There are so many diets out there today. They all tout superb benefits that you cannot get any other way. Two of the most popular “diets” right now are a plant-based diet and a keto diet. But, what exactly does that mean? It can be hard sometimes to cut through the noise and find the right eating plan for you. If you take it and break it all down and compare and contrast you can make a better decision.
What is keto?
- Low carb
Keto-type diets generally severely limit carbohydrates. Many people who do keto will not eat any carbohydrates at all. One of the biggest things limited or cut out completely in keto is breads and cereals. Any type of grain, really. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of fuel. The idea is that by eliminating the body’s main source of fuel, it will start to use other sources. The next source of fuel that the body will use is fat. Therefore, it is believed that you burn exponentially more fat this way.
- High fat
Because keto is typically so low in carbohydrates the diets tend to be quite high in fats. Partly this is because fat is the body’s secondary source of fuel. If you are not getting carbohydrates you need the extra fat to avoid the body using muscle and protein as energy sources.
- High protein
There, of course, tend to also be much higher levels of protein in keto diets. This is to help support the muscles and help make up the calorie deficit created by the lack of carbohydrates.
Plant-based?
- Mostly plants
It is pretty much like it sounds. This is a diet that focuses on plants. Think vegan and vegetarian. Those are two of the most popular plant-based diets. Vegan, of course, being the most strict. Vegetarians being a little more flexible.
- May eat fish, eggs or milk
There are other variations, as well. There are Ovo-vegetarians and Ovo-Lacto-vegetarians. Ovo-vegetarians are those who will eat eggs. Ovo-Lacto-vegetarians are those who will eat eggs and milk. There are also what are called Pescetarians. These are those who will add fish to their diets along with plant products and, often, eggs and milk.
What’s the difference?
- Plant-based tend to be considerably lower in fat and protein
A plant-based diet is naturally higher in carbohydrates. Because of this, it will also be lower in fats and proteins. Plant-based diets include grains, beans, legumes, as well as fruits that are all high in carbohydrates. These also provide calories that do not need to be made up by consuming extra fat and protein.
- Keto is extremely low in carbohydrates
As mentioned earlier, keto diets severely restrict carbohydrates. Often coming close to cutting carbohydrates out completely. Then what happens is you have a severe deficit in calories that needs to be made up. This deficit is closed by extra protein and fat.
Benefits of Keto
A good place to begin is by talking about the benefits of keto-type diets. It all boils down to three basic main benefits. These are a few of the main things that draw most people to a keto-type diet.
- Lose weight fast
Because of the lack of carbohydrates and the fact that the body is forced to switch fuel sources, the weight will drop quickly at first. A lot of people get quite excited at the massive initial weight loss. Switching to burning fat as the body’s main fuel burns a lot of fat at first as well. This is something else that draws in a lot of people.
- Appetite suppression
Many people find that they end up having less of an appetite on keto-type diets. Many times you can lose your appetite due to stress, injury, or illness. With a keto diet, you are inducing ketosis. This is where the body starts producing what are called ketones. After a while, the body starts using these ketones as its main source of fuel in the absence of carbohydrates. This whole process can be a form of stress on the body. The body is having to adjust and find new sources of fuel and create its own new sources of fuel.
- Lower blood sugar
Because you are not consuming carbohydrates, you will not be replacing blood glucose as easily. This naturally leads to a decrease in blood sugar. This aspect may draw a lot of diabetics and pre-diabetics.
Drawbacks of Keto
Now, there are drawbacks to a keto diet as well. As there is to almost anything, really. These are just a couple of the main drawbacks that seem to stand out.
- Harder to maintain over time
Because you are eliminating, or nearly eliminating an entire macronutrient from your diet, it can be quite hard to maintain in the long term. It becomes hard to find foods that fit such a restrictive diet.
- Higher levels of LDL
A distinctive trend in keto-type diets is a considerable increase in meat and animal products. This also means a considerable increase in cholesterol. Consuming more cholesterol naturally means higher cholesterol in general. With higher cholesterol comes higher LDL, or the “bad” cholesterol.
- No greater weight loss after about six months
There is also a trend that people do not see any greater weight loss after a period of six months than if they had not adopted a keto diet. As mentioned earlier, your body adapts to keto. In the beginning, your body is using fat as it’s main energy source. This is when the pounds shed. After a while, though, your body adapts. Then you hit a natural plateau, that is liable to happen with any diet.
Benefits of Plant-Based
Now we transition to talking about a plant-based diet. We will start by talking about the benefits of a more plant-based diet. There are many, so we will start with these main ones.
- Plants are higher in vitamins, minerals, and flavonoids
Plants are higher in micronutrients. Micronutrients are things like vitamins and minerals. This would be things like carrots being high in vitamin A or broccoli and oranges being high in vitamin C. There are also what are called flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidant phytonutrients. These are the chemicals that give plants their color. These are things such as carotenoids in carrots. Antioxidants help fight oxidative stress caused by free radicals, hence the name antioxidant. This is good for cellular health.
- Lower in cholesterol
Because you are consuming less meat, you will naturally be consuming less cholesterol. Cholesterol is only in meat and animal products. Plants have other forms of sterols, but not cholesterol.
- “Cleaner”
A more plant-based diet can tend to be cleaner. Some people will point to the general agricultural practices of raising animals on a large farm. Another thing is that plants may have pesticides, herbicides, and what-not, there is still not the hormones and antibiotics that meat has.
Drawbacks of Plant Based
- Harder to get protein
Because you are not eating as much meat or animal products you will not get as much protein. Obviously, the stricter you are the harder it will be to get the proper amount of protein. The strictest vegans who do not any meat or animal product or fish of any kind will obviously have the hardest time.
- Meat may have special benefits
You also have to think not only about protein quantity but also protein quality and bioavailability. Bioavailability simply means the ability of your body to use a certain nutrient. The protein in meat may sometimes be of a higher and more bioavailable.
Results may vary
It will not be the same for everyone, of course. Different body types react differently to each of these diets. Some people find that meat makes them feel bloated. Other people may feel grains incite an inflammatory response. It just depends on your body and what you need.
Ultimately it’s up to you
Of course, what this means is that is is ultimately up to you which one you think is better. It depends on how you feel and how your body reacts. These are just a few things to think about when making your decision.