10 Types of Low-Carb Diets

A low-carb diet has long been seen as a popular way of losing weight by eliminating carbohydrate-rich foods from the diet. While these diets were initially controversial, they are now accepted worldwide. It is believed that this diet is more effective in helping you lose weight than a low-fat diet. There are different types of low-carb diet plans. Here, we have listed out some of them for you:

1. Basic low-carb diet
This diet is flexible and is typically known as a carb-restricted diet or low-carb diet. Here, eating patterns are focused on cutting down on carbs and consuming protein-rich foods. So, you will eat more eggs, fish, meat, nuts, fruits, veggies, and healthy fats. On the other hand, the intake of sugary drinks, potatoes, grains, and junk food is strictly prohibited.

2. Ketogenic diet
This diet is now very popular because it is a high-fat and low-carb diet plan. It aims to put the body in ketosis, a metabolic condition where the body burns fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. Insulin levels fall, and much of the fatty acids are sent to the liver, where they are converted into ketones.

3. Atkins diet
This diet plan is, by far, the best known low-carb dietary alternative. It focuses on reducing the consumption of high-carb foods and eating more fats and proteins. The diet had been severely criticized earlier, but it is widely accepted as being both effective and safe now.

4. Low-Carb High-Fat (LCHF)
This low-carb and high-fat diet comprises of seafood, meats, eggs, vegetables, healthy fats, dairy foods, berries, nuts, and such. In simple terms, it includes mostly unprocessed and whole foods.

5. Low-carb Paleo diet
The Paleo diet is another popular diet that focuses on eating foods that were popular in the Paleolithic Era. The diet focuses on eating more fish, meat, vegetables, eggs, tubers, fruits, seeds, and nuts. A strict Paleo diet plan restricts you from added sugar, processed food, legumes, grains, and dairy products.

6. Eco-Atkins
This diet plan is the vegan version of the Atkins diet. It focuses on the intake of plant-based foods rich in fats or proteins, like soy, nuts, plant oils, and gluten. In this diet plan, 45% of calories are obtained from fats, 30% from proteins, and 25% from carbohydrates.

7. Zero-carb
The zero-carb diet is for people who are keen on eliminating all carbs from their meals. This diet focuses only on animal foods, so you will find eggs, meat, fish, and animal fats like lard and butter part of the meal plans.

8. Whole30
In this diet, you are instructed to consume only whole and unprocessed food, along with seafood, meat, veggies, fruits, and healthy fats for thirty days. You are required to avoid sugar in any form, whether it is in dairy, legumes, grains, or even alcohol. This is a radical diet that may help in weight loss, but it is not recommended for people with type-2 diabetes.

9. Low-carb Mediterranean diet
This low-carb diet comprises of traditional foods from the Mediterranean countries. It is believed to prevent breast cancer, heart problems, and diabetes. The Mediterranean diet focuses on eating fatty fish rather than red meat. Also, virgin olive oil is used for cooking instead of butter.

10. Dukan diet
This diet has 4 distinct phases and focuses on eating protein-rich foods, followed by vegetables, carb-rich foods like whole grains and fruits, and finally, items belonging to all food groups.