Paleo Diet vs Other Diets: A Detailed Guide

You should assess your alternatives properly regarding diet regimens, whether for weight reduction or overall health. For example, the paleo diet is undeniably popular among people trying to improve their nutrition level, yet it may be overly restrictive. A paleo diet generally consists of lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, formerly only available through hunting and gathering. In addition, a paleo diet restricts foods that gained widespread demand around 10,000 years after farming began. Dairy products, legumes, and grains are among these foods.

Paleo Diet: An Overview

The goal of a paleo diet is to consume food in a way similar to how early people ate. The discordance theory claims that the human body is genetically unsuited to the current food from farming techniques.

Farming altered people’s diets by introducing dairy, grains, and legumes as new mainstays in the human diet. As per the theory, the body’s capacity to adjust got outrun by the late and quick shift in nutrition. Obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are all rising, and this mismatch is a contributing reason.

Whole, unprocessed foods such as meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, and nuts are encouraged in the paleo diet. Such nutrient-dense products provide several health advantages. However, because the diet excludes grains, dairy, and legumes, it raises the danger of nutritional deficiency if not well planned.

Commercial paleo diets offer varying instructions, and some diet programmes have stricter rules than others. However, paleo diets usually adhere to these principles:

Foods to Eat on a Paleo Diet

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Lean meats, especially grass-fed animals or wild game
• Fish, particularly those high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna
• Oils from fruits and nuts like olive oil or walnut oil

Foods to Avoid on a Paleo Diet

• Grains like wheat, oats and barley
• Legumes, such as beans, lentils, peanuts and peas
• Dairy products
• Refined sugar
• Salt
• Potatoes
• Highly processed foods in general

Health Benefits of the Paleo Diet

Weight Loss

The Paleo diet provides the calorie deficiency needed to lose weight without requiring people to calculate portions or track calories owing to their restricted structure. Paleo diets are also high in fibre, fruits and vegetables. Fibre-rich diets can assist with weight loss by reducing appetite and food intake while encouraging feeling full. This plan is also lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein than the normal diet since they exclude grains, dairy, and legumes. According to research, high-protein diets help you lose weight by naturally suppressing your appetite and maintaining muscle mass. Simultaneously, it sheds fat, an essential factor in weight reduction.

Controls Diabetes

Since most paleo diets are low in carbs, the pancreas is frequently under less pressure to create insulin. Studies show that the paleo diet can reduce insulin secretion and enhance insulin efficacy. As a result, insulin resistance, the main cause of type 2 diabetes, is reduced. As a result, some patients can lower the quantity of medicine they need. Several elements are at play, including higher fibre, which leads to less sugar absorption from the intestines, more vitamins and antioxidants, and perhaps a favourable influence on gut microbiota, contributing to diabetic management.

Prevents Inflammation

Consumption of paleo leads to consumption of a lot of anti-inflammatory foods. Studies show fruits and vegetables can assist the body fight inflammation and can also help reduce C-reactive protein levels, which marks inflammation. Fresh fruit, such as tomatoes, avocados, beets, cherries, and green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, and collards, are high in antioxidants and protective substances called polyphenols. They assist in repairing cells. Polyphenols improve digestion and help prevent illnesses including diabetes, neurological disease, and cardiovascular disease. Maintaining a low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio can help to reduce inflammation and promote cardiovascular health.

Improves Sleep Quality

When you eliminate the chemicals and preservatives in regular food items, the body will naturally be exhausted at night. Studies state that this happens because the serotonin released by our brain signals the time to sleep and does not interfere with other compounds from foodstuff. As a result, you can notice that you’re becoming fatigued early at night and feeling refreshed and eager to get up early in the morning. Also, this is the body adjusting to the circadian cycle as prehistoric people did.

Provides Energy

You’re giving your body a break by cutting out several things that make the body overstressed: trans fats, MSG, caffeine, refined sugar, gluten etc. Instead, it cleans the body of accumulated waste and buildup by consuming more antioxidants from the fruits, phytonutrients, and fibre from the vegetables. Overall, this cleanses the body, making people feel light and more focused after a few weeks.

