Can You Eat Fried Foods On The Paleo Diet?

The paleo diet is famous for its premise to take us back to the diet the caveman used to consume.

Advocates of the paleo diet suggest that our bodies have not evolved enough to process most of what is now a staple diet for most people, especially grains and processed foods.

With all the benefits of the paleo diet, you may still be confused by what foods you can and cannot consume.

Another concern that is not widely discussed are the various cooking methods and what works for the paleo diet and what doesn’t. For example, frying is such a method that the switch to the paleo diet could be affected. You can fry foods while following a paleo lifestyle, but you must use suitable cooking oils and temperatures.

Can You Eat Fried Foods On The Paleo Diet?

Before you leave frying out as an option for cooking food, let’s take a look at what you should know.

Can You Eat Fried Foods On The Paleo Diet? 

Yes, you can. You can have your favorite meats and other dishes fried. The recommendation from paleo experts is to create the right conditions by using suitable oils, temperature, and food. For starters, you need to pick the right frying oil.

You can use olive oil, animal fats, ghee, avocado oil, and coconut oil. You, however, want to avoid any processed oil as well as vegetable and seed oils.

For temperature, it depends on whether you are deep frying it or stir-frying it. If you are deep-frying it, you should maintain temperatures where the moisture in the food keeps the oil out while the oil keeps the moisture inside. For stir-frying, the temperatures should be kept at medium to medium-high. 

There are several fried foods you can eat on a paleo diet, albeit the cooking considers paleo-friendly ingredients. Some of these fried foods include;

  • Nachos: instead of corn chips, you use plantain ones fried in olive oil and served with ground beef and veggies. 
  • Fries: you can still have your potato chips, only this time you dip them in olive oil and bake them in a pan for 20 minutes at 425F. 
  • Pancakes: all you need is a flour alternative, of which the paleo diet offers many options, for example, almond flour and one of the oils mentioned above. 
  • Chicken nuggets: you can still enjoy your cravings by using boneless chicken breasts on pork rinds and bake them at 425F for only 20 minutes. Make your sauce as a caveman would using the home option and paleo-approved spices. 

You can also enjoy fried rice and granola, and even fried butter, among other options. 

Other Paleo-Friendly Cooking Methods 

Now that you know you can eat fried foods on a paleo diet, you can also consider these other cooking options. They work for all other foods but especially your meats. They include the following;

Roasting

You get them to cook in the meat’s natural juices. It is a healthy and straightforward method of cooking, and you can use the dripping juices for the sauce after you have simmered and strained the meat. Beyond regular roasting, you have the option to slow roast, especially for tougher meat joints.

You can also pot roast the dishes, giving you a chance to add wine for more flavor and tenderizing. You can also pan roast the dishes, letting them brown before placing them in the pan. It is always excellent to marinate your meats and vegetables before roasting for more decadent flavors. 

Grilling

Grilling is an excellent way to cook your steaks, vegetables, tubers, chicken parts, and kebabs, among other foods. You require little to no fat, so even the meat fat or sauce drips will serve the purpose. Sear the dish on the hottest section of the grill and then leave it on a medium-hot section for it to finish cooking.

Grilling gives your foods a smoky quality that enriches the flavor. Its large surface also makes it easier to cook more food at once. Marinating the food will help you improve the taste, while you should take care not to pierce them as you may lose juice in doing so. 

Poaching

Poaching is best for chicken and fish to be eaten with salads or on their own. The method allows you to gently cook your food and retain its tender texture. You simmer the food with liquid, either water, stock, or combine both and add herbs. You can later use the rich stock to act as a sauce or a finish for your dish. Get a container with a tight lid as it allows you to cook the food evenly at low heat. 

Braising

Braising is an excellent way to cook tough meats or hardy vegetables but often meat that requires tenderizing. First, you caramelize the outside of the meat by browning on high heat. You then switch to slowly cooking it in flavored liquids to tenderize it with seasonings. Next, you can use either an oven or a stovetop to braise your food. Finally, you simmer the meat with vegetables, spices, and herbs. 

Conclusion

You can eat fried foods on the paleo diet; you might have to use a different oil for frying than you do for frying our food now.

It’s not a bad idea to change the cooking oil you use, especially if it is a processed oil like vegetable oil.

Trying different cooking oils could add a bit more flavor to your meal.

References Used In This Article

  1. Try Paleo-Approved Cooking Methods
  2. Paleo Eating and Lifestyle: The Rules
  3. 7 Surprising Foods You Can Eat on a Paleo Diet
  4. Paleo Diet Recipes – 8 Healthy Ways to Cook Meat for Paleolithic Diet Recipes

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