Keto diet vs Whole 30: what's the difference?

When people are in a hurry to lose weight, they often turn to fad diets that limit entire food groups.

Studies suggest that tactics can help dieters lose weight in the short term. But then he turns against him, sending people back to where they started or locked in a vicious cycle of weight gain and weight loss – which can cause long-term heart damage and premature death.

Two of the most popular fad diet regimens we are talking about today are Keto and Whole30. Here is the difference between them and what science says about everyone.

Keto versus Whole 30

The main factors that distinguish the two diets are that the keto diet pushes people to eat less carbohydrates and increase their fat intake, while Whole30 focuses on the ban on junk food, sugar and a few other essential products. Here's how the basics break down:

The keto diet aims to cause ketosis in the body. It is in this state that the body burns fat as fuel rather than as carbohydrates. To do this, most keto diets recommend that people consume about 30 grams of carbohydrate a day, which means there is virtually no room for sugar, including natural sugars from fruits and vegetables.

Keto Dieters are encouraged to eat: Creamy and fatty foods such as avocados, oils, nuts, meat, eggs, cheese and cream, as well as some vegetables like kale and cauliflower.

The plan does not allow: A lot of carbs at all. Apples are essentially banned, as is milk (although cream and cheese are allowed because they are fatter and have less sugar). It is also difficult to eat vegetables like carrots in your diet because of their sugar content. The diet requires daily mental calculations to calculate the amount of protein, carbohydrate and fat that a person eats in order to make sure to maintain a ketosis state.

The Whole30 diet is often touted as a way to strengthen its relationship with food. This begins with a one – month "nutrition reset", in which all grains, sugars, breads, desserts, alcohol, dairy products, legumes and processed foods are prohibited.

Whole30 followers are encouraged to eat: Mainly homemade dishes consisting of vegetables, meat, eggs, fish and fruits.

This does not allow: Alcohol, bread (including gluten-free varieties), whole grains, beans, sugar, dairy products (including butter), legumes such as beans, peanuts, soy, MSG, processed snacks or comfort foods such as pancakes or desserts . It is also forbidden to weigh yourself during the first month.

But beyond these fundamental differences, there is another important distinction.

The ketogenic diet is a doctor-recommended strategy for some patients with obesity and epileptic seizures.

The ketogenic diet was first developed in the 1920s as a clinical strategy for treating epileptic seizures in children who did not respond to other treatments. The doctors found that the diet, which was intended to provide patients with between 70 and 80% of their daily calories from fat and very little (if any), carbohydrate, had altered the way their bodies processed food. . The results showed that changing dietary habits led to fewer seizures.

On a typical keto diet, it takes about five days after the diet high in fats and carbohydrates for people to enter a state of nutritional ketosis, in which the body runs on fat. It's the same survival mechanism that ignites when people are starving: the body is using more and more fat reserves.

A typical report of macronutrients on a ketone diet would be about 70 to 80% fat, about 15% protein and no more than 10% carbohydrates. A well-planned keto diet should include a large amount of fiber and other essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals in nuts and vegetables. It's radically different from what Whole30 approves.

Today, celebrities such as LeBron James and the Kardashian Sisters, as well as many Silicon Valley biohackers and some scientists, love this plan. Many followers say that it helps to reduce their appetite and eliminate brain fog. Some doctors have also begun to recommend the strategy for overweight and obese patients.

But the high-fat diet is not suitable for everyone: Keto diets are not recommended for people who have had kidney or liver problems. And we still do not know what the long-term health consequences of the plan are. Anyone thinking of trying keto – or any other restrictive diet – should talk with a doctor or dietitian before starting.

Whole30 was invented by a husband and his wife in 2009

The Whole30 plan makes a return to Instagram every time a new year or a season of swimwear announces.

Many people like his food reset a month. But Whole30 is not designed to be completely finished after 30 days. The idea is rather that after a first month of severe restriction, dieters begin to slowly reintroduce previously forbidden foods into their daily meal plans, deciding what their body prefers.

Nutritionists are generally skeptical about the Whole30 diet. The US News and World report regularly places this plan at the bottom of its annual diet chart because experts agree that it is extremely difficult to track. In addition, the diet excludes whole grains and healthy beans, which, according to research, are excellent sources of nutritious dietary fiber that help people stay full until the next meal. The fibers also help to maintain the immune system and reduce inflammation in the body, allowing fiber consumers to get rid of the disease and have less risk of developing cancer.

In short, Whole30 is not supported by science. One month is not enough to restore your digestive system, anyway.

"Thirty days is not enough time to extinguish systemic inflammation," said recently to Time Alessio Fasano, director of the Center for Research and Treatment of Celiac Disease at Mbadachusetts General Hospital.

Instead of Whole30, most nutritionists agree that herbal diets, centered on vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins (like beans) are the way to go.