keto meal prep recipe ideas

HFLC Diet vs. Keto Diet -What's The Difference

High Fat Low Carb (HFLC) Diet vs. Keto Diet -What's The Difference

Most of us have heard of a High Fat Low Carb (HFLC) diet and its effects and benefits in losing weight, but less of us might have heard of the Keto Diet and how that can have great benefits to our bodies-and for several more reasons than just losing weight! It’s a pretty fascinating topic and we are going to explore it here.

What is a Keto Diet?

A Keto diet is very similar to a HFLC diet and some consider them the same. But there are differences; some very BIG differences, in fact. A HFLC diet allows for more carbohydrates on your plate each day (about 50-150 grams is still considered low carb), while a keto diet allows for only 5-8% (approx. 20-45 grams) of your daily intake to come from carbohydrates and the rest to come from healthy fats (75%) and protein (20%). The goal in dividing up your calories this way is of putting your body into “ketosis” for quicker weight loss.

How does this work?

What is the state of ketosis and why do you want your body to “go there”? Typically, for the average person, glucose is the fuel that keeps us going each day. Carbohydrates (generally our starchy foods like pasta, potatoes, rice, cereal, bread, and corn, etc.), while tasting great, turns directly into glucose in our bodies after consumption. Our bodies feed on that glucose for energy and we generally, if this is our habit of eating, will run great for a while until we have some more carbohydrates (glucose) to rev us up again. Your body will basically burn those carbs (which turned into sugar) for energy. BUT, if you limit your carbohydrates to around 5% and fill up the rest of your meals with healthy fats and high-quality proteins, your body will automatically go into ketosis deriving its energy from the fats in ketone bodies in your blood instead of glucose. This develops a new and efficient metabolic state where you become a fat burning machine rather than a sugar burning machine. You will be burning your own body fat while you sleep!!

Are there benefits other than weight loss?

Yes! There are several more:

More and more research is suggesting that having a ketogenic diet can help in fighting cancer in the body. Cancer cells thrive on sugar, but science has been discovering that when sugar is not available, cancer cells can not live on fat. To take away the sugar is, in essence, starving those cells and they will die.

Fighting Type 2 Diabetes is another big pro of going ketogenic. People that suffer from Type 2 Diabetes have an overproduction of insulin making them resistant to this sugar regulating hormone. That is why another name for this type of diabetes is Insulin Resistance. It is well documented that carbohydrate intake is the main culprit. Insulin tells the body whether to store calories as fat or burn fat as energy. Making this diet change has helped millions of type 2 diabetics.

Protection from the risks associated with heart disease and stroke is another benefit of the Keto Diet. By decreasing foods that are known to cause inflammation (ie. carbohydrates), you are also reducing your risk for heart disease. Some have worried that increasing healthy fats will increase cholesterol and clog arteries. In fact, there is much evidence that it does just the opposite.

Are there any drawbacks?

There are some. Some people find it very difficult to decrease carbohydrates drastically especially if it was the majority of calories in the diet previously. Any big change requires time to transition, but by focusing on all the health benefits should strengthen willpower and resolve in the adjustment phase.

The Ketogenic “flu” has been known to be a part of the adaptation process. If you experience it, it usually lasts between 1-2 weeks. Symptoms can be varied, but the main ones associated with it are fatigue, weakness, changes in  bowel movements...basically flu-like symptoms. Remember, that your body is making a huge change in how it uses the food you eat. It is actually totally changing your metabolism!

As with all big changes, notifying and getting your doctor’s recommendations is highly encouraged by Meal Prep On Fleek. But other than that, if you are ready to give it a try, here are some meal ideas to get you started:

Deli Snack Box

Garlic Butter Brazilian Steak

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Bacon & Tomato Stuffed Avocado

Chicken Stuffed Avocado recipe

Cream Cheese & Salami Keto Pinwheels

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Spicy Mustard Thyme Chicken With Coconut Brussels Sprouts 

Spicy Mustard Thyme Chicken & Coconut Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Check out these other 25 Keto Friendly Meal Prep Recipes for more inspiration!

HFLC Diet Keto Diet Recipes

5 Comments

  1. As a T1 diabetic (I must take insulin to regulate my blood sugars) I found that i can't do strict keto - the very low carbs are just too tricky to deal with and I ended up having to correct low sugars every day (by eating fast acting sugar.) That said, I am having success sticking to LCHF - about 50 - 70 carbs per day. I eat a few grain products - melba toast instead of bread, a bowl of popcorn (one small bowl) in the evening before dinner. Works for me, and since I can't find much about T1's and this kind of eating online, I figure we have to make it up as we go -

    1. It's only been a short time since you posted, but have you noticed any changes in how you feel or in your diabetes status yet?

  2. I'll say!! My energy levels are way up, and my overnight sugars are far more level (I'm on multiple daily injections rather than a pump so this is just great) Plus, I just had my bi-annual endo visit. Until now, I've struggled to get my A1c down to and below 7 - the best I've done was 6.7 - but last week my A1c was 5.7!!! That is almost in the normal range! All my other markers are great too - blood pressure, cholesterol (to be fair, I've always had good cholesterol numbers) and I've lost 10 lbs since I began. (I'm 66 so this is also significant - I've been trying to get rid of those 10 lbs for over 10 years.) I've been eating LCHF since January and my doctor and I are both very pleased with the results!

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