Where will i get my carbs from on a paleo diet?

Well, we know you’re not getting them from grains (whole, half or otherwise!), bread, pasta, bagels, tortillas, cereal (that’s right, no oats!), beans, quinoa, rice (for the most part, though some people may do okay with a little white rice here or there), crackers, cookies, baked goods or other grain-laden and typically highly processed foods.

So, where will you get carbs from?

Below are some handy charts of some popular and wonderfully nutrient-dense sources.

Note that these are not complete, extensive lists of carbohydrate sources from plants. That would take forever to compile and the point of this post is to present you with a good handful of options that i found to be the highest per serving of carbohydrates using http://nutritiondata.self.com/ as a resource.

Is that an ideal resource? Possibly not. Is it the one that we have most easily available and can likely rely on to be pretty darned accurate? Yes. Go ahead and search their database if you’re interested in finding out more about your favorite go-to vegetable or fruits. I recommend comparing 100g servings as a calibration, then look to a 1-cup serving for something of a more practical measure in your daily life.

I created these lists primarily for those of you out there who are athletes or who are looking to put on some weight with adding calories and carbs. That’s not to say that carbs will make you “fat,” don’t misunderstand. However, for many people, increased carbohydrate intake seems to increase their appetite as well as the physiological response of insulin, our storage hormone for nutrients. This doesn’t generally support a strong weight-loss effort, however, for fueling athletic activities, as noted below, increased carbohydrate intake is often recommended, and i would like for people to have a resource so that they’re not falling back on processed, refined foods and grain/legume products for their carb sources.

Vegetable sources of paleo carbs:

These are highly recommended for post-workout glycogen replacement to your muscles after crossfit or hiit style training or longer, endurance-based training. 

Item	Cho g per 100g serving	Fiber g per 100g serving	Cho g per 1cup serving	Portion size notes	Other notable nutrients
Cassava	38	2	78	1c= 206g	Vitamin c, thiamin, folate, potassium, manganese
Taro root	35	5	46	1c= 132g	Vitamin b6, vitamin e, potassium, manganese
Plantains	31	2	48	1c= 154g (slices)	Vitamin a, vitamin c, vitamin b6, folate, magnesium, potassium
Yam	27	4	37	1c= 136g (cubed)	Vitamin c, vitamin b6, manganese, potassium
White potato, peeled	22	1	27	1c= 122g	Not much very high, some vitamin c
Sweet potato	21	3	58	1c= 328g (mashed)	Vitamin a, vitamin c, vitamin b6, potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron (non-heme), vitamin e
Parsnips	17	4	27	1c= 178g (sliced)	Vitamin c, manganese.
Lotus root	16	3	19	1c= 120g (sliced)	Vitamin c.
Acorn squash	15	4	31	1c= 205g	Vitamin c.
Onion	10	1	21	1c= 210g (chopped)	Vitamin c, potassium.
Beets	10	2	17	1c= 170g (sliced)	Folate, manganese.
Carrots	10	3	13	1c= 128g (chopped)	Vitamin a, vitamin k,
Butternut squash	10	–	22	1c= 205g	Vitamin a, vitamin c
Jicama (raw)	9	5	12	1c= 130g (slices)	Vitamin c.
Kohlrabi	7	1	12	1c = 165g	Vitamin c, vitamin b6, potassium, copper, manganese
Spaghetti squash	6	1	9	1c= 155g	Not very many.

Fruit sources of paleo carbs:

These are recommended for pre-workout glycogen storage and as glycogen replacement to your muscles post-workout if you’ve completed a longer, endurance-based training session. These are not ideal for post-workout of standard crossfit or hiit style training.

(note: most dried fruits will be pretty high in carbs, i only featured raisins and dates here, but search others to find their values as i wanted to provide more fresh fruit options for you.)

Item	Cho g per 100g serving	Fiber g per 100g serving	Cho g per 1cup serving	Portion size notes	Other notable nutrients
Raisins	79	4	131	1c= 165g (packed)	Iron (non-heme), potassium, copper, manganese
Dates	75	7	18*	*1 date	Vitamin b6, potassium, copper, manganese,
Persimmon	33	–	8*	*1 fruit	Vitamin c, iron (non-heme)
Banana	23	3	27*	*1 medium banana	Vitamin c, b6, potassium, manganese.
Mango	17	2	28	1c= 165g (sliced)	Vitamin c, vitamin a, vitamin b6
Pear	15	3	28*	*1 medium pear	Vitamin c, vitamin k.
Apple	14	2	25*	*1 medium apple	Not very much- a little vitamin c.
Pineapple	13	1	21	1c= 165g (chunks)	Vitamin c, manganese
Peach	10	1	15*	*1 medium peach	Vitamin a, vitamin c.

What are some of your favorite ways to prepare some of the above-listed, paleo-friendly carbs?