Diet Guide
Eat only whole natural foods. If a caveman could not eat it, you do not eat it.
Paleo means eating the way humans ate thousands of years ago. Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. No grains, no dairy, no processed food, and no added sugar.
The idea is that modern processed foods are relatively new and our bodies are not built for them. By eating only foods that existed before farming, you remove most of what is considered unhealthy in a modern diet.
It is similar to keto but allows more carbs from fruit and starchy vegetables like sweet potato.
Imagine your ancestor from 10,000 years ago. If she would not recognise it as food, you do not eat it. A chicken breast yes. A packet of biscuits no. A bowl of berries yes. A bowl of noodles no. This simple test removes most processed and high calorie foods automatically, which reduces your overall calorie intake without needing to count anything.
No. Rice is a grain, and paleo cuts out every grain. That includes white rice, brown rice, wild rice, basmati, glutinous rice, and anything made from rice flour like bihun or kuey teow. Farming started around 10,000 years ago and paleo draws its line right before that, so rice never makes it in.
This is the rule that kills paleo for most people in this part of the world. Rice is not a side dish here. It is lunch, it is dinner, it is what your mum cooks every single day. Telling a Malaysian household that rice is off the table is a bigger ask than telling someone in Sydney to drop bread.
Worth being honest about why rice is banned: it is banned for being a grain, not for being fattening. White rice is about 130 calories per 100g cooked. It is nearly fat free, it digests easily, and it does not stop anyone from losing weight. Plenty of the leanest people on earth eat rice at every meal. The problem was never the rice, it was the amount of it and everything poured over it.
Some people follow a looser version, sometimes called primal or paleo with white rice, where white rice is allowed back in because it is low in the plant compounds paleo actually objects to. If you want the paleo style of eating but you are not willing to give up rice, that version is far more realistic. And if the whole reason you were looking at paleo was weight loss, you can skip it entirely. Eat your rice, weigh your portion, keep your calories in check. That is the approach the rest of this site is built on.
For a sense of what a normal Malaysian plate actually costs you, the food calorie database has the real numbers for nasi lemak, nasi kandar, economy rice and about 290 other things.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Removes all processed food automatically | Cuts out rice, bread, and most grains |
| Higher protein keeps hunger low | More expensive than a standard diet |
| Clear rules make decisions easy | Hard to follow when eating out |
| May reduce inflammation markers | No dairy removes easy protein options like yogurt |
The paleo diet eliminates grains, legumes, and processed foods, focusing on whole animal and plant foods. Studies suggest it can improve metabolic markers and reduce inflammation. A 2009 study found improvements in cardiovascular risk factors after just 3 months. The diet tends to be higher in protein and lower in refined carbohydrates, which contributes to better satiety and reduced overall calorie intake.
Read the researchThousands of people doing this diet share their experience on Reddit. Visit r/paleo
No. Rice is a grain and paleo excludes all grains, white and brown alike. That is a rule about farming history, not about calories. White rice is roughly 130 calories per 100g cooked and works fine in a normal weight loss diet.
Not on strict paleo. Some looser versions, often called primal, allow white rice because it is low in the plant compounds paleo objects to. If rice is the part you cannot give up, that version is the sensible one.
Sweet potato, pumpkin, cauliflower rice, or just more vegetables and protein on the plate. Sweet potato is the closest swap for volume and it keeps you full.
It can work, but not for the reason people think. Cutting grains, dairy and processed food removes a large chunk of what most people overeat, so calories drop without counting. The weight loss comes from the calorie drop, not from the caveman logic.
Honestly, it is hard. No rice, no noodles, no roti, no kaya toast, no teh tarik with condensed milk. Eating out becomes almost impossible. Most people here last a few weeks before quitting.
Paleo cuts food groups you do not actually need to remove. See how calorie counting works and how I lost 42kg eating rice the whole way.
Check any dish in the food calorie database.
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