Low Carb Versus Keto is one of the biggest debates across the fitness industry! From a scientific point of view, the answer is however very simple. Read on to find the winner on Low Carb Versus Keto.
Two well-known eating patterns that entail limiting your carbohydrate consumption are the low carb and keto diets.
You might be wondering what differentiates the two given that they both restrict carbohydrates.
Your Body Needs Energy to Survive
To understand the best answer to Low Carb Versus Keto for you, we will first break down basic human nutrition.
You need the energy to survive and assist with muscle gain and also fat loss believe it or not.
Your body gets energy from food by breaking down the macronutrients in the food and then converting them into energy.
Carbohydrates are converted to sugar
Protein is converted to amino acids
And fat is converted to fatty acids
What is Protein
Protein is one of the most important nutrients for the human body. It is a vital component of every cell in the body and it helps build muscle, repair tissue and produce hormones. Protein also provides energy for our bodies by releasing amino acids into the bloodstream.
Protein is an important macronutrient that the body requires. It is a building block of cells and enzymes.
Protein can be found in all sorts of food sources such as meat, eggs, soybeans, and nuts. There are also protein supplements that can be consumed to meet the needs for protein.
This is how much protein you should eat a day – Click Here for an in-depth guide
What are Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the second most important nutrient for humans. They provide energy to our cells and help our brain function properly. Carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet because they can help lower cholesterol levels, control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
They can be found in different foods, such as grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, and yogurt.
Carbohydrates get digested into glucose and provide energy for the body through a process called cellular respiration. This is how they help to maintain normal blood sugar levels.
What is Fat
Fat is a type of nutrient that should be consumed in moderation because it can lead to weight gain if consumed in excess. Fat provides energy to cells, but it also helps maintain healthy skin and hair, protects organs from injury, decreases inflammation, and supports cognitive function.
Omega 3s are essential fatty acids that our bodies cannot produce on their own and must obtain from food sources.
Some fats are necessary for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K.
The fat in our diet also helps maintain a healthy balance in the gut microbiome.
MACROS are important
Macros are important to the human body because they provide energy and nutrients. They help us maintain our weight and stay healthy.
Macros are a general term for the three classes of nutrients discussed above: protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
When dieting, your diet is constructed using a ratio of macros depending on your aim, fat loss, muscular growth, reverse dieting, keto, low-carb, etc…
For example, Your macro ratio could be: (50/40/10)
This means 50% Protein, 40% Carbohydrates, and 10% Fat.
Protein is an important macronutrient because it helps build muscle mass and repair damaged tissue. Carbohydrates give you energy and fats help your body absorb vitamins A, D, E, K as well as other minerals.
What is a Low Carb Diet?
Low-carb diets are an effective way to lose weight and improve health.
A low-carb diet is a diet that limits the intake of carbohydrates to fewer than 50-150 grams per day, which is about 10% of the calories consumed.
A low-carb diet has been shown to be effective in weight loss, especially for people with obesity. It also has been known to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
The main reason why a low-carb diet can be effective in weight loss is that it forces your body to burn fat instead of glucose as its main energy source.
When consuming a low-carb diet, you will generally be eating high levels of protein to maintain muscle mass and prevent your body from going into a catabolic state (i.e. consuming your muscles for energy).
What is a Keto Diet?
A Keto Diet can be calorie restricted or not, but it should include enough protein to preserve muscle mass.
The keto diet is a low-carb high-fat diet that has been proven to be very effective in weight loss and improving health. Ketosis, the metabolic state associated with keto, burns fat as fuel instead of glucose.
The keto diet has been shown to have many benefits such as increased mental clarity, improved physical performance and better recovery after exercise, increased energy levels, reduced hunger, and cravings for sugar and carbohydrates, stabilized blood sugar levels between meals and so much more!
Keto is Short for Ketosis
Ketosis is a metabolic state where the body begins to break down fat stores for fuel instead of glucose. Ketosis is most commonly achieved by following a ketogenic diet, which is low in carbohydrates and high in fat.
Low-carb diets have been around for decades, but keto has only become popular recently. The main difference between low-carb and keto diets is the number of carbs you consume per day. Low-carb diets typically recommend cutting out all carbs, while keto diets recommend that you cut out carbs until your body enters ketosis – about 20-50 grams per day.
For most people, the ketogenic diet is a significant lifestyle change. However, there are some cases where the diet may be used for short periods of time in order to achieve specific goals. One example may be to help control blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Ketogenic diets are also used as a natural treatment for epilepsy in children who do not respond well to anti-epileptic medications.
Reasons to Follow a Low-Carb Diet
As we now know, a low-carb diet is a diet that restricts carbohydrate intake.
The goal of a low-carb diet is to reduce the amount of insulin in the body and therefore cause fat cells to release their stored energy.
