keto vs intermittent fasting
The keto diet and intermittent fasting are both effective in weight loss, and other health benefits but they affect the body in a different way.
The keto diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, and fat-rich diet that can be too restrictive for some people. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves alternating periods of not eating with periods of regular food consumption.
Intermittent fasting can be done anywhere from 12 hours to 48 hours and more, which lets you have food every other day or every two days.
The keto diet is more popular for its quick weight loss effects and its ability to maintain energy levels while intermittent fasting provides different long-term health benefits such as lowering cholesterol levels.
In this article we will discuss the difference and similarities between the keto diet and intermittent fasting. And try to find out which is the best option for you.
What is the Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that is known for its ability to cause weight loss. In the keto diet, we restrict carb intake. By doing this simple change in our food habits we change the metabolism in our body, which helps us to reduce extra fat in our body and stay healthy.
How Does the Ketogenic Diet Work?
In the ketogenic diet carbohydrate intake is restricted to a minimum amount. When the body does not get a sufficient amount of carbohydrates it has to rely on fats in the body.
Carbohydrate breaks down as glucose in the liver. The body uses these glucose molecules as energy.
In the keto diet when we limit our carb intake, the body does not get sufficient amounts of glucose.
It has to find another source. That alternative source is fat in the body.
From fat cells, our body gets Ketones which is an alternative to glucose. This process is called ketosis.
Ketones are the main source of energy for the body in the absence of glucose and carbs, which are typically broken down into sugar by the liver. The accumulation of ketones in the blood leads to metabolic changes that break down fat stores in the body.
The goal of this diet is to induce ketosis by lowering carbohydrate intake and limiting insulin production. What this does is it forces your body to use fats as fuel instead of glucose because it can’t get enough from your food intake alone.
What are the Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet can help you lose weight, reduce inflammation, increase energy levels, and improve health.
Some of the benefits of keto include:
1. Weight loss:
2. Reducing inflammation:
3. Increased energy levels:
4. Improved health:
These are only a few benefits. There are many health benefits of the ketogenic diet. If you want to learn more about the benefits of the keto diet please read the article 10 reasons why the keto diet is more healthy than you think.
Who Can Benefit from the Ketogenic Diet?
The keto diet is best for people who want to lose weight and don’t want to spend hours in the gym or doing physical exercise and People who are not very inclined to fasting.
Not only for weight loss, but ketogenic diets are also excellent for people with epilepsy, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and who are pretty much anyone who deals with insulin resistance or diabetes issues because it emphasizes moving away from sugars and carbohydrates toward fats.
The ketogenic diet is also beneficial for athletes because it helps them build muscle by converting what they eat into energy instead of storing it as fat.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a popular dietary pattern that has been shown to have various health benefits. It involves eating within a specific time frame and abstaining from food outside of it.
We all practice intermittent fasting in different ways. It may seem unbelievable but it is true. Let me explain. The gap between dinner and breakfast is an intermittent fast. The matter of fact is that a gap between any meal is a form of intermittent fasting.
Theoretically, it may be true but it is medically proven that to get the maximum health benefit of fasting you have to do more than 12 hours of fasting.
16 hour 20 hour 24 hour and 48-hour fasting are some of the popular intermittent fasting windows.
Even some people do 7 to 14 days of fasting. . Yes that is true. They only drink water Nothing else in this fasting period.
How does Intermittent Fasting Work?
An intermittent fasting diet is a form of dietary restriction that cycles between periods of eating and fasting. Intermittent fasting has been shown to have profound effects on the human body, including weight loss, reduced disease risks, and slowing down the aging process.
Intermittent fasting works similarly to the keto diet, especially in the process of ketosis. By restricting foods we force our body to generate ketones.
When we eat food, the carbohydrates in food are broken down into glucose.
In the intestines, it is absorbed, then transported to different organs in the bloodstream. Glucose is a key source of energy for cells throughout the body, which convert it into ATP for immediate use or store it in the form of glycogen and fats.
When we don’t eat for a longer time and there is no glucose available in our body. At this moment the liver uses glycogen. To provide the body with energy, glycogen is converted to glucose.
Usually, it takes around 10 to 12 hours to use up all of the reserve glycogen stores. For an active person, it may take less time.
Once the reserve of glycogen in the liver runs out, the body taps into energy stores which are in fat cells. The body uses these fat cells as free fatty acids for energy.
If you increase the fasting time long enough the body burns the extra fat for energy in the body. Several benefits can be gained from losing excess fat.
Please read this article How Does Intermittent Fasting Works to learn more.
