Keto vs. Atkins: Which Diet Is Healthier?

Keto vs. Atkins—which diet is healthier? 

While both keto and Atkins diets are popular low-carb meal plans that have helped many people lose weight, Atkins has raised concerns about its sustainability and long-term health effects.

Explore the main differences between keto and Atkins, and learn why a nutritious, low-carb Healthy Keto® diet may be the best choice to promote health and well-being. 

What is the Atkins diet? 

The Atkins diet, introduced by Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1970s, challenged the popular low-fat diet trend by promoting a high-fat, high-protein, and low-carb approach to weight loss.

The diet is structured in four phases, starting with a low-carb induction phase that limits intake to 20 grams of carbohydrates daily to jumpstart weight loss.

It then progresses through weight loss, pre-maintenance, and maintenance phases, gradually reintroducing and adjusting carb intake to help individuals identify their carbohydrate tolerance.

The Atkins diet also offers three intensity levels: Atkins 20, Atkins 40, and Atkins 100. Each level corresponds to a specific carb limit designed to meet individual needs and health goals. 

By reducing carbohydrates, Atkins aims to shift the body into the metabolic fat-burning state of ketosis, where dietary and stored fat is used as the primary fuel source for the body.

Carbohydrates trigger blood sugar spikes and the release of insulin, a critical hormone responsible for moving glucose into cells. 

While insulin is critical for blood sugar control, it directly inhibits fat burning and stimulates fat storage. This explains why low-carb diets are more effective in achieving lasting weight loss than high-carb diets. 

However, Atkins emphasizes high protein intake and frequent snacking, which can lead to frequent spikes in insulin, making it more difficult to maintain effective fat-burning with this dietary approach. 

Furthermore, a vital component of the Atkins approach is its reliance on branded Atkins products, such as dessert-themed snacks, shakes, and protein bars. 

These ultra-processed foods rely heavily on artificial ingredients, additives, and preservatives, which can disrupt insulin balance and negatively impact metabolic health.

Watch the video below to learn more about the problems associated with a high-protein diet.

What is keto?

The ketogenic, or keto diet, was first introduced in the 1920s as a strict therapeutic tool for treating epilepsy and seizures. 

This version, referred to as the medicinal classic keto diet, focuses on drastically reducing carbohydrate intake to induce ketosis, limiting daily carb intake to around two percent of total daily calories.

When not used medically, many people follow a more achievable standard keto diet. This involves reducing carbohydrates to no more than 50 grams of net carbs daily while consuming moderate amounts of protein and obtaining the majority of daily calories from fat.

By minimizing carb intake and maintaining moderate amounts of protein, keto helps maintain steady insulin levels, which enables the body to burn fat effectively.

The longer the body remains in ketosis, the more efficient it becomes at using fat as fuel, a process known as fat adaptation. This increased efficiency makes the keto diet a practical strategy for sustainable weight management.

Ketosis not only aids in weight loss but also offers several impressive health benefits, such as better blood sugar control, fewer food cravings, improved mental clarity, and increased energy levels.

However, if not carefully planned, a ketogenic diet can increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies, especially if it overlooks food quality and vegetable intake, which provide essential nutrients and fiber.

In addition, many first-time keto dieters rely on processed foods, only considering fat and carb intake and not the nutritional value of foods, which can lead to deficiencies and trigger symptoms such as the keto flu.

This underscores the importance of following a nutritious low-carb diet plan such as Healthy Keto. 

This advanced version of the keto diet highlights the necessity of consuming nutrient-dense, low-carb foods from high-quality sources while avoiding ultra-processed ingredients. 

Furthermore, Healthy Keto advocates 7 to 10 cups of organic, non-genetically modified (GMO), low-carb vegetables daily and prioritizes pasture-raised meat, wild-caught fatty fish, grass-fed dairy and eggs, and healthy fats from coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and avocados. 

Atkins vs. keto: how are they different?

While keto and Atkins reduce carb intake, they differ significantly in their macronutrient requirements and dietary structure.

