A Food Fight Through History: Keto vs. Paleo

08/24/2023 1 Comment

Resurrecting Ancient Wisdom: The Ketogenic Diet vs. Paleo Diet Faceoff

Let’s dive into the eye-opening clash between two diet heavyweights: Keto and Paleo. These eating plans have roots in the past, aiming to use food as better fuel by sticking to whole natural ingredients. Paleo tries to copy what our ancestors ate, while Keto zeroes in on burning body fat as the primary energy source. We’ll explore the nitty-gritty, the good and bad sides of these diets to help you live with more pep in your step.

Rediscovering the Past: The Paleo Diet

The Paleo diet copies what ancient people ate, sticking to natural foods and avoiding extras. It includes fresh veggies (broccoli, spinach, bell peppers) and fruits (berries, apples, citrus) as well as nuts (almonds, walnuts, macadamias), roots (sweet potatoes, carrots), and lean meats (poultry, grass-fed beef). This diet bans processed foods (such as packaged snacks and ready meals), dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt), grains (wheat, rice), sugar (including both natural and added sugars), legumes (beans, lentils), and refined oils (like canola and soybean oil). It has an impact on health by boosting metabolism and enhancing body shape. One big benefit is how it makes you feel full, which helps to control weight.

Benefits of the Paleo diet:

  • Reduces allergies.
  • Boosts fat metabolism.
  • Stabilizes blood sugar.
  • Nurtures skin and teeth.
  • Enhances sleep quality.
  • Improves nutrient absorption from whole foods.

Embracing Change: The Ketogenic Diet

Let’s talk about the Ketogenic diet, which aims to change how our bodies use energy. This diet causes ketosis when you eat way less carbs and more good fats, making your body burn fat for fuel. It doesn’t just help you lose weight – it can also make your mind sharper.

Benefits of the Ketogenic diet:

  • Melts fat while preserving muscle.
  • Lowers cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose.
  • Raises protective HDL cholesterol.
  • Regulates insulin.
  • May alleviate Parkinson’s symptoms and decrease seizures in epileptic children.

Unlocking Contrasts: Paleo vs. Keto Overview

Ketogenic (Keto) Diet:

  • Low carb, high fat, moderate protein.
  • Permits some dairy, avoids legumes, grains, sugars.
  • Focuses on weight loss and blood sugar control.

Paleo Diet:

  • Emphasizes natural sources, flexible carb intake.
  • Balances fats and proteins.
  • Excludes dairy, legumes, grains, and sugars.
  • Aims for overall health through ancestral eating.

Potential Drawbacks and Risks:

  • Paleo: Limited grains may lead to calcium and vitamin D deficiency. High meat intake can increase saturated fat.
  • Keto: Initial “keto flu” symptoms may occur. Long-term adherence can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Combining the Two: Tailoring to You

Are you considering both paths? By blending the Ketogenic and Paleo diets, you can design a customized eating plan that emphasizes low-carb and unprocessed foods. Here are two examples of how to do this:

  1. Keto-Paleo Breakfast: Start your day with a breakfast that combines the principles of both diets. Prepare a vegetable omelet cooked in coconut oil, using ingredients like spinach, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Include some avocado slices on the side for healthy fats. This meal is low in carbs, rich in nutrients, and aligns with Keto and Paleo guidelines.
  2. Grain-Free Keto-Paleo Dinner: Create a meal that excludes grains while adhering to low-carb principles. Grill a piece of wild-caught salmon and serve it with roasted broccoli drizzled with olive oil. Add a generous serving of cauliflower rice sautéed with ghee. This dish provides ample healthy fats, quality protein, and low-carb vegetables, making it a perfect combination for both diets.

Remember that the most important thing is to adjust the diet to match what you like and need, ensuring you get the proper nutrients while following the principal ideas of both Keto and Paleo. You can expect changes in 2-3 weeks, with more energy and weight loss while keeping your muscles. Sticking to it is key. Talk to experts before you start a journey to better fitness and health that you feel good about.

