Are you ready to enjoy the bounty of summer fruits and vegetables while keeping to The Paleo Diet®? Not a problem! This time of year, farmers’ markets and grocery stores are overflowing with fresh, organic, and often locally sourced produce. If you're new to The Paleo Diet, then you may be feeling torn about wanting to enjoy seasonal fruits and vegetables while wanting to stick with the protocol, but guess what? Nearly all fresh fruits and vegetables are Paleo-friendly!
Bell peppers
Sweet red, green, and yellow bell peppers are a treat in the summer. Whether sliced up raw as a snack or roasted with garlic and olive oil, peppers are at their peak freshness between July and September - that's when you'll find them at their most flavorful.
Bell peppers are packed with nutritional benefits including your daily requirements of immune-boosting vitamin C and antioxidants while only having around 30 calories per serving!
These colorful peppers pair especially well with a nutrient packed burritos bowl. Try our healthy chicken fajita bowl and throw in red, orange, yellow, or green peppers for fresh crunch with every bite!
Fresh, local cucumbers have a bright, clean flavor that makes a great base for your fresh green juice or serves as the foundation for delicious salads!
Extremely low in calories, cucumbers are composed primarily of water, making them a simple, healthy snack that boosts hydration. Plus, when you add fresh, organic cucumbers to your diet, you'll get an excellent source of phytonutrients which help reduce inflammation in the body and provide you with vitamins and minerals.
Try eating your cucumbers in a soup by making our watermelon and cucumber gazpacho. It's so refreshing and is perfect plate after a long day in the sun.
No vegetable is associated with summer quite like the tomato! A staple of home gardens and farmers' markets, fresh, organic tomatoes are bursting with flavor and nourishment.
Tomatoes offer vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium, plus, are a great source of the antioxidant lycopene. So, when you're shopping for seasonal produce, be sure to reach for tomatoes.
Mix up your recipes and try these stuffed tomatoes with spinach, scallions, garlic, cilantro, and basil. They make the perfect appetizers at parties or cookouts!
Eggplant is in the same family as tomatoes and peppers. This low-calorie vegetable has dietary fiber, copper, vitamin B1, and is surprisingly versatile.
Enjoy a Paleo alternative to hummus with baba ganoush, which replaces the chickpeas of hummus with roasted, pureed eggplant.
Try slicing eggplant into thin layers for Paleo lasagna that is also vegan-friendly. Top it off with almond flour breadcrumbs, and then get ready to dig in!
Even though they look like cucumbers, zucchinis have more "substance" and a more developed flavor. This summer squash is a good source of fiber, manganese, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. Like eggplant, it's also incredibly versatile.
Many people who follow The Paleo Diet turn to zucchini as a healthy and delicious alternative to pasta by using a spiralizer to create "zoodles."
The perfect recipe to try zoodles out for yourself is our one pot lemon zoodles with shrimp. This recipe takes 30 minutes to make, it's easy to make, and healthy!
The Paleo Diet® team comprises a group of scientists, journalists, and recipe creators who stay at the forefront of nutrition science, specifically Paleolithic nutrition. Our hope is to bring you the latest news and research to help you understand how to follow the diet, optimize your health, and eat nutritious and delicious Paleo meals..
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By Aimee McNew
Paleo Leadership
Trevor Connor
Dr. Loren Cordain’s final graduate student, Trevor Connor, M.S., brings more than a decade of nutrition and physiology expertise to spearhead the new Paleo Diet team.
Dr. Mark J. Smith
One of the original members of the Paleo movement, Mark J. Smith, Ph.D., has spent nearly 30 years advocating for the benefits of Paleo nutrition.
Nell Stephenson
Ironman athlete, mom, author, and nutrition blogger Nell Stephenson has been an influential member of the Paleo movement for over a decade.
Dr. Loren Cordain
As a professor at Colorado State University, Dr. Loren Cordain developed The Paleo Diet® through decades of research and collaboration with fellow scientists around the world.
