The paleo diet focuses on eating like our ancestors: whole, unprocessed foods that humans consumed for thousands of years before agriculture. Tracking paleo meals requires identifying processed ingredients and ensuring you get enough nutrients from whole-food sources. Calorix's AI is trained to recognize paleo-compliant meals and flag non-paleo ingredients.
What is a paleo diet?
The paleolithic diet emphasizes foods that were available to hunter-gatherer societies: meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. It excludes grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar, processed oils, and most processed foods. The theory is that human genetics haven't adapted to the agricultural and industrial foods that dominate modern diets.
Modern paleo varies in strictness. Some followers strictly avoid all grains and dairy, while others adopt an "80/20" approach that allows occasional non-paleo foods. Regardless of strictness, the diet tends to be naturally high in protein, moderate in fat, and lower in carbohydrates compared to standard diets.
How Calorix adapts to paleo meals
With paleo selected as your diet type, the AI coach focuses on whole-food nutrition. It suggests meals built around quality proteins and vegetables, avoids recommending grains, legumes, or dairy, and helps you find paleo-friendly alternatives to common foods like bread or pasta.
The photo analysis engine knows the difference between sweet potato fries (paleo) and regular fries (technically paleo, but depends on the oil), and identifies common paleo substitutes like cauliflower rice, almond flour baked goods, and coconut aminos.
Typical macro targets for paleo
Paleo macro ratios naturally favor higher protein and fat with moderate carbohydrates from whole food sources:
- Protein: 25–35% of calories — grass-fed meat, wild fish, eggs, and organ meats provide the bulk of daily protein
- Fat: 30–40% of calories — avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, and animal fats
- Carbohydrates: 25–40% of calories — sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and root vegetables replace grains
These ranges are wider than keto because paleo doesn't target a specific metabolic state. The focus is on food quality over exact ratios.
Example meals the AI recognizes
Paleo meals emphasize whole ingredients with minimal processing:
- Grilled steak with roasted sweet potato and green salad
- Wild salmon with asparagus and lemon
- Chicken breast with roasted vegetables and avocado
- Zucchini noodles with bolognese meat sauce
- Eggs with bacon, spinach, and sweet potato hash
- Shrimp stir-fry with coconut aminos and vegetables
- Turkey lettuce wraps with mango salsa
- Mixed nuts and fruit trail mix
Tips for tracking paleo meals with AI
Paleo tracking is straightforward for home-cooked meals but tricky when eating out or buying prepared foods:
- Focus on ingredient quality, not just macros. Paleo is as much about what you avoid as what you eat. The AI coach can flag non-paleo ingredients in restaurant meals
- Don't forget the fat. Paleo cooking uses generous amounts of coconut oil, ghee, and olive oil. Mention your cooking fat when logging for accurate calorie counts
- Track fruit intake. While paleo-approved, fruit is calorie-dense. Two bananas and an apple add 300+ calories and 75g of sugar
- Specify your protein cuts. A ribeye steak and chicken breast have very different fat and calorie profiles. Be specific about the cut when voice logging
- Watch paleo treats. Almond flour cookies and coconut milk ice cream are paleo but not low-calorie. Track these like any other dessert