COMPLETE FOOD LISTS FOR ALL LEVELS

OF THE WAHLS PROTOCOL

Dark green leafy vegetables (3 cups cooked or 6 cups raw, daily):

(* = Vegetables high in calcium)

 Arugula*  Lettuce, all types of deep-green, bright-

 Beet greens green, and red-leaf (no iceberg)
 Bok choy* and other Asian greens  Mizuna
 Chard, all colors  Mustard greens*
 Chicory  Parsley
 Cilantro  Radicchio
 Collard greens*  Radish leaves
 Dandelion greens*  Romaine lettuce
 Endive  Spinach*
 Escarole  Tatsoi*
 Kale,* all types (curly, lacinto/dinosaur,  Turnip greens*
red, etc.)  Watercress
 Wheatgrass

Colored vegetables and fruits (3 cups daily):

Even though they have white flesh, we allow zucchini and cucumbers because they are low in
carbohydrates and their skins, which you should eat, are very high in antioxidants. Consume at least
three different colors daily. Note: While on Wahls Paleo Plus, switch colors to the low-carbohydrate
vegetables and fruits. Limit starchy produce to two servings per week eaten with 1 or 2 tablespoons of
fat and protein. If not in nutritional ketosis, you may need to eliminate the higher-carbohydrate
vegetables and fruits and/or increase coconut milk. Note: For the following lists, any food containing 30
grams of carbohydrates or more per cup qualifies it as a higher-carb choice.
Green

LOWER/MODERATE-CARBOHYDRATE

 Artichoke  Honeydew melon

 Asparagus  Kiwi, green
 Avocado  Limes
 Beans, green (avoid on Wahls Paleo  Okra
Plus)  Olives, green
 Cabbage, green  Peppers, green
 Celery  Snow peas (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Cucumber, with skin  Sugar snap peas (avoid on Wahls Paleo
 Grapes, green Plus)
 Green peas (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)  Zucchini with skin

HIGHER-CARBOHYDRATE

 Commercial juices (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)

Red

LOWER/MODERATE-CARBOHYDRATE

 Beets  Peppers, red

 Blood oranges  Radicchio
 Cabbage, red  Raspberries, red
 Cherries  Rhubarb
 Cranberries  Strawberries
 Currants, red  Tomatoes, red
 Grapefruit, red  Watermelon
 Grapes, red

HIGHER-CARBOHYDRATE

 Commercial juices (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)

 Dried cranberries and other dried fruit (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Pomegranate
Blue/Purple/Black

LOWER/MODERATE-CARBOHYDRATE

 Aronia berries  Grapes, black

 Blackberries  Grapes, purple
 Blueberries  Kale, purple
 Currants, black  Olives, black
 Eggplant  Plums
 Elderberries  Raspberries, black

HIGHER-CARBOHYDRATE

 Commercial juice (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)

 Dates (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Dried currants (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Figs, purple (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Prunes (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Raisins (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)

Yellow/Orange
LOWER-/MODERATE-CARBOHYDRATE

 Apricots  Peppers, orange and yellow

 Carrots  Pineapple
 Grapefruit  Pumpkin
 Kiwi, golden  Squash, summer and winter
 Lemon  Pineapple
 Mango  Pumpkin
 Muskmelon  Squash, summer and winter
 Nectarines  Sweet potatoes
 Oranges  Tangerines
 Papaya  Tomatoes, yellow
 Peaches  Yams

HIGHER-CARBOHYDRATE

 Acorn squash  Figs

 Commercial juice (avoid on Wahls Paleo  Sweet potatoes, cooked
Plus)
 Dried apricots, pineapple, or other dried
fruit (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)
Sulfur-rich vegetables (3 cups daily):

(* = Vegetables high in calcium)

