Healthy Eating: Comparing The Paleo and Gluten Free Diet Ep. 177

Ever wondered how the paleo and gluten free diets stack up against each other? Get ready to explore the distinctions between these two popular eating plans and uncover which might be the best fit for your lifestyle and health. Perhaps you want to take your gluten free diet to the next level with the paleo diet.

You'll hear insights that highlight how the paleo diet's emphasis on whole foods like meats, fruits, and vegetables contrasts with the gluten free diet's focus on avoiding gluten-containing grains while allowing other grains and dairy. Expect a balanced discussion that encourages minimal restrictions and promotes a harmonious approach to eating.

I'll also tackle the real-world implications of these diets, from reducing processed foods and sugar intake to navigating dining out without hassle. Discover the potential for weight loss with the paleo diet and the reasons some people might experience weight gain on a gluten-free diet. Plus, I'll address common concerns like nutrient deficiencies and higher costs associated with going paleo. By the end of this episode, you'll be inspired to experiment with dietary changes and find what truly works best for your unique health and well-being.

Previous Episodes Mentioned
https://thehealthyceliacpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1720208/episodes/11301003-reasons-you-ve-gained-weight-going-gluten-free-ep-74
https://thehealthyceliacpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1720208/episodes/11896146-sugar-and-the-gluten-free-diet-ep-88
https://thehealthyceliacpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1720208/episodes/14352684-how-macronutrients-support-a-celiac-s-gluten-free-diet-part-2-ep-143

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Wish you could get gluten free meals on the table fast that the whole family will love? Check out Meal Plans Made Easy
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Music Credit bensound.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Paleo vs. Gluten-Free Diet Comparison
• 4:39 Impact of Paleo Diet vs. Gluten-Free
• 12:08 Benefits and Considerations of Paleo Diet

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

So today I wanted to break down for you the difference between a paleo diet and a gluten-free diet.

Speaker 1: 0:30

Now, many years ago, I met a girl at a party that I was at and we were talking about what we do and things came up that you know I had celiac disease and I ate gluten-free and all the rest of it, and she then decided to kind of put me down about my diet and made herself to be better than I was because she was eating a paleo diet and you know, basically was saying how much better a paleo diet was than the gluten-free diet and she kind of put it on me in such a negative way that it really turned me off of that type of eating and the way that she was towards me. And it's just, it's interesting because since that conversation with that girl I have come across other people that do talk very highly of the paleo diet and you know kind of belittle the gluten-free diet, the paleo diet, and you know kind of belittle the gluten-free diet. So I wanted to highlight the differences in these two diets for you and help you see that you know maybe one is not better than the other and make your own decisions around the way that you eat based on. You know the way that you eat based on you, know the way that you live your life and the way that you are comfortable. Because when I was studying to be a health coach, I studied over a hundred different dietary theories and when it came right down to it, I figured out the best diet for my clients and for myself was to eat as much real whole foods as possible and to eat a balanced diet and to live a life where you don't feel like you're missing it out or that you have guilt, and there's so many more elements that go into the way that we eat that I feel, when we look at foods, if we can have the least amount of restriction possible, then that's the best option for us. So, as you already know, living with celiac disease, you must have 100% gluten-free diet and a paleo diet is 100% gluten-free.

Speaker 1: 2:43

But the difference between a gluten-free diet and a paleo diet is, on a gluten-free diet, between a gluten-free diet and a paleo diet, is, on a gluten-free diet, you have to cut out all the gluten grains, but you can still have other grains such as, you know, quinoa and corn and things like that, whereas on a paleo diet, they cut out all grains and legumes, so it's even more restrictive than a gluten-free diet. So the paleo way is to basically go way back to how our ancestors ate, because they didn't eat refined grains that wasn't available way back then and to really focus on eating real foods, such as meats and fruits and vegetables. And it's a very different way of eating to what a gluten-free diet is, whereas a gluten-free diet is based on cutting out gluten so that you don't have that autoimmune response to consuming gluten that we have as people living with celiac disease. So we're going to talk about some of the differences between the paleo and gluten-free diet. We're also going to be talking about some of the positives in the paleo diet as well as some of the negatives. So let's jump on into it. So on a gluten-free diet, it's still acceptable to consume dairy products, as long as you don't have lactose intolerance and you make sure that those dairy products are gluten-free, whereas on a paleo diet they do not consume any dairy products. So that's one thing that they have that category of it's no dairy whatsoever, along with the no gluten. So that wouldn't be such a big deal for me, because I am lactose intolerant. So tick for me, I'm already doing both of those, just not completely cutting out all of the grains. I still consume corn, I still consume quinoa and I find that they work for my lifestyle, and I still consume rice as well.

