Can I be a Paleo Eater if I am a Vegetarian?

The question itself seems like a contradiction. We all know that the paleo diet is heavy in meat and fats. We’re supposed to eat like cavemen and the vegetarian diet is actually termed as the “higher taste”. So, can you be a paleo vegan?

You can. It won’t be easy… but it’s not impossible. In fact, almost any diet can be modified a little to suit your taste. Of course, you can’t flagrantly ignore the hardcore rules such as avoiding sugar and processed foods but you can incorporate some flexibility as far as healthy food choices are concerned.

A few foods that are not allowed in the paleo diet are grains such as rice, wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, legumes, potatoes, dairy, alcohol, processed foods, artificial additives, soy, quinoa, buckwheat, etc.

You’re probably thinking, “Good lord! Is there anything else left to eat?”

There is but it’s really not much. Here is where you will need to exercise some flexibility. Since you will be a vegetarian, your diet cannot solely comprise of vegetables and fruit. You will end up feeling hungry all day because these foods get digested fast and to be frank, they are not that “filling”.

Your best option would be to eat the starchy tubers such as potatoes and even starchy fruits such as bananas. Most vegans need grains in their diet such as rice, etc. Eliminating these makes the paleo diet almost impossible to follow.

Compliance is tough enough as it is. A vegan is going to find it immensely difficult to cope with the paleo diet if he or she does not make exceptions and adjust the diet.

It is not a crime to break a few rules. The paleo diet rules are not set in stone. In fact, nobody really knows what the cavemen ate. In all probability, they might have sat by the fire eating bananas and complaining about their wives. You don’t know. Nobody does.

The truth of the matter is that the paleo diet is more about excluding the harmful foods that are manufactured by greedy corporate food companies. It’s about avoiding detrimental ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup.

If you want to add rice to your paleo diet, by all means do it. It’s your decision. Test and see for yourself. Is it a natural food? If it is, go for it.

Just to be clear, a natural food is a single ingredient food such as rice, oats, etc. The chocolate bar that is supposedly organic is NOT a natural food and you should not eat it. Exercise common sense when making your food choices.

There are some vegetarians who eat eggs and there are others who eat fish. There are many different types of vegetarians. It will be impossible to come up with a paleo diet that suits everyone.

So, depending on your preferences, you need to do your research on the different types of vegetables and grains to see how much starch and carbs they contain. Some people may be fine eating rice while others may feel better eating potatoes. It all depends on the individuals.

Understand the paleo rules and bend them to suit you. Bend… not break. You know what the cardinal rules are. So, make adjustments sensibly and eat healthy.