What are Keto and Paleo Diets
Paleo and keto are two popular diets that share some similarities as well as differences in the foods they involve, their effects on our body and important health aspects. The keto or ketogenic diet is focused on maintaining a balance between numerous macro-nutrients, while paleo or Paleolithic emphasizes on eating foods that humans would eat in Stone Age. In keto, the body aims to enter the state of ketosis, where the body commences burning fat to achieve weight loss and better health goals. The paleo diet aims to avoid consuming processed foods to achieve health goals and lose weight. In this post, we will discuss similarities as well as differences of paleo diet vs. keto diet, so you can choose what’s suitable for you.
Similarities Between Keto and Paleo Diets
Although both are distinct diets, they share some common characteristics.
Both include whole foods
Both paleo and keto diets are intended to rely on highly nutritious whole foods. Whole food is the food that is passed through very little processing till it reaches your plate. Both diets exclude heavily processed foods and replace them with whole foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish.
Both discourage the use of added sugar
Both keto and paleo discourage the use of added sugar since it largely falls under highly processed foods. However, paleo is a little flexible with this rule, and allows the intake of unrefined sugar sources like maple syrup and honey. Ketogenic, on the other hand, doesn’t permit refined or unrefined sugar because of large carb content.
Differences Between Keto and Paleo Diets
Keto focuses on macronutrients while paleo focuses on lifestyle practices
Keto diet is based on choosing a definite amount of only healthy food sources with primary focus on macronutrients distribution. It doesn’t require you to make any lifestyle changes, but only require you to stay within a set limit of protein, carbs and fats.
On the other hand, paleo diet puts a strong emphasize on lifestyle choices more than just diet. It encourages to incorporate exercise and mindfulness into your daily routine along with proper diet, which leads to better overall health.
Keto permits dairy products and some soya foods
Keto allows the eating of many dairy products in the form of butter, heavy cream and unsweetened full-fat yogurt, which are key foods of many keto diet plans. The keto diet allows only those dairy products, which are high in protein and fat. It doesn’t include dairy products that contain sugar, such as chocolate milk and ice cream.
On the contrary, paleo forbids a person to consume all the dairy products, including milk, cheese, cream and any other dairy products. It occasionally allows a person to drink unsweetened coconut milk, nut milk and other alternatives that don’t contain artificial sweeteners.
Which Diet is Healthier?
Both keto and paleo diets are healthy options, based on how they are executed and for how long. When comparing side-by-side, paleo seems a suitable option since it offers flexible food choices for a healthy lifestyle. Keto may not be suitable for everyone because of strict food choices, and can be adopted as a treatment for some health conditions. At the end of the day, the diet that works for you in the long-term is the best choice.
