Keto, Plant-Based, & Intermittent Fasting: The 3 Most Searched Diets

Keto, vegan, and intermittent fasting are the top 3 most popular google searched diets in

America right now.

Let’s dive deeper into these diets and clear some things up! We will never know EVERYTHING, but we should all prioritize learning our bodies, knowing our health history, trying new things to find what works in the healthiest effective ways, and learn more about diets/exercise/different ways of doing things so we can have a vast mind- free of ignorance & judgement.

Low Carb Diets

There is not an agreed-upon definition of a low carb diet (LCD). Studies typically deem 40% or less carbs of total diet to be a LCD. Many argue it should be much lower like 20% or less.

· LCD’s have shown to benefit fat loss but seem not to be superior to a diet with the same protein & calorie intake, but higher carbs.

· It appears when wanting to lose fat, it more-so matters the total calorie intake vs. just being low carb/low fat.

So why do low carbs appear to work amongst the general public? Keep in mind we are speaking about everyone- not just those who track calories/macros. When someone lowers their carb intake -naturally they can unintentionally eat more protein. Protein gives us more feeling of fullness and can lead to reduced calorie intake. Also, a lot of yummy and ultra-processed foods (like my reece’s puffs, rice krispy treats and cheeze-its) are typically high in carbs-lowering carbs can mean we eat a lot less of these foods. Less calories, better portion control…and you will lose weight.

Overall, LCD’s can be a safe diet approach to lose body fat, improve your nutrition, and live a healthier lifestyle. However, there is not a superior fat-loss over other dietary approaches (based on same calories in total, and protein intake) The real impact is dependent on the foods selected and not just the macros.

Keto Diets

Keto diets consume a large % of calories from fat, moderate protein, and very low carb. This puts the body in a state of ketosis. Ketosis is a natural metabolic state that occurs when the body starts producing ketones from fat. The body uses ketones as a fuel source to generate energy in place of glucose, as it becomes scarce.

Starvation Ketosis occurs when you don’t eat enough calories/energy. This can happen if you are in a deficit. Keto typically has your carbs at less than 50grams per day (5% of total calories), moderate protein (20%-30% of total calories), and the rest fat (65%-75% of total calories)

Long term keto can help you lose weight better than traditional low-fat diets and other control diets, but again does not lead to more fat loss than a non-keto diet when calorie intake & protein are the same. You can also gain muscle on keto, but the results may be inferior to those achieved on higher carbs.

Keto may lead to faster decrease in calories just like the low carb diet-food preference, higher protein, less processed foods. Many people can safely keto, assuming they consume mostly whole, minimally processed foods, & include micronutrients & fiber. However, it is important to be aware of any side effects from the diet, get regular blood work, and consult with a doctor to make sure everything inside you is getting what it needs!

High Protein

25% or more of total calories from protein, or more than .54g per pound of body weight. Strong evidence shows multiple benefits in the range of .5-.8g per pound. Current evidence shows spreading out your protein more evenly throughout meals vs. random higher/lower protein meals has more benefits. Try to aim for 20-40grams of protein in each meal.

Some may have concerns of eating too much protein and having harmful effects on the kidney and liver-however, according to studies, even consuming higher than recommended protein does not show to cause any harmful effects on blood lipids & kidney function.

If you have pre-existing kidney or liver issues or are concerned-talk with your doctor about eating more protein and get current bloodwork.

Another important factor of protein consumption is quality. It’s no secret that less processed foods are best. Protein should be sourced from minimally processed foods such as lean cuts of meat, eggs, dairy, produce, and vegetable sources like legumes, dry beans, dry peas, cow peas, pigeon peas, lupins, lentils, fava beans, and chickpea.

Plant Based: Vegan/Vegetarian

A vegan diet consists of all plant-based foods with no animal products. (meat, fish, eggs, and dairy)

Research shows that vegans & vegetarians have reduced risk of heart disease & cancer.

Research consistently shows associations between processed meat consumption & cancer risk, particularly colon cancer risk. However, when it comes to meat it is very likely the effects differ from consuming unprocessed meats (fresh or butchers cuts) vs. processed meat products (sausage, salami, etc.)

Vegan diets can show improvement in blood glucose levels in diabetics, but they are not superior to other diets. Some things to consider when trying plant-based diets:

· Protein intake-with limited high protein sources, it is easy to fall short. Especially for those looking to gain muscle, develop their physique, & recover from exercise. I love vegan protein and highly recommend having this on hand vegan or not. For me I can digest it vs whey protein causes bloating/inflammation.

· Protein Quality- when it comes to growing & repairing muscle (protein synthesis), vegan proteins are inferior to animal protein due to poorer amino acid profile. Ways to improve this area is eating more plant proteins, supplement additional amino acids, & combining plant proteins in a meal.

· Vitamin B12- lack of meat can put you at risk for being deficient in B12. Supplementing is recommended.