When you’re trying to improve your lifestyle, remember that taking action leads to change. Whether you choose Paleo, Keto, or a mix of both, taking the first step towards a healthier lifestyle will put you on an exciting and rewarding path.

To learn more and delve deeper into the pros and cons of Paleo and Keto diets, check out these trustworthy sources:

Harvard Health Publishing: Ketogenic diet: Is the ultimate low-carb diet good for you?

Mayo Clinic: Paleo diet: What is it and why is it so popular?

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Making Sense of Macronutrients: A Brief Look at the Ketogenic Diet

05/02/2022 Leave a comment

Photo credit: Kjokkenutstyr [CC BY-SA 4.0]

Macronutrients are the building blocks needed to maintain health. The seemingly simple concept is the source of debate among scientists, nutritionists, celebrities, and laypeople. The question of ratio, quantity, and combination of macronutrients is not new. At different points in recent years, we have seen advocates for a surplus of one over the other in most fad diets—making it nearly impossible to know what to eat.

One diet currently gaining popularity was created to treat childhood epilepsy in the early twentieth century. A ketogenic diet, recently rebranded as a “bio-hack,” has been proven to be effective in the treatment of childhood epilepsy—but is it safe for everyone?

Following a ketogenic diet means strictly limiting carbohydrates—starchy vegetables, grains, and fruits—that convert to sugar during digestion and are used to power the body. Instead of being fueled by sugar, the body is forced to burn fat for energy. The body enters a state of ketosis, a similar effect to fasting in which the presence of both acetone and beta-hydroxybutyric acid appear. Followers of ketogenic diets get up to 75 percent of their daily calories from fat, 5 to 10 percent from carbs. Remaining calories come from protein, typically 1 gram per kilogram of body weight.

In addition to epilepsy, researchers have studied the therapeutic effects of a ketogenic diet on obesity, headaches, neurodegenerative diseases, and endocrine, sleep, and psychiatric disorders. One study shows that benefits in obese patients included decreased body mass index, total cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose.

The ketogenic diet differs from other low-carb diets, like Atkins, because it is not broken up into phases. Unlike Atkins, carbohydrates are not slowly reintroduced to the diet; practitioners just continue with the drastically reduced carb consumption. Unfortunately, a prolonged sense of deprivation can lead to significant overindulgence.

One feared consequence of maintaining ketosis for a prolonged period is ketoacidosis, a state in which the blood acidifies from high-levels of ketones. So far, the level of ketones necessary to reach ketoacidosis has not been possible in nutritive ketosis. There are several real side-effects to consider, however, including digestive issues, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and micronutrient deficiencies. When choosing the ketogenic diet, it’s important to discuss supplementation with your doctor or nutritionist to avoid these types of issues.

With trends shifting from low-fat to low-carb/high-fat, high-protein to moderate-protein, deciding what to eat is challenging. If you grew up during the low-fat craze of the 1990s, you may find it difficult to add healthy fats to your diet. One benefit of a short-term ketogenic diet or a “low-ketogenic” plan is that it allows a higher number of carbohydrates and can act as a reset for the sugar-filled Standard American Diet. Once the curve from high to low blood sugar is stabilized, it can be easier to make choices based on true, biological hunger instead of cravings.

Ultimately, a balance of fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, and animal or plant protein provide an accessible middle ground for most. By eating a varied diet, you are more likely to get all of the necessary nutrients without supplementation, and you are less likely to binge on forbidden food categories. If you have been limiting caloric intake for weight loss, adding a slice of avocado can be profoundly satisfying.

Resources

Scientific American

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/the-fat-fueled-brain-unnatural-or-advantageous/

Women’s Health Magazine

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/high-protein-diets

Scientific American

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/the-fat-fueled-brain-unnatural-or-advantageous/

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/

 

 

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