Other Popular Diet Plans 

Whole30

The Whole30 diet is similar to the paleo diet in that it eliminates grains, dairy, and legumes. However, being an elimination diet, it is more restrictive than paleo, excluding the use of sugar, alcohol, baked goods, and numerous other substances. Therefore, long-term adherence to this diet might lead to a restricted mindset and increase the risk of vitamin shortages.

Health Benefits

Currently, there is not much data on the efficiency of the Whole30 diet. It is, however, beneficial as a short-term exclusion diet for people seeking to figure out whether they have a food sensitivity they don’t know about.

Weight Loss

While Whole30 isn’t created primarily for weight reduction, several followers say they’ve lost weight using it. However, there is little evidence to support these claims, and many different diets can help you lose weight without imposing any limits.

Sustainability

You should not follow Whole30 for a lengthy period, which would be incredibly hard to do. As a result, it will be a lot more challenging than the paleo diet. In addition, while the 30-day method for detecting food sensitivity may work for some people, it is unlikely that it will work for everyone.

Keto Diet

The keto diet works on high fat and low carbohydrate breakdown. It removes grains, beans, and lentils, and here it resembles a paleo diet. Dairy, contrary to how paleo works, is allowed and even encouraged on the keto diet. The fruit gets severely restricted on a keto diet except for a few berries. Similarly, one eats low-carb veggies in small quantities. These stringent limits might make meeting dietary demands challenging.

Health Benefits

As per research, the keto diet is an effective cure for epilepsy. The advantages of some other medical disorders, however, are less clear. In addition, it’s crucial to mention that it’s risky for persons with specific conditions like pregnancy or diabetes. 

Weight Reduction

A keto diet boosts weight reduction in the short term. But unfortunately, currently, there is no evidence supporting the same in a long time. Further, its strict plan makes it uncertain whether people would stick to the program for the rest of their lives to lose weight.

Sustainability

Keto might be tough to maintain over time because of the limitations and stringent carbohydrate limits. It’ll most likely be harder to stick to than a paleo diet.

Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet is one of the best diet plans popular as the gold standard of nutrition, longevity, wellness and disease prevention. The Mediterranean Diet plan contains food items that people in Italy and Greece regularly consume. They include fruits, vegetables, lentils, olive oil, whole grains, fish, nuts, etc. The diet plan does not encourage the consumption of food items that contain added sugar and trans fats or items like processed meats, refined grains and other highly processed foods. 

Health Benefits

Several studies highlight the numerous health benefits a Mediterranean Diet plan can provide. The diet plan often reduces the risk of certain chronic medical conditions like cardiovascular complications, diabetes and even cancer. The diet plan can also help fight inflammation and oxidative stress caused by radicals as the plan encourages the consumption of several antioxidant-rich foods. 

Weight Reduction

The Mediterranean Diet is one of the best diet plans for effective weight loss. Studies say that the diet plan can reduce weight as it is plant-based with high unsaturated fat. 

Sustainability

Mediterranean Diet is a very sustainable diet plan. The diet plan is also very environmentally friendly, causing minimum impact on nature as it includes more plant-based products than animal-based ones. 

Paleo Diet: Sustainability

Due to the general stringent nature of the diet, it may be challenging (but not impossible) to stick to the diet long-term. Moreover, with the modern lifestyle and comparative ease of availability of food items like grains and junk, it’s hard to stick to a diet plan prevalent thousands of years ago. It becomes tough to maintain, especially with social gatherings, where different people order mainstream food items that are farm-grown or processed. Incorporating limited foods on occasion or altering the limitations to suit your lifestyle may make it easier to stick to for a longer period.

Paleo Diet: Precautions

While eliminating whole food categories might undoubtedly aid weight reduction, you might risk losing out on essential nutrients. For example, some doctors warn against the paleo diet since it eliminates dairy, thus decreasing calcium and vitamin D amounts. Over time, this can increase the risk of osteoporosis, bone fractures, and rickets.

