Paleo vs Keto: What’s the Difference?

Paleo and Keto Get Lumped Together a Lot. They Shouldn’t.

If you’ve ever googled “low-carb diets” or wandered into the gluten-free aisle, you’ve probably seen Paleo and Keto mentioned like they’re interchangeable. Spoiler: they aren’t. Yes, both diets cut out a lot of modern junk food. But the reasons, the rules, and the goals are very different.

Let’s break it down so you actually understand what’s going on before you start reorganizing your freezer.

What Is Paleo?

Paleo is simple in theory: eat like a human, not a lab rat.

You focus on whole, unprocessed foods that your body can recognize and digest easily. The idea is to eat more like our ancient ancestors who didn’t have cereal aisles, drive-thrus, or vending machines.

Allowed on Paleo:

Grass-fed meats, poultry, seafood
Vegetables
Fruits
Nuts and seeds
Eggs
Healthy fats like avocado oil, olive oil, and coconut oil

Avoided on Paleo:

Grains (wheat, rice, oats, corn, etc.)
Dairy
Legumes (beans, soy, peanuts)
Refined sugar
Processed foods and artificial ingredients

Paleo isn’t specifically low-carb. You can eat plenty of fruit, sweet potatoes, and root vegetables. It’s more about quality of food than macronutrient ratios.

What Is Keto?

Keto is not about food sources. It’s about one very specific goal: forcing your body into ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbs.

To make that happen, a Keto diet drastically restricts carbs and ramps up fat intake. Most Keto plans allow only 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day, which isn’t very much. It’s not uncommon for Keto eaters to obsessively count every gram of carb, even from vegetables or sauces.

Allowed on Keto:

High-fat meats, butter, cheese, eggs
Non-starchy vegetables
Nuts and seeds (in moderation)
Lots of oils and fats

Avoided on Keto:

Most fruit
Grains
Legumes
Anything that spikes carbs or blood sugar

While Keto can overlap with Paleo (both cut grains and processed junk), Keto often includes a lot of dairy and processed low-carb substitutes. Paleo is stricter about food quality. Keto is stricter about carb quantity.

Paleo vs Keto: Key Differences

	Paleo	Keto
Primary focus	Food quality	Carb restriction
Grains	Eliminated	Eliminated
Dairy	Eliminated	Often encouraged
Fruit	Allowed	Severely limited
Sugar substitutes	Avoided	Often used (artificial or sugar alcohols)
Fat intake	Moderate	High
Carb intake	Moderate	Very low

Can Paleo Be Keto-Friendly?

Sometimes. Paleo naturally cuts out a lot of carbs by avoiding grains and refined sugar. If you eat mostly meat, veggies, and healthy fats, you may drift into Keto territory without trying. But Paleo allows fruits, starchy vegetables, and natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup, which are too carb-heavy for strict Keto.

Many Sweet Chaos Bakery customers who follow a low-carb Paleo approach can still enjoy our bagels depending on their personal carb tolerance. We’re always transparent about ingredients and macros so you can decide what fits your plan.

Why Sweet Chaos Bakery Focuses on Paleo

Because Paleo allows us to focus on real, nutrient-dense ingredients without obsessing over strict carb limits or pushing weird sugar alcohols. We want to make food that supports gut health, reduces inflammation, and still lets you enjoy your food options.

Paleo baking without grains, gluten, dairy, or refined sugar is hard. We figured out how to do it and make it taste good, so you don’t have to settle.

Our Paleo bagels freeze beautifully, toast up perfectly, and give you something satisfying to eat whether you’re fully Paleo, mostly Keto, or just trying to feel better.