Well hello there! I’m Don Baiocchi, the creator behind Paleo Gluten Free Guy.
With over 20 years of cooking and baking experience, I share fun, vibrant recipes for good health and pure enjoyment. All of my recipes are gluten-free and the majority of them are also Paleo, meaning they’re free of grains, dairy, refined sugar and legumes.
You’ll also find recipes that fit low carb, keto, Whole30, vegan, and nut-free diets, among others.
With over 2 decades of experience in cooking and baking and over 10 years living a gluten-free and Paleo life, I seek and create recipes that balance healthful nourishment and irresistible flavor.
This journey has resulted in the creation of hundreds of simple, colorful, nourishing and delicious recipes. Every recipe I share is gluten-free and most are Paleo, avoiding grains, dairy, refined sugar, and legumes. My tips and advice have been featured in The Kitchn, Eat This, Not That!, A Sweat Life, and more.
Because I know how difficult it can be to find recipes that suit your dietary needs, I try to cater to a variety of lifestyles, including low carb, keto, Whole30, vegan, and nut-free diets. So whether you’re looking for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack (with the occasional cocktail recipe thrown in there, because life is short), you’ll find something here to suit every occasion.
And if you want even more recipes and inspiration, sign up for my email newsletter! You’ll automatically receive my free e-book with 5-ingredient dinner recipes that are totally gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo and Whole30 friendly.
For ingredient information, my most popular recipes and more, see the FAQ below.
The Problem
There are a lot of challenges when it comes to cooking at home: not enough time, too tired after a long day’s work, not much confidence in one’s cooking skills, etc.
And when people think about cooking healthy, more obstacles pop up: don’t know where to start, unfamiliar ingredients, and so on.
And this doesn’t include all the various physical and mental health issues that can make these problems even more daunting.
Why I Want to Help
I’ve also struggled with ailments both physical (digestion issues, weakness, brain fog, fatigue) and mental (depression, anxiety).
So around 2011, I went gluten-free, and quickly after that embraced a Paleo lifestyle. I soon noticed that my digestion issues almost completely cleared up, I started to feel physically stronger, my brain fog eased up, and so forth. I even noticed other results I hadn’t expected: milder seasonal allergy symptoms, getting sick less often, and more.
I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition (or anything, really), but I do know the positive effect eating Paleo has had for me and for others. And when you combine it with other helpful practices such as therapy, medication, exercise and good sleep hygiene – like I have – it becomes a part of an effective holistic approach to health.
Knowing what it’s like to feel terrible, both physically and mentally, I want to help people feel better. It feels good to feel good!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Paleo is way of eating inspired by our ancestors, focused on whole, quality ingredients. It excludes grains, dairy, refined sugar, legumes and vegetable oils. It’s not that those ingredients are “bad,” it’s that they aren’t the best choices for optimal health.
To learn more about the Paleo diet, check out my What is Paleo? page.
Nope! While there are some ingredients that will make eating Paleo easier, you don’t need to completely restock your entire pantry.
There are definitely more Paleo-friendly ingredients and products than ever before, which is great for those of us looking for healthy options. But it can also be pretty overwhelming. A few simple swap-outs (coconut aminos for soy sauce; arrowroot flour/starch for cornstarch) can make a big difference.
For more details, check out this page of Paleo ingredients I recommend. The list might seem long, but you don’t need all of them! Start with the ones that make the most sense for you and work from there.
Depends on what you mean by “popular”!
For the recipe most made by readers, that would probably be my Sheet Pan Apple Cinnamon Chicken.
For my most popular recipe on Pinterest, that would be my Vanilla Coconut Chia Pudding.
For recipes that are the most searched for on Google, that’s often these Paleo Chocolate Protein Balls or this Chocolate Ricotta Pudding.
But of course, you can just check out my recipes and find what works for you!
Between my collection of almost 100 cookbooks, eating all around the great city of Chicago and traveling all over the world, I find inspiration everywhere. I’ll often be in conversation or at a restaurant and have to whip out my phone to add a new recipe idea to my notes.
But mostly it comes down to: what do I want to eat today? And if it’s something that’s not naturally gluten-free or Paleo, I feel the need to create a version that I can eat and enjoy.
Nope, I’m just a foodie who taught myself to cook and found a way of eating that makes me feel great. For medical advice, please consult your doctor.