Similarities between the keto diet and intermittent fasting
The keto diet, or ketogenic diet, is a low-carb, diet designed to help you lose weight. The intermittent fasting diet is an eating pattern in which you limit your food intake to a particular window of time each day.
Mostly there are many differences between the keto diet and intermittent fasting but there are a few similarities also
- keto diet and intermittent fasting both are intended to make the body more efficient at burning the extra fat.
- The keto diet and intermittent fasting both restrict food intake in different forms.
- keto diet and intermittent fasting both do not require you to do exercise. although doing exercise will always be beneficial for both the process
- Studies show that the keto diet and intermittent fasting both are beneficial for many autoimmune diseases like diabetes and heart disease
Difference Between Ketogenic Diet and Intermittent Fasting.
Both diets are intended to give your body time to rest and digest, so it’s not surprising that they have some similarities.
However, there are also differences in their approach. For example, people on a keto diet can consume more than twice the amount of protein as people on an intermittent fasting regimen. The two diets also differ in their recommended carbohydrate intake levels; with keto diets advocating for higher levels of carbohydrate intake while intermittent fasting usually advocates for lower levels.
- The keto diet emphasizes more on what to eat, the other hand intermittent fasting focuses on when to eat not what to eat.
- In the keto diet, we restrict carb intake and make our body produce ketones as the main energy fuel. In intermittent fasting, we emphasize reducing insulin in the bloodstream.
- Although the keto diet proves to be very healthy, new research shows that intermittent fasting is much more beneficial for not only weight loss but also for overall health
- For beginners starting with the keto diet is the best option because it will make your body ready for keto adaptation, which will help you to fast for a longer time. Intermittent fasting is better for those who have done the keto diet for a few weeks or months.
Is Ketogenic Diet or Intermittent Fasting Better?
Now the question is which is better for you. Ketogenic Diet and Intermittent Fasting can both be beneficial in their own right, depending on your goals.
Choosing one over the other is difficult. They are equally very effective in weight loss. However, in the long run, intermittent fasting is much more fruitful for overall health.
There have also been a number of studies that suggest that intermittent fasting produces better results than a ketogenic diet.
But you have to consider the fact that the keto diet is the first step toward intermittent fasting. Without doing the keto diet for a few weeks or months, your body will not be prepared for prolonged intermittent fasting.
Keto diet requires you to constantly think about the foods that you are eating. How much carbs, protein and fat are you taking? It is also not very expensive compared to intermittent fasting.
Ketogenic diet is also very time consuming because it requires prepared foods with special ingredients. You have to always look at the food level to find out the quantity of carbs, fats and proteins.
It is too much energy and attention you have to give for a keto lifestyle. The only rewarding thing is that you can eat anytime.
On the other hand intermittent fasting is inexpensive. It’s free. You don’t have to buy anything. You don’t have to find recipes. You don’t have to think about food. All you have to do is set the time for fasting every day. Thats all.
The best way to find out what works for you is to go through both of the processes. Every one is different. Their body, mental structure, food habits are unique. So there can not be any universal rule.
If you are not pregnant or using any medication you should try the keto diet for the first few weeks. Make your body keto-adapted. Then when you are comfortable with the keto diet you can start intermittent fasting.
see it yourself. What feels good for you, what makes you more comfortable both phigically and emotionally.
Generally a little bit of keto diet with daily intermittent fasting is the best way to start your weight loss journey. It is the most effective and fastest way to burn extra fat .
Instead of choosing one of the two processes, the best thing should be to follow keto and intermittent fasting at the same time. when you combine the two you are helping your body to accelerate your weight loss results.
When you eat, insulin is secreted into your bloodstream.
Lipoprotein lipase is an enzyme found inside fat cells that are activated when insulin is high.
It is this enzyme that allows fatty acids to come inside your fat cells and get converted into the stored form of fat called triglycerides. so the
High insulin levels cause fat storage to ramp up.
It is important to eat in a way that does not spike insulin. It can be accomplished by making smart food choices and combining the keto diet with intermittent fasting.
Maintaining healthy insulin levels by following a low-carb diet prevents fat storage. When fat is not being stored it can be released making weight loss possible. With intermittent fasting there’s no food coming in so insulin never goes up and that is how a low carb diet coupled with intermittent fasting reduces body fat. At the beginning of a fast, insulin levels are naturally low. When you start eating again, you want to keep insulin low by limiting carbs.
Remember, if you have any medical condition please talk to your Doctor before starting the keto diet or Intermittent Fasting. In general, the keto diet and intermittent fasting are both beneficial for the body’s overall health. However, if you are pregnant or taking any medication, you should consult a doctor.
