Sample Menu
Here’s a day of typical meals at a 2,200-calorie level as described in The Paleo Diet, one of many guides to the approach.
Breakfast
½ cantaloupe
12 oz. broiled Atlantic salmon
Lunch
Salad—
7 large boiled shrimp
3 cups raw spinach
1 shredded carrot
1 sliced cucumber
2 diced tomatoes
lemon juice/olive oil/spice dressing
Snack
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 cold pork chop
Dinner
2 lean pork chops
2 cups steamed broccoli
Salad—
2 cups romaine lettuce
½ cup diced tomatoes
¼ cup sliced purple onions
½ avocado
lemon juice dressing
Dessert
½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
¼ cup slivered almonds
Nutrition
Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional content of a day’s meals on a 2,200-calorie Paleo diet, alongside recommendations from the government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
This diet is highly individualized; your calorie intake and nutrients may be higher or lower depending on food choices. Diet figures were supplied by an analysis published in the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association.
| Paleo Diet | Recommended | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 2,200 | Women | Men |
|
21-25: 2,000 26-50: 1,800 51+: 1,600 |
21-40: 2,400 41-60: 2,200 61+: 2,000 |
||
| Total Fat | 39% | 20%-35% | |
| Saturated | 7% | Less than 10% | |
| Trans | 0% | N/A | |
| Total Carbohydrates | 23% | 45%-65% | |
|
Sugars (total except as noted) |
N/A | N/A | |
| Fiber | 42.5 g. | Women | Men |
|
19-30: 28 g. 31-50: 25 g. 51+: 22 g. |
19-30: 34 g. 31-50: 31 g. 51+: 28 g. |
||
| Protein | 38% | 10%-35% | |
| Sodium | 726 mg. | Under 2,300 mg., under 1,500 mg. for 51+ | |
| Potassium | 9,062 mg. | At least 4,700 mg. | |
| Calcium | 691 mg. |
19-50: 1,000 mg. 51+: 1,200 mg. |
|
| Vitamin B-12 | 17.6 mcg. | 2.4 mcg. | |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg. | 15 mcg. | |
Recommendations apply to adults 19 and older except as noted. Recommended calories assume a sedentary lifestyle. g.: grams. mg.: milligrams. mcg.: micrograms.