Are you looking for the best diet to suit your unique nutrient and physical needs? With so much information available, choosing which eating regimen is best for you can be overwhelming. This article provides a comprehensive comparison of two popular diets: the Paleo diet and the Atkins diet. We will explore their principles, benefits, and drawbacks to help you make an informed decision.
Introduction to the Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet focuses on reducing your levels of refined carbohydrates and refined sugars and encourages you to consume more protein, fiber, fruits, vegetables, and fats. Many people who adhere to this approach believe that it allows the body to burn more fat while helping them boost their energy and satiety levels. Atkins advocates for you to consume about 50% of your diet from calories derived from fat, 45% from protein, and 5% from carbohydrates.
The Importance of Fat in the Atkins Diet
Hard-working muscles require the caloric energy that fat provides (fats contain 9 calories per gram, compared with 4 calories per gram in carbohydrates and protein), but fat, itself, can uniquely benefit athletes. Fat’s calorie density, along with your body’s nearly unlimited storage capacity for fat, makes it your largest reserve of energy. One pound of stored fat provides approximately 3,600 calories of energy!
Introduction to the Paleo Diet
The Paleolithic diet (also known as the paleo diet and the caveman diet) follows the presumed eating habits of the human species during the Paleolithic period, which concluded 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. The paleo diet focuses on whole foods that are easy to digest and supply a high nutritional density, like fresh veggies and fruits as well as fish, lean meats, eggs, nuts, and seeds. On the flip side, anything that requires processing is off the table. So say goodbye to dairy and grains as well as any additives or chemicals. You should also avoid sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin - and anything containing them. Vegetable oils, margarine, and trans fats are also a no-go.
Key Differences Between the Atkins and Paleo Diets
One of the big differences between the Atkins and Paleo diets is that Atkins is low-carb. In the first two weeks of the diet, you consume less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, after which you can eat 20-60 grams per day. This is designed to keep your body in a constant state of ketosis, which means that your body burns fat instead of carbs for energy. While it is common for people to eat a low-carb Paleo diet, the diet does not specifically call for a reduced intake of carbohydrates. Many people on the Paleo diet consume plenty of carbs, since they may opt to eat foods like sweet potatoes and fruits.
Read also: Paleo Granola Recipes
Understanding Carbohydrates
Wondering about the difference between the carbohydrates in grains vs. the carbohydrates found in certain fruits and vegetables? All carbohydrates contain simple sugars called monosaccharides. You can find simple sugars in all grains, vegetables, and fruits, although the amount varies among each food. For instance, most fruit and refined grain products contain a large amount of simple sugar, while starchy vegetables tend to contain more complex carbohydrates that include fiber and starch.
Carbohydrates and Endurance Athletes
If you are an endurance athlete, keep in mind that you have special nutrition requirements. Your body needs lots of oxygen for extended workouts and races, which is why your rate of breathing increases during exercise. Carbohydrates are one of the best sources of energy due to the efficient way they use oxygen. In fact, they use less oxygen for every kilocalorie of energy produced than fats or proteins, which make them an important food choice for athletes. However, it’s important to note that during intense exercise, you’re not only relying on carbohydrates for energy. For instance, 30-40% of your energy might be coming from fat stores.
Emphasis on Weight Loss and Whole Foods
The Atkins diet focuses more on losing weight than does the Paleo diet, and Atkins doesn’t emphasize increasing the consumption of whole foods. Simply put, a whole food is a food that hasn’t been processed. In nature, fruits and vegetables are perfect whole foods because they contain only one ingredient-themselves. In contrast, the Paleo diet heavily emphasizes food quality and avoids all foods that are refined and processed.
Cost and Convenience
The Paleo diet tends to be expensive and time-consuming. Local and unprocessed foods (especially meats) can unfortunately be very expensive, especially if you don’t often cook. Meats cost more per calorie than grains do; organic and free-range foods can really make a dent in your wallet. Americans already tend to skimp on nutrients in favor of saving money, so if you’re strapped for cash, Paleo might not be the healthiest and most economic option.
Potential Side Effects of the Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet acknowledges that drastically cutting carbs, especially in the initial phase of the plan, can result in some unpleasant side-effects, including: headache, dizziness, weakness, and fatigue. Additionally, nutritional deficiencies or insufficient fiber intake can result in constipation, diarrhea, and nausea. Many carbohydrate-rich foods, like bananas and oranges, contain important vitamins and minerals. Due to these potentially harmful side-effects, the Atkins diet is not appropriate for everyone.
