The Best Paleo Cookbooks for Diet-Friendly Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert

What to Look for in Paleo Cookbooks

Experience Level

Cookbooks are written for all kinds of experience levels, so consider your level of familiarity with the paleo diet. If you’re brand new, you might need a cookbook that’s more introductory and comprehensive than someone who’s already immersed in the topic. You could also consider your experience in the kitchen, more generally, in addition to how well you know paleo cooking. Some books will be geared more toward those looking for a culinary challenge and increased time in the kitchen, and others court home cooks who want to get dinner on the table quickly during the week.

Ingredients

One of the main concerns when buying any cookbook pertains to the ingredients. This may feel especially pertinent with a paleo cookbook because some of the ingredients could be unfamiliar. However, look at the recipes and see if they include ones you’re familiar with. Often a cookbook will contain notes about the best places to purchase unusual or potentially unfamiliar ingredients. Do they ask you to find obscure or expensive ingredients that will require special ordering or sourcing online? Or are the ingredients ones you already have or are likely to easily find at the grocery store?

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Equipment

Some recipes are focused exclusively on one particular appliance, such as an Instant Pot or an air fryer, which can make your time in the kitchen much more efficient. Some might just require other kinds of equipment, such as an immersion blender, a grill, and so forth. Be sure to take a look at the book closely, usually in the front, to see what kind of equipment is needed before making a purchase.

FAQs

What makes a recipe paleo?

A paleo recipe is one that favors meats, seafood, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds; if you could forage for it, you can eat it on the paleo diet. It follows the diet of our ancestors, so it forbids processed food and refined sugar, along with dairy, legumes, and grains. Paleo recipes favor natural sweeteners, such as honey and maple syrup, although sparingly.

Who invented the paleo diet?

Despite the fact that this diet has recently become very popular, it goes back to our ancestors. The term was coined in the 1970s by gastroenterologist Walter Voegtlin. He believed that a return to this old style of eating would provide health benefits.

What’s the difference between paleo and keto diets?

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These diets are similar in several ways. They both exclude grains, legumes, and sugar, and they emphasize whole foods. The paleo diet, however, places its emphasis on what you are eating and not calorie counting, whereas the keto diet requires you to count the macronutrients of what you consume. The keto diet prioritizes the restriction of carbohydrates and emphasizes fats and protein. You can eat dairy on a keto diet.

What are the pros and cons of the paleo diet?

As with any diet, the paleo lifestyle comes with pros and cons. We asked Jessica Beacom, RDN, what she thought about the benefits and drawbacks.

On the pros, she said: “An emphasis on more whole foods and lower processed foods has many health benefits for anyone, including higher intakes of essential macro and micronutrients while having lower intakes of added sugars and starchy carbohydrates.”

And on the cons: “Since the paleo diet excludes grains and legumes, it can be challenging to meet the recommended 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day without putting a strong emphasis on consuming berries and other high-fiber fruits and vegetables. It can also be a challenge to get adequate amounts of calcium when dairy is removed.”

Is the paleo diet right for me?

No diet is a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition. While the paleo diet may work for some people, it won’t be beneficial or convenient for everyone.

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“The paleo diet tends to be good for those who are looking to move away from a diet of highly processed foods and want to incorporate more nutrient-dense whole foods into their lifestyle,” Beacom says. “However, because it eliminates grains, legumes, and dairy, paleo eaters should be mindful of consistently including foods that are good sources of fiber and calcium, such as leafy greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, berries, pears, sesame seeds, almonds, and canned sardines. One of the challenges of paleo eating is that it can be hard to dine out and adhere to the basic principles, so it does require more cooking at home.”

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Alyssa Langer is a licensed registered dietitian and a cookbook enthusiast herself, collecting dozens over the years and always turning to them for inspiration, whether it’s a time-consuming weekend baking project or just a quick Monday night dinner. Having worked in the cookbook publishing world in the past, she knows what it takes to create a quality book that delivers something new and exciting to readers—particularly in an increasingly online world.

Rachel Werner, who updated this roundup, is a culinary writer who has been reviewing food-focused books and businesses for almost a decade. Her food photography and recipes are also featured in content she creates for a variety of regional and national publications, such as TOPS News, The Gourmet Insider, and Fabulous Wisconsin. See examples of Rachel’s work behind the camera capturing shots of plant-based eats on Instagram @trulyplanted.

To update this article, food and kitchen writer Allison Wignall interviewed Jessica Beacom, RDN.

Sources

Jessica Beacom is the co-founder of The Real Food Dieticians and co-author of a 100-recipe cookbook by the same name.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Recipe