In the world today, focus on weight loss has become a persistent and common subject. Many people worldwide have, at one time or other, gone on a weight-loss craze. Among these people, perhaps even you also are looking for weight loss plans to help shed your extra pounds. A recent weight loss plan and diet craze that has gotten quite a bit of attention over time is the keto diet.
The keto diet is an example of a low carbohydrate diet that helps you limit or otherwise watch your carb intake. Due to high carb intake restriction, your body begins to burn stored fat to produce energy. The process results in fat loss, which promotes weight loss.
One of the problems is that most people are not familiar with the different types of keto diet. This could explain why you may start a particular keto diet and still not see any weight changes. This may lead to frustrations with the keto diet plan; however, the goal is not the culprit. The fact of the matter is that you are at fault for not starting a keto diet plan to promote weight loss.
To avoid these and many more frustrations, let’s discuss the various types of keto diets. We will comprehensively discuss what each diet is about and the best goal it can help you attain. Stick around to gain this and much more insight into the various types of keto diet.
What Is A Keto Diet?
Despite the popularity of the keto diet plans, most people are still in the dark regarding the keto diet concept. Understanding the keto diet is vital as it establishes if these meals are significant in attaining your goals.
A keto diet, also known as the ketogenic diet refers to meals with high-fats, very-low-carb content, and moderate proteins. The dietary macronutrients for this meal are divided into 30-35% protein, 10% carbohydrate, and 55-60% fat (3).
The key focus of this diet is in limiting the carbohydrate content. The goal is to allow your body to acquire more calories from fats instead of carbs (8). What this means is that every keto diet will have low carb content. For example, in a 2000 kcal daily diet plan, the carb intake ranges from 20 to 50 g (3).
The low carb content pushes the body into a state where it depletes its sugar reserves. When this happens, the body now starts breaking down stored fat for energy. This process results in the production of molecules known as ketones used by the body for fuel (8).
Read More: 28 Day Keto Diet Plan: All the Facts You Need to Get Started
What Foods Can You And Can You Not Eat On A Keto Diet?
You might have realized that different keto diet plans tend to incorporate different foods. This makes most people question the recommended foods in such a meal plan. The bottom line is that there are different types of keto diets.
Each type of diet may require various foods, resulting in varying meal plans. That being said, the fact remains that all keto diets will advocate for the consumption of proteins, vegetables, and fat in plenty. Most ketogenic diets will permit the following foods:
Fats
In this category, Medical News Today states that most ketogenic diets recommend saturated fats (6). These fats tend to be in solid form at room temperature. Their low carb content might perhaps explain why they are recommended in these particular diets. Here are some examples of saturated fat sources to consider:
- Coconut oil (has 0 g carb content per 100 g)
- Butter attained from grass-fed cows (also 0 g carb content per 100 g)
- Grass-fed beef (Also contains 0 gram of carbohydrates per 100 grams)
- Whole milk and whole-milk dairy foods (Contains 4.88 g of carb per 100 g)
You can also consider unsaturated fat sources in your keto diets. They are considered to have more long-term benefits compared to saturated fats. They tend to be in liquid form at room temperature and come from sources such as (6):
- Olive oil (has 0 g of carbs per 100 g)
- Pumpkin seeds (contains 8.96 g of carb per 50 seeds)
- Almond oil (has 0 g of carbohydrate per 100 g)
- Flaxseed oil (Contains 0.39 g of carbs per 100 g)
Proteins
The second food category that will hardly be missed in all types of keto diets is the protein category. While on a ketogenic diet, you can attain your protein from sources such as (2):
Meat And Poultry
The types of meat you can eat on a keto diet include chicken, pork, grass-fed beef, venison, turkey, and some organ meats. You are expected to keep away from processed and breaded meats (4). Similarly, you could eat bacon and low-fat meat like a skinless chicken breast in moderation.
Eggs
Eggs are great protein sources that you can have in any keto diet. Try to go for whole eggs, meaning they are pastured and organic.
Fish
Fish is also a great protein source. There have been numerous questions about the types of fish for the keto diet. Keto-friendly fish include wild salmon, herring, and mackerel. Avoid any breaded fish at all costs.
Vegetables
Another staple in the keto diet is the non-starchy vegetable. They do have low carb content, making them friendly types of food to eat on keto diet. Examples of such vegetables include (6):
- Broccoli (contains 6.64 g of carbs per 100 g)
- Artichoke (has 10.51 g of carbohydrate per 100 g)
- Brussels sprouts (has 8.95 g of carbs per 100 g)
- Asparagus (has 3.88 g of carbs per 100 g)
- Tomato (contains 3.89 g of carbohydrate per 100 g)
- Turnips (contains 3.39 g of carbs per 100 g)
- Green beans (contains 6.97 g of carbs per 100 g)
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Analyzing The Types Of Keto Diet
As mentioned earlier, there are various types of keto diets. So, before you jump head first into a ketogenic diet, do your research and determine which suits you better. Here are some popular keto diet types that you can consider:
The Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD)
All ketogenic diets have a low carb percentage. However, this particular diet type tends to have very low carbohydrate content. However, the protein content is moderate and the fat content is pretty high.
Typically, this diet’s food ratios will call for 70% fat, 20% protein, and the remaining 10% will be carbs (5). You are required to stick to the recommended carb, protein, and fat food sources. They are those that we have discussed above.
The SKD keto diet is pretty popular and ranks among the widely used keto diet plans. Due to its massive utilization, multiple research has been conducted on it. It is no surprise, therefore, that experts tend to recommend this ketogenic diet (5).
The Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD)
The cyclical ketogenic diet is less popular compared to the standard keto diet. However, this diet plan has slowly become a staple over time, especially among athletes and bodybuilders (5). Perhaps its concept might help in explaining why this is so. Let us evaluate what it involves.
Unlike the SKD, CKD does not keep you from consuming low carbohydrates. Instead, this diet contains specified periods of higher-carb intake between the keto diet cycles (5). Let us say you are following a one-week cyclical ketogenic diet plan.
In the first five days, you will abide by the low-carb intake policy of the keto diets. However, in the last two days, you will increase your carbohydrate intake. As we all know, carbs are the best fuel for your body. They are the key to great athletic performance.
It means that athletes have to consume carbs in plentiful amounts. Despite this, if you are an athlete or bodybuilder and still want to lose fat, you can then try this diet. The first five days will promote fat loss due to the low carbohydrate intake. However, in the last two days, you will get to refuel by increasing your carb intake.
The Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD)
Like the cyclical keto diet, this particular diet also just recently hit the airwaves. It is also popular among athletes and bodybuilders. Please note that this does not mean that its concept also matches that of the cyclical ketogenic diet.
The targeted ketogenic diet allows you to add extra carbohydrates around the duration of an intensive physical workout (5). Again, athletes and bodybuilders need to consume more carbs for energy production during their intense activities. This diet allows these groups to sneak in some extra carbs may explain why it is popular amongst them.
The High-Protein Ketogenic Diet (HPKD)
As the name suggests, this diet tends to have a high protein ratio. Typically, the diet has a protein ratio of roughly 60 %. The carb ratio tends to be relatively low and ranges around 5%. On the other hand, the fat ratio ranges around 35% (5).
As you can tell, the fat content is also very high. It means that this diet might be a high protein and high-fat diet. Like the SKD, this keto diet is also trendy and has been used extensively throughout the globe (1).
Read More: Keto OMAD Meals: Can This Unexpected Combo Fast-Track Your Weight Loss In A Healthy Way?
Determining the Right Type of Keto Diet for You
As with any other diet plan, choosing which keto diet type is for you is not easy. Some variations may appear easy at first, but down the line, you may end up quitting on them. Again, others may appear quite challenging, but prove to be quite manageable and beneficial down the line.
Such factors may push you into a dilemma, perhaps shedding light on why you need to seek professional advice. Always speak to a licensed nutritionist or dietitian as they can provide you with more personalized guidance based on your specific needs.
In most cases, these healthcare providers will go through the following checklist with you before recommending a keto diet:
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Your Goals
You do not just wake up one day and decide to go on a keto diet. As with any exercise, you will most likely decide because you want to attain a specific goal. It is crucial to set goals beforehand to stay true and dedicated to your keto diet plan.
In most cases, most people start a keto diet when they want to lose weight. The reasoning behind this is that this diet helps you consume fewer carbohydrates, triggering your body to burn stored fat. It also boosts your metabolism and reduces your appetite (8).
However, given that there are different types of keto diets, some may not be suitable to reach your goal. Take for example the CKD. You do not need to have a higher-carbohydrate window when your goal is explicitly fat loss. This would only make you add more calories to your body.
It brings us back to the importance of consultation, especially when you lack insight into the various types of ketogenic diets. Talk to your physician to determine the best keto diet that can help you attain your goals.
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Your Health Conditions
The good thing about the keto diet is that it accommodates people with various health conditions. However, not all. You perhaps may have seen or heard individuals with keto diet plans for people with diabetes.
People with diabetes can start a keto diet, but they certainly need guidance on the best type of keto diet to implement. They need to make sure that the types of meals on keto diet do not trigger but help them manage their blood sugars.
It brings us to one of the most asked questions about the keto diet, ‘what types of sugar are acceptable under the keto diet?’ According to Medical News Today, the keto diet does not recommend consuming any sugar at all (2).
Instead, you are expected to avoid candy, artificial sweeteners, sweetened tea, soda, sugary alcoholic drinks, sugar, fast and processed foods (2). The absence of sugar coupled with the low carb content helps people with diabetes maintain their blood glucose levels at a low but healthy rate (1).
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Your Allergies
Another factor that your dietitian will go through with you before recommending a keto diet is your allergy. Of course, you may want to start a keto diet to lose weight or even manage various medical conditions like epilepsy (7).
However, these goals may be cut short if you are allergic to the keto diet’s recommended foods. For example, you cannot start a keto diet plan if you are allergic to numerous foods such as eggs, chicken, or grass-fed beef.
Remember that the keto diet also prohibits the consumption of various foods. So, if you are allergic to numerous acceptable foods in this diet, you limit your food sources. Talk to your doctor to understand how and if a keto diet would work despite having various allergies.
The Bottom Line
The keto diet consists of low carbs, high fat, and moderate protein content. However, these ratios may vary depending on the various types of keto diet you choose to implement. They range from the standard, cyclical, targeted, to the high-protein keto diet.
Before you start following any of these diets, remember to talk to your dietitian or doctor. They will help validate if it is safe for you to follow this diet without experiencing any health risk or nutritional deficiency.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
SOURCES:
- Does the ketogenic diet work for type 2 diabetes (2019, medicalnewstoday.com)
- Keto diet: 1-week meal plan and tips (2019, medicalnewstoday.com)
- Ketogenic diet (2020, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Ketogenic Diet (Keto Diet) (2019, medicinenet.com)
- Ketogenic diets: Boon or bane? (2018, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- What foods should you eat on a ketogenic diet? (2018, medicalnewstoday.com)
- What’s a Ketogenic Diet? (2019, webmd.com)
- Why is the keto diet good for you? (2020, medicalnewstoday.com)
