Different Types of Ketogenic Diets

The articles I’ve written recently have introduced you to the Ketogenic Diet and its benefits. You may be surprised to know that there are actually different types of the Ketogenic Diet, all used for different reasons. In this article, I’m going to introduce you to these different versions of the diet.

Until researching the Keto Diet and trying to get my head around it all, I didn’t realise there were in fact different types. Each version is a slight variation on the standard version, and all are designed based on specific needs.

"The different types of the Keto Diet serve to deliver specific needs for individuals, while maintaining the benefits of the original Keto Diet."

It makes sense that we all have different nutritional requirements. An office worker trying to lose weight has different nutritional requirements to an elite athlete training for six hours a day, who has different nutritional requirements to a local gym-goer trying to put on muscles, who in turn, has different nutritional requirements to someone overcoming cancer.

The different types of the Keto Diet serve to deliver specific needs for individuals, while maintaining the benefits of the original Keto Diet.

Different Types of Ketogenic Diets

• Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD)
  This is the standard keto diet recommended for most people. And more often than not, this is the diet that people will start on. The SKD consists of 75 per cent fat, 20 per cent protein and 5 per cent carbohydrate.

  Protein intake is generally 1 gram for every kilogram of lean body mass.

  Carbohydrate intake is generally typically 20-50 grams total. This usually sits around 20-30 grams.

  Fat intake makes up the rest of your daily calories and has no limit.

• Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD)
  The TKD is designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts who participate in high intensity training on a regular basis. The idea is to consume carbs before and after a workout, providing your body with energy in the form of glucose, and burning that glucose off before it disrupts ketosis.

  This approach is best when the carbs are easily digestible, as is the case with high-glycemic foods such as fruit. A variation on this version is to consume carbs before the workout and instead of increasing carbs after the workout, increase protein instead. The purpose of this is to help with muscle recovery.

• Cyclic Ketogenic Diet (CKD) 
  The CKD is similar to the TKD, in that you consume carbs at various intervals. This method is designed for advanced athletes and fitness enthusiasts who need a significant boost to their carbohydrate intake for fuel. These athletes include endurance athletes, bodybuilders, powerlifters and professional sports people.

  The idea here is to follow a SKD for five days a week and then “carb-load” for the other two. The purpose is to replenish the glycogen lost from the muscles during high levels of physical activity.

• High-Protein Ketogenic Diet (HPKD)
  With a HPKD, you increase your protein intake by 10 per cent and reduce your healthy fat intake by 10 per cent.

  Increasing protein intake has been found to reduce hunger and studies have found that the HPKD is very effective at removing body fat, while maintaining lean muscle mass.

  To increase the fat burning effect, you would increase your protein intake from 1 gram for every kilogram of lean body mass to 1.5 grams for every kilogram of lean body mass. In the case of muscle hypertrophy, you could increase your protein intake to as much as 2 grams for every kilogram of lean body mass. However, this is on the high end and you should consider whether you need to consume this much protein.

• Restricted Ketogenic Diet (RKD)
  The RKD is used in medical settings to treat various forms of cancer. The RKD often begins with water only fasting for three days and involves a highly restricted overall caloric intake. This may be as little as 600 calories per day. In terms of carbohydrate, intake may be as little as twelve grams per day. This is all highly individualised though and if you want to undergo a RKD, you need to consult your doctor first.

  The medical research world is working to establish an industry standard for how many calories should be consumed on a RKD. Either way, there is growing evidence that a RKD can reduce the size and severity of cancer cells. In some cases, cancer cells decreased in size, and in others, no discernible cancer cells were even detected.

  Cancer cells feed off glucose. When glucose is not available in the body, cancer cells literally starve to death and die. Cancer cells cannot utilise ketones as an energy source, which healthy cells can.

The Keto Diet is much more than eating loads of fat, moderate amounts of protein and a small amount of carbohydrates. Understanding the Keto Diet is already hard enough so, if you’re just starting out, begin with simply eating more vegetables. However, if you want to try the Ketogenic Diet, begin with the Standard Ketogenic Diet. If you continue to have trouble losing weight, are an athlete training at an elite level, have a chronic lifestyle disease, or simply can’t overcome pain and discomfort, one of these alternative types of the Ketogenic Diet could actually be your answer.

Do you, or someone you know, fit into a category that could benefit from one of the alternative types of the Ketogenic Diet? What else would you like to know about it?

[Photo by Ursula Spaulding on Unsplash]