Speaker 1: 4:39

The next one is processed foods. So, on a gluten free diet, obviously there are so many processed foods that are available to us not the best options to be consuming. I'm a big advocate of cutting down on those as much as possible, whereas on a paleo diet it's like a flat out no to all processed foods, which is very restrictive and you know obviously much better for your health to be not consuming processed foods at all. But again, it can cause, you know, mental health issues. It can cause stress and anxiety in some people I'm not saying everyone, but for some people that can be a very high risk for causing those ongoing problems. Some people thrive on a paleo diet and some people can make it work for themselves. So it's about figuring out what works for you and you may want to take on board some of these ways of eating that the paleo diet involves and not going maybe 100% with it.

Speaker 1: 5:44

The next one is sugar. So, on a gluten-free diet, obviously you can consume sugar. Again, I recommend that you cut down on your sugar intake for a myriad of reasons. There's so many you know reasons we should be cutting down on sugar, and I will pop a link below to an episode where I talk about sugar and the side effects and the problems that it can cause. Whereas on a paleo diet it's no refined sugars, it's only honey and maple syrup on that diet. So really great options and I'm all for that. So they're two great options to consume if they work for you. Again, honey doesn't work for everybody. It's about listening to your body and working out what works for your unique body. All right, so that's some of the sort of guidelines of what is included in a paleo diet compared to a gluten-free diet. So let's move on now to some of the positives.

Speaker 1: 6:40

So many people that change over to a paleo diet notice that they have an increase in their nutrient intake, and this is mostly because they're cutting down on so many options of different food or food like products that they were maybe consuming prior. So packaged foods we can kind of class as food like products. Sometimes there's no nutrient value in them whatsoever. So when you take those out of your diet and you replace those foods, or food like products. With things like fruits and vegetables and meats, you are going to get more nutrients into your diet and you are going to feel better because you are getting those nutrients into your body and reaping the benefits of that, which is never going to be a bad thing at all.

Speaker 1: 7:30

Now, nuts and seeds are another thing that you can consume on a paleo diet as well as a gluten-free diet. So if you were kind of missing out on those gluten-free packaged foods, you might find that you are then snacking on things like nuts and seeds, which are a big part of my diet. Absolutely love nuts and seeds and they are a great thing to add into your diet, full of healthy fats, for one benefit. So you, you know, if you are not already consuming nuts and seeds, you might want to look at which types of nuts and seeds that you like. It might be almonds, it might be walnuts, you might like sunflower seeds, you might like to have pumpkin seeds or even chia seeds, and add those into your diet. There's so many ways that you can have them, whether it's in smoothies, whether it's in a bowl of yogurt. You know, if you were sticking to the gluten-free diet, you can add those into your lifestyle and reap the benefits from the nuts and the seeds.

Speaker 1: 8:24

So, again, gluten-free, plus also paleo. Now, because the diet is really high in meat, you will have a good amount of protein intake, which is a good thing. So it is actually reported that many people are protein deficient and there are so many benefits to consuming protein. Again, I've done an entire episode about protein, so I'll link that below as well. But when you are consuming more of the meat in your diet, then you're going to improve that protein intake. You're going to have that beautiful flow-on effect of consuming that in your diet as well, which is a which is a plus in my book.

Speaker 1: 9:03

And then a huge plus of the paleo diet is cutting out those processed foods. So it's cutting them out completely, and the benefits of that are astronomical. So many people have so many health problems from consuming too many processed foods. So when you cut them out, you will very likely notice how much better you can feel without them. But, like I said, it can be quite restrictive. So that's something to bear in mind if this is a diet that you want to look into further.

Speaker 1: 9:32

And then another amazing positive of eating a paleo diet is the weight loss. So when we consume too much food for our unique body, our body will store extra weight. That's just how it works. So if you are consuming, you know, useless calories is one way to look at it. It's basically eating food that has no nutritional benefit to you but it packs on the pounds. Then, by cutting out those foods and, you know, switching to a paleo diet, you will very likely notice that your body releases that weight from your body and you start to feel better and look better because of that side effect.

Speaker 1: 10:17

So you know, lots of women reach out to me and tell me that they've gone gluten-free and they've put on weight and there's a number of reasons for that. I've done a whole episode on that as well. I feel like everything I'm talking about I've already recorded episodes on. But there are a number of reasons that we do put on weight after a celiac diagnosis and consuming gluten-free, one of those being your body is simply absorbing the nutrients that it needs. Another reason is because people eat too many crap products, so those highly refined, processed foods. That is a big factor. When we start to look at some of these diets that these people are consuming, you may be able to look at your own diet and go, yeah, actually I do eat way more processed stuff than I did before my celiac diagnosis and can sort of see that that might be, you know, adding up to those extra pounds that you may have put on. So a paleo diet can be a really great way of kick-starting a health journey and seeing if it helps you on your weight loss journey, if that's something that's on your radar.

