Ketogenic Diet Vs. Low-carb Diet: A Personal Choice
Ketogenic diets (aka keto diets, nutritional ketosis or NK) are currently all the rage, and for good reason. As I wrote in a previous post a few weeks ago, very-low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diets (VLCKDs) are extremely effective for weight loss and diabetes, among other things. There's also emerging evidence suggesting they may be beneficial for certain cancers and neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease and ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). Having previously worked in a clinical setting with several patients who had the misfortune of contracting these diseases, I find it very encouraging that following a ketogenic might offer some improvement for them, as well as others in the same boat. I follow a VLCKD and receive a lot of great feedback from others who have also experienced overwhelmingly positive results with this way of eating. I love hearing these success stories, so please keep them coming. However, one reader named Michelle had this to say in the comments section of my recent article: "I don't do well on a very low carb diet; I have to have around 50-70 g's of carbs a day to feel well and function. I guess this is still low carb when compared to the standard diet, but find so much prejudice against me because people say 'If you just stuck to eating VLC you would eventually lose weight and feel better'. This just is not the case with me. I've adapted the LC diet for me and I feel great and I am losing weight steadily. Please folks, stop thinking that one size fits all, it does not! Great site. Thank you for all your efforts." I was disappointed to hear that this woman -- who is most definitely following a low-carb diet and having success doing so -- feels that others are judging her for not restricting carbs to ketogenic levels (generally defined Continue reading >>
7 Things Everyone Should Know About Low-carb Diets
Last week, my staff nutritionist Laura Schoenfeld wrote a guest post for my blog called “Is a Low-Carb Diet Ruining Your Health”. Perhaps not surprisingly, it has caused quite a stir. For reasons I don’t fully understand, some people identify so strongly with how many carbohydrates they eat that they take offense when a suggestion is made that low-carb diets may not be appropriate for everyone, in all circumstances. In these circles low-carb diets have become dogma (i.e. a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true). Followers of this strange religious sect insist that everyone should be on low-carb or even ketogenic diets; that all carbohydrates, regardless of their source, are “toxic”; that most traditional hunter-gatherer (e.g. Paleolithic) societies followed a low-carb diet; and, similarly, that nutritional ketosis—which is only achievable with a very high-fat, low-carb, and low-protein diet—is our default and optimal physiological state. Cut through the confusion and hype and learn what research can tell us about low-carb diets. On the other hand, I’ve also observed somewhat of a backlash against low-carb diets occurring in the blogosphere of late. While I agree with many of the potential issues that have been raised about low-carb diets, and think it’s important to discuss them, I also feel it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that low-carb diets can be very effective therapeutic tools for certain conditions and in certain situations. With this in mind, here are 7 things I think everyone should know about low-carb diets. #1: Paleo does not equal low-carb, and very low-carb/ketogenic diets are not our “default” nutritional state, as some have claimed. Some low-carb advocates have claimed that mo Continue reading >>
Staying In Ketosis Vs. Carb Cycling
Many people struggle, sometimes for years, to lose stored fat and lower body weight. One of the biggest problems with low-calorie and even low-fat diets is that they can cause the dieter to lose weight indiscriminately, reducing fat, muscle and water weight. A ketogenic diet, a type of very low-carb eating plan, attempts to fight this problem by causing the body to lose fat while maintaining or building muscle mass. A carb cycling diet attempts to reduce some of the side effects of a ketogenic diet through limited carbohydrate intake. Video of the Day Nearly all the carbohydrates must be removed from the human body to put it into ketosis. When there are no carbohydrates left in the diet, the body relies on stored carbohydrates for energy. Once all of the stored carbohydrates are used up, the body switches to using