Plant-Based, Paleo, Keto (What’s the Difference?)
You've been hearing a lot of talk about some popular diets.
Plant-Based. Paleo. Keto.
With so many conflicting ideas out there, how can you know which diet is best?
If your goal is to feed yourself and your family the healthiest diet possible, you’ve come to the right place for some answers.
LET’S GO OVER THE BASICS of the three most popular diets of today: Plant-Based, Paleo, and Keto.
We'll start with Paleo.
The Paleo Diet
The Paleo diet tries to mimic the diet of people from Paleolithic times. It’s based on the belief that the original Paleos were hunter-gatherers, their main source of food was wild game/meats and they didn’t eat beans, potatoes or grains. So the Paleo diet focuses on eating wild, grass-fed meats, and excludes all starchy vegetables, all grains and all processed foods. Per Paleodiet.org: https://paleodiet.org/definition
Foods considered Paleo:
Grass-produced meats (high quality meats), not any processed type like hot dogs or most cold cuts)
Fish/seafood (all kinds)Fresh fruits (all kinds)
Fresh vegetables ( non-starchy kinds, starchy kinds in moderation)
Eggs
Nuts (does not include peanuts which is a legume)
Seeds
Some oils (olive, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia, avocado, coconut)
Natural forms of unrefined sugar in moderation (raw honey, real maple syrup for example)
Dairy is allowed per https://www.thepaleomom.com/start-here/paleo-diet/ "good quality (i.e., grass-fed) dairy is generally considered fine to include".
Foods not considered Paleo:
Grains: all (oats, wheat, quinoa
Legumes/beans (including peanuts)
Dairy (cheese, milk, yogurt, ice cream)
Refined sugar or artificial sugar
Potatoes/starchy vegetables
Processed foods of any kind
Overly Salty Foods
Refined vegetable oils
Alcohol (all kinds)
What the original Paleoliths actually ate is controversial and many scientists agree they ate mostly starches/plant foods and very little meat. Also, no evidence exists that these populations lived long and healthy lives.
In fact, the opposite is true. Per Ferris Jabr, Scientific American 06/03/13,...the real Paleoliths did indeed eat starches and tubers. These real Paleos were heavily infected with hookworms and at least half the children did not survive past age 15 and most adults did not live much past 35 or 40...
Makes you wonder...
If these populations did not live past middle age, why would modern humans want to try and imitate their diet?
“When asked about the commonly held idea that ancient people were primarily meat-eaters, the highly respected anthropologist, Nathanial Dominy, PhD, from Dartmouth College responded, “That’s a myth. Hunter-gathers, the majority of their calories come from plant foods…meat is just too unpredictable.” After studying the bones, teeth, and genetics of primates for his entire career as a biological anthropologist, Dr. Dominy, states, “Humans might be more appropriately described as ‘starchivores.’”
paleo keto vegan infographic
Overall, the Paleo diet is a better option than the Standard American Diet because it encourages some whole plant foods and it doesn't allow refined carbohydrates.
But Paleo has 3 big problems. First, it encourages a lots of meat. Meat increases risk for heart disease, the number one killer of Americans. And red meat is now classified as a carcinogen (cancer causing) by the World Health Organization. Second, it's not affordable nor accessible to many people because of the types of meats it requires. For meat to be considered Paleo, it should be ‘high quality”, preferably wild, free range, organic, and grass-fed. For many people the Paleo Diet is just too expensive. Third, legumes are not allowed. Legumes are the only food shown to increase longevity. That’s right, Blue Zones studies have shown that populations eating 1/2 to 1 cup of beans, peas or lentils daily live longer, healthier lives. Legumes are a probiotic, so they contribute to a healthy gut microbiome and reduce inflammation. So, in my opinion, taking legumes out of one’s diet is a big mistake.
Keto or Ketogenic Diet
Per https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-101The ketogenic diet (often termed keto) is a very low-carb, high-fat diet. It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake, and replacing it with fat.
The goal of the Keto diet is to deliberately put the body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is what the body does when it’s in starvation mode.
The body normally uses carbohydrates as fuel. But when it's starved of carbohydrates, it will burn fat for fuel instead. This is called ketosis.
It’s difficult to get into a state of ketosis when you’re not actually starving. Furthermore, it's difficult to continually remain there safely because it's an unnatural state for the body to be in.
Here’s a good way to know when you’ve reached a state of ketosis, your breath starts to smell bad--like ammonia or nail polish remover. The Keto diet foods per https://ketodash.com/keto-diet
Allowed Foods
Meats - fish, beef, lamb, poultry, egg
Leafy Greens - spinach, kale
Above ground vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower
High fat dairy - hard cheeses, high fat cream, butter
Nuts and seeds - macadamias, walnuts, sunflower seeds
Avocado and berries - raspberries, blackberries, and other low glycemic impact berries
Sweeteners - stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, and other low-carb sweeteners
Other fats - coconut oil, high-fat salad dressing, saturated fats, etc.