Read also: Paleo Diet Delivered: What You Need to Know
Benefits of the Paleo Diet
Few nutritionists would argue with the Paleo Diet’s emphasis on non-processed foods, fibrous vegetables, and free range animal products, especially since these animals have a fat profile that is superior to their conventionally raised counterparts. In contrast, one of the most lauded benefits of the Atkins plan is weight loss, which often happens very rapidly. Because starchy carbohydrates are restricted by this plan, foods such as alcohol and refined flour products are off the list, thereby eliminating many potentially unhealthy items. While carbohydrates are the main restriction of the diet, the Atkins plan encourages the consumption of protein as the main dietary choice-a dietary pattern that is favored by many Americans.
The Importance of Personalized Nutrition
However, only a blood test provide an inside look at what’s going on inside of your body, and only InsideTracker combines blood analysis with personalized nutrition recommendations to achieve optimal levels of biomarkers.
Low-Carb Diets: An Overview
Many people try out a diet for a short time, break it and then move onto the next big thing. And there are plenty of diet trends to choose from. Keto, Paleo, Whole30, Atkins, South Beach - they may seem like different versions of the same diet, served up in a new name. But no two low-carb diets are the same. The health benefits and results you see may differ dramatically - assuming you’re able to stick to the plan. That’s the most important ingredient for long-term success, says Lena Rydberg, DO, an Internal Medicine physician at The Iowa Clinic in West Des Moines. She breaks down the most common low-carbohydrate diets to help you avoid cycling through the latest diet trends and find one you can stick with in the long run. Any diet that limits the amount of carbohydrates you eat is a low-carb diet. And there are many. In the simplest terms, low-carb diets emphasize foods high in fat and protein, while restricting foods filled with carbohydrates. Studies show that a low-carb diet can help you lose weight if you follow one long-term. Since weight is a contributor to obesity, diabetes and a number of other serious conditions, a low-carb diet can also improve your health and reduce your risk of disease.
Choosing the Right Low-Carb Diet
Restricting yourself from foods you enjoy and forcing yourself to eat things you can hardly stomach ensure you’ll eventually break your diet. The same applies to your feeling of fullness. If your diet isn’t keeping you full, you’re more likely to eat whatever’s convenient and overindulge in those moments of hunger. Simple carbohydrates, the ones found in breads, pastas and baked goods don’t keep you full for very long. Complex carbs in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and dairy can. These foods are either high in fat or high in fiber - two things that raise your blood glucose more slowly to make you feel fuller longer. The various low-carb diets treat carbohydrates differently. You could be cutting out a staple of a healthy diet that helps tide you over until the next meal. You have to understand what you’re eating, what you’re removing and how that will affect your body before you start one of these common low-carb diets.
The Ketogenic Diet
The Ketogenic diet, or “Keto,” is one of the newest and most popular low-carb diets. So much so that phrases like “Keto-friendly” are starting to pop up on product packaging. The goal of Keto is to achieve “ketosis” - the point where your body burns fat instead of sugar to fuel itself. Many diets can get you to that point for a short period of time. Followers of Keto try to maintain that for weeks or months at a time. To get there, the Keto diet emphasizes:
Read also: Paleo Mayonnaise Recipe
- Lower carbs - Carbs are almost banned entirely. Only low-carb fruits and veggies are allowed, including berries, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, bell peppers, zucchini and spinach.
- Moderate protein - Lean protein is a staple of the Keto diet. Chicken, turkey, fish, seafood and lean cuts of beef are allowed. Eggs, nuts, seeds and oils are other good protein sources.
- Higher fat - Keto focuses on good fats found in the foods above. It also allows dairy, so cheese, plain yogurt, cream and butter are okay.
She recommends limiting foods, like butter and beef, that are higher in saturated fat. Instead, look for monounsaturated, heart-healthy fats like those found in nuts and oily fish like salmon and tuna.
