Knowing the difference between the Paleo diet and Atkins diet can help you figure out what is best for you. People have always been searching for that perfect diet, so it's no wonder that there has been recent talk around the question: What is the difference between the Paleo diet and Atkins diet?
Purpose
The Atkins and Paleo diets are two of the widely popular diets. Both diets have their key factors that make each other successful. They use the same concept of being a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates. However, the main difference in the Paleo versus Atkins diet question is: What is the purpose of each one? The main goal of the Paleo diet is not just to lose weight, but it is more of a lifestyle choice. On the other hand, the Atkins diet is simply used to lose weight and it is not used for a lifelong commitment.
Guidelines
Secondly, the Atkins diet is broken down into four phases - one being the induction leading to four being lifetime maintenance. It goes from the most restrictive to lesser and lesser restrictions. The New Atkins approach also allows dieters to customize their diet plan to fit their personal weight and fitness goals. The initial phase, timeframe and the time to start fitness activity are among ten ways that dieters can customize the new Atkins diet.
The Paleo diet is not broken down into phases. There is only a modification for people who are athletes that want to lose weight. Everyone basically follows the same guidelines of eating foods that were founded in the Paleolithic Age.
Types of food allowed
Thirdly, the food allowed in each diet is another factor that contributes to the difference between the Paleo and Atkins diet. The Paleo diet involves eating healthier foods and taking out foods that were not used back in the day of the hunter-gatherer civilization 25 to 50 thousand years ago. These eating habits prohibit using vegetable oils, legumes (beans, peas and peanuts), artificial sweeteners, most dairy products and grains.
On the other hand, the Atkins plan advocates eating certain foods during different phases of the diet. Vegetable oils and artificial sweeteners are allowed. Dieters can eat legumes and grains in the third and fourth phases. It also encourages eating vegetables from the first phase, but fruits are not brought into the equation until the second phase.
When you are deciding on the pros and cons in the Paleo versus Atkins diet debate, you need to figure out what your main goal is. If you simply just want to lose weight, the Atkins diet may be the best for you. They focus on eating lots of fats and protein, which is not considered a healthy choice. The Paleo diet focuses on a healthier lifestyle that will also help you lose weight.