There are many benefits associated with following a low-carb diet. Some of these include:
- the low carb diet can help with your weight loss
- better mental clarity
- reduced risk for heart disease
- been shown to reduce acne severity in people who suffer from acne
- beneficial for women suffering from PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
There are three categories of low-carb diets:
- Very Low Carbohydrate Diet (VLCD) – typically fewer than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day
- Low-Carbohydrate Diet (LCD) – 50-150 grams of carbohydrates per day
- Moderate Carbohydrate Diet (MCD) – 150-350 grams of carbohydrates per day.
Low-carb diets are often high in saturated fat, but recent studies have shown that the type of fat may be more important than its quantity.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats provide benefits that saturated fats do not. This has led to some people questioning whether a low-carb diet should be avoided altogether.
Reasons to Follow a Keto Diet
Keto as discussed above is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has been shown to have many benefits. Some of these include:
- the keto diet can help you lose weight
- improve your blood sugar levels
- reduce your risk for heart disease
- reduction in hunger and appetite
- high initial weight loss when starting a keto diet
- may reduce the risk of getting several types of cancer
- neuroprotective effects which can protect your brain and lower your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease
- Improved athletic performance
There are many myths about the ketogenic diet, such as the idea that it is difficult or not sustainable for long-term use, or avoidable if an individual has a seizure disorder.
The truth of the matter is that this diet has shown promise in many individuals and groups with a variety of health problems. The ketogenic diet has many benefits with minimal side effects and is a safe and sustainable diet for most people.
Low Carb Versus Keto – What is the difference?
Low Fat Diet: Old advice diets involved simply reducing the amount of fat we eat per day, with moderate protein and high carbohydrates. This is old advice and does not work!
Low-Carb Diet: A low-carb diet frequently results in 2-3 times greater weight reduction than the typical low-fat diet that we’re being advised to follow
Keto Diet: An advanced type of low-carb diet which aims to put your body into a state of ketosis. Your body starts utilizing ketones, which are produced from fat during nutritional ketosis, as your primary energy source. Ketone bodies are another name for ketones.
The Low Carb versus Keto Diet Showdown: Which Diet is Right for You?
| Diet Type | Description | Pros | Cons | Who Should Use It? |
| Low Fat Diet | A Low-fat diet simply means eating a reduced amount of dietary fat per day. For a person eating 1,500 calories: aim for 50 grams of fat per day. For a person eating 2,000 calories: aim for 70 grams of fat per day. | 1. helps with your weight loss mission 2. better mental clarity 3. reduced risk for heart disease 4. been shown to reduce acne severity in people who suffer from acne 5. beneficial for women suffering from PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) | 1. Can be slightly restrictive 2. Lower brain function and neurological health 3. Reduced ability to process vitamins 4. Problems with Hormone Imbalances 5. Scientific studies have shown an increase in anxiety and depression. | Only people who have been instructed to do so by their medical professional for health reasons. This is NOT a diet to be followed for people in the fitness world and has very few benefits to offer for the cons it comes with. |
| Low Carb Diet | Low-carbohydrate diets limit the number of carbohydrates consumed in comparison to a typical diet. Low-Carbohydrate Diet (LCD) – 50-150 grams of carbohydrates per day | 1. can help with your weight loss 2. better mental clarity 3. reduced risk for heart disease 4. been shown to reduce acne severity in people who suffer from acne 5. beneficial for women suffering from PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) | 1. An LCD can flare up or even cause you to develop gout 2. Doesn’t work for everyone 3. Increased Cholesterol levels circulating the body 4. Reduction of muscle tissue caused by catabolism 5. Low levels of energy and reduced ability to workout and exercise | A Diet designed for those who want to lose weight fast. Take note of the word “weight”, and not “fat”. A Low-Carb diet will also cause muscle loss, not just fat loss. Beneficial for medical reasons and for people who suffer from type 2 diabetes and heart disease. |
| Keto Diet | An Advanced and more recently discovered form of Low-Carb Diet The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that has been shown to be particularly successful in reducing weight and enhancing health. In the metabolic condition known as ketosis, fat is used as fuel rather than glucose. | 1. A Keto diet should have adequate protein to maintain muscle mass whether calories are reduced or not. 2. the keto diet can help you lose weight very quickly and is predominately used for fat loss. 3. will improve your blood sugar levels and insulin stability 4. scientifically proved to reduce your risk for heart disease 5. reduction in hunger and appetite, which will prevent over-consuming calories and binge eating | 1. It can result in vitamin deficits and constipation to stop eating entire grains, legumes, fruits, and many vegetables. 2. The most typical short-term adverse effects include weariness, headaches, and fogginess. Sometimes referred to as “Keto Flu” 3. It could be detrimental to heart health in some individuals with existing medical conditions 4. Increase your levels of cholesterol 5. Can contribute to and flare up problems with hormones and thyroid levels | The most common reason people follow a ketogenic diet is to reduce weight A Keto diet can also be used to treat other medical issues, such as epilepsy, people with heart problems, and some brain illnesses may also benefit from it. The Keto diet is scientifically proven to work and is for serious athletes and people who really need fast fat loss |