What are the differences between popular low-carb diets?

In today’s busy lifestyle, people are getting attracted to many diet options for weight loss and better health. Low-carb diets have become a major trend in this direction. However, there are different types of low-carb diets, of which “ketogenic”, “carnivore”, and “paleo” diets are the most famous. All three aim to reduce the amount of carbohydrates, but their method and dietary ingredients are different. So let’s know about the main difference between these diets.

1. Ketogenic diet

The ketogenic diet aims to put the body into a state called ‘ketosis’. In this process, the body does not get enough calories from glucose and other sugar sources, and instead the body gets energy by burning fat. When fat breaks down, substances called ‘ketones’ are released into the blood. This makes the pH level of the blood slightly more acidic, which is called ‘ketosis’.

For most ketogenic diets, 70 to 75 percent of the calorie intake is based on fat and 20% on protein with less than 10% calories from carbohydrates. This diet heavily relies on consumption of high fat foods such as meat, fish, cheese and some oils. However, due to this kind of diet, cholesterol levels can increase in blood and can develop long-term diseases.

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2. Carnivore Diet

The carnivore diet is the most ketogenic, as it contains almost zero carbohydrates. In this diet, a person has to consume only meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Apart from this, foods like vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts are completely prohibited. This diet is also sometimes called the “zero carb” diet, as carbohydrates are completely avoided in it. This diet, though very delicious and attractive in short terms, does not sustain due to lack of plant nutrients.

3. Paleo diet

Paleo diets are based on historical perspectives and try to mimic foods that ancient humans consumed. These diets emphasize items that were hunted or gathered for consumption, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Any form of processed or artificial product will not be included in this diet-from olive oil, dairy products, grains, legumes, to potatoes-as these were introduced after the agricultural revolution.

This can prevent you from achieving ketosis, especially if you consume plenty of fruit such as berries when on a paleo diet. This diet becomes ketogenic if one manages the quantity of carbohydrates in his diet.

One may also need more fiber as grains are avoided on this diet.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Diets

So, the next question arises-which one might be suited to you?

The Ketogenic Diet is another diet where one can gain weight loss benefits as it causes the body to burn more fats. However, a long period of this diet can increase the cholesterol level in the blood, which may also lead to diseases such as kidney stones, osteoporosis, and gout.

Carnivore Diet: It is a diet which may be hard for the body to adhere to it completely because it can lack most essential nutrients like fruits and vegetables. It may prove to be imbalanced in the long run for the body. So, I would never suggest this diet.

Paleo Diet: This diet is more lenient, because you may or may not enter ketosis, but it doesn’t consume grains, which could lead to fiber deficiency, and you might miss some essential micronutrients.

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Conclusion

Always decide on the diet you take considering your aim and health before starting it. If your purpose is weight loss, then you can use a ketogenic diet but considering its long-term effect also. The Paleo diet gives much flexibility, and the Carnivore diet is a very restricting diet, and I personally would not recommend.

So, it is always better to listen to your body and follow a healthy balanced diet.

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