The diet gets frequently misunderstood as being meat-centric. However, suppose you don’t watch what kind of protein you consume. In that case, you will be putting yourself at risk for cardiovascular disease. Saturated fats in red meat, for example, can elevate blood cholesterol levels and increase the chance of heart disease.

Conclusion

A paleo diet can assist you in losing or maintaining weight. It could have some additional health benefits. However, no long-term clinical trials on the diet’s advantages and hazards are conclusive. You may well be able to get the same health advantages by exercising regularly and consuming a well-balanced, nutritious diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Why is paleo better than other diets?

A: The paleo diet is a preferred choice for most individuals. It allows for a greater dietary variety than other diets like keto, making it simpler to stick to in the long term. Ultimately, there is no better or worse diet; instead, what works best for you in the long run.

Q: Is paleo the healthiest diet?

A: A paleo diet can assist you in losing or maintaining weight. It could have some additional health benefits. A paleo diet heavy in fibre, potassium, and antioxidants and limited in simple carbs, salt, and sugar can be beneficial. However, no long-term clinical trials on the diet’s advantages and hazards are available. 

Q: What are the negatives of the paleo diet?

A: This diet may expose you to calcium and vitamin D deficiency risks, which are essential for bone health. Moreover, since the paleo diet involves the diet of older times, it relies heavily on meat consumption. Therefore, this can lead to increased intake of significantly more saturated fat and protein than is necessary. Also, this can put you at risk for renal and heart problems and some tumours. 

Q: Do doctors recommend a paleo diet?

A: Long-term research on the effects of the paleo diet on health is scarce. However, as per professionals, the diet can be a healthful diet plan. Natural meat and fish, along with vegetables and fruits, are the staples of the paleo diet. In addition, it encourages people to restrict dairy products and cereals.

Q: Which is healthier, keto or paleo?

A: Based on the way they get formulated and the purpose of their use, the paleo and keto diets are healthy choices. When compared, most people will find the paleo diet as the healthier alternative. Paleo provides more dietary variety and possibilities for getting the vast range of nutrients our body requires daily. It also promotes a healthy lifestyle in general. Paleo is simpler to sustain long-term when you have more freedom with your dietary choices.

Q: Can you lose weight on paleo?

A: Paleo diets are high in fibre. Fibre-rich diets can assist you with weight loss by reducing appetite and cravings while also encouraging feeling full. Furthermore, by eliminating grains, dairy, and legumes from the diet, paleo diets are lower in carbohydrates and richer in protein than the usual diet. Also, this further helps with weight reduction.

Q: Are bananas OK on a paleo diet?

A: Due to their significant sugar level, several paleo users doubt if bananas are paleo. Yes, bananas are paleo. One medium-sized banana contains one hundred calories, 3 grams of fibre, and 25 grams of carbohydrate. Bananas are a great dietary source of potassium and are an unprocessed complete food.

Q: Can you eat cheese on paleo?

A: Since Palaeolithic people did not milk cows, a proper paleo diet excludes dairy products. Milk, butter, yoghurt, sour cream, and cheese are examples of this.

Q: Can you eat potatoes on paleo?

A: In general, you can eat all forms of unprocessed potatoes in a paleo diet. Potatoes contain starch and are high in carbs, making them paleo-friendly. However, as a result, they have a high glycemic index, whether boiled, baked, or mashed. Therefore, paleo dieters should eat them with skin. Also, paleo focuses on the unprocessed form of cooking. Therefore, a simple jacket potato is permissible, whereas French fries are not. 

Q. Does paleo put you in ketosis?

A: No, it does not. The ketogenic (keto) diet prioritises consuming a certain macronutrient balance. The objective is to achieve ketosis, a condition in which the body starts to burn fat for health or weight reduction. The Paleolithic (paleo) diet emphasises items people consumed during the Stone Age. The objective of health or weight reduction is to exclude modernly refined and processed foods.