Foods to Avoid
Grains - wheat, corn, rice, cereal
Sugar - honey, agave, maple syrup
Fruit - apples, bananas, oranges
Tubers - potato, yams
Legumes
Common Side Effects of a Keto Diet
Bad breath
Cramps
Constipation
Heart palpitations
Reduced physical performance
Increased risk of sudden cardiac death
Increased risk of cancer
THE KETO DIET IS DANGEROUS It increases risk for all kinds of health problems, including early death. Personally I would run as far away as possible from any diet that comes with these side effects.
Yes, people can lose weight on the Keto diet, BUT by eating so many animal products and saturated fats and so little plant foods and fiber, they are trading in their health for weight loss.
And the weight loss is temporary, because it’s just not sustainable to remain in ketosis long term.
Whole Food Plant-Based Diet
A Whole Food Plant-Based diet encourages eating mostly whole plant foods that are unprocessed or minimally processed. To put it another way, this means not taking away parts of the food (fiber and nutrients) and not adding extra unhealthy ingredients to it (salt, sugar, fat). It avoids meat, eggs, fish or dairy. Just whole plant foods.
What’s different about the Whole Food Plant-Based diet is that it focuses on what to eat rather than what not to eat.
plant based diet
So when you’re trying to eat as much beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole grains, greens, vegetables, berries, fruits, nuts, seeds as you can every day, it doesn’t leave much room for junk.
A Whole Food Plant-Based diet has been shown to prevent, reduce, and even reverse chronic diseases and some types of cancer. It’s packed with nutrients and fiber and protein.
If you remember nothing else, remember this... Any nutrient you can get from animal sources, you can get from plants —except for vitamin B12 which comes from microbes in the soil . And when the nutrients come from plants, they come without all the bad stuff that comes with meat and dairy.
Finally, the other BIG PROBLEM with both Keto and Paleo diets is legumes (beans, peas, lentils) are not allowed on either of these diets. This is unfortunate, because legumes are an outstanding source of iron and fiber. Fiber decreases colon cancer risk, and makes our bellies happy and healthy by increasing our healthy gut bacteria known as probiotics. And, even grandma knows, it keeps us 'regular'. Did you know beans are the one food that, when eaten regularly, have been shown to increase lifespan.https://nutritionfacts.org/video/increased-lifespan-from-beans/
To sum up...
Americans are sicker and fatter than ever and the trend is just getting worse.The Standard American Diet, clearly, isn't working.
It’s confusing to know what to eat with all the information being thrown around about different diets.
Sure, just about any diet can help you lose weight, but will it actually make you healthier? Is it safe for all members of your family?
A Whole Food Plant-Based diet has been proven repeatedly to be a superior diet for health.
It's nutrient rich, affordable, and it decreases risk for chronic diseases. Even better, it's great for kids! If you're not already doing it, you should consider trying some plant-based meals. You'll be surprised how delicious it can be!!
Try it and let me know how you like it.
I'll be here to support you all the way!
Resources
Buettner, D. (2010).
The blue zones: Lessons for living longer from the people whove lived the longest
. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society.
Campbell, T. C., & Campbell, T. M. (2016).
The China study: The most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted and the startling implications for diet, weight loss and long-term health
. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books.
Campbell, T. C., & Jacobson, H. (2014). The low-carb fraud. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books.Erdrich, J., Zhang, X., Giovannucci, E., & Willett, W. (2015). Proportion of colon cancer attributable to lifestyle in a cohort of US women. Cancer Causes & Control,26(9), 1271-1279. doi:10.1007/s10552-015-0619-zFord, E. S., Bergmann, M. M., Boeing, H., Li, C., & Capewell, S. (2012). Healthy lifestyle behaviors and all-cause mortality among adults in the United States. Preventive Medicine,55(1), 23-27. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.04.016Singh, P. N., Arthur, K. N., Orlich, M. J., James, W., Purty, A., Job, J. S., . . . Sabaté, J. (2014). Global epidemiology of obesity, vegetarian dietary patterns, and noncommunicable disease in Asian Indians. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,100(Suppl_1). doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.071571Voller, R. D., & Strong, W. B. (1981). Pediatric aspects of atherosclerosis. American Heart Journal,101(6), 815-836. doi:10.1016/0002-8703(81)90621-9Kaiser Permanente endorses a WFPB diet. Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. Dean Ornish have reversed heart disease with the WFPB diet in cardiac patients who were too sick even for surgery.Dr. Kim Williams, President of the American College of Cardiology tells his patients to go plant based.