The difference between keto, paleo and vegan finally explained

Almost every single person you meet these days has a food restriction: no dairy, no meat, no meat but yes to fish, no carbs, no fat, etc. Food studies keep telling us to eat more of some things and less than others and then change their mind a few years later. If you’re confused about some of the lifestyle and dietary terms thrown at you in your daily life, this article might help answer a few of your questions. It’s time to finally know the difference between keto, paleo and vegan.

Keto

The ketogenic diet involves avoiding carbs (RIP bread and pasta) and eating fat, a lot of fat (hello avocado stuffed sausage wrapped in bacon). If you’ve been avoiding butter, bacon and other fatty foods at mealtime, now’s the time to embrace them. Low-carb and high-fat, this type of diet forces your body to run on fat instead of carbs. Dieters should be consuming 70–80% fat, 20–25% protein and 5–10% carbs. To recap, meat, fish, eggs, greens, dairy products and natural fats are favoured.

Paleo

The paleo diet is simple. It’s a caveman diet, which means you aren’t eating processed food or anything that wasn’t on earth B.C. Why do people go paleo? Well, if cavepeople ate basic foods like grass-fed meat and poultry, fish, eggs, vegetables, natural oils, fruits, nuts and grains and were lean and muscular and athletic, why not eat like them?

Vegan

No animals were harmed while making this type of food. Free of any animal and animal-derived products like meat, fish, dairy products, honey or eggs, vegans eat a plant-based diet filled with alternative proteins, faux cheese, and fruits and vegetables. More and more popular for animal cruelty and environmental reasons, there is an abundance of products on the market that fit the vegan category like fake meat, dairy free yogurts, cheese alternatives, and more.

Variations

Vegan keto

No meat and dairy, very little bread and pasta but a lot of greens.

Paleo keto

Tons of grass-fed protein, fish, eggs, vegetables and fruits. Say farewell to anything processed and carbs.

Foods they can all agree on

If you’re having friends over and one is vegan, one is paleo and one is keto, it might sound like the worst gastronomical nightmare in dinner hosting history. Don’t panic (kinda). Salads are, of course, the easiest option since everyone can eat lettuce and other vegetables as well as basic oils like olive oil. Other options include cauliflower rice stuffed avocados, zoodles with a creamy avocado sauce or cauliflower rice and mushroom sauté. Sounds pretty good, right?

As you can see, the difference between keto, paleo and vegan diets is quite striking. While some diets prefer to eliminate meat altogether, other diets abolish processed foods and carbs. If ever you decide to try one of these diets, remember to get informed and talk to healthcare professionals if ever you have medical restrictions.

Cover photo: @thistleco | Instagram