One diet is meat-heavy while the other eliminates all animal products. Both are touted as being effective in losing weight. But which one holds lasting results?
What is a keto diet?
The keto-(ketogenic) diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, relatively low-carbohydrate diet originally developed for epilepsy therapy throughout the 1920s. Today, the keto diet has become a popular diet for weight loss.
If the consumption of carbohydrates is very limited, as in the keto diet, and the body's glucose (glycogen) reserves run out, the body starts to break down fat in the form of ketone bodies to produce energy. This is called ketosis because as long as the consumption of carbohydrates is very minimal and ketones are used for fuel, the body will remain in this state of metabolism.
What is a vegan diet?
A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products, and other food containing animal ingredients, such as gelatin. Some vegans are also refusing honey.
People choose to go vegan for ethical reasons, animal rights, and the health advantages of eating a plant-based diet. According to Humane Society International, eating a meat-free diet will slash our water footprint by half. The processing of meat also causes more CO2 emissions and waste than growing plants.
And there is no doubt that eating a plant-based diet is related to longer life and decreased risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Research indicates that plant-based diets are low-cost, successful treatments for reducing body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar (A1c), and cholesterol levels.
Which diet is more sustainable?
Vegan diets exclude all animal products for nutritional, environmental, or ethical purposes. The keto diet keeps the intake of carbohydrates minimal (less than 5% of calories a day) but does not technically limit food groups as long as they fall into your carbohydrate spectrum.
Before choosing either, decide why you want to do so and whether it blends with your lifestyle. There are short-term and long-term effects of going vegan, including a decreased risk of infectious illnesses, not to mention a significant environmental effect. Keto is effective in the treatment of epilepsy in children and contributes to rapid weight loss. However, there is a shortage of research on people that adopt keto long-term.
Such problems include elevated cholesterol, not eating enough fruit and vegetables, fat build-up in the liver, and regaining weight due to the challenge of practicing keto for several months and years. Before choosing either diet, we strongly recommend that you consult with your doctor and a dietitian.