 Arugula*  Leeks
 Asparagus  Mizuna
 Bok choy*  Mushrooms
 Broccoli  Mustard greens
 Broccoli rabe (rapini)  Onions, red, yellow, and white
 Brussels sprouts  Radishes
 Cabbage  Rutabagas
 Cauliflower  Scallions
 Chives  Shallots
 Collard greens*  Tatsoi
 Daikon  Turnip greens*
 Garlic, all types (two cloves = 1 serving)  Turnips
 Kale*  Watercress
 Kohlrabi

Starchy fruits not included in the 9 cups (white flesh). Consume only after 9 cups are finished:

 Apple (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)

 Banana (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Pear (avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)

Other white nonstarchy vegetables may be consumed after the 9 cups have been eaten:

 Bamboo shoots  Water chestnuts (canned)

 Cucumbers without skin  Zucchini without skin
 Jicama

Sea vegetables/algae (introduced with Wahls Paleo and Wahls Paleo Plus):

Algae (serving = 1 teaspoon spirulina or chlorella or ½ teaspoon blue-green)

 Blue-green algae  Spirulina

 Chlorella
Seaweed (1 serving = 2.5 ounces fresh or reconstituted, 1 teaspoon flakes, or ¼ teaspoon powder)
Red

 Dulse  Nori
 Irish moss
Brown

 Bladderwrack  Kombu
 Kelp  Wakame

Green

 Sea lettuce

Animal protein (strongly recommended in the Wahls Diet, mandatory for Wahls Paleo and Wahls
Paleo Plus; prefer organic if possible, wild or grass-fed ideal):

 Beef  Pork
 Buffalo/bison  Processed meat with no gluten,
 Chicken nitrates, or monosodium glutamate
 Duck  Shellfish, all kinds (shrimp, crab, lobster,
 Elk scallops, etc.)
 Fish, all kinds (salmon, tuna, cod,  Turkey
sardines, mackerel, tilapia, sea bass,  Veal
herring, etc.)  Venison, rabbit, pheasant, quail, and
 Lamb other wild game

Organ meat (12 ounces per week; introduced with Wahls Paleo and continued in Wahls Paleo Plus):

 Brain  Liver
 Gizzard  Sweetbreads
 Heart  Tongue
 Kidney  Tripe
Omega-3 rich fish (16 ounces a week; encouraged in the Wahls Diet, mandatory with Wahls Paleo and
Wahls Paleo Plus)

 Anchovies  Oysters
 Calms  Salmon
 Halibut  Sardines
 Herring  Trout
 Mackerel  Tuna (fresh)
 Mussels

Dairy substitutes (organic preferred)

 Organic full-fat coconut milk, canned

 Organic unsweetened nut milk (like almond, hazelnut, or hemp milk; homemade soaked nut
milk is strongly preferred for Wahls Paleo and Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Unsweetened coconut milk in a carton (for Wahls Diet and Wahls Paleo only, not for use on
Wahls Paleo Plus. This is different from canned coconut milk, with much less fat and added
fillers.)
 Organic soy milk (avoid on Wahls Paleo and Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Yogurts and other products made from coconut milk, nut milks, or organic soy (Wahls Diet only),
but watch the sugar content.

Non-gluten grains and potatoes (eaten only after meeting your 9 cups goals: 1 serving per day on the
Wahls Diet, 2 servings per week on Wahls Paleo, avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus):

 Almond and other nut flours  Corn

 Amaranth  Flaxseeds and flax meal
 Arrowroot  Millet
 Brown rice  Oatmeal (certified gluten-free brands
 Buckwheat only)
 Chickpea flour  Quinoa
 Coconut flour  Sago
 Coconut meat, fresh or unsweetened  Sorghum
dried (shredded or flaked)  Soy flour
 White potatoes (Yukon gold or heirloom  Tapioca
red or black potatoes)  Wild rice
Legumes (2 servings per week maximum on Wahls Paleo, avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus):

 Any dried beans (black, white, pinto, lima, peanuts, peanut butter, etc.)
 Lentils
 Pea pods and green beans

