We live in a free world where everybody has an opinion about everything. Even more than that we live in a world where we have a choice. Maybe even one too many choices if you ask me.
Just go to a and try to buy something as simple as a bottle of water. It’s not that easy! There are so many different bottles, with different price points, different bottle designs, there are even some that claim they have some extra mineral or vitamin…and you’re lost. But, you will notice that in that sea of water there are at least two bottles that will catch your eye. You might already know them, you’ve heard people talking about them, but, which one do you choose?
Let’s take two adult cartoons like Family Guy and The Simpsons for example. They each have good sides and bad sides and a huge chunk of similarities between them but, in the end, there is always that one (or more than one) thing that makes one better than the other.
Now don’t mind our bad analogy, for a subject that is more relevant to adult people who lead a healthy lifestyle and are always looking for a new and better way to lose some more weight and get in better shape. Today we are going to compare two giants in the diet world: paleo diet vs. keto diet and see which is more effective.
We know that they are more or less quite similar, they are both low carb and encourage you to cut certain foods, but let’s really get in there, see what exactly the keto diet is and what the paleo diet is. How are they similar and see who would win in an imaginary fight?
Paleo Diet
Paleo diet, a low carb diet was created by a gastroenterologist by the name of Walter Voegtlin. He wrote a study about the benefits of eating similar to our paleolithic ancestors, hence the name. He argued that we should get back to the ways of eating of the early hunters focusing on just whole foods like meats, eggs, vegetables, and fruits. He explained that we as humans should stay away from any kind of processed foods, drinks and condiments since our body was not created to break them down that’s why we’ve gotten so much larger and we’ve become prone to a variety of food connected diseases.
What To Eat On Paleo Diet
- Grass-fed beef, lamb and venison.
- All kinds of seafood
- Poultry: chicken, turkey, etc.
- Any kind of fresh fruits
- Vegetables, but green leafy vegetables, starchy vegetables are to be avoided
- Eggs
- Nuts and seeds
- Oils: Olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil.
What To Avoid On Paleo Diet
- Everything made with flour
- Legumes and beans
- Nuts and peanuts
- Dairy products
- Trans fats.
- Junk food
- Highly processed foods: It has a label on it? Put it back.
The Keto Diet
On the other side in the ring, we have the ever-popular Keto diet. Definitely a more recent trend, the keto diet came and stayed. Another low carb diet focuses on cutting sugar and carbs as much as possible. It was first introduced in the medical circles as a diet that relieves the symptoms of epilepsy the new studies have found many more benefits if the diet is done right. The goal of the keto diet is to stop the process of producing energy by burning carbs and start burning stored fats instead.
What To Eat On Keto Diet
- All kinds of meat.
- All kinds of seafood
- Vegetables, but green leafy vegetables, starchy vegetables are to be avoided
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Nuts and seeds
- Oils: Olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil.
What Not To Eat On Keto Diet
- Everything made with flour
- Legumes and beans
- Fruits with the exception of berries
- Any type of refined and processed foods, sweeteners, beverages and of course junk food.
Paleo Diet And Keto Diet Are They Similar?
They can be very similar if you look at what you can and cannot eat. They both focus on not eating carbs and sugars and focus on eating more fats and proteins. Their tendency is to focus on eating whole foods and avoiding empty calories from processed foods and this practice without a doubt leads to weight loss and regulation of blood sugar levels.
How Are The Paleo Diet And Keto Diet Different?
Looking at the bigger picture we come to the conclusion that the keto encourages you to eat more fats and the paleo diet is more focused on higher protein intake. With the Paleo, you have more variety of fats and some carbs are allowed especially from fruits whereas the keto diet is more restrictive and requires you to get up to 75 percent of fats per day.
The problems with both diets can come if you are plant-based, vegetarian or vegan, especially the paleo diet because it focuses so hard on eating meat. If you are not really creative in the kitchen and you want to take the easy way out you might overdo the meat eating thing and while eating meat in moderation is completely fine, having it for every meal of the day it certainly isn’t. It can lead to many types of cancers, weight gain, and other health-related issues.
Now, while you technically can eat some kinds of natural sweeteners and fruits on the paleo the keto has a really strong stand against this. The carbs and the sugars must be on the lowest level possible, but it is liberal with dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt which can help you balance the meat intake, but again, problems for the vegan and plant-based community.
