Low carb diet and keto diet both involve cutting carbs and help with weight loss. The two may appear to be the same, but they differ significantly in terms of food and health benefits.
What is a low-carb diet?
First of all, we should understand that there is no definition for it. Any diet recommending less than 45% of calories from carbs can be considered a low-carb diet.
Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are known as macronutrients. This is because they provide calories for the body and are required in higher amounts than micronutrients, which are vitamins and minerals. A low-carb eating plan replaces the calories you get from carbs with protein-rich foods and some fats.
What is the keto diet?
The keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet. It involves limiting your carb content to 20-50 grams of carbs per day. Thiputsut our body into a state called ketosis where the body starts burning down fat into fuel as a source of energy.
What is the difference between a keto diet and a low-carb diet?
A keto diet is very different from a zero-carb diet. Technically we can say that all keto diets are low-carb diets, but all low-carb diets are not Keto diets.
A keto diet highly restricts carbs and is much more focused on a high-fat diet, whereas a low-carb diet favors a moderate-fat and protein diet.
A typical low-carb diet gives you more variety than a keto diet and is quite easy to follow for a long period.
If you are pregnant or suffer from a complex health condition, the keto diet is not advisable. Anyone who wants to follow the keto diet should consult a doctor or a registered nutritionist.
Benefits of low-carb diets
It is a very effective weight loss tool compared to a low-fat diet.
The low-carb diet has shown a dramatic decline in triglycerides, a rise in HDL (healthy cholesterol), and a decrease in LDL (bad cholesterol).
Low-carb diets lower blood glucose levels, and insulin levels thus reducing the risk of many hearts and kidney diseases, and are also proven to be effective in many nerve problems.
Additional benefits of a keto diet
As the body enters ketosis, a change in metabolism is induced that minimizes insulin resistance. As we know insulin resistance in the body is highly responsible for Type 2 diabetes
It is beneficial in the treatment of childhood and adult epilepsy.
So how to choose between the keto diet and the low-carb diets
If your primary purpose of dieting is to reduce weight rapidly and lose body fat, then you should opt for a keto diet. Also, it’s the preferred choice for type 2 diabetic patients and those with some other medical conditions. But if you tend to lose weight slowly, other low-carb diets are suitable for you. The choice is all yours because there is a world of flavors to choose from.