When it comes to diets, people are quick to discriminate against carbs. They have a bad reputation and are blamed for most health concerns, including diabetes and poor energy levels. However, not all carbs are unhealthy, and diets such as Low-carb diets and Keto diets allow you to consume healthy carbs for various health benefits.

• The Keto diet was first used as a treatment for epilepsy.
• Ketosis in the Keto diet converts fat into ketones for energy, promoting rapid fat loss.
• Low-carb diets allow for greater flexibility and a wider variety of foods compared to Keto.
• High ketone levels from the Keto diet can enhance mental clarity and cognitive function.
• Low-carb diets don’t require strict macronutrient tracking, making them easier to follow.
• The Keto diet may cause initial fatigue, known as “keto flu,” during the body’s adjustment.
• Both diets can improve blood sugar control, with Keto being particularly beneficial for type 2 diabetes

Some differences between Keto and Low-carb diets are essential to understand reaping the full benefits of each.

When it comes to defining a low-carb diet, there is no standard definition. It is simply a keto diet but has low levels of carbohydrate consumption. The dietary guidelines recommended for this diet are forty-five to sixty-five percent calories from carbohydrates. 

So any diet with a carb intake of less than forty-five percent is considered a low-carb diet. In this diet plan, weight loss is mixed with an increased feeling of ampleness and an inclination towards a nutrient-rich diet. 

Also, many people think that a low-fat diet is better, but this is not true. A low-carb diet works better than a low-fat diet for weight loss. 

Some common low-carb diet items include starchy food, seeds, nuts, sweets, pasta, and certain vegetables and fruits.

When it comes to the differences between the two, there are five key differences between the keto diet and the low-carb diet. These differences include: 

Both the diets may sound similar to you, but their definition and phases are entirely different. These phases allow you to understand in-depth how the diets work and what they do for you.

The Keto diet is a low carb, high fat, and moderate protein diet, and it includes five phases defined below.

Step 1: The first ten hours after starting a keto diet allow the body to absorb fuel from the previous diet meals you have eaten.  

Step 2: After a day or two of starting the diet, the glycogen from the liver gets removed from the body after twelve hours. 

Step 3: After at least four days of this diet, your body starts the process of gluconeogenesis, and the breakdown of protein in the body increases. 

Step 4: If you have been following the diet for seven days, then ketosis starts in your body, and the brain uses more ketones, whereas the liver produces more ketone bodies.

Step 5: When you have been on the keto diet for seven days, the protein breakdown and gluconeogenesis slow down.

The low-carb diet contains high-protein, high-fat, and restricted carbohydrates. This diet has four steps which are:

Step 1: Eating a maximum of twenty grams of carbs daily for at least two weeks and keep your fat and protein intake high. This way, you lose weight. 

Step 2: This step balances the weight you have lost, and you need to eat fewer fruits and more nuts. This step figures out your body’s carbohydrate tolerance without making you gain weight.

Step 3: Keep eating healthy carbs until your weight loss starts to slow down.

Step 4: The last step is to maintain the low-carb diet and make it a part of your healthy lifestyle.

Even though both diets are beneficial for you, their benefits are different from each other. Let’s find out how they are different. 

The Keto diet is good for losing weight. Still, it focuses more on increasing your physical performance, suppressing hunger, and allowing you to burn around 300 calories daily. With the help of this diet, you can get steady energy and reduce inflammation; this diet is ideal for endurance athletes. 

The Keto diet also improves the composition of your body. 

Unlike the keto diet, a low-carb diet is better for non-endurance athletes. This diet helps in providing stable energy to you. 

It allows you to be more relaxed than the keto diet, which requires you to avoid carbs entirely. 

The ketone levels in the keto and low-carb diets are different, making a huge difference between the two. 

A low-carb diet has a ketone level of a maximum of 0.2 millimoles to a minimum of 0.1 millimoles. In comparison, the keto diet has higher ketone levels of a maximum of 5 millimoles to a minimum of 0.5 millimoles. 

Protein intake varies from one diet to another, making them different from each other. For example, a low-carb diet has no limit on how much protein you can take, but a keto diet sets a limit. 

In keto, you can only eat around twenty to twenty-five percent protein.

The primary goal of these two diets is low-carb diets are focused on weight loss only, whereas the keto diet’s main goal is to use the ketone bodies as the primary fuel source. 

A Keto diet also helps in weight loss, but this is not its main aim.

Now that you know about the two diets and how they work, you must wonder which diet is better for losing weight. Well, the answer is simple, both the keto diet and low-carb diet can assist you with weight loss. 

When you eat carbohydrates, your body releases a hormone known as insulin which takes glucose to the cells to produce energy, and extra glucose is stored as glycogen. However, if there is more glucose left behind, then this is stored as fat. 

When you reduce your carb intake, your body doesn’t release much insulin, so your body starts to burn fat instead of storing it. 

Both diets include a reduction in carbs, and both are great for weight loss, but it is no secret that low-carb diets can assist you with faster weight loss compared to the keto diet. 

At the end of the day, it is your decision which diet you should go for. Before you decide on it, what is your main goal?

 If it is weight loss, then a low-carb diet is ideal, but if you want to build energy and endurance, then a keto diet can be a great idea. You should also discuss it with your healthcare provider to determine which diet is ideal based on your body and goals. 

Remember, you will see results if you follow the diet. Choose the one more compatible with your lifestyle.