What Diet To Follow: Paleo, Vegan Or Vegetarian?

There have been various diet forms emerging in this era. People have been very enthusiastic in weight loss more than getting fit. The other group of people might follow a diet according to their religious or humanity values.

Out of all, there are three types of diet plans which require extensive care and can be a little tedious for a meat lover. But if you deliberately want to avoid meat by hook or crook then you are at the right place to get your answers.

Paleo, vegan and vegetarian diets are for those people who are intolerant of meat and anyhow have to start one of these diet plans. There is a very slight difference between three of them which makes it a huge deal in reference to nutrition status.

The basic difference between the three of them is that they require you to follow a plant based diet. Plant based food is organic and contains a pure amount of vitamins and minerals.

Before heading on to the diet plan which is better, it is necessary to have a little bullet points about what these diet plans actually are. This article will be focusing on the differences, disadvantages as well as the recommended diet plan.

PALEO DIET

The word paleo has come up with the Paleolithic era of the caveman period, which must be around 2-3 million years ago. The diet plan is dependent on the food which the ancestors used to eat which was collected by hunter gatherers.

Paleo diet has been founded in these modern times because the processed food consists of impure ingredients. These food ingredients lead to various health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.The interesting part about paleo diet is that it doesn’t consist of one particular kind of diet plan, it is regional. The paleo diet focuses on local, organic, non-GMO products which may be fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

According to the region, people might also adhere to lean meats as a regional food. Credit for the invention of the paleo diet goes to Loren Cordain.Non-processed food is healthier and contains a higher amount of protein and fiber. The fat content in such foods is moderate and is very low in carbohydrate.

The food products which are prohibited are dairy products, wheat, oats, potatoes, beans, peanuts, peas, refined sugar, salt and all the processed and packaged food.

VEGAN DIET

Vegan diet has popularly been known by patients of heart disease. Vegan diet can also be said to be the plant based diet in which except plants, no other food products are prohibited. Vegetarians inhibit themselves from the consumption of meat, fish, poultry and any other animal products. Vegan lifestyle is also the same but they also exclude animal products such as dairy products and eggs.

Vegan diet is all about the consumption of green leafy vegetables which consists of all the pure nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Leafy greens are rich in vitamin b12 which helps the body to safe-guard from various deficiencies.Plant based food products are vegan friendly and maintain the blood sugar level in the body.

Healthy vegan diet is considered when there is consumption of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. This becomes the only source of vitamin for the body.

VEGETARIAN DIET

Vegetarianism is a diet where all animal products such as meat and fishes are prohibited. Even in vegetarians certain classifications have been developed which are as follows:

• A Lacto-ovo vegetarian is a type of vegetarianism where people try to inhibit the animal food products but can consume eggs as well as milk products.
• There comes flexitarians who might refer to themselves as a vegetarian but can consume meat and fish on an occasional basis.
• Milk cheese is duly included in the diet.
• Vegetarians are very healthy, but it becomes hard for them to manage their nutrient contents in the body. Vitamin B12, calcium, iron and zinc are mostly found in the animal fleshes. Because of being vegetarian there can be a deficiency of them.
• Deficiency of vitamin B12 is most common in vegetarians and vegans who can ultimately lead to anemia and blindness. Most severe and unattended deficiency can lead to severe weakness, tingling and numbness.

DISADVANTAGES OF PALEO, VEGAN AND VEGETARIAN DIET

PALEO DIET

•         Saturated Fat

The paleo diet is the major source of protein because of all the regional meat a person consumes. Too much fat can create heart problems and various health issues such as kidney disease, stones and high cholesterol levels.

That is why it is advised to consume lean meats which are free from saturated fats.

•         Low Energy

Paleo diet is known for the restriction of carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrate is the major source of energy.

Cutting out on carbohydrates can lead to weakness and low productivity.

•         Deficiency of nutrients

Nutrients like Calcium and Vitamin D are very less during a paleo diet. The deficiency could lead to osteoporosis, rickets and fractures. Low fat dairy products also help from the prevention of inflammation.

VEGAN DIET

•         Weight gain

Most of the people start with a vegan diet considering that they can reduce weight but instead intake of highly processed food with high sugar, fats increases which in turn increases the weight.

•         Lack of nutrients

Any diet plan which doesn’t include animal flesh can have deficiency in nutrients. In a vegan diet, even the dairy is excluded. This can lead to the deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 and folate.

This can lead to loss in bone and muscle mass.

•         Pulses are only source of protein

Vegans face a lot of problems with protein consumption. The only source of protein are legumes and pulses. This can be a lot challenging for our body to receive protein.

VEGETARIAN DIET

•         Deficiencies

All the plant based diets suffer from nutrient deficiencies. Supply of iron, zinc, protein, iodine and vitamin B12 should be checked.

•         Expensive

Variety of vegetarian food has additional costs which can make vegetarian diets a little more expensive than low cost food products.

WHICH DIET WOULD BE BETTER?

Paleo diet: Paleo diet focuses on the consumption of meat which is grass fed. The food choices with a paleo diet are very varied which lets you have various options for food. The major benefit of this type of diet is that it encourages people to avoid processed foods. Processed foods are highly rich in fat and salt.

Vegetarian diet: Vegetarian diet is extremely healthy and is better than meat eaters. But vegetarians tend to eat a lot of unhealthy food to replace meat. It might include junk foods such as ice cream, potato chips and high carb foods. It also maintains heart health.People have reported poor health and an imbalanced vegetarian diet.

Vegan: Vegan foods are known for all the downfalls. There is risk of vitamin B12 deficiency and so many other macronutrients.

BOTTOM LINE

The bottom line is, if you are very much interested in avoiding meat and animal flesh then you might opt for a vegetarian or vegan diet.The best option for a person who doesn’t want much restriction can be a paleo diet because the food products will be readily available. Paleo diet is feasible and flexible for anyone who wants to start a particular dieting procedure without the consumption of processed and packaged food.

It is not that you cannot be vegetarian or vegan, if your body supports the diet and if there is intake of supplements with them then you can opt for the diet. The main aim of the paleo diet is the inhibition of the processed and packaged food which is relatively high in carbohydrates and unhealthy ingredients.It is better to avoid such food products and bring a healthy lifestyle to your daily routine.

Keep dieting! Stay healthy!