The Primal Food List

I’ve been following Mark Sisson‘s blog since I first became interested in the Paleo world and he is one of my go-to guys when it comes to finding out quickly if a particular food falls in the Paleo/Primal world. [pullquote]Ive been following Mark Sisson’s blog since I first became interested in the Paleo world[/pullquote] Of course I like to do my homework and you should too.  But sometimes you’re in need of a quick answer and Mark makes sure to point you in the right direction.  Mark has these great post segments that he calls “Is it Primal?”, however the problem I found with his blog ‘Mark’s Daily Apple‘ is these list of foods he reviews aren’t compiled into one master list.  So I thought I’d compile his list here, enjoy:

(Last updated on 13 Feb 2013 – list not complete.)

Item	Verdict	Last Update	Side Note
5-Hour Energy Drinks	Not Primal	22/Jan/13	Not exactly primal, but neither is falling asleep at the wheel. And the nutrients within are pretty solid.
Agave Nectar	Not Primal	22/May/12
Aged Cheese	Primal	2/Jan/13	Gouda and Pecorino Romano
Almond Milk	Primal	9/May/12
Animal Skin	Primal	22/May/12	Highly Primal.
Apricot Kernals	Not Primal	15/Jan/13	Avoid poisonous things.
Balsamic Vinegar	Primal	15/Jan/13	So long as you don’t eat it with bread!
Banana Flour	Primal	3/May/12	But likely easy to abuse.
Black Rice	Not Primal	4/Sep/12	But if you’re willing to soak and ferment it, it can be potentially a healthy way to get some glucose and polyphenols in your body.
Bone Broth	Primal	2/Jan/13
Bone Marrow	Primal	2/Jan/13
Brazil Nuts	Primal	2/Jan/13
Brine	Primal	22/Jan/13
Cashews	Primal	9/May/12
Chai	Primal	27/Nov/12	but you might try asking them to go easy on the sugar (or just make it yourself and control what goes into it directly).
Chestnuts	Primal	15/Jan/13
Chia Seeds	Primal	4/Sep/12	Be wary of any superfood claims (unless they’re talking about liver and pastured egg yolks), closely monitor your fiber tolerance, and don’t rely on them for your omega-3s.
Chitosan	Primal	15/Jan/13
Chocolate Milk	Not Primal	3/May/12
Choffy	Primal	27/Nov/12	After all, you should eat and drink high-cacao chocolate.
Cocoa Butter	Primal	3/May/12
Cocoa Mass	Primal	3/May/12
Coconut Aminos	Primal	22/May/12
Coconut Water	Primal	3/May/12	But kinda sugary, so go easy on it unless you’re in Thailand sipping on fresh young coconuts (because there’s nothing quite like cold coconut water straight from the coconut), nursing a hangover, or training hard and need the hydration.
Corn Tortillas	Not Primal	13/Feb/13
Desiccated Liver Tabs	Primal	24/Jul/12
Egg Yolks	Primal	2/Jan/13
Fermented Foods	Primal	2/Jan/13
Fermented Soy	Not Primal	9/May/12	But pretty good (and far better than unfermented soy).
Glycomaize	Not Primal	3/May/12
Goat Whey Protein	Primal	3/May/12
Green Coffee Bean Extracts	Primal	9/May/12	But not nearly as delicious as real coffee.
Hominy	Not Primal	3/May/12	But “less bad” than some other grains.
Huitlacoche	Maybe	24/Jul/12	Not exactly Primal, but interesting and seemingly nutritious enough that I wouldn’t sweat it too much.
Humus	Not Primal	9/May/12	But not all humus is created equal.
Korean Nori	Primal	15/Jan/13
Korean Sweet Potato Vermicelli	Not Primal	4/Sep/12	Not so Primal
Kremelta	Maybe	22/Jan/13	On the fence, but leaning towards Primal
Liver	Primal	2/Jan/13
Marmite	Primal	27/Nov/12	Primal limbo. It doesn’t seem all that offensive, but I’m not sure what you’re gonna eat it on if not bread and the synthetic vitamins are potentially troublesome. I guess you just had to be there (in Britain/Australia/New Zealand as a kid, that is) to get it.
Milk Chocolate	Maybe	3/May/12	Potentially primal
Natto	Primal	2/Jan/13
Nutritional Yeast	Primal	22/Jan/13	Just don’t rely on it as a source of vitamins.
Popcorn	NotPrimal	12/Feb/13	Not Primal, but it’s not the worst cheat snack you can have.
Purple/Blue Foods	Primal	2/Jan/13	Sweet potatoes, berries, vegetables
Quorn	Not Primal	22/May/12	Not because it comes from a fungus.
Red Palm Oil	Primal	2/Jan/13
Refined Avocado Oil	Primal	4/Sep/12	So long as you’re using expeller-pressed refined avocado oil.
Rice Noodles	Not Primal	27/Nov/12	but if you’re eating rice, rice noodles are the same thing (and they often come with delicious bone broth).
Royal Jelly	Primal	9/May/12	But it’s not snake oil and it isn’t innocuous.  Make certain that you’re ready for this jelly (I had to do it).
Rye	Not Primal	13/Feb/13
Sacha Inchi Seeds	Primal	3/May/12	Primal to a point.
Seaweed	Primal	2/Jan/13
Shellfish	Primal	2/Jan/13	Such as mussels & oysters
Skyr	Primal	24/Jul/12	If you tolerate dairy
Smoked Salmon	Primal	22/Jan/13
Sourdough Bread, “Gluten-Free” Real	Not Primal	27/Nov/12	But it’s definitely the best bread you can do and I’d wager that it’s less harmful than regular bread.
Soy Lecithin	Not Primal	22/May/12	But small amounts in occasional chocolate shouldn’t be too bad for most people.
Sprouts	Primal	22/May/12	Depending on the starter seed.
Strawberries	Primal	4/Sep/12
Sunflower Oil	Primal	24/Jul/12	Just be sure to go for cold-pressed (which preserves vitamin E and reduces oxidation), high-oleic/high-stearic sunflower oil.
SweetLeaf Flavoured Stevia	Primal	13/Feb/13
Tapioca	Primal	22/May/12
Tiny Whole Fish	Primal	2/Jan/13
Tumeric	Primal	2/Jan/13
Vinegar	Primal	9/May/12	Acetic bacteria have been around longer that we have.
Wasabi	Primal	13/Feb/13
Wheat Germ	Not Primal	24/Jul/12
Wheatgrass	Primal	9/May/12	Could be Primal, but why?  It’s probably great as ruminant feed.