So what’s the difference between Paleo, Primal, Ancestral and Low Carb High Fat lifestyles? Inspired by this interesting post from Livin La Vida Low Carb Blog, discussing what I like to call the Politics of Paleo, I wanted to comment.
Paleo, Primal, Ancestral and Low Carb guidelines are merely variations of the same theme. Reducing processed foods especially from sugars and starches and consuming more real foods containing natural proteins and natural fats from both animal and plant based sources.
We define these programs based on percent of energy or calories from the macronutrients:
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- Low Carb High Fat Diets – 70% fat, 20% protein and <10% carbs.
- Paleo and Primal diets – 50% fat, 30% protein and <20% carbs.
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The more Insulin Resistant the individual the more weight loss will be achieved on a Low Carb High Fat program. Paleo and Primal programs are great for those who tend to be less insulin resistant, needing to loose less weight and or looking to optimize overall health. No two people are alike and the goal is to find a program best suited to the individual.
