I am sure you have heard someone say...

"eating vegan has changed my life"

or

"eating paleo is the only way to go."

We have all been bombarded by contrasting information about Veganism and Paleoism and to be honest...it can be confusing and overwhelming.  I consulted with our nutrition leader and partner, Zonya Foco, for her perspective and she not only provided fantastic insight, but she has just completed her own personal "diet smack-down" comparison test of vegan vs. paleo!  (Just one of the reasons I love working with her!)

Zonya and I sat down to discuss why she did a comparison test, what she found, what she liked, what she disliked and overall thoughts to clear up the mass confusion -- I hope it helps!

Why did you decide to do this comparison test?

As a nutritionist, I was feeling overwhelmed by all the contrasting information -- both diets were claiming you can drop weight, unclog your arteries, defeat diabetes and cancer, and rid yourself of brain fog, dementia and auto-immune diseases.  But how can two differently comprised diets give the same excellent results?   So, since I couldn't find an "apples to apples" controlled study comparing the two diets, I decided to conduct my own personal study to get to the bottom of all of this!  Here was my plan:  I would immerse myself in the available literature about each diet, and then I would spend an entire month eating vegan.  I would then have a "wash-out month" of my normal "all food groups" omnivore diet, and then spend an entire month eating paleo.  I would measure my weight, body fat percentage, cholesterol, and HDL and triglyceride levels before and after each diet, and perform a computer nutrition analysis of my dietary intake during each of the months.  I would also keep my exercise the same, about 3-4 times per week.

What is the Vegan diet philosophy?

100% plant power!  The vegan authors' mantras are "Animal fats and protein cause cancer and heart disease by damaging endothelial cells.  Plants give you all the protein you need, coupled with the fiber and nutrients that animal foods 'displace'."

How did you do the Vegan diet?

After getting educated (and drinking the "Kool-aid" so to speak), I began eating like a vegan -- no eggs for breakfast!  I ate cholesterol-free, fiber-rich oatmeal, granola or pancakes made with soy or almond milk.  I enjoyed this...until about day 17.  Then I wanted scrambled eggs and I wanted them bad!  No problem, I tried scrambled tofu with the spice turmeric and a lot of vegetables.  After a couple of horrible batches, I finally got it and by the third try, it was actually delicious!  For lunch I had to turn away certain foods that contained yogurt, chicken stock or cheese, and when the meal was with clients, I felt like a "prude."  But, I found soups and salads with beans and grilled and roasted vegetables that tasted great!  For dinner, I discovered mushrooms, zucchini and eggplant became fantastic meat substitutes.  Meatless bean burgers and portobello burgers (and I ate the entire bun!) were quite satisfying and delicious!  I let vegetables and greens replace meat and cheese, instead of using grains to replace them.  My grain consumption rarely exceeded 6 servings in a day.

What was the result of the Vegan diet?

At first, I felt my body hanging onto water more than normal (probably as a result of a few more grains in my diet than usual), but that leveled out over the 4 weeks.  My energy remained high, I lost 4 lbs and my body fat dropped slightly too.  My already low cholesterol dropped further, but so did my HDL, and my triglycerides went up (not a good thing, but this could be a transient change).  Plants did give me the protein, calcium and iron I needed and my diet was high in fiber and low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

What was your "happiness rating" of the Vegan diet?

I now fully understand why vegans are vegans and I welcome and support them -- it is great for animals, the planet, and themselves!  I will admit, after my 30th day, I happily went back to being an omnivore for my "wash out month."  I dearly missed eggs, salmon, feta and yogurt!

Onto the Paleo diet!  What is the Paleo philosophy?

I researched to fully understand why those who chose paleo go "against the grain," and I kept in mind the paleo authors' mantras "Grains are inferior to vegetables, and by putting grains on your plate, you are missing an opportunity to eat more vegetables."  (You have to admit, this part actually makes sense!)

How did you do the Paleo diet?

I ate like a caveman!  Meat...but lots of salad too!  I dove in with lots of eggs, fish, chicken, beef and pork, plus a boatload of vegetables and leafy greens.  But, no croutons, no sandwiches, no pizza, no pasta, and no potatoes.  I swore I would be hungry, but miraculously I was not!  What a surprise!  For breakfast I ate eggs with veggies, but remember, no toast.  For lunch?  I had lots of giant salads with vegetables and chicken, beef or tuna.  Dinner?  Salads again or stir-fried or grilled meat and vegetables with no rice or pasta.  Talk about limiting...but yet, the protein and vegetables were satisfying.

What was the verdict of the Paleo diet?

I lost weight, but I felt deprived.  More quickly on this diet I felt like I was losing weight, but it was probably water weight from the high protein and low carbohydrates.  But at the end of 30 days I only lost 2 lbs.  And, my body fat and total cholesterol both went up!  I consumed a lot of fat, but not enough calcium, and my diet was low in potassium but high in iron and sodium.  Surprisingly, my HDL and LDL levels improved (but as I mentioned before, this could be a transient change).

What was your "happiness" rating of the Paleo diet?

While I liked creatively replacing grains with vegetables, I did not like this diet overall.  It was harder to adhere to than the vegan diet and my colon felt "heavy."  Relying on vegetables and fruits for all my fiber needs did not get me to the 30-40 grams which is much better for colon health.  I didn't precisely keep track of my food bill, but my guess is the month of paleo was definitely more expensive -- especially if you focus on organic meat and eggs (which paleo authors recommend to be "safe" in eating so much meat).

Which would you choose?  Meat or wheat?

I must admit, when both diets were over, I was relieved!  I hated the "I can't have" restrictions that each diet imposed.

Honestly, I began this quest thinking that I might be missing the boat on diet trends, but to my unexpected pleasure, this vegan vs. paleo experiment actually returned me more strongly to my roots and my diet free habit, "replace processed food with wholesome foods."  While each diet has its restrictions, they both help people to make REAL food the foundation of their eating habits...especially fruits, vegetables and nuts.  If you have the resolve to follow these "diets," and not eat meats, grains, or adhere to other restrictions, then you DEFINITELY have the power to eliminate highly processed foods!

After my test months, I returned to my focus of EATING REAL FOOD from all food groups, and what did I find?  I remained low in calories, while nutritionally complete (unlike the two other diets which had deficits) and I was no longer depriving myself of entire groups of food that I enjoy!

The bottom line?  This experience reinforced my belief that the key is to keep it simple and EAT REAL!