Nutrition trends are always a subject for debate. With all these diets from which to choose, it can be hard to identify which one would be correct for you. There are different reasons why people choose diets. While some people want to lose weight; others are striving to improve overall health; many are pursuing improved metabolism.
The ketogenic and paleo diets are among the most popular diets in America. Paleo (sometimes referred to as the “caveman diet”) has gained popularity a few years ago, while keto has been rising steadily.
Even though both keto and paleo have some intersecting features, each is distinctive in its own way.
The Ketogenic Diet
Above all, the keto diet has one main aim: to make the body produce ketones.
Let’s take a deeper insight at getting into ketosis.Eating carbohydrates causes the release of insulin. And since insulin stops the fat release from fat stores, it effectively shuts off the substrates for ketone production. To avoid insulin secretion, the carbohydrate intake must be eliminated. The body will become depleted from glucose stores as carb reduction occurs.The body will enter a state of ketosis after a certain period of time, breaking down more and more fat resulting in the production of ketones.
Keto Health Benefits
The benefits of ketogenic diet are:
Ketogenic diet can help people with type 2 diabetes by successfully decreasing blood glucose. Glycemic control and weight loss have also been a noted improvement. The keto diet may improve indicators of cardiovascular health, such as lowering blood pressure readings; Keto may also help treat neurological disorders. Keto could even help improve inflammation , longevity, memory, and health span.
Keto Diet Basics
A rounded calorie consumption on keto is essential to achieving both dietary and weight loss objectives. Each calorie you eat is one of three types of macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. The ketogenic diet consists of a high-fat 70% – 80% , moderate-protein 10% – 15% , low-carbohydrate 5% – 10% macronutrient ratio.
Being in a low-carb diet will create a metabolic state of adaptation, allowing for ketone generation. You can get into ketosis faster, by using an exogenous ketone supplement.
Keto-Friendly Foods
The keto diet is based on healthy sources of fat and low carb food choices. Some of the best foods to keto friendly include:
Meats, including fatty fish and beef
Non-starchy vegetables / leafy greens
Many varieties of cheese
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Avocado
Nuts and seeds
Berries
The meal plan has to be goal specific, but it is not as hard and a lot of people are thinking!
You can find here typical meal plan for this type of diet.
The Paleo Diet
The Paleo diet is based on foods which were eaten by early humans in the Paleolithic era (up to 10,000 years ago). The classic Paleo diet consists lean meats, fish, fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds — foods harvested during Paleolithic times by hunter-gatherers. The diet does not contain foods that appeared through more modern farming practices, such as dairy products, legumes, and grains. It focuses on not proccessed, whole, healthy foods.
The Paleo Argument
Paleo diet’s main aim: eat like a caveman. Paleo supporters think that our bodies do not have the required adaptation to digest modern foods, resulting in greater occurrences of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Paleo seeks to remove the negative side effects related to modern farming.
Some people challenge the safety of GMOs and genetic engineering used to produce fruit and vegetables by mass production. Pesticides that are used in farming are also a source of concern for some people. Even though the aim of these technological advances is to large scale-produce quality foods, some are questioning their nutritional safety.
The Paleo diet has not been studied in the same detail as keto in scientific terms, but there is some research suggesting potential health benefits.
Studies conducted on the Paleo diet indicate glucose tolerance may improve in people with type 2 diabetes. There is also evidence of improved glycemic control and lower blood pressure Similar to keto, there should be some health benefits when processed food and refined sugars are removed from a diet.
The foods found on paleo were supposed to have existed thousands of years ago, eaten by our grand-great-great-great grandfathers and grandmothers.
The most common paleo-foods are:
Grass-fed meats
Seafood
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Eggs
Nuts
Seeds
Oils from healthy fat sources (e.g. avocado oil, coconut oil)
The food choices on the Paleo diet, as you can see, overlap somewhat with the keto diet, but there are also dietary and philosophical differences.
