The Paleo Diet and Farmer's Markets

Farmer's Markets are a great place to buy food that aligns with the principles of a Paleo Diet. Produce and meat is in its most natural form, free of antibiotics, pesticides, hormones, and cruelty. Navigating Farmer's Markets can be daunting for the first time, or for anyone visiting one from out of town. Here is a list of products and vendors to gravitate towards at Farmer's Markets that will supply you with foods that fit nicely into any Paleo Diet.

Paleo Diet foods at Farmer's Markets: Grass-Fed Meat

The pride all Farmer's Markets are their pastured, grass-fed beef, lamb, and other cuts of meat. Though some meat vendors will sell meat that is deemed 'organic', this does not mean that the animals have been fed a diet of 100% grass. A true Paleolithic eating plan contains only meat from animals that have eaten the foods that they have, themselves, have evolved to eat (i.e. grass growing in fields and prairies). Choose meat from 100% grass-fed animals, even if other, grain-fed options have been raised and processed without antibiotics or hormones.

Paleo Diet foods at Farmer's Markets: Seasonal Produce

One of the main tenets of a Paleo Diet is eating fruits, vegetables, and other plants in the season that they would have been available in nature. Farmer's Markets are a great way to reconnect with the Earth and support local farmers who offer a way to accomplish this. By only buying produce during its growing season, you avoid spending money on out-of-season produce that uses up enormous quantities of green-house gases to ship it from southern latitudes. There is even evidence in Paleolithic lifestyle literature that suggests eating produce during its growing season regulates our hormones and physiological processes.

Paleo Diet foods at Farmer's Markets: Pastured Butter

For most Paleo Diet experts, the jury is still out on whether butter is an acceptable inclusion for most people looking to adopt a Paleolithic lifestyle. The most ascetic Paleo Diet researchers would probably discourage its use, but more liberal ones would promote it as a healthy source of CLA, fat and fat-soluble vitamins. Due to its higher fat content, it does not cause most of the problems associated with lactose intolerance, which only an issue for about 20 percent of people of European ancestry.

Paleo Diet foods at Farmer's Markets: Conclusion

When going to Farmer's Markets, one should seek out these foods in order to follow a Paleo Diet.