The Paleo Diet: Eating Like a Caveman
The Paleo diet gets its name from the Paleolithic era - the Stone Age, basically. The idea behind the Paleo diet is that you should only eat foods that could be hunted or gathered by humans in Paleolithic times. It’s often called the caveman diet for this reason. If you love your fruits and veggies, Paleo might work for you. Both are allowed on the diet. Other foods are banned though, specifically anything that came with the advent of agriculture. Dairy, grains, beans, legumes, sugar and processed foods are a no-no. Critics argue that there’s nothing magical about how people ate in the past so the rules don’t always make sense.
The Atkins Diet: A Phased Approach
The oldest of the modern low-carb diet plans, the Atkins diet was originally promoted in the 70s and has maintained its popularity ever since. It takes a different approach than more recent low-carb diet trends. You change your diet in four phases, with each one allowing for more carbohydrates. The limit on carbs depends on the phase but, in general, the Atkins diet allows higher amounts of carbohydrates and encourages much more protein. You can get protein from meat, butter, eggs and cheese. Bread, pasta, potatoes, cereals, sugary foods and high sugar fruits and vegetables are off limits. Over the years, the Atkins diet has shown to be effective for weight loss. But it can be harder to maintain than other low-carb diets because it restricts so many types of carbohydrates. It also relies much more heavily on protein, which can be problematic.
The South Beach Diet: Balancing Carbs, Fats, and Protein
The South Beach diet is lower in carbs, but it’s not a strict low-carb diet like Atkins, Paleo or Keto. There’s no carb counting either. You focus on balance instead, eating a mix of good carbohydrates, healthy fats and lean protein. Whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meats and healthy oils are all allowed. The South Beach diet uses a phased system similar to the Atkins diet. It also gets more lenient with carbs along the way as you progress from the elimination phase to the long-term weight loss phase to the maintenance phase. The latter two phases are particularly effective in creating heart-healthy habits. Even with a greater balance of carbs and protein, the South Beach diet is high enough in protein to raise liver and kidney concerns. You may also lack fiber and other nutrients if you’re on it long-term and not keeping an eye on all of your nutritional needs.
The Whole30 Diet: A 30-Day Reset
Whole30 is different from all the other low-carb diets. It isn’t a long-term diet. And weight loss isn’t a primary goal. It’s a 30-day elimination diet that’s designed to cut out unhealthy foods and reshape your eating habits. The Whole30 diet is similar to Paleo, yet even more restrictive. In addition to sugar, grains, legumes, processed foods and dairy, the diet plan bans all sweeteners (natural and artificial), alcohol and baked goods. And unlike Keto or Paleo, there’s no specifics on fat, protein or carbohydrate levels - just a long list of what you can and cannot eat. The one month trial is very appealing to people wary of committing to a long-term diet. But a permanent improvement of your eating habits should be a goal. So to maintain the benefits achieved while on a Whole30 diet, you have to continue eating well after the month is over. Otherwise, you risk gaining back any weight lost and returning to bad eating habits.
Sticking to a New Diet
Trial and error can leave you feeling deflated. If you have trouble adjusting to a new diet or aren’t seeing the results you hoped, it can sap your motivation to try something new. You have to listen to your body and adjust accordingly over time. Because some people respond better to one diet over another, says Dr. Rydberg, who works with patients to improve their diets by establishing healthy eating habits. Making these changes takes time. It also takes a lot of dedication and consistency.
Ketogenic (keto) diet
A "true" keto diet does not provide enough calories from sources of glucose and other forms of sugar and causes the body to burn fat to create energy. When fat is broken down, ketones are released by fat cells into the bloodstream. The increase in blood ketones lowers the normal acid-base balance in blood to make it more acidic, a state known as ketosis. In a typical keto diet plan, approximately 70% to 75% of daily calories come from fat, 20% from protein, and no more than 10% from carbohydrates.
Carnivore diet
A carnivore diet is the most ketogenic because its carb content is extremely low, which is why it's sometimes called the "zero carb" diet. You only eat meat, poultry, eggs, fish, and dairy.
Paleo diet
The paleo approach centers on the unprocessed, truly natural foods humans consumed through hunting and gathering in the Paleolithic era, which ended about 10,000 years ago. The food choices can come from meat, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Any refined or artificial products (including healthy oils like olive oil), dairy, grains, legumes, and potatoes are excluded because they appeared after the agricultural revolution that followed the Paleolithic era. A paleo diet can be ketogenic if simple carbs are limited enough.
