The Paleo Keto Diet: A Clean & Low Carb Solution to Healthy Weight Loss
January 18, 2022The paleo keto diet is a health-focused approach to weight loss that fuses the nutrient density of the paleo diet with keto's fat burning macros. By eating quality meat and healthy fats while incorporating an abundance of veggies, the paleo keto diet boosts micronutrient density, makes portion control easy, promotes smooth digestion, and cultivates a healthy mindset around food. With this approach, the paleo keto diet will help you optimize your health, lose weight, and keep it off for the rest of your life!
In this article you will learn:
- What is the paleo keto diet?
- Traditional keto vs. the paleo keto diet
- Why the paleo keto diet works for healthy weight loss
- Get started with the paleo keto diet
What is the Paleo Keto Diet?
The paleo keto diet is rooted in consuming nutrient-dense foods that fit the keto macros so you can achieve the incredible weight loss results of keto while simultaneously optimizing your health for better energy, sleep, focus, and mood.
By eating quality meat and healthy fats while incorporating an abundance of veggies, not only are you providing your body both the macro and micronutrients it needs to support healthy, sustainable weight loss, but you're also creating healthy habits that will make maintaining your results effortless (even when you're no longer in ketosis).
Shop Now!Traditional Keto vs. The Paleo Keto Diet
The nitty-gritty of keto is about limiting your carbs, eating moderate protein, and significantly increasing the fats you eat (want to know more? Read all about the keto diet here!). When you eat this way, your body begins to burn fat for energy, putting you into a state of ketosis. This state of ketosis has a powerful impact: burning fat, improving energy, and boosting focus, among other benefits!
The problem with the traditional keto diet is the tendency to sacrifice nutritious, quality food in the name of ketosis.
The traditional keto diet follows a specific ratio of macronutrients, but there’s no real emphasis on where these foods come from. For example, instead of promoting high-quality foods such as leafy green vegetables, MCT oil, and pasture-raised meats, the traditional keto diet allows “keto approved” junk food, conventionally grown ingredients, and processed “mystery meats” instead.
While eating these low-quality keto foods may not have a noticeable effect at first, eventually, it will start to take a toll, making it harder and harder to lose each pound.
When there isn’t an emphasis on the quality of macros, your body misses out on key micronutrients (like vitamins, minerals, and enzymes), which are essential to your overall health and wellbeing.
Additionally, if you’re trying to lose weight on traditional keto, it’s possible you’ll feel hungry and less satisfied when eating empty, low-quality foods, making you more likely to break the diet and gain the weight back.
Why the Paleo Keto Diet Works for Healthy Weight Loss
So, do we ditch the keto diet altogether? Not at all! To achieve sustainable weight loss, without sacrificing your health, we just need to modify the approach.
Enter: the paleo keto diet! So why does it work? Here are the top 5 reasons why the paleo keto diet is the better choice for lasting weight loss:
1. Macros PLUS Micros
With traditional keto, the focus is solely on hitting the right macronutrient ratio, no matter where those macros come from. Yes, (healthy) macros are important, but so are micronutrients. These crucial nutrients provide your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to carry out the important functions that keep your mind sharp, your energy high, and your body feeling its best!
The best part? Micronutrients can regulate your metabolism, making the whole food approach a better pick for weight loss (and overall health!).
2. Easy Portion Control
While it is still important to watch calories and portion size on a paleo keto diet (even foods high in healthy fat add up!), eating an abundance of veggies is a great way to limit calories without spiking your blood sugar, leading to lasting weight loss.
Opting for these healthy foods over empty calories (such as processed junk food) keep your hunger at bay and your cravings in check, leaving you feeling full for longer periods of time. When you’re full and satiated, sticking to your diet is that much easier!
3. Healthy Digestion
While following the traditional keto diet, many people avoid carbs like healthy veggies and fruits all together in fear of getting thrown out of ketosis. This strategy, however, results in a lack of dietary fiber and can lead to uncomfortable constipation and a build-up of toxins. When you increase your fiber on keto, it helps keep you “regular,” which is important for bowel health. Also, fiber helps you feel full!
So you don’t have to be afraid of fiber! All carbs are not created equal and many vegetables can be eaten in abundance on the keto diet! Vegetables like kale, spinach, swiss chard, and zucchini have a remarkable amount of insoluble fiber and nutrients that are needed for optimal health and well-being.
4. Less Restriction, More Freedom
Traditional keto doesn’t leave much wiggle room beyond hitting the macro target. And unfortunately, when a diet is too restrictive, there is a higher chance you’ll either fail or gain the weight back. But a whole food approach to keto adds multiple food categories like vegetables and some fruits back into the mix to keep both your body and mind satiated!
And though it is important to stick to the keto macros as close to 100% as possible in the beginning (in order to switch your body to fat burning mode), once you have your rhythm down, prioritizing high-quality foods will make it easier to bounce in and out of ketosis when you desire. We believe in #beingnatty and embracing that “20” side of the 80/20 rule! There’s no reason you shouldn’t have a paleo cookie or five every now and then and eating high quality will keep your cravings in check, making it easier to jump back into keto.
Plus, with delicious, indulgent products that are both certified keto and paleo-friendly, like our MCT-rich Keto Coffee Creamer, you won't even feel restricted!
5. Cultivating a Healthy, Balanced Mindset
Similar to the Paleo diet, which promotes healthy choices beyond the diet, we encourage you to go easy on yourself and make keto a long term lifestyle, rather than a restrictive, mind-numbing set of rules you must adhere to.
The key to long-term health and sustainable weight loss is relaxation, so we don’t want you stressing yourself out by constantly wondering, “can I have that on keto?!” or “am I doing this perfectly?” Striving for perfection over progress is a much more successful means to meet your weight loss and health goals on keto.
Get Started with the Paleo Keto Diet
Remember, the paleo keto diet does not have to be complicated. Do your best and get really curious about what works for you and your body. If you’re eating plenty of veggies, healthy fats, nuts, and quality meats and fish, you'll be well on your way to reaping the benefits of the paleo keto diet!
UP NEXT: Keto Diet Shopping List: 50+ Ketogenic Foods to Buy at the Grocery Store
(Want articles like this via email? Here's the sign up!)