Paleo vs Keto: Which One Is Healthier?

It feels like everyone I know is on a ketogenic diet. I get it: we’re seeing the crazy weight loss results all over our social feed. And, if they’re not on a ketogenic diet, they’re probably playing with the ever popular Whole 30: a 30 day paleo-inspired weight loss program. Again: I’ve seen lots of people doing this and getting results. My own family has been playing around with low-carb eating (and experiencing weight loss!) and I myself followed a paleo diet in my early 20s for almost 4 years, followed by a shorter lived ketogenic diet (less than 1 year).

So what are my thoughts? Which one is better? Should we be restricting our carbs at all?

Spoiler alert: Before we dive in, I’ll be honest and say that I’m an advocate of any diet that chooses whole, unprocessed foods. Furthermore, as someone who struggled with disordered eating for years, I’m not a fan of diets that are overly restrictive or cause you to categorize foods as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. That being said, I have experienced both these diets, including the good–like weight loss–and the bad–digestive chaos and hormonal imbalances–so today I’ll speak about my own experience and of course, the science behind it! I currently follow what I like to call a ‘paleo-esque’ or ‘paleo-light’ diet: meaning I eat paleo as a general framework, but often include foods like legumes, gluten-free grains and fermented soy!

Alright, now that we got that out of the way, let’s dive in!

What is Paleo?

So what is the paleo diet? Basically, the idea is that you eat the way your hunter-gatherer ancestors would have before the invention of agriculture.

What You Eat:

Lots of vegetables and fruits–this is the bulk of the diet. Think leafy greens (like spinach and arugula), root vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots, squash), and seasonal fruit (pears, apples, berries).
Healthy, well-sourced protein. Wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chickens and eggs. While paleo gets a bad rap for just being a steak-and-eggs diet, meat is actually more of a condiment on what is otherwise a plant-based plate.
Healthy fats. The paleo diet doesn’t fear fat (not even saturated fat!) and includes a healthy amount of monounsaturated fats and omega-3s. Avocados, fatty fish, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, and ghee are examples of nutritious fats included in the paleo diet.

Hazelnut + Pear Paleo Fudge Brownies

Grain-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

What You Don’t Eat:

Processed and refined foods. This diet excludes refined sugar, baked goods, and harmful fats like canola and cottonseed oil. Things like chips, donuts, soda and cookies are not included in a paleo diet.
Grains. Paleo excludes grains like wheat and oats, because of the body’s difficulty to digest them. Often excluded are pseudo-grains like quinoa, buckwheat, millet and amaranth, but, because they are actually seeds, some paleo eaters eat these too.
Legumes. Legumes, like beans and chickpeas, contain something called phytic acid, which is an anti-nutrient that can hinder your body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
Dairy. Another food that is a hard for most people to digest (read here about whether or not you should go dairy-free, or take the quiz here).

The Health Benefits (+ what the research says)

In one study it was able to reverse the symptoms of insulin-resistance in type 2 diabetics
It can reduce inflammation because of the removal of inflammatory foods
It can improve symptoms of autoimmune disease
Help with weight loss
Improve heart health and lowers cholesterol

Pros: It includes a higher carb intake than keto, which is good for hormone health; it supports healthy gut bacteria; includes whole foods and is less restrictive than keto

Cons: eliminates foods you may not have a problem with (like legumes or dairy); it’s harder to do on a vegetarian diet

What Is Keto?

The ketogenic diet, or keto, has gotten a lot of attention lately and has become hella popular amongst people looking to lose weight. It’s a very low-carb, high-fat diet (fat intake is roughly 75% of the diet, and carbs are about 5%). The idea is to become fat-adapted so you burn fat as the main source of fuel instead of glucose.

So, does it work?

What You Eat

Healthy, well-sourced protein. Wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, pasture-raised chickens and eggs.
Low-carb vegetables. Leafy greens and non-starchy vegetables are welcome on keto, but higher-carb vegetables like carrots, squash and potatoes are not.
Healthy fats. Like the paleo diet, keto doesn’t fear fat (not even saturated fat!) and includes a healthy amount of monounsaturated fats and omega-3s. Avocados, fatty fish, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, and ghee are examples of nutritious fats included in the keto diet.
Dairy. Keto focuses on carbohydrate intake, not digestive health, so dairy is allowed on a keto diet.

What You Don’t Eat

Everything listed in the paleo diet, except for dairy.
Starchy vegetables and fruit

The Health Benefits (+ What The Research Says)

The ketogenic diet actually came into practice as a way to manage and prevent seizures in epileptic patients
It can help protect the brain from Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases
Accelerates weight loss
Can be used therapeutically to manage type 2 diabetes

Pros: good tool for weight loss, excludes unhealthy foods, can help manage diabetes

Cons: it’s very restrictive and hard to maintain; low in fibre needed for good gut health and the prevention of colon cancer; focus on macronutrients instead of whole foods; women may struggle with hormone regulation due to its low-carb approach

The Verdict: Which One Is Better?

Although the ketogenic diet does have research to back it up and really does offer health benefits, I think it’s better used a tool instead of a long-term approach. For people who need to lose weight quickly due to health issues, or for some of the other benefits listed above, keto can definitely be an effective strategy.

But if you ask me, a paleo approach is much more sustainable and nutritious. It includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, and puts a focus on the quality of food, not just the macronutrient quantity. It can also be used as an effective tool for weight loss, but promises a much more flexible and realistic style of eating. It eliminates a lot of problem foods for people with digestive issues (including dairy!) but includes a lot of fibre and phytonutrients.

Do I eat paleo? Actually, no. But I do eat within a paleo-framework. The bulk of my diet is vegetables, fruit, healthy proteins and fats, but I’ll occasionally eat gluten-free grains (like oats and buckwheat), lentils and chickpeas, traditionally-made sourdough bread and fermented soy like tempeh. I just find I feel best when I eat a mostly paleo diet. I’ve played with many diets (including vegetarian and vegan), and find that I need to be on a slightly lower carb diet than what the typical western diet recommends. For me, eating paleo has been a great way to centre my diet: it’s the core of how I eat, but I give myself the flexibility to eat other foods. When I find I’ve been indulging too much (like around the holidays), I’ll eat paleo and allow my body to reset.

I hope this was helpful! If you want me to dive into more of what I eat, let me know. Be sure to comment and subscribe to my newsletter for more healthy tips and recipes!