Yes there are some similarities between Paleo and Atkins, however their objectives are different.

I think this is simplest explanation (and click here to see an excellent diagram explaining the differences):

You can be paleo AND Atkins, but you can be paleo and not be atkins. Paleo only includes whole Stone Age foods: meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables. It can be high or low carb. Atkins can include processed grains and sugars as long as they are low-carb, as low-carb is the priority.

Registered Health Nutrition, Anastasia Hendryanto of A Healthy Journey presents a good breakdown of the differences between The Paleo Diet vs The Atkins Diet:

Carbs – low-moderate depending on your goal (Paleo) vs low in phase 1 and moderate for phase 4 (Atkins)
Protein – moderate (Paleo) vs moderate (Atkins)
Fat – moderate – high (Paleo) vs high (Atkins)
The Paleo Diet encourages organic vegetables and fruit. The Atkins diet encourages vegetables but doesn’t allow fruit until phase 2.
The Paleo diet emphasizes grass fed, hormone-free and free range meat. The Atkins diet doesn’t really talk about meat quality. Both diets promote eggs and fish.
The types of fat recommended is another way the two diets differ. The Paleo Diet emphasizes saturated fat like coconut butter, grass fed butter as well as olive oil and oil from nuts and seeds. Vegetable oils like canola, grapeseed, soybean, sunflower, and safflower are not approved. The Atkins diet promotes vegetable oils as well as butter.
Dairy is generally not permitted on the Paleo Diet but cheese is allowed in phase 1 and heavy cream in phase 2 of the Atkins Diet.
Are these phases getting confusing yet?
What about grains and bread?
The Paleo Diet doesn’t allow any. The Atkins diet lets you have some in phase 3 and 4.
How about legumes?
None for the Paleo Diet and The Atkins Diet allows them in phase 3 and 4.
What about sugar and artificial sweeteners?
Neither of the diets encourages sugar but The Atkins Diet says that SPLENDA (artificial sweetener) and diet sodas are permitted.

Here’s another great comparison from Paleo hacks:

Just an aside…Atkins can totally be done paleo-style. There is nothing about Atkins that requires you to eat grains, legumes, dairy, and certainly not processed, boxed, Atkins-brand or any other brand of food. Many may do it that way, but it is certainly not required, and in the earlier Atkins books (the ones written when Dr Atkins was still alive), I believe whole foods are encouraged/preferred

The main gist of Atkins is that you are eating below a certain level of carbs. You are supposed to start off with a two week induction phase where carbs are kept below 20g net carbs (carbs minus fiber grams). You can eat protein in the form of meat, eggs, dairy (dairy is not required, and in fact limited during induction). Grass-fed, pastured meats, etc. may certainly be chosen. You are not supposed to eat fruit, nuts, or starchy veggies during induction, but you can have several servings of non-starchy veggies a day (in fact, I believe true Atkins makes this a “requirement”). After the two weeks are up, the idea is that you have probably lost your cravings for sugary, high-carb foods. Those with a lot of weight to lose may choose to stay on induction for a while, while others can choose to go up the “carb ladder” one week at a time, adding in both variety of carbs and amount. I think it is an increase of 5 carbs per day that you add for a week at a time (so the first week after induction would limit you to 25 daily net carbs, the next week 30, and so on). You do this until you cease losing weight, and then you drop back to the previous level and stay there until you lose what you want. There is also a prescribed order of adding back variety, I forget exactly…I think berries may be first, nuts next, etc.

Ok, probably more than you wanted to know, but I came to paleo through Atkins. Atkins got me into researching the baloney of the “heart healthy lowfat diet,” and started me on my weightloss journey. Over the years my research has led me to paleo as a healthier way to eat. I know that I personally do better on a lower carb eating plan, at least for now. You can definitely do Atkins and Paleo at the same time. Just remember to stay away from the processed junk, and yes, to echo above. Do not go low fat 🙂

I try not to have any treat days. However if I’m at family functions or out with friends at a restaurant and the choices are limited, I have been known to compromise my meals a little. If you go back to the first link I presented earlier in this comment, you will see the diagram that speaks of Primal. I consider myself more on the Primal side of the fence (some cheeses, organic yogurt, etc) the the Paleo, thought the lines are fuzzy.

Christian

“I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Uncle-Sam.”

However, in that same post you will find from the Harvard School of Public Health their recommendation for anybody with kidney disease:

“For people in good health, consuming 20 to 25 percent of calories from protein won’t harm the kidneys. For people with diabetes or early-stage kidney disease, however, the American Diabetes Association recommends limiting protein intake to 0.8 to 1.0 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight (roughly 10 percent of energy intake), since this may help improve kidney function; in later stage kidney disease, sticking to the 0.8 grams per kilogram minimum is advisable. Consult a doctor or a registered dietitian for individualized protein recommendations.”

Does this help?