You’ve chosen a new diet and have started making changes to living a healthier lifestyle. Go you!
The problem is, navigating the grocery store has become quite a daunting task. With companies using buzzwords like paleo-friendly and fat-free, it’s getting harder and harder to figure out which products are healthy, and which ones marketing scams that are going to sabotage your diet.
If you’ve been wandering down aisles reading packages you’ve probably been left wondering, “what is the difference between keto and paleo?”
Have no fear, we’re here to break down this paleo vs keto discussion and help you discover what is and isn’t allowed on each diet.
What Is Keto?
A keto diet is focused on kicking the body into a ketosis state.
This is where your metabolism will switch from using carbs and glucose as an energy source to fats. This approach is used to target fat loss and control blood sugar levels with decreased insulin sensitivity.
The main aspect of this diet is a significant decrease in the number of carbs you consume. An ultra-low-carb intake is what moved the body into ketosis and activates the use of fat for energy.
The ratio of macronutrients for this diet would include 65-90% of calories coming from fats, 10-30% from protein, and less than 5% from carbohydrates.
What Is Paleo
The paleo diet is often referred to as the caveman diet. The premise here is that you consume foods that would have been available to cavemen in the age of early development.
The lifestyle at this time was highly dependent on hunting and gathering as they didn’t have the tools to process food or the ability to purchase it at a grocer. Items like bread or packaged snacks simply didn’t exist, so they won’t be included on the paleo menu.
The main foods you will consume include:
- Meat and fish
- Eggs
- Nuts and seeds
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Healthy fats (coconut oil, olive oil, etc)
This diet eliminates grains, legumes, processed sugars, and dairy products. That being said, if you’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth, paleo diets still include minimally processed sweeteners like raw honey or maple syrup.
What Is the Difference Between Paleo and Keto?
While these diets have a lot in common with the encouragement of healthy fats and the elimination of grains, legumes, and added sugars there are a few key differences to note.
On the keto vs paleo front, keto diets have a stronger focus on low carb and don’t accommodate for whole food sources of carbs like fruit or starchy vegetables. These foods would bring the body out of ketosis because of the increase in carbohydrates.
The paleo diet does allow for fruits and starchy vegetables, but it doesn’t accommodate the dairy, processed meats, and processed artificial sweeteners that the keto diet allows.
The main difference between keto and paleo is the focus of each diet. While keto is a low-carb, high-fat diet, paleo emphasizes the consumption of whole, unprocessed foods, including carb-heavy produce.
Understanding the Difference Between Keto and Paleo
Now that you know everything there is to the keto vs paleo debate, you can make informed decisions and stick to your diet with ease. With this new knowledge, you’ll never have to wonder what the difference between keto and paleo is again.
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