· Omega 3 Fatty Acids- The most potent essential omega-3 fats can be found in fatty fish like salmon & mackerel. Plant-based options do not contain the 2 best Omega-3 acids (DHA & EPA) that are found in fatty fish (like hemp seeds, walnuts, and chia seeds- check out my last blog post for more info!) You can supplement with vegan-friendly EPA & DHA.

· Calcium- diets lacking dairy typically result in being low on calcium. Leafy green vegetables are a great plant-based calcium source.

· Iron- meat contains heme iron. Plant-based foods can have non-heme iron, meaning vegans might need even higher iron intakes to be at a healthy level. The institute of medicine recommends an intake of 1.8x more iron than non-vegan/vegetarians.

· Creatine- red meat, poultry, and fish are the best sources of creatine. Creatine benefits performance in exercise. Studies show creatine can also help prevent age-related muscle & strength loss and can reduce risk related to neurological disorders.

Plant-based diets are usually associated with being healthier when compared to other diets. All diets are dependent on food choices. Vegan diets that consist of mostly whole, fresh, fruits, veggies, legumes, and nuts will be superior to a vegan diet made up of processed foods but eliminates animal products. If consuming a plant-based diet, be conscience of getting in micronutrients through diet and supplements. (Previous blog dives deeper into this)

Intermittent Fasting

Fasting is achieved by consuming zero to minimal amounts of calories for periods that can range from 12 hours to 3 weeks. There are multiple ways to structure fasting diets.

Any fasting/time restrictions are neither good nor bad in terms of losing weight/gaining muscle. What matters is total calorie consumption, food sources, micronutrients, and consistency.

If you have never fasted before, be aware of possibly experiencing dizziness, mood changes, and other symptoms. Overtime if this eating structure works for you, things like that lessen.

My experience with fasting has been pretty good, but I will share some positives and negatives!

For about a solid year I did intermittent fasting using a 12-8 window for feeding. I did try 1-7/8 for a while but that caused a lot of negatives mentally and I did not feel good waiting that long. I have done fasting windows over many years and tried different things. Currently I do not adhere to any structure like that, I eat less in the morning than later in the day but overall, I eat based on my activity level and personal goals. Personally, I am very active in life. I have an active job doing hair, I usually do some form of exercise after waking up weather that be LISS cardio or training. So, waiting to eat is not healthy. If you are burning calories very early you should be eating properly to fuel and recover your body. Diet is so important, but the structure should not hinder your health/progress.

What I liked was it helped me not think about food/mindless snacking at night. That really is the area that needed to have some control in, so stopping food consumption around 7/8 benefited me because that is when I would get the munchies and not just have a little treat hahaha! I also liked waking up and not having to think about breakfast because my morning time is busy so moving that first meal to a later time gave me more time to do the things I wanted to do. I also like how clean I felt waking up internally. I wasn’t bloated from late night snacking, I would always drink a lot of water/tea, and I just felt light. Some days I would for sure wake up hungry, especially around my cycle, or if I trained hard the day before. I did widen my windows during my cycle, I personally do not think fasting for women is the healthiest overall and especially not during your cycle. Total opinion here, but it is also based on a lot of personal research & years of experience. I did not start fasting before I researched for weeeeeks, making sure I was reading content on women to get all the information I could on how it affects hormones, your cycle, sleep, mood etc.

Negatives would be mostly mental. I did have some dizziness/faint feelings from time to time when I would be hungry, most likely blood sugar related but I never got tests done to state any facts. Mentally I remember a lot of the time looking at the clock when it would be close to time to eat and literally wouldn’t eat until it was the exact time. Like not 60 seconds before. I do have OCD and timing of things & counting are related to that. I also think that control of eating fed my OCD but not in a productive way, I feel it gave into how OCD can have too much control over my mindset. So, after playing with fasting for a few years I continued it through quarantine to make sure I kept my physique & diet in check with no gym and the world ending, it did help me feel some normalcy during that time, I have not been practicing the past 2 years and for sure not when prepping for bikini competition.

Currently I am not super hungry right when I wake up, but I try to eat based on my activity. If I worked out early/did cardio then I eat based on that, my genuine feeling of hunger, and my work/training schedule. It is more important to practice food timing & macro/calorie tracking rather than timing restriction. It is also easier to carry that with you on vacations, with life changes, unexpected things happening, etc. However, research it yourself and try it! If you are struggling with your diet like I was when I first started fasting, it can help you gain control and eliminate unnecessary calories.

Just be honest with yourself whenever you are dieting or trying new things. Why you are or why you are not eating, track your calories/food diary to ensure you are eating properly & enough, and it is okay to stop at any time and try something else if you experience negative effects! The goal should be to find a way of eating that you can stick to long term. When you are losing or gaining weight, the amount of what you eat will change but, if you have a healthy relationship with food then these changes are not painful, you know what to expect, and you can find healthy ways to enjoy treats even when losing weight!