Vegan vs Paleo vs Plant-Based: The Best Diet For You

In today’s society, you can barely open your eyes in the morning before being bombarded with propaganda about the new fad diet you should try. And everyone seems to think they know what is the best diet for you.

The best diet for you is the one that makes you feel good and gives you energy to live your most fulfilling life.

Here are the major differences between the vegan, paleo and plant-based diets to help you decide what is best for you.

(Jump to: Vegan, Paleo, or Plant-Based)

Vegan vs Paleo vs Plant-Based

	Vegan Diet	Plant-Based Diet	Paleo Diet
Eats Meat	NO	MAYBE	YES
Eats Dairy	NO	MAYBE	NO
Eats Eggs	NO	MAYBE	YES
Eats Legumes	YES	YES	NO
Eats Grains	YES	YES	NO
Eats Processed Foods	MAYBE	NO	NO
Eats Fruits and Veggies	YES	YES	YES

The difference between vegan and plant-based diets is that vegans don’t eat animal products but may still eat processed foods, plant-based eaters tend to avoid processed foods but don’t necessarily leave out animal products, and the Paleo diet avoids grains, legumes and dairy, but allows for high-quality meats.

For a more in depth analysis and the pros and cons of each diet, read on!

The Vegan Diet

Being “vegan” means that the eater doesn’t eat any animal-based products.

This includes the obvious things: meat, milk, eggs etc, but it also includes some products that may come as a bit more of a surprise. Strict vegans also abstain from honey which comes from bees, some kimchi which may be flavored with fish paste, and most white wines!

(Fun fact: many white wines aren’t vegan because they are filtered using parts of fish bladders. Sorry if I just ruined wine for you…)

People might become vegan for a variety of reasons. Some people do it out of a moral obligation to protecting the wellbeing of animals. Some people believe that humans were never meant to eat animal products. And others do it for personal health or wellness reasons.

What are the cons of being vegan?

Although many people follow a vegan diet and lifestyle and are perfectly happy and healthy, it’s important to do lots of research when you’re just starting out because the transitions does take some intention!

I considered myself to be vegan for about 6 months when I was in college, and I finally gave it up because I simply wasn’t able/willing to master the ins and outs and I was feeling bloated and tired all the time! If I had taken more time to do my research and focus on figuring out how to manipulate the diet to work for me, I probably would have been able to sustain it for a lot longer.

Some of the potential cons of being vegan are that it’s challenging to balance the nutrients your body needs, and it takes time to learn how to replace lost calories with healthy options. This can lead to some people actually eating more “junk” than they used to because they feel hungrier and the easiest choices in our society tend to be processed and refined foods.

If you decide to start following a vegan diet, make sure that you are maintaining your intake of calcium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, essential amino acids, among others! Also, make sure that you have back up plans set up for yourself so that when you are feeling ravenous, you don’t turn straight to the Oreos in your pantry every time.

(And yes, oddly enough Oreos are in fact vegan. Win!)

What are the pros of a vegan diet?

One pro for being vegan is that it is undeniably good for the environment, as the meat and dairy industries are two of the biggest contributors to global warming. Not to mention that many industrial farms treat the animals terribly.

However, there are farms that raise their animals humanely and are conscientious of their carbon footprint, so cutting out meat completely is not the only way to eat more sustainably!

Plant-based Diet

A plant-based diet is not a specific diet with a list of “rules.”

A Plant-Based Diet means choosing foods that come from the earth (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, etc.) and avoiding artificial and processed foods.

In some cases, a plant-based diet may even include meat—especially organic/grass-fed meat.

What are the cons of a plant-based diet?

Again, being a plant-based eater has the potential to be frustrating to accommodate if you are not planning to eat most meals at home and experiment in the kitchen.

What are the pros of a plant-based diet?

An obvious pro of being plant-based is that there is flexibility so you are “allowed” to experiment to see what works best for you! Plus, our bodies are optimized to run on “real” food rather than processed foods, so being a plant-based eater has the potential to make you feel a lot better in your body and mind than you might if you’re eating l

The Paleo Diet

On the Paleo diet you don’t eat grains, legumes, dairy, or processed foods. This leaves meat (preferably organic/grass fed), fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds etc.

The Paleo diet is designed around what some very smart people believe the cavemen would have eaten. The idea is that if they weren’t eating it then, we shouldn’t be eating it now.

What are the cons of the Paleo diet?

Like the vegan and plant-based diets, it may take time to adjust to the Paleo Diet and learn to plan your meals to ensure you’re not under-eating (which can lead to bingeing.)

If you’re not afraid of taking your time when you order at restaurants and you make sure to ask for things to be cooked just the way you’d like, it’s certainly doable.

As someone who has not eaten dairy or gluten in many years, I can tell you that your oder will get messed up more often than you’d like. But hey, it’s just a daily practice in patience.

What are the pros of the Paleo diet?

One upside of the Paleo over a vegan diet is that meat is allowed, even encouraged, so it’s a little easier to feel full throughout the day without having to pack a TON of food with you just to stay satiated.

Another pro for the Paleo diet is that if you’re like me, having a very exact set of “rules” to follow makes it easier to follow through with things. Especially compared to a plant-based diet which is flexible and individualized, the Paleo diet does offer a good amount of structure.

So, Which Diet is Best?

All three of these diets, when followed mindfully have the potential to be extremely beneficial.

It’s just a matter of figuring out what works best for you! Any one of these diets can be helpful in losing weight, healing your body from the inside out, and even improving mental health!

	Vegan Diet	Plant-Based Diet	Paleo Diet
Pros	– Excellent for Sustainability – Can Encourage Eating a Broader Range of Fruits and Veggies	– Allows For Flexibility Depending on Preferences – Removes Many Modern-Day Toxins From Diet	– Very Structured so You know if You’re on Track – Easy to Feel Full Throughout the Day
Cons	– Can Feel Restrictive in the Beginning – Can Be Challenging to Balance Nutrients – Can Lead to Under Eating	– Can Require a Lot of Meal Prep and Planning Ahead – Can Lead to Under Eating	– Can Feel Restrictive in the Beginning – Can Require a Lot of Meal Prep and Planning Ahead

There is no one-size-fits-all answer! Either the vegan, plant-based, and paleo diets could be the best diet for you.

I’m constantly experimenting to see what eating habits make me feel like my best self, and I highly encourage you to be patient with yourself and do the same to figure out what works best for you! If you are tired of being tossed around by diets and diet culture, check out this article about why “diets” don’t work and how to actually lose weight.

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