Paleo diet

noun

variants or paleo diet or less commonly Paleolithic diet or paleolithic diet

: a diet approximating that of hunter-gatherers of the Paleolithic period and consisting mainly of preagricultural foods (such as lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds) and strictly limiting foods (such as dairy products, legumes, grains, potatoes, and refined sugar) which did not exist prior to the development of agricultural practices

By the end of the study, subjects on the Paleo diet averaged a 26 percent decrease in blood sugar levels, compared with only a 7 percent decrease among those on the Mediterranean diet.

—Jack Challem

The paleo diet in its purest form does not allow salt, refined sugar, legumes, dairy or alcohol. Some versions encourage high fat intake, while others stick to leaner meats.

—Leigh Zaleski

Modeled after the primitive man's diet, the increasingly popular nutritional plan known as the Paleolithic diet is based on eating practices of an era that ended approximately 10,000 years ago.

—Jessica Rubino

called also caveman diet, Stone Age diet

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above