Speaker 1: 11:25

Now let's talk about some negatives of the paleo diet. So we talked about being really restrictive. So, depending on your personality, depending on your lifestyle, depending on how social you are, you might find that it is way too hard to go out and find a meal that is safe. I personally have absolutely no qualms with going to a restaurant and ordering something that is not on the menu. Restaurant and ordering something that is not on the menu. If I was to go to a restaurant and let's just say I was on a paleo diet, I would have no problems going. Hey, can you cook me up some grilled chicken, maybe some steamed broccoli? Can you do? You know some carrots on the side? I don't know.

Speaker 1: 12:09

You could seriously easily come up with a gluten-free meal or a paleo meal based on what you can see on that menu and asking that chef to cook a few things for you and putting it on a plate. Most restaurants should be able to do that for you when they have those options, you're eliminating grain, you're eliminating fried stuff, you're eliminating gravies and sauces and all the other stuff. You're having a very basic meal. This is a go-to for us with celiac disease as well. When eating out, you should be able to get a basic meal like this or a steak, something very simple that doesn't have the bells and whistles. It is doable. It annoys me so much when people say there are no options available. There are so many options. It's knowing how to ask for it and how to you know get that person on side and on board with you to make that food for you and make it safe. So you absolutely can find paleo safe meals. You absolutely can find gluten-free meals. Obviously, you're not going to go into a takeaway place and get something like this, but a restaurant should be able to do something like this for you.

Speaker 1: 13:18

All right, another negative can be the opposite of what we talked about before, where we did say that many people find that they absorb more nutrients on a paleo diet, but then some people do experience that they have nutrient deficiencies. So this completely depends on what you are consuming. Some people do believe that because you're cutting out things like dairy, that you will not have enough calcium in your diet. But that is not necessarily true. You can still consume calcium from vegetables as well. So it's about knowing what you're consuming. It's about knowing what foods you need to have all of the nutrients in your body that it will thrive off of. So it's not always just a flat out you're going to have nutrient deficiencies, you're not going to have enough calcium, you're going to have deteriorating bones. It's about making it work for your unique body.

Speaker 1: 14:13

As with everything, the next one is cost. So the cost of a paleo diet can be much higher than simply a gluten-free diet or a standard diet, because there is, you know, a very big emphasis on wild caught fish and pasture raised, and you know those types of meats are more expensive and then organic produce as well, which you know is the ideal goal. But there is an increase in costs in those types of foods and because you're eating more of those and less of the cheaper kind of processed package junk, then there is an increased cost. But then you can kind of look at your future health and go. You know, I'm investing in my health now so that I can save money in the future and I'm not going to be spending, you know, money on medical costs and pharmaceuticals and all that flow on effect that you know happens when we don't look after our health and we don't look after our body.

Speaker 1: 15:17

So, yeah, something to think about and something to consider if you want to perhaps lose weight or you want to get rid of some inflammation, or you just want to try it, just out of curiosity, to see if you have the willpower. I always think it's great to challenge ourselves and see how we can feel by trialing different things in life. And you know you might not want to go full gung-ho with this. Like I mentioned, you might want to just trial a few things. Maybe add in some of those great foods that we mentioned, you know, adding in more nuts and seeds, cutting out some of the processed foods, maybe cutting back on the dairy and seeing how you feel and noticing whether you know your body thrives with red meat. You know, maybe cutting back on the dairy and seeing how you feel and noticing whether you know, your body thrives with red meat. You know, maybe you feel better with more red meat in your diet, or maybe you feel better with more fish in your diet.

Speaker 1: 16:07

We are all different and I always say that we need to listen to our own body and realize that because we are unique, we all live in different places. We all have different lifestyles. It's about figuring out what works for us, and sometimes it doesn't have to be 100%, unless it's gluten free, of course. So obviously we always need to be doing 100% gluten free, but for everything else, we can take a bit of this diet, we can take a bit of that one, and we can push out this and push out that and really make it work for ourselves. So I hope this has inspired you to try a few new things, maybe in the coming weeks. And, yeah, give the paleo diet a go if it's something that you want to look into further. So thank you so much for checking out this episode. I hope that has helped you out and inspired you and given you a bit more insight into what the paleo diet is. So thank you for checking it out and I look forward to talking with you again on the show. Take care Bye.