Nuts and seeds (sprouting of nuts and seeds introduced with Wahls Paleo and continued with Wahls
Paleo Plus):

† = good source of fiber

* = high in calcium

 Tree nuts (unless you are allergic to them, including almonds,* walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews,
Brazil nuts, and pistachios), maximum 4 ounces of nuts and seeds per day
 Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, flax†, and chia†)
 Peanuts (unless you are allergic to them, peanuts are technically a legume, so avoid on Wahls
Paleo and Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Peas (green, split peas, black-eyed peas; avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus)
 Tahini (sesame butter)
 Sunflower butter
 Almond butter

Cold-pressed oils (do not fry with or heat these oils):

 Avocado oil
 Flax oil
 Hemp oil
 Olive oil, extra virgin
 Walnut oil
Cooking oils:

 Clarified butter/ghee
 Coconut oil, extra virgin
 Rendered animal fats (e.g., lard, chicken fat, duck fat)
 Other oil/seed butters: Very occasional use of organic sesame oil. Coconut fat sources (use as
desired on the Wahls Diet and Wahls Paleo, but required on Wahls Paleo Plus; these are used to
increase the intake of medium-chain triglycerides to assist in achieving nutritional ketosis)

Condiments/flavorings:

 Brewer’s yeast–though I prefer nutritional yeast because it has B12 added

 Coconut aminos (a soy-sauce-like condiment; one popular brand is Coconut Secret Raw Vegan
Aminos)
 Herbs/spices without added sugar or salt
 Horseradish
 Miso (brown rice and soy versions only, not barley or other miso containing gluten); avoid on
Wahls Paleo and Whals Paleo Plus
 Mustard
 Nutritional yeast (Make sure it is gluten-free; if it causes headaches or fatigue, add it to your
“prohibited” list.)
 Pickles
 Sauerkraut
 Sea salt (iodized or regular)
 Tamari (make sure it’s gluten-free, preferably fermented instead of hydrolyzed.)
 Wasabi (The powder is gluten-free, but the paste may have gluten, so be sure to read the label.)

Sweeteners (limit to 1 teaspoon per day and avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus):

 Honey
 Real maple syrup, organic (Do not use “pancake syrup” or anything containing high-fructose
corn syrup. Organic maple syrup is important – formaldehyde may have been added to
nonorganic brands.)
 Molasses* (high in calcium)
 Sorghum
 Stevia leaves or extract
 Raw sugar, evaporated cane juice, or other relatively unrefined forms of cane sugar (I prefer
that you choose one of the other sweeteners, if possible, and avoid sugar entirely. Do not
consume white sugar.)
Fermented foods (introduced with Wahls Paleo and Wahls Paleo Plus; start with one serving per day
for Paleo and two servings per day for Paleo Plus, though additional servings are fine. You can find
these in the refrigerator section of grocery and natural food stores, or, of course, you can make them
yourself using the recipes in this book.)

 ½ cup lacto-fermented almond, soy, and coconut milk cultures

 ½ cup kombucha tea
 ½ cup beet kvass
 ¼ cup kimchi
 ¼ cup lacto-fermented cabbage, sauerkraut, pickles, or other vegetables

Beverages

 Water
 Club soda
 Coffee
 Tea (black or green, white, red rooibos, oolong, matcha, herbal)
 Yerba maté
 kombucha tea
 unsweetened 100% fruit juice (Avoid on Wahls Paleo Plus; have smoothies blended with water
and/or coconut milk instead.)
 100% vegetable juice
 100% vegetable/fruit juice unsweetened (Avoid fruit juice on Wahls Paleo Plus; have smoothies
blended with water instead.)
 Alcohol (daily limit to no more than one drink for women and two for men – special occasions
only on Wahls Paleo Plus):
 Gluten-free beer
 Non-grain-based alcohol (like potato vodka)
 Wine