What is the best for losing weight?

If you have already considered a diet to help you lose a few inches, you will probably encounter the Paleo diet and the Whole30 diet. At first glance, there does not seem to be much that separates the Paleo diet of Whole30 Diet. Both are very popular, and both are low in carbohydrates, high in protein and free of processed foods.

That said, there are some key differences between plans. We asked several nutrition experts to help us take a closer look.

What is the paleo diet?

The Paleo Diet is also commonly known as the Caveman diet. So do not be surprised that it allows all the foods that your ancestors Paleolithic ate ​​10,000 years ago: meat, fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables. You can also use specific oils, including avocado, coconut and olive.

The idea is that cavemen do not have heart disease, obesity or diabetes, so why do not we eat like them? Not included? Well, everything is made with modern treatment methods. That means no frozen pizzas, fried chicken or bottled vinaigrette. Not surprisingly, dairy products, refined vegetable oils and salt are also a no-no.

What is surprising, however, is that foods such as cereals, legumes and potatoes are not allowed for the paleo eater.

What is the Whole30 diet?

Like the Paleo diet, the Whole30 diet is rich in protein and carbohydrates and does not allow any food processing. Unlike Paleo, Whole30 only lasts 30 days. According to its founder, Melissa Hartwig, Whole30 is an elimination diet designed to help you identify food sensitivities. "It's a self-experience after which there is a comprehensive plan to take back what you have learned and make it a sustainable way of life," she said. explained previously at Men's health.

Who needs an elimination diet? Well, they can be useful for people disturbed by digestion problems or Rashes. By removing certain foods from your diet for a while, and then slowly reintroducing them, you can get a better idea of ​​the foods that are causing you problems.

That said, you would probably do better to work with a doctor if you really fear that a food is causing gastrointestinal problems, Alyssa Ardolino, registered dietician with the International Council of Food Information. , already said Men's health.

Which regime is the most restrictive?

The paleo diet: It's child's play that our caveman ancestors did not have a ton of food choices in the day. As such, you are only allowed grbad-fed meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts and seeds and some oils (olive, walnuts, flax seeds, macadamia, avocado, coconut).

This means that products like grains, legumes, refined sugar, dairy products, refined vegetable oils, processed foods and even salt are banned. You are rare, however, are allowed to eat three non-paleo meals a week. So, theoretically, you should be able to indulge in a beer or a slice of pizza from time to time, right?

Whole30 diet: Similar to Paleo, Whole30 prohibits dairy products, grains, legumes, processed foods and refined vegetable oils. The list of prohibited Whole30 foods also contains sugar (sorry, no maple syrup, honey or stevia), alcohol (even in cooking), soy (tofu, soy sauce, tempeh miso, edamame), MSG or sulphites, and all bakery products made with Whole30 "approved" ingredients. The idea is to get rid of all foods that can cause gastrointestinal problems, skin problems, fatigue and cravings. Basically, you give your body the chance to heal and recover.

So what are the remaining foods? Meat, vegetables, fruits, eggs and natural fat sources such as olive oil and nuts. If you do not know if a food is safe or prohibited, you can check the list of foods. approved and outcast Food on the Whole30 site.

There is no "cheat meal" or compromise with the Whole30 diet. If you want to do it, you have to follow it to the letter – for 30 days.

The winner: Paléo. While both schemes are quite restrictive, Rachele Pojednic, Ph.D., badistant professor of nutrition at Simmons University and former academic researcher at the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Harvard Medical School, denounces the tough love language that Whole30 usessentences like "Do not even consider the possibility of a" slip "" and "It's not difficult") and believes that diet can encourage an unhealthy relationship with food. "If you eat foods that make you feel good, it's one thing, but restricting it with fear and hard love seems to be a very slippery slope," she says.

Which diet is the easiest to follow?

The paleo diet: Although both diets limit similar foods, Paleo is a little more relaxed than Whole30. As Pojednic notes, Paleo is supposed to be a way of life. You may not have understood right away, and that's good.

Whole30 diet: Slip on the Whole30 diet once and you have To start over on the first day. That's right, just a spoonful of ice cream or a sip of beer and it's back to the starting line.

The winner: Paléo. The fact that Paleo offers more flexibility makes it easier to follow. That said, knowing that you only have to follow Whole30 for a month can help some people to keep it going longer.

Which diet is best for losing weight?

The paleo diet: Any weight loss you feel about Paleo (or Whole30, from elsewhere) will probably come from limit calories, as noted by a critic of the Current gastroenterology reports. As Pojednic notes, the magic of Paleo's weight loss is not the elimination of certain food groups (eg cereals), it's the shift to a healthier diet. Just be aware that if you eat too much at sea with health-conscious foods such as meat, nuts and seeds, you risk gaining weight.

Whole30 diet: Similar to Paleo, your weight loss on Whole30 will probably be due to the fact that you eat fewer calories in general, says Pojednic.

The winner: Whole30. "Whole30 probably gives better results just because it's very restrictive and it takes a while," she says. Liz Weinandy, R.D., M.P.H., Registered Dietitian, Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University.

However, she and Pojednic warn that your weight loss results with Whole30 are likely to be short-lived: "I guess people are doing really well on Whole30 for the first 30 days, and then on the 31st, things are starting to go wrong. . Said Pojednic. Paleo can work better for long-term weight loss because it is more of a culture change than a 30-day solution.

The verdict: the paleo diet is the best diet.

Weinandy and Pojednic both agree that Paleo has a slight advantage over Whole30.

"I would like to give Paleo a little more thumb just because I do not really like that attitude [of Whole30], Says Weinandy. It refers to Whole30's love language that Pojednic mentioned earlier. "I never like to see this language." What she and Pojednic like about diets, is that they encourage people to focus on eating. whole foods.

However, the fact that Paleo and Whole30 ban dairy products, grains and pulses means that you may want to supplement your calcium and vitamin D intake if you choose to follow one or the other. of these plans. You will also want to eat fruits and vegetables to make sure you eat fiber. "The real backbone of the Paleo diet is fruits and vegetables covered with different types of protein. So I think if you stay true to the purpose of this diet, you should be great, "says Pojednic.

That said, think twice before trying one or the other of these diets. Whichever diet mode you choose, make sure that it encourages whole foods without scaring you to others.