Do you want to try the paleo diet, but aren’t sure where to start? Where can you find credible paleo resources you can trust?
The paleo diet is premised on the idea that eating the way our ancestors did best aligns with our biology and promotes good health. Advocates of the paleo lifestyle believe that most chronic diseases stem from our deviation from the paleolithic way of eating due to the arrival of the agricultural revolution.
If you’re interested in going paleo but aren’t sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve compiled a roundup of the best paleo resources, including paleo cookbooks, food blogs, and podcasts, to help you learn about and get started with paleo.
Best Paleo Food Blogs
Paleo blogs are a great starting point for learning about the paleo diet and sourcing recipes. Here are our picks of the best paleo blogs to bookmark right now.
Nom Nom Paleo is a blog by Michelle Tam, the creator of a two-time Webby Award cooking app and even her own spice blends. So, it’s safe to say that Michelle knows a fair bit about cooking delicious paleo recipes, which you can find on her blog as well as in her cookbooks.
Founded by Dr. Loren Cordain in 2002, The Paleo Diet is your one-stop resource for all things paleo: cookbooks, recipes, guides, science, meal plans, and more. It’s run by nutrition experts who continue the legacy of Cordain (The Paleo Diet® originator) by educating people about eating the way nature intended.
Paleoista is a blog by nutritionist Nell Stephenson who collaborated with Dr. Cordain to co-write the New York Times bestselling book The Paleo Diet. In addition to sharing recipes and advocating the paleo diet as a lifestyle, she blogs about health, nutrition, and weight loss, always providing unbiased, science-backed advice.
Created by Sébastien and Ashley Noël, Paleo Leap is a great resource for newcomers to the paleo lifestyle. Their mission is to make paleo as simple as possible by breaking down the science behind healthy nutrition and sharing simple, easy-to-follow recipes. They also publish success stories of their readers to inspire others to embark on the journey to health and vitality.
Founded in 2006 by Mark Sisson, Mark’s Daily Apple is a blog about thriving in the modern world with ancestral strategies. On Mark’s blog, you’ll find science-backed articles about the benefits of primal eating, paleo and keto recipes, fitness tips, and personal success stories of people who transformed their bodies and health thanks to Mark’s program.
Robb Wolf is a bestselling author (The Paleo Solution and Wired to Eat) and a former research biochemist (amongst many other things). He blogs about paleo, autoimmunity, sleep, fitness, weight loss, and more. He is also the founder of The Healthy Rebellion, an online community dedicated to helping people take control of their health and step outside the sick care system.
Best Paleo Cookbooks
The paleo diet has been around for quite some time, so there’s no shortage of great paleo cookbooks out there. Here are our picks of the best paleo cookbooks—all written by credible authors and positively rated by thousands of readers.
If you want to eat as cleanly as possible, Clean Paleo Family Cookbook by Ashley McCrary (the creator of the paleo/whole30/keto blog Healthy Little Peach) has you covered. This cookbook contains 100 “squeaky clean” paleo and keto recipes that are free from grains, gluten, legumes, dairy, soy, and artificial sweeteners. Her recipes are also simple and realistic enough to incorporate into everyday rotation.
If you like to eat delicious, flavorful meals but don’t like spending time in the kitchen, 30 Minute Paleo by Jessie Bittner is the cookbook you’re looking for. It contains 60 paleo recipes that are gluten-, soy-, and grain-free. Many recipes can also be easily made keto-friendly and dairy-free with simple substitutions.
Unbelievabowl Paleo by Kelsey Preciado includes 60 simple, bowl recipes that are dairy- and gluten-free. Kelsey combines lean protein and veggies and ties them all together with flavorful, mouthwatering sauces to create meals that are delicious, filling, and balanced. It contains recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and even appetizers.
Nom Nom Paleo brings you over 100 creative paleo recipes with a bit of humor on the side. The authors Michelle Tam and Henry Fong, the creators of the popular blog Nom Nom Paleo, are famous for coming up with creative recipes that are bursting with flavor thanks to eclectic mixes of spices and sauces. The Kitchn described their recipes as “often Asian-influenced, often California-inspired, and always popping with flavor.”