Pros and cons of a keto diet
If you want to jump-start a weight-loss program, a keto diet can help you lose five to 10 pounds or more. The downside, even for the short term, is a potential rise in LDL (bad) cholesterol. Personally, I have concerns about staying in ketosis for more than four to six weeks.
Paleo diet and fiber intake
With the paleo diet, you have flexibility regarding being in and out of ketosis. However, because grains are not allowed, you would need to find ways to supplement your fiber intake.
Are the Atkins, Paleo and keto diets basically the same thing?
Although each of these diets are low-carb, they all serve different purposes. All of these diets can result in weight loss, but the one that's right for you will depend on your overall goals.
Dietary suggestions
The United States Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Service's dietary suggestions recommend that adults break up their calorie consumption into 45 to 65 percent carbs, 10 to 35 percent protein and 20 to 35 percent fat. Before starting on any of these, it's recommended that you consult your doctor first.
What is the ketogenic diet?
Better known as keto, this diet was created in the 1920s as a way to treat epilepsy. Classic keto requires that 90 percent of a person's calories come from fat, 6 percent from protein and 4 percent from carbs. There are different variations of the diet out there, and all of them are high in fat and low in carbs, though they range from 60 to 90 percent of the diet coming from fat. The purpose of the keto diet is to force the body to go into ketosis, which is a metabolic state that uses fat for energy instead of glucose (carbs). To enter ketosis, dieters need to be eating fewer than50 grams of carbs a day for a few days. Although the diet is low-carb, its focus is to be high in fat with some protein - but mostly fat. There are no restrictions on the type of fat you're supposed to eat, so followers of keto are known to eat things like bacon, avocados and butter. Keto leans on the stricter side of low-carb diets as you have to maintain a rigid nutrition plan so your body can successfully go into ketosis.
The paleo diet
The paleo diet calls for followers to go back to the way people were eating during the Paleolithic era, 2.6 million years ago, which is basically eating like a hunter-gatherer. Paleo focuses mostly on a high-protein diet with a lot of vegetables and fruit. Unlike keto and Atkins, this diet doesn't aim to be low-carb, it just is because of the food it cuts out, including grains, dairy, legumes and refined and processed foods. While keto doesn't discriminate between what types of fats you should consume, the paleo diet advises dieters to avoid certain types of oils and trans fats. And though you can eat all the peanut butter you want on a keto diet, the paleo diet cuts out peanut butter because technically peanuts are classified as legumes. The main focus of paleo is to get people to go back to eating like our hunter-gatherer ancestors.
The Atkins diet
This diet is specifically marketed and labeled as a low-carb diet. There are two version of the Atkins diet now, Atkins 20, which is the original, and Atkins 40, which is a plan created for those looking to lose less than 40 pounds. The classic Atkins diet has four phases - the first phase starts off with having dieters eating 20 to 25 grams of carbs per day and then slowly progresses to phase four in which people are allowed 80 to 100 grams of carbs, which is still considered low-carb. Atkins also focuses on net carbs.
Paleo, Atkins, Ketogenic… what the heck is the difference!?
As always, you’ve got a scientist on your side and, today, I’m going to clear up the main difference. To start off, I’d like to explain to you guys a bit about a biological state called nutritional ketosis. Pay attention, because this is a pretty important concept that may be a major factor in your dietary decision. Nutritional ketosis is a biological state in which your body begins using fats, rather than glucose, as it’s main fuel source. In order for fats to be used as fuel, they are converted into ketone bodies, which is the basic goal of the ketogenic diet. Although more complex, cyclical ketogenic diets exist, in which you are cycling in and out of ketosis, with the basic ketogenic diet your body is in a constant state of nutritional ketosis. In order to enter into nutritional ketosis, you must drastically restrict your glucose supply, while concurrently increasing fat consumption so that your body is essentially forced into burning fat as fuel. Your macro breakdown should look something like 60-80% fat, 5% carbohydrates and the remainder as protein. As 1g carbohydrate is equivalent to approximately 4 calories, a 5% carbohydrate intake would equate to approximately 25g carbs daily for someone on a 2000 calorie per day diet. Keep in mind, these numbers are approximations and each person will enter ketosis at slightly different values, depending on biological and lifestyle factors. At first, while your body is still relying on the glucose hits you’re used to, you may experience some poor feelings such as low energy - but don’t worry, it’s about to get so good. Burning ketone bodies as opposed to glucose as your main fuel source is accompanied by a vast array of biological benefits including enhanced cognitive functioning, stabilized