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Keto or intermittent fasting: is either one right for you?

How keto and intermittent fasting work, who should be careful with them, and what to ask yourself before you start either one.

Faten Marji, Nutritionist · · 3 min read

As heard on Ain FMWatch on Instagram

I talked about keto and intermittent fasting on Ain FM. This is the longer version, for anyone thinking about trying one of them.

What keto is

A ketogenic diet cuts carbohydrates very low, usually to under 50 grams a day. With that little carbohydrate, the body starts burning mostly fat and making ketones for energy. Keto was first used in medicine in the 1920s to treat epilepsy, and it is still used for that today.

In a Jordanian kitchen, keto means no bread, no rice, almost no fruit, no potatoes and no sweets. Many of the lentil and chickpea dishes we rely on are out too. That rules out the rice in mansaf and maqluba, the khubz with breakfast and the dates after iftar. For most families that is a big change, and it is the main reason people find keto hard to keep up.

The first weeks can bring headaches, tiredness, nausea and constipation, often called the "keto flu". Keto is not safe for some people, including those with pancreatitis, liver failure or certain disorders of fat metabolism. If you take medication for diabetes or blood pressure, the doses may need to change once you cut carbohydrates, so your doctor has to know before you start.

What intermittent fasting is

Intermittent fasting is about when you eat. The most common version is 16:8, where you eat within an 8 hour window and fast for the other 16. Another is 5:2, where you eat normally five days a week and eat very little on two.

Most of us already know a form of this from Ramadan. The difference is that with intermittent fasting you can usually drink water and unsweetened tea or coffee during the fast.

Studies on intermittent fasting have found benefits for weight and blood sugar in some people. The results are mixed, though. In one trial, adults who ate within an 8 hour window for 12 weeks, without other changes, did not lose significantly more weight than a group eating three regular meals a day.

I would not try fasting without guidance if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, if you have had an eating disorder, or if you take insulin or other medication that lowers blood sugar. The same goes for children and teenagers.

So which one should you choose?

The one that suits your health and your life, and that you can keep doing. Before you start either one, ask yourself:

  • Could I go months without bread and rice, at home and at family gatherings?
  • What does my day look like? If dinner at home is at nine at night, an eating window that ends at six will not last.
  • Do I have a health condition, or take medication that a change in diet could affect?
  • Have strict diets made me feel worse about food in the past?

If your answers make you hesitate, you may do better with a plan built around the food you already eat, with smaller changes you can keep up.

Sources

Not sure which approach fits you? Send me a message on WhatsApp and we can look at your health and your routine together, at the clinic or online.

This article is general information, not personal medical advice. Talk to a professional before changing your diet, especially if you have a health condition.

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