The Big Book of Paleo Slow Cooking
If you’re into no-fuss cooking, The Big Book of Paleo Slow Cooking by Natalie Perry is the gem. It brings you over 200 recipes made from easily accessible ingredients combined in creative and, most importantly, delicious ways. All paleo-friendly, this cookbook includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, as well as desserts for a complete package.
Do you love baked goods? Then, you are in for good news! Baked goods can be made paleo-friendly, and this cookbook by Michele Rosen, the founder of the cooking blog Paleo Running Momma, gives you everything you need to whip up gluten-free and processed sugar-free treats that are delicious and guilt-free. This cookbook contains 60 paleo recipes including indulgent cakes for birthdays and events as well as everyday treats to satisfy your sweet tooth.
For those on the sidelines between the paleo and the vegan diet, the “pegan” diet may be the solution. The pegan diet combines the best of both worlds: good fats, limited refined carbs, and lots and lots of fresh produce from veganism. If that sounds good to you, then The Pegan Diet Cookbook by Sheila J. Baker is the cookbook for you. It includes a whopping 600 pegan recipes for each meal of the day. Note, however, that pegan isn’t vegan, but there are 80 vegan recipes included.
Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle by Certified Nutrition Consultant Diane Sanfilippo is a New York Times bestseller that readers dubbed “the paleo bible.” It contains over 150 easy recipes and 14 meal plans designed to support fat loss and manage symptoms of various chronic diseases. In addition to recipes, Practical Paleo goes over the science behind how going paleo can help promote weight loss, support cancer recovery, regulate hormones, and more.
The author of Against All Grain Danielle Walker suffered from a severe autoimmune disease for many years before deciding to reclaim her health by eliminating all grains and dairy from her diet. A self-trained chef, Danielle became a reputable voice in the paleo movement and a beacon of hope for people suffering from autoimmune conditions. In this book, Danielle takes readers on a culinary paleo journey that includes eight weeks’ worth of delectable recipes to make you look and feel great.
Best Paleo Podcasts
Listening to paleo podcasts is a great way to stay committed and learn helpful paleo tips and tricks on the go. Here are our picks of the best paleo podcasts to add to your listening queue.
Optimize Paleo with Chas and Autumn Smith, founders of the health store Paleovalley, is a podcast that takes you “beyond the paleo template” by explaining the science behind eating strategies proven to make you thrive. This podcast will answer all your questions about paleo, nutrition, fitness, and whatnot as it pertains to health.
Dr. Anthony Gustin is a firm believer that health is our natural state. In The Natural State Podcast, Gustin sits down with health and nutrition experts to explore how we can move away from sickness and towards health. He has interviewed several reputable voices in the paleo space including Robb Wolf (The Paleo Solution), Diane Sanfilippo (Against All Grain), and Jeff Nobbs (co-founder of paleo and keto-friendly restaurant Kitava).
Juli Bauer, the host of PaleOMG, doesn’t care about the science behind why paleo is good for you. Yep, she just likes eating and she admits it. She eats paleo, and she created PaleOMG to help people eat healthier and feel better, whether they are strictly paleo or not. A word of warning though: Juli is unapologetic and a bit obscene at times, so this podcast is not for the easily offended!
The Primal Kitchen Podcast (previously Primal Blueprint Podcast) is hosted by Mark Sisson (Mark’s Daily Apple) and Morgan Zanotti. In every episode, they sit down with the biggest names in the health, wellness, and personal growth space to bring you trusted advice on how to thrive both physically and mentally. Topics are wide-ranging, from grain-free cooking to sexual optimization and aging.
Final Words
Switching to paleo can be challenging because it excludes all grains, including wheat, barley, and rice—foods that are staples in a conventional diet. Grain-free cooking is definitely a learning curve. That’s where paleo cookbooks and other resources can help by providing helpful healthy eating tips and delicious recipes.
Did we miss your favorite paleo blogs, book, or podcast? Let us know in the comments!