Commonalities between Keto and Paleo diet
Although unique in their own ways, the Paleo and keto diets share many features.
Whole Foods
Both Paleo and Keto diet plans are based on quality whole food sources. A whole food is one that has not been processed and does not generally have ingredients added to it. Both diets eliminate processed foods and replace them with fresh items such as vegetables, meats, and nuts.
Grains and Legumes
Paleo and keto do not use grains and legumes as part of their diet, but for a variety of reasons. Paleo avoids grains and legumes as they were absent during Paleolithic times and contain anti-nutrients. Some plant-based foods contain anti-nutrients and can trigger digestive problems when consumed.9 Because of their carbohydrate content the keto diet eliminates grains and legumes.
Processed Sugar
Paleo and keto both decourage the intake of added sugar — but for various reasons.
Because of the insulin-spiking effects and the carbohydrate content, the keto diet lacks sugar. On the other hand, the Paleo diet allows natural sources of sugar (such as maple syrup and honey), but avoids the processed sugar entirely.
Healthy Fats
Both Keto and Paleo diets encourage healthy fats as an essential component of their diets. The popular healthy fat options for both groups are foods such as avocado oil, coconut oil, and olive oil. The keto diet utilizes healthy fats as a source of fuel, whereas the Paleo diet promotes healthy fats owing to their Paleolithic origin. The common theme of both diets is not to fear taking a high-fat diet. After some adaptation from a carbohydrate-dependent body this can be a valuable source of fuel.
Weight Loss
For any diet one of the main drivers is weight loss. While limited research is available for the long-term success of these diets, studies have shown short-term benefits in terms of weight loss. Low-carb, high-fat diets, such as the ketogenic diet, were successful for losing weight. The Paleo diet, on the other hand, has a small number of scientific studies to which it is linked.
How are Keto and Paleo Different?
As you can see, many of the food choices and expectations overlap with both diets; but each has some specific differences.
Different Belief Systems
The keto diet uses a science-based approach to establish metabolic adaptations. Paleo promotes a balanced lifestyle and philosophy.
Carbohydrate Composition
The keto diet requires extremely low intake of sugar. The diet of Paleo allows certain carbohydrates so long as they come from whole foods. Since processed carbs are removed, you often end up with a low-carb diet no matter what plan you choose. Sweet potatoes, taro root, carrots, and winter squash are some wholesome carbs. As we described, Paleo also allows natural sources of sugar such as maple syrup and honey — but based on their high carb content, these would not be permitted on keto. A real keto diet excludes virtually all sources of carb, even certain vegetables (like potatoes). Any amount of carbs can elevate blood sugar, trigger insulin release, stop ketogenesis and remove ketosis from the body.
Dairy
A strict diet of Paleo discourages dairy as it was not consumed in the Paleolithic era. The keto diet allows for the intake of certain forms of dairy; in fact they are even promoted. Grass fed butter, heavy whipping cream, Greek yogurt and many types of cheese (Swiss, provolone, mozzarella, brie, and Jack are all considered keto-friendly) are the most common keto dairy choices. Because these milk alternatives have low carbohydrate content and high fat content, they fit within the keto structure.
Which diet do you wish to choose?
To recap, the keto diet is based on the use of a science-based approach to create metabolic adaptations. Keto may be helpful to you if you are a diabetic, due to carb-restriction and decreased sensitivity to insulin. Endurance athletes benefit from the fat-adaptation characteristic of keto, because sustained endurance exercise requires less energy from the glucose stores, allowing the body to tap into the available fat stores for energy over a long race. Paleo may be favored by resistance training athletes such as bodybuilders and CrossFit-ers, as the carbohydrates may be best used during high-intensity training. There is no clear cut-winner in the Paleo vs. keto world. The best diet is one that you can adhere to — so base your dietary choices on your particular needs. The findings should be life-long enduring, rather than short-sighted.
Related topics:
References:
en.wikipedia.org
mport.com
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