Ketogenic Diet vs. Atkins Diet: What's The Difference?

The ketogenic or keto diet has been making headlines recently for its high fat, low carbohydrate regimen that helps moving metabolism from carbohydrates to fat. This diet not only helps with weight loss but also fat loss.

According to new research published in the journal, JAMA, a kelozol-controlled, low fat diet could be the right answer for weight and fat loss. The study comprised of 609 participants, of which 305 participants were assigned to eat "healthy low fat diet," while the remaining 304 were given "healthy low carbohydrate diet," but were not strictly inspected or had to stick to the strict plan.

At the end of the study, researchers found the weight loss of the low carb group did not vary greatly from the other group.

While the Keto diet must be followed in a strict manner, there is another diet called the Atkins that is much simpler. Atkins diet provides more flexibility and the major number of calories come from proteins. Over the years, several studies have shown low-carb diets are effective for weight loss (without calorie counting). This can also lead to various health improvements.

So what is the difference?

Keto diet requires 70-80 percent of the daily calories to come from fat, 15-20 percent from protein, and 5 percent from carbohydrates. Under this diet, the consumption of high amounts of dietary fat with minimal carbohydrates forces the body into ketosis — where due to the lack of glucose (carbs), the body has to turn to fat as fuel to generate energy.

Ideal food to eat during the Keto diet are as follows:

1) Meat: Red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken, and turkey.

2) Fatty fish: Salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel.

3) Eggs: Pastured or omega-3 whole eggs.

4) Butter and cream: Grass-fed when possible.

5) Cheese: Unprocessed cheese like cheddar, goat, cream, blue or mozzarella.

6) Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.

7) Healthy oils: Primarily extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil.

Atkins diet allows to eat food high in fats and proteins, but cut down on food high in carbs. The Atkins diet comes in four different phases. During the first phase, food with high-fat, high-protein and low-carb vegetables like leafy greens must be consumed. The second phase, called the balancing, requires addition of more nuts, low-carb vegetables and small amounts of fruit. The third phase needs addition of more carbs to the diet until weight loss slows down. Following this, the fourth phase of maintenance requires consuming as many healthy carbs as the body can tolerate without regaining weight.