The 4 Different Types Of Keto Diets Explained
If you’ve ever taken even a cursory glance towards the Internet in search of advice on
how to diet, you’ve probably seen the word “keto” crop up quite a bit.
“Keto” this, “keto” that...but what exactly is “keto”, exactly?
The ketogenic or “keto” diet is a popular mode of meal plan among people trying to lose
weight, which focuses on a diet that’s low in carbs but high in fat.
But that’s something of a reductive take on the keto diet; in fact, there are multiple
different forms of the ketogenic diet, with some of these subcategories working better
for some people’s diet plans than others.
According to registered dietician Julie Upton of Health.com, you can break down the core
philosophy of the keto diet into 4 key variations, and today we’re going to go into these 4
variations in further detail.
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Standard Ketogenic Diet The standard ketogenic diet, or SKD, can be
seen as sort of a basic entry point for people looking to hop on the keto bandwagon.This
diet plan consists of a macronutrient ratio of about 75 percent fat, 15 to 20 percent
protein, and 5 to 10 percent carbohydrates.
To put it more simply, standard keto dictates you get somewhere around 150 grams of fat
every day in order to shift your metabolism to focus on burning fat as a fuel source.
This process is known as ketosis, and as the name implies, ketosis is the primary cause
of weight loss caused by the ketogenic diet.
As for where you obtain this fat, popular sources for a fat-rich keto diet include olive
oil, butter fatty fish and even certain types of fruit such as avocados.
While increasing your fat intake, the standard keto diet always requires you to greatly reduce
your daily intake of carbs, to the point where anyone on this diet can treat themselves to
a maximum of 50 grams of carbs every day.
This means cutting out foods such as grains, starchy vegetables, processed foods and anything
with added sugar.
Instead, this diet prioritizes leafy greens, vegetables that are low in starches, and low-carb
fruits such as berries.
Last but certainly not least, a standard keto diet calls for a daily intake of protein somewhere
in the ballpark of 90 grams per day, which Upton suggests you can break down even further
by trying to get at least 30 grams of protein with every meal.
This means that you should be aiming for about 4 ounces of meat, poultry or fish, or an equivalent
for those of you who are vegetarian or vegan.
The bottom line is that the standard ketogenic diet calls for more fat and fewer carbs, and
these two major points are the tent poles to build a balanced meal plan around.
2.
Targeted Keto Diet While the keto diet is built on a principle
of reducing your daily intake of carbs, there are some variations of the diet that allow
for slightly more leeway.
The targeted keto diet is a variant that is popular among athletes and other individuals
who are highly physically active, and as such allows for some adjustments for those who
require more carbs in their daily diet.
People who subscribe to the targeted keto diet consume an additional 20 to 30 grams
of carbohydrates immediately before and after working out; the added carbs not only allow
them to exercise at a greater level of intensity, but also helps them to recover from the workout
faster.
Since these added carbs are burned off almost immediately, they don’t end up being stored
as body fat and therefore don’t necessarily impede the weight loss portion of the diet.
To break it down based on nutrients: the targeted keto diet prescribes a meal plan consisting
of 65 to 70 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and 10 to 15 percent carbs.
3.
Cyclical Keto Diet As we mentioned before, ketosis is the state
in which your body is primed to burn fat as its primary fuel source, leading you to burn
off weight at a faster rate than normal.
A cyclical keto diet is designed to cycle your body in and out of ketosis by dividing
your meal plan into “keto days” and “off days”.
During “off days” the person dieting is allowed to eat a more varied diet with a higher
concentration of carbs; some people on cyclical keto diets might make room for two days off
every week, while others save their non-keto days for special occasions such as birthdays
and holidays.
Either way, a keto cheat day doesn’t necessarily mean you’re entitled to pig out on as much
processed junk food as you want; balance is still key, and even on days off from your
diet it’s recommended that you get your carbs from healthy sources such as fruits,
starchy vegetables, dairy and whole grains.
A cyclical keto diet usually prescribes 75 percent fat, 15 to 20 percent protein and
5 to 10 percent carbs on “keto days”.
For your more carb-friendly days off, this can change to 25 percent fat, 25 percent protein
and 50 percent carbs.
Turns out you can have your cake and eat it too-- maybe even literally!
4.
High Protein Keto Diet Last but not least, the high-protein keto
diet is, well, exactly what it sounds like.
In terms of macronutrients, this variation offers a slight adjustment to the standard
keto diet, instead suggesting 60 t0 65 percent fat, 30 percent protein and 5 to 10 percent
carbs as part of your daily meal plan.
This equates to around 120 grams of protein per day, while still restricting carbs to
less than 10 percent of your daily calorie intake.
It’s worth mentioning that some people find this variation of keto easier to follow than
the standard model, as the slightly more balanced ratio between protein and fat allows for a
more diverse diet with more available foods to choose from.
So what’s the catch?
Well, as it turns out, the high protein keto diet might not actually trigger ketosis in
your body, since protein can be used as a fuel in a similar manner to carbs.
However, ketosis or not, this diet’s exclusion of most carbs will still result in weight
loss, though you might not see quite as fast results as you would from one of the other
three variations of keto.
And with that, we conclude our breakdown of the keto diet into four specific subcategories.
Before you decide to dive right in to any of these meal plans, make sure to do an adequate
amount of research in order to determine which of these variations is the best fit for your
particular lifestyle.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that keto in any form is not an exact science; in fact,
there’s still a great deal of conjecture as to whether or not ketosis is a healthy
way to lose weight in the long run.
At the end of the day, you should always make sure to make informed decisions about your
diet plan and avoid taking any unnecessary risks in the name of weight loss.
Did you find this video helpful, interesting or informative?
Do you happen to follow any of these diets already?
If so, what’s your experience with the diet been like so far?
We’d be interested in hearing your feedback, so be sure to let us know in the comments
section below and help us keep the conversation going.