energy and easier maintenance of ideal body composition. It can basically turn you into a superhuman. As I mentioned, both the Paleo and Atkins diet can overlap with the ketogenic diet. The Atkins diet has a few phases and, in the first phase, your daily carbohydrate allowance is as low as 20g carbohydrates per day. This low intake means that, depending on how long you stay in the first phase, you may actually enter into a state of ketosis during this phase and simultaneously end up on both diets for a temporary period. However, by the end of the Atkins diet, your daily carb allowance moves up to 100g daily for maintenance, which is much too high for the average person to remain in a consistent state of ketosis. One of the pitfalls of this, however, is that if your body is not in a state of ketosis and is still relying on glucose as a main fuel source, then restricting glucose intake may result in feelings of lethargy, reduced cognitive functioning and general un-wellness depending on your biological needs. Another interesting thing to note here is that a lot of people with digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) tend to feel better on a low carbohydrate diet. The reason for this is because bacteria do feed on sugar and carbohydrates so if you have an overgrowth of bad bacteria or methanogens (which are technically archaea) then eating plenty of carbs can produce gas. The Paleo diet is the most generous of these three diets regarding carbohydrate intake. On the Paleo diet, you can consume up to 150g carbohydrates daily, depending on what your personal goals are. For example, athletes may choose to consume a much higher amount than this, whereas someone aiming for weight loss might choose to consume less carbs. Additionally, the Paleo diet encourages the consumption of certain fruits and vegetables that would not be primarily recommended on the ketogenic or Atkins diet due to carbohydrate content. The basic principle of the Paleo diet is simply to eat foods that are natural, and that our ancestors likely consumed. Therefore, as long as you can find it in nature, most foods are A-okay. Due to the generous carbohydrate allowance and vast array of allowed foods, I personally find the Paleo diet to be the easiest of the 3 to follow.
A low histamine diet
A low histamine diet drastically reduces the amount of histamine you are consuming. The good thing is that, if you're unsure if this applies to you, you can try a low histamine diet at home and, if you are indeed histamine intolerant, you should see a noticeable improvement in symptoms within the first 1-2 weeks. This improvement is your first clue that you're on the right path to figuring out what's causing your symptoms!
How to choose the right diet for you
The first thing to do is ask yourself what are your health goals. If you’re seeking a diet not because of health conditions but rather aiming for fast weight loss, perhaps Atkins will be the right fit for now. If you’re aiming for enhanced cognitive functioning and stabilized energy, the ketogenic diet might be more your style. On the other hand, if you're feeling unwell and experiencing symptoms of histamine intolerance, then of course giving the low histamine diet a whirl for a couple of weeks is going to be your best bet. In my opinion as a scientist, if you’re going to be pushing your body into a low-carb state, the ketogenic diet is pretty unbeatable in terms of biological benefits - however, it is incredibly difficult to sustain if you have a social life.
The next thing to consider is how sustainable do you consider each of these diets to be. As I mentioned, although I experienced amazing benefits on the ketogenic diet, I always felt restricted and also felt that sticking to a strict diet while socializing was difficult. That was my personal experience - however, some people can go years doing the ketogenic diet without any feelings of restriction. Keep in mind that if you’re constantly feeling restricted and stressed over your diet, this is going to be negative for your mental health, stress hormones and therefore, your overall well-being. Once again, the least restrictive here is the paleo diet and, after that, the low histamine diet.
Now that you’ve combined your health goals with a diet that you find sustainable, the final factor is considering dietary personalization. What this means is that, even though one diet may be considered scientifically beneficial, or has worked great for one of your friends, the fact is that every person’s biology is so individual, and different diets will work for different people. So, when testing out your selected diet, be sure to pay attention to how your body is feeling. Sure, your body will take time to adjust to any new diet and you may not feel perfect during this period (especially if it’s your first time trying out the ketogenic diet) but, if after several weeks your body is not thriving on your new diet, it may be time to quit. Keep this factor in mind, as many people push themselves through diets they are clearly not thriving on, simply because that diet has worked for other people. You and your biology are UNIQUE! The bottom line is, do what’s right for you. Sometimes, what’s considered the “best” diet by science, isn’t necessarily the best diet for every single case.
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