Going Paleo Part 3: Where do I get this $%&#?

On a recent quick trip home to Orlando, I realized how spoiled I am in New York - it is almost too easy to eat paleo in New York. In New York, I have to make a conscious effort not to buy every packaged paleo-friendly product out there and carried at every bodega on every street corner. I had gluten-free communion this morning for Christ's sake (sacreligious pun fully intended). In Winter Garden, Florida, even on a trip to the grocery store it is a struggle to find paleo foods, unless you drive across town to Whole Foods. Even at that, you can't get quality  animal products unless you are at the Whole Foods on Wednesday after the grass-fed and pastured meat has been delivered.

A major hang-up in getting started on paleo is stocking your pantry. You go to the grocery store with your list of produce, coconut manna, ghee, red palm oil and pastured, sugar-free bacon, then you quickly realize that your only options are non-organic produce, coconut milk in the plasticky-paper jug and Oscar Meyers. 

Good News - this stuff is SO much more available than you think, you just have to look in the right place and I am here to be your sensei. If I leave anything out or you have a question about a particular product, don't hesitate to ask - I will answer you! I encourage you to look at the tear-out sheets in the back of your Practical Paleo book to help you as well. My preference in each category is in bold font. 

Pantry Staples - This is the biggest and hardest one, because you will spend all day driving/walking from grocery store to grocery store trying to find all these items and then crying because having to buy coconut aminos at the health food store 45 minutes away cost you half your pay check. Personally, I can get everything at grocery stores within a 10 minute walk from me, but I STILL RARELY buy them there. It takes too long to comb the shelves and costs too much. 

• Whole Foods, Fresh Market, other Fancy Grocery Stores - if you like being miserable and at the grocery store for hours then go for it. If not, use one of my recommendations below for ordering online and then use the grocery store when you need just one or two things. 
• Repeat after me, AMAZONPRIME IS MY BEST FRIEND. If you read my blog and do not at least buy nuts on Amazon, then I am royally offended. 99.9% of your paleo pantry staples can be bought on Amazon, usually with Prime Free Shipping or regular free shipping. BONUS - it's a lot cheaper than going to the grocery store. You will be amazed what you can order on Amazon - Ghee, Canned Wild-Caught Salmon, Organic Pumpkin, Cassava Flour, Nuts, Coconut Aminos, Fish Sauce, Palm Shortening, you name it - you can get it. You can't get sweet potatoes though, I've tried. 
• An alternative to Amazon is Thrive Market. After a 30 day trial, you pay a yearly membership fee, but everything is basically at wholesale price, often even less expensive than Amazon and doesn't come in bulk. My advice? Stock up in your 30 day trial and then cancel before they charge your credit card. 
• Another online source is Wild Mountain. I have not personally used them, but have seen their ads and heard them recommended. Free Shipping Woo!

Meat, Seafood & Eggs

• Whole Foods, Fresh Market, other Fancy Grocery Stores
• They will carry your grass-fed/pastured/no-hormone meat, poultry and eggs, wild-caught seafood, uncured bacon, dairy-free/gluten-free chicken sausage and Applegate farms deli-meat which is an AWESOME time-saver. 
• Regular non-fancy grocery stores are getting much better and will carry 1lb packages of grass-fed ground beef, organic poultry and wild-caught seafood but your options are much more limited and you may get frustrated by not being able to get everything on your list. 
• U.S. Wellness Meats - order online and ships nationwide.
• Local Butcher - google search, stop in and talk to them about their meat, where it comes from and how it is raised. If they they have no idea, walk out; if they say they have grass-fed and pastured products, keep going back. Trust me, having a local butcher is fun. 
• Farms! Use EatWild.Com to find a local source of quality meats, poultry, seafood and eggs. 
• If you live in Florida, I highly recommend Organic Chef Foods. They are located in Ocala but deliver for free every two weeks throughout the state. They have AMAZING sausages.
• Pete's Paleo is also a great source for bacon and let's face it, you're not doing paleo without bacon.

Produce

• Any grocery store - the trick with produce is not where you buy it, but what you buy. At the top is local & organic, then either local or organic, then conventional. If the SKU number starts with a 9 it is organic, if it starts with a 3 or 4 its conventional. Organic is expensive, but local is often less expensive than the conventional stuff. Prioritize "The Dirty Dozen" in buying organic. 
• Farmer's Markets and CSAs - but don't let them trick you! Some farmer's markets (cough**Winter Garden**cough) are selling you locally-grown produce mixed in with the same conventional peaches from California you can buy at the grocery store for 1/2 the price. Keep your eyes open, read and ask questions. Use google, Local Harvest, or the USDA Directory to find your local source. 
• Online - Yes! You can buy ALL your Paleo Foods including produce without having to set foot in a grocery store. You might be lazy and wasting money, but nobody's perfect right? Peapod, FreshDirect and Instacart will all do the trick - unless you live in Florida - they don't deliver there yet, sorry guys. 

Packaged Foods/Snacks/Treats - You will likely find you don't need to snack once you start eating paleo, but sometimes your snack isn't about being hungry its about being bored or wanting a treat. 

Snacks, Snacks, Snacks, Snacks, Snacks

• Whole Foods, Fresh Market, other Fancy Grocery Stores - this is where Whole Foods wins out for me.
1. They have a full spectrum of snacks, both those available nationwide and made locally. Paleo granola, larabars, GF/DF cakes, raw chocolate, kale chips etc. I love that they feature locally made products and I love that the locally made products are paleo. 
2. I like to keep my snacks/treats at a distance. That way if I want it, I either have to make it or go get it. Usually, I realize its not worth the effort and just sit tight. Saves me calories and money. 
• Amazon and Thrive Market are again good online sources. 
• Steve's Paleo Goods is a great source for jerky/nut/dried fruit mixes that serve as awesome snacks and lifesavers when you're travelling. 
• Paleo Treats - this is exactly what it sounds like; Paleo Treats. 

Full Meals - You can even skip your grocery list and just buy full meals! This may get pretty expensive, but having some on hand may save you from diving face-first into a pepperoni pizza when you're in a pinch. 

• Nationwide - Pete's Paleo, Paleo on the Go, Babeth's Feast 
• In NY - EatTribal, HuKitchen

I'm not going to lie, it is a steep learning curve learning where and how to buy paleo-compliant foods. Don't beat yourself up though, take it slow and you will learn as you go.