Paleo v Keto
You probably heard about Paleo diet. Which one to chose: Paleo v Keto?
The Paleo diet is focused on the foods which were available to our ancestors. The diet excludes all processed food including most dairy. Allowed sweeteners are limited to coconut sugar, maple syrup, raw honey and raw stevia. Main focus is on natural products, such as fruit, vegetables, eggs, fish and meat, nuts and seeds, as well as natural oils: olive oil, avocado and coconut oils.
The Paleo diet does help to lose weight, however it can be quite costly, as finding whole grain natural foods is not a cheap journey.
The keto diet is focused on fats and ketones as a prime source of energy. Protein is moderate and carbs are highly controlled.
When the body starves of carbs and glucose, it starts burning fat. The body enters the ketosis state with production of ketones.
Keto diet is very popular nowadays and it is effective for weight loss.
Paleo v Keto: what do they have in common and what is different?
Keto diet is less costly compared with the paleo diet.
What paleo and keto diet have in common
- Both diets are in favor of whole foods. Whole food is the food which has been processed as little as possible and does not have artificial substances.
- Non Starchy vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrots, peppers, broccoli, celery, and zucchini. Non starchy vegetables have lower sugar and higher fiber than starchy ones
- Nuts and seeds. The only difference is keto advises to go for low carb nuts and seeds while paleo accept all of them
- Healthy fats and oils
- Meat, eggs, fish
- No processed sugar and grains
What are the main differences between paleo and keto diets
- Paleo allows all fruit and vegetables, while on keto you need to chose low carb ones
- Keto allows lots of diary such as coconut and almond milk, most of cheese and low carb yogurt while paleo diet excludes most of dairy products
- Keto focuses on macros (daily consumption of carbs vs protein and fats), paleo focuses on food quality
- Paleo doesn’t focus on ketones measurement
Though both diets help with weight loss there are some disadvantages of each to be considered before the start.
Disadvantages of Paleo Diet
- Expensive
- Hard to vegetarians with high focus on meat and exclusion of beans
- Very limited diary and exclusion of grains
Disadvantages of Keto Diet
- Keto flu, which symptoms include fatigue, headache, diarrhea and others. Kindly see more information about keto flu symptoms here: Keto Flu Symptoms
- Constipation as result of excluding most of fruit and some of vegetables
- Possible long-term risks such as kidney stones and liver disease
Before choosing and starting a diet consult your health professional to evaluate pros and cons of each of the diets vs your current health state.
Both paleo and keto diets’ long term effects have not been studied yet. Although health benefits of both short term are kind of obvious, there are no studies yet available to see the diets health effects over longer periods of time.
No matter which diet you choose at the end of the day, it’s always important to do regular exercise and focus on healthy sleep.
Both diets are successful if you follow them as a lifestyle, meaning you don’t just restrict certain foods to quickly achieve results but they will work if you make them a part of your lifestyle long term.
Whichever suits you better based on your current health, desired goals, financial and other commitments, you need to stick to it and not give up. Keto flu can be quite tricky and annoying but remember it’s a normal adjustment phase which will not last long.
You can advise your family and close friends that you are starting a diet, so they can support you through this journey.
If you look for a product which is both paleo and keto-friendly you can try Hemp Hearts, they have only 1 g of carbs and rich in iron, copper, and zinc: 
