Which diet is better for fat loss: Keto diet or Low-fat diet?

What is low fat diet?

Keto diet or ketogenic diet is Low in Carbohydrates and High in Fats (LCHF). When you take keto diet, the fat is converted by your liver into fatty acids and ketone bodies. Keto diet lowers your glucose levels and improves the insulin resistance condition. Beneficially, ketosis or the presence of ketone bodies in the blood leads to reducing the occurrence of epileptic seizures in children. If you are a person on keto diet, you will get most of the energy from fat. Keto diet includes foods like eggs, fish such as salmon, cottage cheese, avocado and almond butter.

What is low fat diet?

A diet which is low in fat helps to lose weight and maintain healthy weight. By maintaining a healthy weight you can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer. Low fat diet includes whole-grain products (oats, pasta, rice and bread), fruits, and vegetables, lean meat and dairy products, white fish, and poultry. Low fat diet is advised for patients with diabetes and heart diseases. By taking low fat diet you can reduce the calorie intake and improve cholesterol levels.

How does each work?

As understood, Keto diet is any extremely low or no carbohydrate diet. The body gets its energy from carbohydrates. In a condition where the body does not get sufficient supplies of carbohydrates, the fat is broken down into ketones which supply the needful energy to the body. When you don’t take adequate amount of carbohydrates there emerges a state of ketosis, when ketones build up in the bloodstream. Keto diet is considered to be helpful in people who are overweight, obese. It has also proved its effectiveness in children with epilepsy.

Low fat diet helps to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. Significantly, a low fat diet reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, diabetes and cancer. The choice of keto or low-fat diet depends on a number of factors. The expert advice of your consulting doctor and specialist dietician is crucial for choosing the type of diet, as keto as well as low-fat diets have their benefits and drawbacks. Importantly, the patient’s health condition, life style choices and individual preferences determine the choice of diet taken.

Setting up diet

In the present times, people have a wide variety of choicest diets. However, of all the balanced diet is fast emerging to be the most preferred one. Balanced diet changes with individual preferences and gender, veg/non-veg preference, and health condition (pregnant, diabetic etc).

Women: Women should opt for low-fat and low-sugar foods. The choicest diet of women should include whole-grains, less red meat, and more of fish, poultry, beans and pulses.

Men: For men, balanced diet includes more servings of whole-grains, fish, poultry and less red meat while opting for low-fat dairy foods. With the exception of salt and fiber, men require more nutrients than women.

Health conditions: Those with diabetes, heart diseases and obesity are recommended diet rich in grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits, as a predominantly vegetarian diet contains less saturated fat and more folate, fiber and antioxidants which are all very good for health. A balanced diet for pregnant women should include vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. This means to include a generous serving of whole-grains and choosing more fish, poultry, lean red meats and opting for low fat calcium-rich dairy foods.

Pros and Cons

Keto diet or ketosis helps the body to burn the stored fat and reduce the calorie level. Low fat diet helps to keep the insulin levels low. It also helps in the prevention of heart disease, stroke and gallbladder diseases. Keto diet is considered to be detrimental for the long-term health condition as it may increase the risk of heart disease. High fat diets may also cause injury to brain cells that help to control your body weight.