The Difference Between Paleo and Ketogenic (low carb) Diets

and can you successfully merge the too. I say yes!

Quite often the first thing people think when they here Paleo is that they think that it’s a ketogenic/low carb diet, or a high protein diet, and compared to the SAD (Standard American Diet) probably more so, but…that’s not necessarily  true. Hunter Gatherer diets or what is commonly referred to as the Paleo Diet is the absence of dairy, grains and processed foods. How much Carb, Protein, and Fat you eat after that is up to you and your goals. By that definition, you could be a vegetarian , and gather only, eating all fruits and veggies and still be considered Paleo. (**I’m not recommending that FYI**)

Now when you refer to a ketogenic diet, aka Low Carb. What people are referring to is manipulating your macronutrients (Carbs, Proteins, Fats). So that your body’s primary fuel sources becomes Ketones (energy source derived from fat) and not Glucose (monosaccharide from sugar). Quite often this is achieved by lowering your carb intake to under 50 grams of digestible carbs a day. Sometimes as low as 10 grams. Most often this is also moderate protein intake. (maybe .7 to 1g of protein/lb of bodyweight) and sometimes 60-80% fat. One of the most common Ketogenic diets is probably the Atkins diet.

Now yes, it is possible to manipulate your macros on Paleo, creating a keto-paleo diet like I do most of the year. When competing for WPC worlds in Vegas in 2012 I went of a 12 week Ketogenic Diet using all Paleo foods. Literarily no fruit, maybe some spinach, but that was rare.  If you would like more info on how that went I have lots of information on this blog. Look for Road to Vegas posts and search ketogenic in the search box.

If you have any questions please email us at j[email protected] and we’d be happy to answer your questions in an upcoming post!