What is the Paleo diet?

The paleo diet, sometimes referred to as “the caveman diet,” is based on the principle that eating foods that were available to early humans will promote optimal health.

One of the fundamental theories behind the paleo diet is that modern food systems, production and processing techniques are damaging to human health.

Thus, if you adjust your eating style to mimic that of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, you will better support your body’s natural biological function, improving digestion and health.

Paleo eliminates grains, legumes, processed sugar and most sources of dairy.

The main foods permitted on the paleo diet include:

Meat and fish

Eggs

Nuts and seeds

Fruits

Vegetables – except corn, this is a grain

Selected fats and oils, such as coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, lard, tallow, ghee / butter

Minimally processed sweeteners, including raw honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, raw stevia

For most, paleo is about more than just a diet.

There is also a strong focus on lifestyle practices, the environmental impact of food choices and total body wellness within the framework of the paleo philosophy.

The paleo diet is an eating plan that emphasizes whole foods and eliminates grains, legumes and most processed foods in order to improve health. The diet also has a lifestyle component that focuses on wellness practices and exercise.

What is the keto diet?

Most tissues in the human body prefer using the glucose from carbohydrates for energy.

Ketosis is the metabolic state in which your body uses calories from fat, instead of carbs, to create the energy needed to carry out its normal functions (1Trusted Source).

The keto, or ketogenic, diet aims to induce ketosis through the calculated adjustment of dietary macronutrients, namely carbs, protein and fat.

The keto diet macronutrient breakdown looks something like this:

Fat: 65-90%

Protein: 10-30%

Carbohydrates: less than 5%

In comparison to a “standard” diet, the macronutrient distribution of the keto diet is shifted significantly in favor of fat, with moderate protein and very few carbs.

The purpose of achieving ketosis with this diet plan is to induce the metabolic breakdown of fat in your body. Thus, it’s imperative that macronutrient intake is tightly controlled, as otherwise you risk throwing your metabolism out of ketosis.