fat stores for energy. Entering ketosis can be a difficult process for the dieter. The first couple of days on a ketogenic diet, or a diet designed to induce ketosis, often result in lethargy and muscle fatigue. It is only after you've reached ketosis that your body achieves a sort of equilibrium and the fatigue fades. However, staying in this ketosis phase is very difficult. If you eat carbohydrates, your body leaves ketosis and the initial phase must start over again. A carb cycling diet is designed to help to reduce some of the negative effects of a ketogenic diet by allowing the body to replenish its carbohydrate stores on a periodic basis. During the carb depletion phase of the diet, the dieter reduces carb intake to almost nothing, and focuses on workouts that deplete the carbohydrate stores more quickly. Then the dieter eats a specified set of carbs to refill the body's carbohydrate stores; this is called a re-feed or carbo load. This gives the dieter t Continue reading >>
Low-carbohydrate Diet
Not to be confused with slow carb diet. This article is about low carbohydrate diets as a lifestyle choice or for weight loss. For low-carbohydrate dietary therapy for epilepsy, see Ketogenic diet. Low-carbohydrate diets or low-carb diets are dietary programs that restrict carbohydrate consumption. Foods high in easily digestible carbohydrates (e.g., sugar, bread, pasta) are limited or replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of fats and moderate protein (e.g., meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, cheese, nuts, and seeds) and other foods low in carbohydrates (e.g., most salad vegetables such as spinach, kale, chard and collards), although other vegetables and fruits (especially berries) are often allowed. The amount of carbohydrate allowed varies with different low-carbohydrate diets.[1] Such diets are sometimes 'ketogenic' (i.e., they restrict carbohydrate intake sufficiently to cause ketosis). The induction phase of the Atkins diet[2][3][4] is ketogenic. The term "low-carbohydrate diet" is generally applied to diets that restrict carbohydrates to less than 20% of caloric intake, but can also refer to diets that simply restrict or limit carbohydrates to less than recommended proportions (generally less than 45% of total energy coming from carbohydrates).[5][6] Definition and classification[edit] Low-carbohydrate diets are not well-defined.[7] The American Academy of Family Physicians defines low-carbohydrate diets as diets that restrict carbohydrate intake to 20 to 60 grams per day, typically less than 20% of caloric intake.[8] A 2016 review of low-carbohydrate diets classified diets with 50g of carbohydrate per day (less than 10% of total calories) as "very low" and diets with 40% of calories from carbohydrates as "mild" low-carbohydrate diets.[9] Used for Continue reading >>
What’s The Difference Between A Ketogenic And A Low-carb Diet?
It’s time for this week’s Q&A about intermittent fasting and low carb: What to do about constipation after fasting? What’s the difference between a ketogenic and a low-carb diet? Is drinking Bulletproof Coffee a good way to lose weight? Dr. Jason Fung is one of the world’s leading experts on fasting for weight loss and diabetes reversal. Here are a his answers to those questions and more: Constipation after fasting? How to avoid this? I have drunk much water and included vegetables in my meals. Wai Yin This is very common to have less bowel movements. Less going in, less coming out. During the world record fast of 382 days, the fellow only had a bowel movement (BM) every 30-45 days! It is only a problem if you have abdominal discomfort. If your bowels are empty, and that is the reason you do not have a BM, that’s normal. But if you are having discomfort, you can try standard laxatives – milk of magnesia is often available over the counter. Dr. Jason Fung What’s the difference between a ketogenic and a low-carb diet? What is the difference between ketogenic diet and low-carb diet? Who has to follow a ketogenic diet and who needs to follow a low-carb diet? Please let me know the main difference between the two diets above? Thanks, S.Kumar Ketogenic is an ultra low-carb diet, which causes production of ketones. Ketones are produced when the body runs out of sugars (carbs). The blood glucose is saved for the brain, and the body converts fatty acids into ketones. These can cross the blood brain barrier to fuel the brain. The muscles do not use ketones – instead they can directly metabolize fatty acids. So you can still follow a low carb diet but not be ketogenic. You do not necessarily need to be ketotic to lose weight, but it is something that people can mea Continue reading >>
Ketosis Vs. Low-carb Athlete Podcast
In this episode Coach Brock rejoins Debbie with an ongoing conversation topic... do endurance athletes need to be in ketosis to get the benefits of burning fat? Debbie and Brock chat in the first part of this episode about fat adapted vs. ketosis for endurance athletes. The second part is a quick chat with the Ketogenic Guru- Maria Emmerich as she sits outside in Maui and soaks up her last few days of fun in the sun! Mark Sisson said it best in one of his blog posts (link below) - A quick note about ketosis: Fat-adaption does not necessarily mean ketosis. Ketosis is ketosis. Fat-adaption describes the ability to burn both fat directly via beta-oxidation and glucose via glycolysis, while ketosis describes the use of fat-derived ketone bodies by tissues (like parts of the brain) that normally use glucose. A ketogenic diet “tells” your body that no or very little glucose is available in the environment. The result? “Impaired” glucose tolerance and “physiological” insulin resistance, which sound like negatives but are actually necessary to spare what little glucose exists for use in the brain. On the other hand, a well-constructed, lower-carb (but not full-blown ketogenic) Primal way of eating that leads to weight loss generally improves insulin sensitivity. Here are some links Brock and Debbie discuss: This is the Low Carb vs Low Fat article Brock mentioned: And make sure to check out: Continue reading >>
Low Carb Vs Keto: Why Ketosis Is Different From A Low Carb Diet
Are you making a critical mistake when it comes to ketosis? I’ve been extremely guilty of it in the past. One of the biggest mistakes for people trying to improve their health is the misconception that a low carbohydrate diet equals a ketogenic diet. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case and could be killing your efforts to get all of the health benefits you are looking for. There are some critical differences in what people think a “low-carb high-fat” (LCHF) diet is and what a ketogenic diet is. High carb doesn’t mean diabetic. Just like low carb doesn’t mean ketogenic. If you’re not super down with what ketosis is, it is simply a metabolic state of using fats for energy. This provides a lot of benefits that we can get into later, but long story short, there are numerous benefits that you’re going to be missing out on if you are simply “low-carb” and not definitively in ketosis. Your low carb diet can actually be pretty brutal if it is not a ketogenic diet. As evidence, this is a maddening conversation that bubbles up more and more as I won’t shut up about ketogenic diets: Person: “Yeah, I tried ketosis and it sucked, I felt awful. Doesn’t work for me.” Me: “Hmm, that’s weird, did you check your ketone levels?” Person: “No. But, I was low carb. Ketosis isn’t for me. It sucks.” Me: “Well… low carb doesn’t mean you’re burning fats and utilizing ketones, so your body was still probably trying to use carbs as fuel, but you didn’t have enough around eating low carb, which is why it sucked.” Person: “I’m not tracking. Ketosis sucks. And so do you.” This person was low-carb, not keto. There is a huge difference. By why? Time for some definitions: Low-carb: Eating an arbitrarily “low” number of carbohydrates, or just a Continue reading >>
7 Comparisons Of Ketogenic Vs Vegan (low Carb Vs Low Fat) With Cgm Data
If you remember how this dietary experimentation began a few months back, I was searching for better athletic performance without sacrificing blood sugar control. I had been following a low carb diet and it wasn’t really getting the job done for me. I decided to try a low-fat, plant-based approach to see if I had been missing something. It definitely had some benefits and it also had some limitations, further reinforcing the idea that there is no “quick fix” in terms of diet–nevertheless I’d like to re-approach the Ketogenic vs Vegan debate through 7 specific points of comparison and close with a comparison of CGM data. I wrote an eBook compiling my experiments with the ketogenic diet and type 1 diabetes which you can check out here: A little over a month ago, I made the decision to go away from the low-fat, plant-based approach and go in the opposite direction by revisiting the Ketogenic (low carb, high fat) diet again.I know people who thrive on a plant-based, low fat approach. I know people who thrive on a low carb, high fat ketogenic diet. I am still learning about where I belong. In upcoming posts I am going to go into greater detail about what I eat specifically, mistakes that I made trying to adopt a ketogenic diet as well as some important strategies to be aware of if you’re thinking about testing the Ketogenic approach with your diabetes. Technically I am writing this in reverse because I’m leading with the summary–I want to start by comparing a few of the following factors between a low-fat, plant-based diet and a Ketogenic diet–as I experienced it. blood sugar control insulin dosing requirements insulin sensitivity exercise and recovery portion volume relative cost of food body composition I want to preface this comparison by making clear th Continue reading >>
Ketogenic Low Carb Diet Versus Low Fat Diet Plans
Ketogenic Low Carb Diet Versus Low Fat Diet Plans The ketogenic low carb diet explained and the difference between the ketogenic low carb diet versus standard low fat diet plans. Have you been wondering about the ketogenic low carb diet and if it is a healthy, yet sustainable weight loss plan? People have been talking about the ketogenic low carb diet, and with celebrities like Megan Fox, Mick Jagger, Adriana Lima, and Alyssa Milano being fond of the diet, it has become very popular. What is the real difference between a ketogenic low carb diet and a low-fat diet plan? While many people may suggest reducing your fat intake for weight loss, studies show that low carb diet plans are actually more effective for both weight loss and reducing high cholesterol. What is a Ketogenic Low Carb Diet There are several versions of the low carbohydrate diet, but the ketogenic diet generally limits your carb intake to 20 to 50 grams net carbs a day. The ketogenic diet requires you to enter the stage of ketosis, and that generally does not occur unless you are consuming about 20 grams of net carbohydrates (total grams of carbohydrates minus total grams of fiber= net carbohydrates) per day. Watch The Video Below and Learn The Basics of Keto Low Carb Diets: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, your cost will stay the same, but Beauty and the Foodie may receive remuneration or a small commission. Disclosure & Privacy Policy. A Sample of a Menu Plan for The Ketogenic Diet: Breakfast: bacon or sausage, eggs, and coffee with cream and stevia or another low carb sweetener, or bulletproof coffee Snack: 1 ounce of cheese with cucumbers or celery Lunch: Tuna salad or egg salad wrapped in lettuce, or a burger wrapped in lettuce Snack: ½ avocado, or 10 olives, or flax Continue reading >>
Low Carb And The Ketogenic Diet: What’s The Difference?
Often people who claim to follow a ketogenic diet are actually following a low carb diet. This article will help clear up confusion on the differences between low carb and ketogenic diets and discuss the benefits of a well-formulated ketogenic diet as compared to a traditional low carb diet. Low Carb Defined Although the definition varies across the literature, a low-carbohydrate (low carb) diet tends to be classified as a diet containing less than 30% of calories from carbohydrates (1,2). While most low carb diets contain 50-150 grams of carbs per day, some athletes adhering to this type of diet have over 200 grams of carbs due to their higher caloric requirements. The Difference in Ketogenic Diets Unlike the typical “low-carb” diet, a well-formulated ketogenic diet follows a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb approach, e.g. 75% fat, 20% protein, and 5% carbohydrate. A ketogenic diet typically allows about 20-50 grams of carbohydrates per day (3). This macronutrient profile allows the body to start producing and to eventually utilize an alternative fuel source known as ketones (4). This process is analogous to changing your car’s fuel source to something longer lasting, more readily available, and more sustainable overall. The Main Problem with “Low-Carb” A common mistake with ketogenic dieting is going “low-carb” but still having a high protein and moderate fat intake. As discussed in previous articles, carbohydrate restriction is essential for a ketogenic diet. However, the high-fat, moderate-protein component is equally as important. If protein intake is too high on a low carb, low-calorie diet, your body could increase glucose production through a process known as gluconeogenesis. More research is needed in this area as it relates to ketogenic dieti Continue reading >>
A Keto Diet For Beginners
A keto or ketogenic diet is a very low-carb diet, which turns the body into a fat-burning machine. It has many proven benefits for weight loss, health and performance, as millions of people have experienced already. 1 Here you’ll learn how to eat a keto diet based on real foods. You’ll find visual guides, recipes, meal plans and a simple 2-week get started program, all you need to succeed on keto. Get even more, custom meal plans, ask the experts and low-carb TV, with a free trial. 1. Introduction: What is ketosis? The “keto” in a ketogenic diet comes from the fact that it makes the body produce small fuel molecules called “ketones”. 2 This is an alternative fuel for the body, used when blood sugar (glucose) is in short supply. Ketones are produced if you eat very few carbs (that are quickly broken down into blood sugar) and only moderate amounts of protein (excess protein can also be converted to blood sugar). Ketones are produced in the liver, from fat. They are then used as fuel throughout the body, including the brain. The brain is a hungry organ that consumes lots of energy every day, 3 and it can’t run on fat directly. It can only run on glucose… or ketones. On a ketogenic diet, your entire body switches its fuel supply to run almost entirely on fat. Insulin levels become very low, and fat burning increases dramatically. It becomes easy to access your fat stores to burn them off. This is obviously great if you’re trying to lose weight, but there are also other less obvious benefits, such as less hunger and a steady supply of energy. When the body produces ketones, it’s said to be in ketosis. The fastest way to get there is by fasting – not eating anything – but nobody can fast forever. A keto diet, on the other hand, can be eaten indefinite Continue reading >>
The Difference Between Keto & Low-carb Diets
By Myprotein Writer | Shaun Chapman The Ketogenic Diet or – Keto Diet – limits carbohydrate intake to around 50g per day or 5% energy intake – whereas a low-carb diet has no definition. Personal perceptions of low carb may be completely different to another person’s. In fact, on a ketogenic diet, the macronutrient content would be similar to like 5% carbs, 15% protein and 80% fat. This is according what we are currently giving people for a research study we are running at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. This is the key difference between going keto and low carb, as this very limited amount of carbohydrate depletes the body and brain of glucose. This is where “keto-adaption” takes place and the body shifts away from carbohydrate metabolism and towards predominantly fat metabolism both at rest and during exercise. However, the central nervous system and brain cannot do this as fatty acids cannot cross the blood-brain barrier and therefore the increase of blood ketones (b-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate and acetone) reaches concentrations of 2mmol/l or more. This is why for the first few days on the diet you may feel tired, lethargic and lacking concentration. Ketosis & Ketones Ketone bodies are a major source of energy during periods of fasting or severe carbohydrate restriction (<50g) per day and are produced mainly in the liver. Originally thought of as just a metabolite; ketones may serve an important role linked with the increase of particular enzymes regulating endurance training adaptations. In addition, ketones may even play a role in influencing food intake control by affecting specific parts of the brain that regulate this (the hypothalamus) as well as the way they interact with hunger regulating hormones such as ghrelin. A carbohydrate intake grea Continue reading >>
The Effect Of A Low-carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet Versus A Low-glycemic Index Diet On Glycemic Control In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Go to: Abstract Dietary carbohydrate is the major determinant of postprandial glucose levels, and several clinical studies have shown that low-carbohydrate diets improve glycemic control. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a diet lower in carbohydrate would lead to greater improvement in glycemic control over a 24-week period in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Eighty-four community volunteers with obesity and type 2 diabetes were randomized to either a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet (<20 g of carbohydrate daily; LCKD) or a low-glycemic, reduced-calorie diet (500 kcal/day deficit from weight maintenance diet; LGID). Both groups received group meetings, nutritional supplementation, and an exercise recommendation. The main outcome was glycemic control, measured by hemoglobin A1c. Forty-nine (58.3%) participants completed the study. Both interventions led to improvements in hemoglobin A1c, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and weight loss. The LCKD group had greater improvements in hemoglobin A1c (-1.5% vs. -0.5%, p = 0.03), body weight (-11.1 kg vs. -6.9 kg, p = 0.008), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (+5.6 mg/dL vs. 0 mg/dL, p < 0.001) compared to the LGID group. Diabetes medications were reduced or eliminated in 95.2% of LCKD vs. 62% of LGID participants (p < 0.01). Dietary modification led to improvements in glycemic control and medication reduction/elimination in motivated volunteers with type 2 diabetes. The diet lower in carbohydrate led to greater improvements in glycemic control, and more frequent medication reduction/elimination than the low glycemic index diet. Lifestyle modification using low carbohydrate interventions is effective for improving and reversing type 2 diabetes. Effect of diet programs on indices of glycemic Continue reading >>
Why Keto And Not Low Carb – Pitfalls Of Low-carb Nutrition
Intro Update 2017: This post has been deprecated (not in line with my current thoughts. Read more on the ‘about’ page) While reading Jimmy Moore and Dr. Westman’s Keto Clarity, I started pondering on this. Most of us know that reducing carbohydrate intake (especially simple sugars) is very beneficial to one’s health, but if you are following a low-carb diet and you are not in ketosis, there may be some issues. If you consume, say, 100-150g of carbs a day, much of it will be used by the brain [1], while the remainder will be insufficient to supply for the energy demands of the rest of the cells throughout your body. In this situation, you’re not producing ketones (because of the higher carbohydrate intake) to supply for the energy demands of the brain and most of the cells. No wonder the fatigue and light-headedness you’d experience. Low-Carb vs. Keto When you eat low-carbohydrate but you do not go low enough to become ketotic, you’re still a sugar burner (and a very inefficient one) and you’re likely to fall of the wagon because you do not experience the benefits of ketosis. When you’re doing low-carb and you are not ketotic, some of your body’s cells will use fatty acids for energy indeed, but your brain cannot use them directly as they cannot cross the blood-brain barrier. Cravings and hunger are most likely to occur under this protocol as your cells will scream at you to give them sugar. The foggy mind may be persistent. Note that this type of scenario can happen when you are very-low-carb and eat high-protein. You’ll not be able to enter ketosis due to gluconeogenesis (GNG) – synthesis of glucose mostly from protein substrates. This will also occur when you’re just starting out a ketogenic diet because your body needs time to accommodate to Continue reading >>
Paleo Vs Keto Diet: Which One Is Right For You?
When it comes to burning fat more efficiently, accelerating weight loss, and living an all-around healthier lifestyle, two diets have been on the radar of health enthusiasts: the Paleo diet and the Ketogenic diet. While both diets include many of the same foods and have overlapping similarities and benefits, each has a different purpose. Let’s take a look at how the Paleo vs Keto diets measure up against one another, which one is right for you, and why. Paleo vs Keto: Here’s What You Need to Know Before we compare the similarities and differences of the Paleo vs Keto diets, it’s helpful to know why a person may choose to follow each one. What is the Paleo Diet? When it comes to the Paleo diet — which is based on eliminating grains and legumes due to their phytic acid content — it’s more of a lifestyle choice to focus on eating quality foods that support digestive health (1). Most dairy products are also off limits on the Paleo diet because they contain lactose, which is hard for most people to digest (although some people do include ghee or grass-fed butter). By removing the most difficult foods to digest, the Paleo diet can be therapeutic for gut health, autoimmune conditions, blood sugar balance, and weight loss (2)(3). What is the Keto Diet? On the other hand, the Keto diet is targeted primarily towards those who want to experience dramatic weight loss. However, the Keto diet can also help improve medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (4). In fact, the initial purpose of the Keto diet was to prevent and treat seizures, when it was first discovered in the 1920s (5). But today, the Keto diet is best known as a rapid weight loss and fat burning strategy. The reason the Keto diet promotes accelerated Continue reading >>
