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What Is The Difference…Keto vs Low Carb Diet?
In recent years, restricted carbohydrate diets have gained notoriety and popularity. The keto diet is based on a carb-reduced regimen that forces the body to use fat instead of glucose as the main energy source.
But what is the difference between keto and a low-carb approach to dieting? Understanding the similarities and differences can help you decide which path to follow.
Dietary Guidelines and the Standard American Diet (SAD)
The American Dietary Guidelines (page 135) recommend that healthy meals should consist of macronutrients in the following ratios: 25- 35% fat, 45-65% carbohydrates, and 10-35% protein.
Macronutrients are the main nutrients your body uses for energy (calories) and they consist of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
The Standard American Diet (SAD) was developed to investigate the effects of poor diet on pain.
The SAD is a more accurate reflection of the typical American diet, accounting for amounts of refined sugar, carbs, and fats that are more common in the average person’s diet.
A 2010 study found that almost all Americans consume a diet that is not in accordance with recommendations putting them at risk of chronic disease and debilitating ailments due to nutritional inadequacies.
The SAD acronym is a coincidentally appropriate comment on how the majority of people approach their daily food intake.
What is a Keto diet?
The keto diet is a very low carb (VLC) moderate protein, high-fat diet which has gained mainstream popularity. Short for the ketogenic diet, keto puts the body into a fat burn mode through the triggering of nutritional ketosis.
Ketosis occurs when your liver breaks down fat and creates ketones which are used as your body’s energy source. The keto diet may be new to the wider public but it has a long history dating back over 100 years and was first used to treat epilepsy.
This diet has exceptional therapeutic possibilities that go way beyond carb reduction. Today, ongoing research is determining its efficacy in slowing cancer growth, treating Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Diabetes, and a host of other noncommunicable diseases.
Of course, with high obesity rates, people are searching for solutions. In many cases, they have turned to keto since it is a proven weight-loss method.
What is a Low Carb Diet?
The simple answer to the question is in the title. A low-carb regimen simply means that carbohydrates would constitute a lower percentage of daily macronutrients than suggested by the American Dietary Guidelines.
Low carbs, therefore, could be interpreted as less than 45-65% of daily food intake.
Macronutrient Ratios
When assessing keto vs low carb, a ketogenic diet is a VLC approach to daily macronutrients where daily carbohydrates are restricted to less than 10% or 20-50 grams.
In contrast, a low-carb diet may be defined by less than 26% or 130 gm/day. Keto, therefore, is more carb restrictive with a clearly defined range of carbs, while the low-carb approach to carbs, fats, and protein is open to interpretation.
Keto’s VLC program replaces carbs with high fat and moderate protein consumption. Consuming 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbs activates nutritional ketosis so that stored fat is burned instead of glucose (sugar).
Weight Loss and Side Effects
Low-carb and keto diets are based on the idea that lowering insulin, a key hormone that promotes fat storage in the body improves cardiometabolic function and causes weight reduction.
Low-carb is less drastic and ketosis is not its main goal. Weight loss results may be slower since the range of daily carbohydrate intake is much higher. Eating this way is more flexible with fewer restrictions and an easier transition. The keto diet is more strict.
During the short transition phase, activating ketosis can induce the keto flu until your body becomes fat adapted.
Ultra-Processed Foods
Both diets promote healthy, natural foods and eliminate highly processed foods. Research shows that frequent consumption of ultra-processed meals elevates the risk of numerous diet-related illnesses.
These include type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and obesity to name just a few.
Keto vs Low Carb, regardless of which diet you choose, your overall health will improve.
Fruits and Vegetables
Vegetables have varying carb counts so it’s important to know their levels of carbs and keep a list that aligns with your daily carb goal. A low-carb diet might include a fairly wide variety of veggies.
To meet the macronutrient ratios of a keto diet, specific low-carb fruits and vegetables are recommended. Vegetables include:
- zucchini
- lettuce
- cucumbers
- asparagus
- spinach
- celery
- mushrooms
- cucumber
Fruits do not all have equal carbohydrate and fiber content. Fruits like watermelon and grapes aren’t well suited to the keto diet because they’re high in sugars and low in fiber.
They may be a healthy addition to low-carb dieting depending on an individual’s plan with respect to daily carb maximums.
Fruits with less sugar and more fiber might be acceptable on a keto diet, but they should be consumed in moderation.
To maintain nutritional ketosis, fruits must be closely monitored in both type and quantity. Optimal keto fruits include:
- avocado
- tomatoes
- lemon
- strawberries
- blackberries
- raspberries
- plum
- kiwi
- blueberries
Simplicity has its Advantages
Keto’s simplicity is one of its most important advantages. All you have to do to comply is stay away from carbohydrates and sugars, and eat more fat.
Low-carb diets, however, may be more difficult to track because they generally require precise macronutrient monitoring to stay at the proper carb intake.
If you need to spend more time determining what balance you need, it can lead to frustration and failure.
There are enough things to occupy your day that you don’t need to worry about whether eating an orange for dessert for dinner might conflict with what you ate for lunch.
The Keto Diet is Effective in Reducing Hunger
Low-carb diets are stressful and can cause urges that are difficult to control. You’ve probably experienced this before. Keto vs Low Carb….You get a little something to eat, and all of a sudden you feel like eating everything in sight!
It’s true that carbohydrates might help reduce hunger by keeping blood sugar stable. However, they’re not nearly as effective as protein or fat because they cause spikes in blood glucose.
In this sort of scenario, many individuals find themselves lacking willpower. What was supposed to be a reasonable carb intake in the morning soon spins out of control.
Research reveals that the keto diet regulates cravings when your body uses fat for energy. Keto also appears to reduce hunger hormones, such as grehlin, that typically rise uncontrollably during dieting periods.
Keto also helps you keep your blood sugar levels steady, which makes sugar cravings less likely.
You might be at your goal weight already, but keto promotes long-term stability in blood sugar levels, which tends to minimize sugar cravings.
Keto vs Low-Carb: Which One is Best for You?
Both keto and low-carb diets promote healthier eating. Deciding which path to follow is an individual choice. No two people are alike so before you change your eating lifestyle you need to consider your level of commitment, your motivation, and your goals.
Keto’s advantages are simplicity and dramatic weight loss in addition to multiple health benefits.
A low-carb diet might be your preference if you are less concerned about losing weight, have the time to devote to tracking macronutrient intake, and are concerned about the temporary side effects associated with the keto flu.
If you decide that the keto lifestyle is for you, we are here to help you get started on your journey, so reach out to eat@thekelliekitchen whenever you’re ready.
MEDICAL AND NUTRITION DISCLAIMER…Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nutritional break downs are done using a commercial nutrition calculator. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctorbefore starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers, this should never be construed as medical advice.
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