Your goal on the keto diet is to stop using carbs and sugars as the main source of energy and use fats and proteins instead. On the other hand, the paleo diet goal is not to get into ketosis but rather to focus on a healthy and balanced diet. The keto diet makes you track your macros (carbs, fats, and proteins). You have a strict number per day and you must stick with it if you want results. The paleo diet is much easier to follow on this front, of course, if you know your limits and don’t overeat.
Paleo Diet vs Keto Diet Which One Is Easier To Follow
In life, it’s always great to have a strong stand. Mama raised no fool and as we have the main information here we can stand up and say out, loud and proud: The paleo diet is EASIER to follow. I mean, you can eat basically anything that isn’t processed and you don’t have to do meth any time you feel like munching on something, and you don’t need to think hours before you go out to eat. Unless you are one of those people who wakes up and their daily purpose is to tell people they are following the paleo diet now, if you eat in moderation then, by all means, the paleo diet is easier to follow. But, which diet is more effective?
Paleo Diet Vs Keto Diet Which One Is More Effective?
Aha, we got you now. Rather, it’s the final countdown, the showdown, the ultimate fight, paleo vs keto which one is more effective? Take a sit guy it might take a while. Ok, one is more effective, but for what? What exactly are we looking for in a diet? A redundant question? Not really. Let’s see what we expect when we start a diet and rule the final verdict.
Weight Loss
Let’s go over the facts again. The keto diet is a diet for weight loss. When you cut sugar and carbs and your body accepts that now it should burn fats instead of carbs and it does once you enter the ketosis process it is only natural that you lose weight. You lose weight and you do it fast because you are well fed but with good food, so your metabolism is fast and your body is a well-oiled fat burning machine. So, when it comes to weight loss the keto diet is by far more effective and wins this round.
Working Out
When it comes to bodybuilding, muscle mass and working out both diets are a good source of energy since they are both high in fat. While on the keto diet working out as much as possible is encouraged, the Paleo hasn’t given us such strict rules. They both do help you with gaining lean muscle mass and encourage weight loss but in the keto, this is given from the beginning whereas in Paleo it just happens but it takes far more time to reach the golden goal.
Dedicated athletes might argue more on the Paleo side because it’s higher in carbs that can fuel the workouts and help with muscle recovery but, if you are well on your keto journey and your body has fully adapted to the ketogenic state you will get basically the same results. What are the results for the second round? Which diet is more effective if you want to gain more muscle mass? This one depends on you guys so we will give it a tie.
Paleo Diet vs Keto Diet Effectiveness In The Long Run
Let’s see how our contestant is holding up in the third round. As you have probably figured out by now the Keto diet is actually a diet and the paleo is more of a lifestyle. It doesn’t require close monitoring, it’s easy on the restrictions and you don’t have to track macros and calories. There is not a lot that can go here.
The keto diet is much more difficult to maintain, first, the process alone of entering in ketosis is harsh and once you do you can fall off the wagon in a matter of days, you are only one small banana away. It’s also time-consuming and let’s face it, it can get well, boring at times. Often people get sick of eating the same foods over and over and they stop after a while either because they suffered a bad keto flu or were unable to remain in ketosis. We give this round to the paleo lifestyle.
Paleo Vs Keto Diet Which One Is More Effective Final Countdown
Yes, we are finally here! Paleo and Keto diet were fighting, and they both put up a very good fight. But, do we have a clear winner here?
Can we tell you which diet is more effective and which diet will help you get the results you want so, so bad? Let’s recap very briefly.
Both diets are healthy, they encourage weight loss or maintaining weight, they fill you up with energy, they are accessible and with a little bit of effort can even be vegan and vegetarian-friendly. Both of them help you with certain health issues like regulating blood sugar, mental sharpness, can make you more active and improve your mental state. On the other hand, they are restrictive and require some effort, kitchen skills and at least occasional sweating like it’s nobody’s business.
Ok, ok, tell us already, which one is more effective!! I am sure you are thinking this! And the answer is (drum roll) BOTH! Sorry, we have to relativize here and say this. Depends on what you want and what your goal is, they can both be very effective.
