That is the epitome of the Paleo Lifestyle. Often when I tell people what I don’t eat, they look at me like I’m crazy. Then the inevitable question, “Then what do you eat?” “Real food,” I say. Here’s a quick look at 10 of my most favorite Paleo Food Swaps that you can make so you don’t feel like you are missing out.

My diet consists mainly of lots of veggies, good quality meats, pastured eggs, a little bit of fruit , and tons of healthy fats. I feel like I get a big variety of foods in my diet. But it has taken me a while to learn some of the tricks of the trade when it comes to eating a Paleo diet. Here’s a quick list of 10 easy Paleo food swaps that you can make to keep your diet interesting and fun. With a little bit of creativity and practice, you can become an old pro at Paleo eating.

#1 Milk/Dairy

My favorite substitute for dairy milk is full fat coconut milk. It’s rich. It’s creamy. And can be used in a 1:1 ratio in most recipes. Try it as a coffee or tea creamer. You can make delicious non-dairy ice creams with it. It’s lovely in an Indian curry. It’s decadent in desserts, puddings, and custards. I highly recommend using a BPA and additive free brand as many have harmful chemicals and additives in them. You can also make homemade coconut milk at home from unsweetened shredded coconut. Recipe HERE.

If coconut isn’t your thing, you can easily make non-dairy nut milks at home. See recipe HERE. All you need is water, nuts, and a nut milk bag. I don’t recommend buying the boxed cartons of non-dairy milks as many of them are loaded with synthetic vitamins, unhealthy oils, and harmful additives. Read more about that HERE.

Recipes to try:

Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk (use as creamer or in desserts)
Coconut Flan
Blueberry Ice Cream (dairy free)

#2 Vegetable and seed oils like canola sunflower, safflower, soy, corn, and cottonseed

These oils are often the product of chemical extraction, heating, bleaching, and deodorizing. And they are mostly loaded with Omega 6 fatty acids. Increased consumption of Omega 6 fatty acids has been linked to increases in all inflammatory diseases including heart disease, diabetes, IBS, cancer, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and asthma.

What to use instead? Use real, natural saturated fats. My favorite choices are ghee and coconut oil. Ghee is easy to make at home from a good quality grass fed butter. Or you can buy it pre-made. Coconut oil can be purchased at most health food store, at Costco, or online. (where to buy good quality coconut oil)

Worried about eating saturated fats? Check out my post on The Truth about Saturated Fats.

Recipes to try:

#3 Refined sugar

Reducing the amount of sugar and sweeteners that we consume is the best option for healthy eating. When transitioning into a REAL food or Paleo lifestyle, it’s best to get rid of all refined sugars. Your body will thank you. It’s just empty calories, and consumption of sugar is associated with high cortisol levels and inflammation. Need help taming those sugar cravings and getting off the sugar roller coaster? Check out Diane Sanfilippo’s book, 21 Day Sugar Detox. Diane struggles with sugar cravings herself and she wrote this program to help others break the habit of eating sugar every few hours. She has included three different levels so each person can start where they are comfortable. You can start off slow and move at your own pace.

But sometimes we just want a little treat. I recommend using unrefined sweeteners like raw honey, real maple syrup, and coconut sugar. These sweeteners are still whole foods. They still contain vitamins, minerals, and some enzymes. While we should still limit the consumption of sugars in our diet, choosing these less refined products is a better choice.

Recipes to try:

#4 White flour

Just because you don’t eat grains doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the occasional baked good. My flour of choice for Paleo-friendly baking is coconut flour. Coconut flour is highly absorbent and takes some time to get used to using. I find that a general ratio of regular flour to coconut flour is 1 cup = 1/4 cup coconut flour. You will have to play with recipes to find the right balance for each.

I occasionally will use blanched almond flour as well. It imparts a lovely, rich flavor to baked goods. I recommend using it sparingly as almond flour is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (Omega 6 or PUFAs). Over-consumption can lead to inflammation in the body.

Recipes to try:

#5 Peanut Butter

Peanuts are not considered paleo. Almond butter is a better choice when it comes to nut butters. Sunflower seed butter is also delicious. I highly recommend soaking and dehydrating your nuts and seeds to break down phytic acid to make them more digestible. Read more about that HERE.

Recipes to try:

#6 Bread

You can still enjoy your favorite wraps and sandwiches on a Paleo diet. You just have to get creative. My easiest trick is to just go to lettuce wraps and cups. Use any sturdy lettuce green to wrap your favorite fillings in. Or use crisp lettuce leaves as lettuce cups. We love to add egg salad with bacon to lettuce cups. My sweetie makes me lettuce cups with homemade mayo, tomato and bacon. Leftover chicken, homemade mayo, and curry powder makes an awesome curried chicken lettuce wrap. YUM!

Recipes to try:

Some creative bread ideas:

Still want some bread? Check out these Paleo bread recipes:

#7 Pasta

Lots of folks can’t imagine giving up pasta. But don’t worry. You can make noodles out of just about anything. Once you discover the world of vegetable noodles, you’ll never go back. My favorite vegetable noodles are made from zucchini. I also love to make them from sweet potatoes and yams.

THIS is the spiralizer that I use to make my vegetable noodles. It’s awesome. Easy to use and clean. You can also get a smaller version HERE.

Another option is to use spaghetti squash as noodles. Here are 3 ways to cook your spaghetti squash:

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and place inside a large crock pot. Pour in about an inch of water. Cook on high for about 2 hours, or until soft.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and place skin side up on a greased baking sheets. Lightly oil the outside skin as well. (I use coconut oil or ghee). Bake for 35-45 minutes on 400′F, or until fork-tender.
Place whole (uncut) spaghetti squash on an greased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 60-80 minutes. Allow spaghetti squash to cool for 20-30 minutes. Cut squash open with a knife. Using a spoon scoop out seeds. Scrape the flesh out of the squash into stringy noodles.

Recipes to try:

#8 Rice

Can’t imagine life without rice? Introducing cauliflower rice. All you need to do is pulse cauliflower florets in the food processor until you achieve a rice-like consistency. Saute this cauli-rice with ghee or coconut oil, onion, garlic, and your favorite spices. Delish!

Recipes to try:

Asian Lettuce Wraps with Coconut Cauli-Rice
Paleo Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower Fried Rice

#9 Mashed potatoes

Sometimes you just want some carbs. This is an easy swap. Just use sweet potatoes, yams, or winter squash instead. You can also steam cauliflower in a bit of homemade bone broth, puree with a hand blender, and enjoy. My family loves that.

Love french fries? you will love this healthy recipe for Sweet Potato Fries or Crispy Parsnip Fries or Butternut Squash Fries.

Recipes to try:

#10 Condiments

Many store-bought condiments have undesirable ingredients in them. Just read the labels. You might be surprised. Homemade mayonnaise is easy to make with avocado oil or macadamia nut oil. Homemade ketchup is delicious. Love soy sauce? Just use coconut aminos. It is made from the fermented sap of the coconut tree. I use it. I love it. It’s tasty. It will take the place of soy sauce in any recipe.

Recipes to try: