Ketogenic Diet Compares Other Diets
Learn how the ketogenic diet compares to atkins, South Beach, and other diet plans to lose weight and improve health.Which Is Best?
The ketogenic diet — also known as the keto diet — has become a popular choice for those who want to lose weight, improve their fitness, or be healthy overall. According to this diet, you eat foods that are high in fat and low in carbohydrates to get your body into a state of ketosis. Ketones occur when your body burns fat instead of glucose for fuel.
Although this diet plan has a history of use in medical institutions, there is no inconsistent evidence to support its use for long-term weight loss or overall health. If you’re considering a ketogenic diet, evaluate how it compares to business plans like Atkins and see how well it works with other low-carb diets.
USDA Recommendations
The ketogenic diet offers several differences in nutritional guidelines compared to the USDA.
Macronutrient Balance
The macronutrient balance of a ketogenic diet differs significantly from the recommendations provided by the USDA.
In a ketogenic diet, it is recommended that you consume 75% or more of your calories from fat. According to the 2020-2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines, adult men and women should consume only 20 to 35 percent of calories from fat, with a focus on healthy fats.
Some versions of the ketogenic diet recommend that you choose healthy fats such as vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. But other versions allow for a large intake of saturated fats, such as fat blocks from beef and full-fat dairy products. USDA guidelines recommend limiting saturated fat intake to less than 10% of total caloric intake.
USDA guidelines recommend that adults consume 45 to 65 percent of their calories from carbohydrates. On a ketogenic diet, you only consume 5% of your calories from carbohydrates.
Protein intake on the ketogenic diet may be consistent with USDA guidelines. In most ketogenic diets, you may consume 20% of your calories from protein. USDA guidelines recommend that you should consume 10 to 35 percent of your calories from protein.
In addition, the USDA provides recommendations for dietary fiber (about 22 to 34 grams per day). Those who adopt a ketogenic diet have a hard time reaching this goal because fiber is a carbohydrate.
Food Groups
USDA guidelines recommend consuming fruits, vegetables, dairy products, grains, and protein. While no specific foods are prohibited in the ketogenic diet, many people may find that some food groups need extreme restriction or elimination to achieve and maintain ketosis when performing this diet.
For example, those who follow a ketogenic diet may eat very few fruits and grains because these are the main sources of carbohydrates. Also, in a ketogenic diet, you probably won’t eat a lot of vegetables because many vegetables provide too many carbs.
Calories
The ketogenic diet does not need to count calories. Most versions of the program don’t have specific calorie goals. However, because this diet is high in fat, you may burn more calories in a ketogenic diet plan because each gram of fat contains more than twice as many calories as carbohydrates and protein.
However, proponents of ketogenic diet plans suggest that when you follow this plan, you will end up eating less because fatty foods are more satisfying than foods high in carbohydrates.
If your goal is to reach or maintain a healthy weight, you should consume the right number of calories per day – whether you follow a ketogenic diet plan or something else. You can increase the total recommended calories by increasing the amount of exercise.
Similar Diets
Few diets are able to follow the breakdown of macronutrients in a ketogenic diet. But some other low-carb diet plans are similar.
Keto Diet
- General nutrition: Depending on the specific ketogenic diet you choose, you’ll consume most of your calories from fat (75 to 90 percent), a limited amount of calories from protein (5 to 20 percent), and about 5 percent of your calories from carbohydrates. This makes it difficult for you to reach your daily intake of certain nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals that you would otherwise get from fruits and vegetables.
- Cost/accessibility: It’s not a commercial diet, so there are no subscription fees or foods to buy. However, many ketogenic diets recommend eating more expensive foods such as grass-fed beef and special oils such as avocado oil or MCT oil.
- Weight loss: While some studies have shown significant weight loss from a ketogenic diet, other studies have found that a ketogenic diet is no better than a low-fat or other low-carb diet in terms of long-term weight loss effects. In addition, the ketogenic diet does not provide calorie targets. Therefore, it is possible to burn more calories in this diet plan, which can lead to weight gain.
- Sustainability:The ketogenic diet is often criticized as difficult to maintain over the long term. Because diet plans are fundamentally different from typical U.S. diets, some consumers struggle to maintain them when eating out or socializing.
How effective is the keto diet
Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet has undergone many changes since its development in the 1960s. The current version of the diet plan is advertised as beneficial for ketones.
