Mediterranean Diet Vs Keto Diet – what is the difference between the diets? Which is better for you? All you need to know about the differences to help you with your weight loss and health goals.
Mediterranean Diet Vs Keto Diet
When looking at the popular diets of Mediterranean Diet Vs Keto Diet, there are a number of key differences and important factors to consider when choosing an appropriate diet for the particular health benefits that you’re wanting to achieve.
Important Note – please consult with a Registered Dietitian or your healthcare provider of choice before starting a new diet to ensure you are in good overall health and stay that way through your diet journey.
Different Dietary Guidelines
On the surface the main differences being that the ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet with a much lower daily carb intake than the Mediterranean diet. A typical keto meal plan usually being between under 25 to 50 grams of net carbs a day for the average person.
While the Mediterranean diet is a moderate fat diet containing lots of whole grains, lean protein and fresh fruits, but no specific macronutrient limitations.
While all that is true it is not the full picture. So lets delve a little deeper into the two diet plans and see which diet is the better option for you.
Keto Explained
The ketogenic diet was originally designed for children suffering from epilepsy in the 1920’s as a way to reduce the number of seizures even when on antiseizure medication. Now it has gained popularity as a healthy way to quick weight loss and with long-term adherence helps control your body weight.
The keto or ketogenic part of the diet is so named as when on a very low carb diet for a period of time the body becomes in a state of nutritional ketosis. This means the body uses fats as its primary fuel source instead of glucose.
As your body uses the fat stores as fuel, the body releases acids called ketones which is measurable in the blood and to a less accurate degree in the urine measurable using keto test strips.
For some people the keto diet can achieve rapid weight loss and in the long run a diet very high in heathy fats and very low of carbs is fantastic to lower blood sugar, decrease blood pressure, plus, provide lots of other health benefits.
One of the issues with the keto diet is getting al the essential nutrients your body needs as some fruits can raise your blood sugar levels too high to remain in ketosis. For example fresh fruits such as bananas, apples, and dried fruits like raisins.
One other issue some people experience (at least initially) is the keto flu. This may happen as your body adapts to a daily intake of a high amount of fat and low amount of carbs and can last for around a week or so, but can be avoided by having enough electrolytes in the diet such salt, potassium (found in high amounts mushrooms) and chloride found in lots of leafy greens.
The good news is both these problems can be avoided with the correct planning and food intake as shown in the keto food list below.
The Keto Diet Macros
According to this study, below is the recommended macronutrient content of the keto diet:
10 – 15% Carbs which roughly translates as 20g-50g of carbs per day for most people
20 – 30 % Protein
60 – 70% Healthy Fats
Keto Healthy Benefits
- Weight loss
- Decreased insulin resistance and increased insulin sensitivity
- Anti-inflammatory effect in part due to berry consumption due to berries
- Good for the nervous system
- Help reduce visceral fat
- Lowers triglycerides , improves good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) and lowers bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein)
- Improves cardiovascular health as this study suggests
Foods Allowed On Keto Include:
- Meat
- Fish (especially fatty fish)
- Seafood
- Eggs
- Non-starchy vegetables
- Green leafy vegetables
- Berries
- Lemons, limes
- Coconut
- Nuts and seeds
- Full-fat diary
- Fats like butter, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, almond oil, peanut oil, sesame oil and fish oil.
- Water
- Bone broth
- Tea like herbal , green tea and black
- Distilled spirits
- Wines in limited amounts
Food To Avoid
- Sugared drinks like sweetened soda’s
- Dried fruits in high quantitates eg. dates, dried figs, raisins and apricots etc.
- Sugared
- Pastries
- Cookies
- Biscuits
- Sweetened yogurts
- Ice cream
- Starchy food – Bread, pastas
- Legumes
- Whole grains like quinoa porridge
- Rice
- No vegetable oils
A keto diet plan has the ultimate goal of keeping carbohydrate intake low enough to get into a state of ketosis while providing all the nutrition you need. Some dieters even measure ketone bodies or ketone levels using keto test strips.
Mediterranean Diet Explained
The Mediterranean diet is based off the traditional eating habits of countries in the Mediterranean region or Mediterranean Basin which, border the Mediterranean Sea such as Greece, Italy, Croatia, France and Spain
Whilst there is no definitive definition of the Mediterranean diet there is a general consensus among researchers that the Mediterranean diet can be good in helping in the prevention of heart disease and heart health in general.
The Mediterranean diet may also help with chronic disease, encourage weight loss, has anti-inflammatory properties and may even help with sleep.
What can you eat on the Mediterranean diet?
As mentioned earlier there no clear rules. However, a table compiled by a literature review of the Mediterranean diet found a list of the following foods.
Foods Allowed
- Olive oil
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Bread and cereals
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Fish/Seafood
- Eggs
- Poultry
- Dairy products
- Red meat
- Red wine
The reported macronutrient composition or macros of the Mediterranean diet are approximately 37% Fat, 43% Carbohydrate and around 20% Protein.
As you can see from the above list the Mediterranean diet keeps processed foods to a minimum and is high in whole foods and especially whole grains. Making it quite the contrast to low-carbohydrate diets such as the ketogenic diet.
Some studies suggest that following the Mediterranean diet can lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
One study on the effects of the Mediterranean diet on Type II diabetes mellitus suggests there may be a beneficial effect on monitoring blood glucose levels, though the finding were inconclusive.
There are suggestions that the Mediterranean diet may help with concentration and brain function. One study points to an association between the Mediterranean diet and brain cognition, though the findings do not point a a clear cause and effect relationship.
Mediterranean Diet Vs Keto – Which Is The Best Diet?
So, what’s the best diet for you? With the biggest difference being carb intake, it’s really up to you how low you’re prepared to go both in the short and long term.
You may even prefer to swap from one to the other and back again over time as it suits your own goals and circumstances.
Low Carb Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Here are some recipes to give you taste of the best of both of the most popular diets.
Breakfast – start your day with a cheesy or veggie filled keto breakfast hash as pictured above, fried eggs, scramble or omelette. (Here are omelette ideas.) Or, you could make a chia pudding or smoothie with low carb Mediterranean ingredients.
Salad – there are so many nutritious salads that are both keto and Mediterranean diet friendly. Choose from spinach and pine nut salad, creamy broccoli salad, Halloumi salad and avocado and feta salad.
Soup – a warming bowl of soup makes a hearty meal any time of the day and an easy way to include plenty of healthy vegetables in your diet. Choose from cauliflower soup, vegetable soup, zucchini soup and broccoli and cheese soup.
Fish and Seafood – include smoked salmon or tuna with your breakfast or lunch meal or make a tuna mornay, tuna salad or a cheesy tuna broccoli casserole.
Chicken – there are a number of tasty chicken meals that are both keto and Mediterranean diet friendly. Choose from Keto Fried Chicken, Chicken Bake and Crispy Chicken Thighs.
More Low-Carb Diet Inspiration
10 Keto Desserts That Actually Taste Good
Disclaimer – this post is meant for informational post only and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult with your health professional before making any dietary changes.
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