You may have wondered why a lot of people opt for a low-carb or keto diet;
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Myth #1
Myth #1
"Eating Carbohydrates makes you gain weight, cutting off carbs is the only way to lose weight"
Myth #2
Myth #2
"Keto diet is the best way to lose weight"
Before we discuss the difference between a ketogenic diet and a general low-carb diet, first we have to understand energy systems.
Think of energy systems as a lever rather than a switch, you don’t simply turn on one and turn off the other, rather it’s like a lever that either goes to the left or goes to the right, it may activate one of the three systems more than the others depending on the activity you’re doing at the moment.
The three systems are, ATP-PC, Glycolytic System (Glycolysis), and Oxidative Phosphorylation:
Let's get technical for a minute, ATP-PC uses Phosphocreatine to supply a muscle with ATP within 10 to 15 seconds of starting an exercise
Then Glycolytic system (Glycolysis) uses Carbohydrates through Glycolysis to supply ATP to a muscle within 30 seconds to 3 minutes;
Lastly, the Oxidative system, which is also known as Oxidative phosphorylation, utilizes oxygen to convert any of the three macronutrients depending on which one is more abundant at the moment to supply ATP for energy during 4 minutes or longer exercises, which is aerobic exercise, if an anaerobic environment is created which is the lack of oxygen, a build-up of lactic acid occurs, which causes the burning sensation during exercise.
Theoretically, the Oxidative system is our target for consuming energy storage from the body in longer exercise bouts, which are aerobic, or steady-state exercises in the presence of oxygen;
There is a myth that if you do not consume one macronutrient, you won’t have enough energy to function, but research has shown that the body is capable of functioning with whatever macronutrient is dominant it consumes through the process of gluconeogenesis, the body converts whichever macronutrient available, prioritizing carbohydrates then fats, then amino acids to glucose for energy to function.
Please pay attention that, I am not advocating cutting off a single macronutrient to lose weight or to increase performance, in fact, there is evidence that points toward high-performing athletes like triathlon, long-distance swimmers and marathon runners are suffering from low performance that are on a ketogenic diet or low carb diet, which leads us to the conclusion that a carb-based diet is better for these athletes, but we have to consider that a ketogenic diet is still helpful for certain populations that have difficulty in losing weight or suffer from type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Satiety is important to consider when we consume food, two food types with an equivalent quantity, let’s get into an example:
500 grams of chicken breasts equates to 825 calories, and provides approximately 155 grams of protein, more than your recommended daily value, in comparison, 500 grams of bread, would be approximately 1325 calories, and yields approximately 245 grams of Carbohydrates which is also within the Daily value recommended by World Health Organization.
As we can clearly see from this example protein tends to have lower calories, and gives you way higher Daily Value, and for everyone that eats protein, we all share the same notion of how difficult it is to consume 500 grams of chicken throughout the day and still feel hungry for wanting more. In comparison 500 grams of bread can be eaten easily in one go, you might feel nauseated which is subjective, and you feel a sudden increase in blood sugar, feeling lethargic if you do not consume more carbohydrates when your blood sugar crashes again.
This issue is more prominent in type 2 diabetes populaton which studies have shown an excessive consumption of processed sugar does cause Type 2 DM, it doesn't affect you the same way if you are in a healthy state which you’ll feel in the form of a simple "sugar rush", and at the same time you’d feel satiated due to the food being excessively rich in carbohydrates which provides a temporary source of energy as I mentioned previously then a sudden crash in energy.
245 grams is definitely within the daily value, but it simply won’t satiate you compared to the 500 grams of breast chicken.
The thermic effect of food needs to be considered, which is the % of energy deducted from the total calories consumed by the body to process nutrients in food it consumed, and protein has the highest thermic effect, which means the 825 calories are even less when we factor in the (TEF), these are just some concepts to keep in mind when choosing what to eat more of, not what you should cut off.
You should consider the quality of the food you consume, the more processed it is the higher than normal the blood sugar will increase upon consumption, choosing rice over pasta, or honey over processed sugar are simple examples of quality over quantity. For a healthy diet a minimally processed food is the best food, and when it comes to carbohydrates, complex over simple carbohydrates are the best, for digestive health and energy utilization, a well balanced diet goes a long way to your health long term.
Now that these theories have been discussed, we may now discuss if you should choose a Ketogenic diet or a general low-carb diet.
But before we start, a quick disclaimer, I am only discussing this topic on the basis that you suffer from type 2 diabetes, not a normal person with no metabolic issues, following the trend isn't something I advocate.
Ketogenic diet focuses on switching the body’s energy system by utilizing "ketones" which uses fat as an energy source rather than carbs, makes the body more efficient at burning Fat storage and fat consumed, which happens when you reduce the amount of carb you consume drastically.
Some benefits of the keto diet:
50g of carb maximum a day or you get kicked out of the state of ketosis
Improved insulin sensitivity by 75% in type 2 diabetes
2 studies on study group with type 2 diabetes lost 11.9 kg over 2 year period, which helped the study group reduce medication intake and reliance for blood insulin management
Low carb diets has been the diet of our ancestors, and it dates back way before civilzations were built, it is a much easier diet to follow compared to a keto diet due to carb being less restricted compared to a keto's 50g of carb per day.
Low carb diet, focuses on reducing the body’s need for carb for energy by reducing the threshold needed for energy, and it comes in many forms, Atkin(Carb reset diet), Paleo(Hunter gatherer), Dukan(Duke diet),
Atkin’s diet start at 20 to 40g per day max at 100g per day
Paleo diet mostly consists of lean meat
In conclusion we can see that they do not differ far from each other, and it all goes back to personal preference, there is no need to over complicate the topic, that is why I needed to clarify at the beginning of the article about all of these concepts that surround diet implementation in general, so at the end you should simply eat what you wish to eat based on your own needs, to get a specific meal plan, I highly encourage you to consult with a licensed nutritionst near you, they will provde you with further powerful insight on diet structuring, and how to identify the least processed foods to implement in your diet which is the essence of a healthy diet.
If you would like to discuss this topic further with me feel free to contact me at anytime through the available channels
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