For those who are not aware, a paleo meal plan is a diet plan that includes unprocessed and whole foods (including vegetables, eggs, fish, nuts, seeds, and healthy oils and fats) and excludes sugar, processed foods (including processed grains), a number of dairy products and vegetable oils. The paleo diet foods promote the building of muscles and improves the digestive and neural health, and is also beneficial towards weight management. If you want to lose weight even faster, feel more energized and have a clear thinking process, you can amalgamate certain elements of the keto diet plan in your diet as well.
The keto diet was developed, not for weight loss but for managing certain diseases such as epilepsy. A keto meal plan also involves consumption of a low amount of carbohydrates, so that the energy comes only through the burning of fat molecules. The diet plan includes foods including:
- Grass-fed animal sources: like lamb, goat and beef among others, seafood, and fish caught in the wild, pastured eggs, poultry, pork etc.
- Healthy fats: sources include olive oil, butter, coconut oil, chicken/duck/goose fat, omega 3 fats from seafood and fatty fish.
- Nonstarchy vegetables: like leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables like radishes, dark leaf and other vegetables including cucumber, asparagus etc.
- Fruits like avocado
- The keto diet plan excludes processed foods, all kinds of grains, refined fats and oils, artificial sweeteners, milk, tropical fruits and some other low-fat foods.
Combining Paleo and Keto Diet Food Elements
So while a paleo diet plan gives you more food choices, a keto diet plan helps you in lowering weight faster. As you can see, the two diet plans have a number of similarities as well. The combination of a keto and paleo plan diet plan may not suit you if you are adversely by certain health conditions. Still you can give the combo try as there are a number of benefits of the combination.
Weight loss
As the combined diet plan lowers the consumption of carbs, only ketones are used by the body mechanism for producing energy. The change affects your insulin levels positively and is also favorable for the blood glucose level.
Lesser risk of cardiovascular disease
The risk of a cardiovascular disease increases due to greater intake of bad cholesterol or HDL (High-Density Cholesterol). HDL is found more in the processed foods. As both diet plans do not allow the consumption of processed grains and refined oils, you end up having lesser triglycerides and bad cholesterol inside your body.
Combining the two diet plan events will also provide you with more food choices and an element of satiation with each meal that you consume. You may want to consult your doctor or dietician before actually starting the diet regime.