Mediterranean Diet vs Keto – Overview
Mediterranean Diet Vs Keto – Millions of people worldwide now follow a healthy lifestyle, thanks to social media and health & fitness influencers.
However, when choosing between these two world-famous weight-loss diet plans, it’s better to know the pros and cons first.
Because every diet has specific terms and conditions, you can’t ignore any guidelines to get the desired results.
Choosing a Mediterranean or Ketogenic diet plan for your overall well-being can be daunting, as the Mediterranean diet promises reduced bad cholesterol levels (LDLs) and the Keto diet is praised for quick weight loss.
Mediterranean Diet Vs. Keto – The Differences
Mediterranean and Keto diets are healthy eating plans, perfect for people wishing to lose weight.
While the Ketogenic diet plan shows weight loss results in a few weeks or months, the Mediterranean diet results are slow.
The Mediterranean diet is a balanced diet appreciated by many dietitians and health experts.
The diet primarily focuses on the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and seafood. You can have dairy and eggs in a limited quantity.
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat low-carb eating plan with a lot of restrictions.
This diet plan is one of the best practices for maintaining body weight and is praised more by those who wish for a quick weight loss method.
| Mediterranean Diet | Keto Diet | |
|---|---|---|
| What Should Be Consumed? | Fruits & vegetables in higher amount, Legumes, whole grains, lentils, & nuts, Extra-virgin olive oil, Seafood and fish, Herbs & spices seasoning, Dairy, eggs, & poultry (limited quantity), Wine (limited quantity), Saturated fats (infrequently) | Fat-rich meat and fish (bacon, steak, salmon), Extra-virgin olive oil, Cauliflower, avocado, berries, & broccoli, Almonds and nut butter, Dairy products |
| What Should be Avoided? | Foods rich in fats, Processed meat, Red meat, Processed foods, Sugar, Plant-based cooking oils | Fruits & starchy vegetables, Lentils, legumes, beans, & peas, Rice, corn, wheat, & cereal, Sugar and honey |
| Health Benefits | Reduced risks of coronary heart disease, Lowering bad cholesterol levels (LDLs), Taking care of the blood pressure, Maintaining the health of the body's vascular system, Easy to follow | Reducing the risk of seizures, Ideal for quick weight loss, Improving metabolic health, Treating epilepsy |
Now that you know the differences and similarities between Mediterranean and keto diets, making the right decision will be much easier.
Let’s share some more knowledge on the topic before you choose.
Why the Mediterranean Diet?
The Mediterranean diet is a Mediterranean-style eating technique followed by people worldwide for health and overall well-being.
The primary reason people choose this diet plan is that it promises minimal risks of coronary heart disease while keeping the body weight balanced.
Maximum people choose the Mediterranean diet plan because it’s simple, flavorful, and covers an extensive range of cuisines.
The primary food in this diet is seafood (mainly fish), fruits, veggies, whole grains, olive oil, and wine.
While following this popular diet plan, you have to replace red meat with oily fish (or your favorite seafood) and plant-based cooking oils with extra-virgin olive oils.
This low-carb meal plan takes good care of bad cholesterol levels (LDLs) by keeping things balanced.
The diet plan also promises reduced risks of coronary heart disease and blood pressure.
Why choose the keto diet over the Mediterranean diet
Why the Keto Diet?
The ketogenic or keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat weight-loss meal plan.
A keto-style eating pattern is specifically followed by people who want rapid weight-loss results. It is one of the most popular diet plans followed worldwide and has many restrictions.
The Keto diet restricts your carb intake, which shifts your body to a ketosis state (a metabolic state to produce ketones) and burns the fat from the body.
The diet allows you to consume fat-rich foods such as chicken, bacon, steak, fatty meat, and seafood.
You can also eat fat-rich dairy products (yogurt and butter) in this meal plan, which is missing from the Mediterranean diet.
However, most fruits and vegetables are to be avoided in this diet, which people love about the Mediterranean meal plan.
This diet plan balances your low-carb intake with high protein, fats, and fiber.
See Also
Low Cholesterol Meal Plan with Grocery List