- General nutrition: In the Atkins diet, 55 to 70 percent of calories come from fat. You’ll consume more protein (20% – 30%) and more carbohydrates (5% – 15% of total calories) in the ketogenic diet compares the Atkins plan. Thus, the Atkins diet offers a more balanced approach to nutrition. You’re also more likely to get recommended intake of fiber, important vitamins, and minerals, as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are encouraged at most stages of a diet plan.
- Cost/accessibility: You can get food and services by reading any book on the Atkins diet, or signing up for the program online for a monthly fee. It may be cheaper to learn the program according to one of the books. Most of the foods recommended in the program are easy to find at most grocery stores.
- Weight loss:TThe results of the Atkins program’s study on weight loss were mixed. Since the project has been changing over the years, the results of previous studies may not be relevant. However, the current plan is more likely to produce long-term weight loss because it recommends an appropriate proportion of various foods and includes an activity program to burn calories and improve health.
- Sustainability:The Atkins diet may be easier for most people to maintain because it provides a more balanced way of eating. While many consumers may not want to subscribe to commercial programs for the long term, Atkins’ books make it easy to follow a maintenance plan for the long term.
Other Low-Carb Diets
There are many diets that fall into the low-carb category. Some consumers cut back on carbohydrates just to lose weight or improve their health.
- General nutrition: There are no specific carb intake guidelines in a low-carb diet, but in general, Ketogenic Diet Compares the Atkins plan, you may burn 30% or fewer calories in a low-carb diet plan. This provides more carbohydrates . In addition, many low-carb diets are rich in protein. As a result, you consume fewer calories from fat. In these diet plans, there’s often an emphasis on high-quality carbs, which means choosing whole grains, fruits, and vegetables over processed foods that are high in sugar. Therefore, a low-carb diet is more likely to meet nutritional goals than a ketogenic diet.
- Cost/accessibility: There is no single low-carb diet, but many commercial diets follow a low-carb diet (such as the South Beach diet and others). While you can choose to pay to join these subscription programs, there’s no cost to simply reduce carbs from your diet. In addition, due to the growing popularity of low-carb diets, many traditional high-carb foods are now produced and marketed in low-carb forms. Ketogenic Diet Compares Other Low-Carb Diets, Other Low-Carb Diets is more acceptable and may be cheaper than the ketogenic diet.
- Weight loss: Many different low-carb diet plans have achieved different results in terms of weight loss. In some studies, low-carbohydrate diets have been likened to low-fat or low-sugar diets. While there are a variety of findings, researchers generally conclude that the diet most likely to lose weight is one that consumers can stick to for the long term.
- Sustainability:A low-carb diet may be more sustainable than a very low-carb, high-fat diet, such as a ketogenic diet. A low-carb diet provides a more balanced way of eating and allows for a wider variety of foods.
Low-Carb and High-Protein Vegetarian Friendly To Keto
Dukan Diet
Similar to the Atkins diet and the ketogenic diet, the Dukan diet also originated in the medical community. The diet plan was developed by a doctor in the 1970s. It is a low-carbohydrate, high-protein method of weight loss.
- General nutrition: The Dukan diet has four stages: attack, cruising, consolidation, and stabilization. The first two phases are for weight loss and the last two phases are for maintaining weight. At certain stages of the Ducom diet, 79 to 90 percent of calories come from protein. This diet is low in fat
- Cost/accessibility: You can buy some books to follow this diet plan. There are also some free resources online. However, if you prefer coaching services, you can purchase a plan that costs monthly. Meals and snacks can also be purchased, although they do not have to stay in the diet plan. Many of the foods you find in local markets are allowed to join the program, which makes it both cost-effective and accessible to most people.
- Weight loss:TheDukan Diet may be effective for weight loss, especially in the short term. Extremely low caloric intake will help most consumers lose weight in the program. However, clinical trials supporting the effectiveness of this diet are lacking, and it is well known that low-calorie diets can backfire. In addition, this diet can be difficult to maintain, making it less effective for long-term weight loss or weight maintenance.
- Sustainability:Those who choose to purchase coaching services are more likely to stick with this plan, although there are some support groups and other resources (such as recipes) online. Others may find it difficult to stick to because of its high protein and very low fat intake.