The Paleo Diet or the Ketogenic Diet

Dieting can be hard, but with so many diets to chose from, picking a diet can be even more difficult. Well the truth is, everyone needs a unique diet based on their objectives, metabolism, physical activity levels, and a variety of other factors. Before things get too complicated, here are two of my favorite options that can anyone can benefit from, Paleo and Ketogenic Diets. I believe they both can have an impact for the majority of the population, especially in athletes, including aesthetic based athletes.

Although they are not the easiest diets to follow, they do offer some flexibility and room to enjoy the foods you like. They are similar in many ways, but the most important factor in both diets is FAT! Fat can be an excellent source of fuel! Take advantage of it in your diet to enhance flavors and increase the appeal of a meal. On the flip side, both diets significantly reduce the amount of sugar and starch intake. This leads to the idea that we are over reliant on carbohydrates for energy. Honestly, most of the carbohydrates we eat are never actually burned but instead stored as glycogen for times of starvation. Luckily these days, most of us will never experience starvation. Unluckily, we build up these fat stores quickly.

The fix, try one of these diets for a couple weeks and see what happens. Remember to commit to the diet for the 3 weeks, before cheating on it and calling it a failure. As an athlete I train a significant amount, which means I tend to eat closer to the paleo diet to increase my protein intake. However, I have found that my body runs extremely well off of fat. Therefore I have mixed the two diets to fit my individual needs.

Try them for yourself!