The Atkins diet starts with a low-carb protocol similar to a standard keto diet but gradually increases carbohydrate intake in later phases, which can hinder fat-burning and interfere with ketosis.

Atkins also encourages unlimited protein and periodic snacking, which can contribute to insulin release and the associated negative metabolic effects. 

Furthermore, Atkins doesn’t prioritize food quality and permits the consumption of inflammatory seed oils and unhealthy artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and saccharin.

In contrast, Healthy Keto focuses on nutrient-dense whole foods, promoting nutritional awareness for long-term health and wellness. 

Healthy Keto also maintains a consistent low-carb intake of 20 to 50 grams daily to promote sustained fat adaptation, which explains why keto is a more effective long-term weight management tool. 

This nutritious low-carb diet also emphasizes moderate protein intake and avoids snacking to maintain balanced insulin levels, which is linked to better metabolic health and a lower risk of heart disease. 

Which is better for weight loss and health?

When comparing keto and Atkins for weight loss and overall health, Healthy Keto is likely the better option, and here’s why.

While Atkins reduces carb intake, it promotes ultra-processed foods, unlimited protein, and snacking, which can disrupt ketosis and hinder effective fat loss.

Research published in Plos Medicine supports this, showing that high consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with weight gain and a higher risk of obesity and metabolic issues.

In comparison, Healthy Keto promotes a consistent low-carb, moderate protein, and high-fat intake to maintain ketosis and support fat adaptation.

By avoiding snacking, Healthy Keto also helps keep insulin levels steady, which enhances fat-burning and metabolic health, boosts energy levels, and reduces food cravings.

Additionally, Healthy Keto promotes long-term health and overall well-being by educating dieters about the dangers of ultra-processed foods, emphasizing the importance of nutrition, and encouraging beneficial practices such as intermittent fasting.

3 benefits of switching to keto

If you’re considering a low-carb lifestyle, switching to a Healthy Keto diet can offer various impressive health benefits.

Here are three benefits of switching to keto.

1. Consistent fat burning

By keeping carb intake consistently low, keto encourages the liver to produce ketones through a process called ketogenesis. This metabolic state is marked by the body beginning to burn stored fat for energy instead of using glucose as a fuel source.

This metabolic shift enables consistent fat-burning and energy production as the body can utilize stored body fat and doesn’t have to rely on dietary carbohydrates to raise glucose levels.

2. Enhanced immune function

High-carb diets can contribute to chronic inflammation and impaired immune functions.

Research published in EMBO Molecular Medicine shows that ketone bodies can enhance immune cell responses, promoting strengthened immune capacity, long-term immunity, and robust anti-inflammatory properties.

Additionally, Healthy Keto focuses on nutrient-dense foods that offer essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants vital for optimal immune system function.

3. Mental clarity and focus

Many keto dieters report fewer energy crashes throughout the day and overall improvements in cognitive function.

Ketones provide a stable energy source for brain cells and support energy-making processes within the central nervous system. This can help achieve sustained energy levels, reduce brain fog, and improve focus.

"Your brain runs exceptionally well on ketones,” explains Dr. Berg, “When you enter ketosis, you're feeding your brain a fuel that's not only more efficient but also cleaner, leading to sharper focus, better memory, and an overall sense of well-being."

Key takeaways

Keto vs. Atkins—which diet is healthier? 

While both keto and Atkins are low-carb diets, a nutritious, Healthy Keto diet is more consistent in maintaining fat-burning, supporting metabolic balance, and promoting overall health.

Healthy Keto focuses on nutritious whole foods that offer essential nutrients, making it a much more sustainable and effective option for supporting long-term health and weight loss.

FAQ

1. What’s the difference between keto and Atkins?

Keto and Atkins are both low carbohydrate diets but differ in structure, macronutrient goals, and nutrition.

Keto consistently keeps carb intake low to keep the body in ketosis. In contrast, Atkins gradually increases carb consumption and permits unlimited protein and snacking, which can disrupt ketosis and fat burning.

2. Atkins vs. keto, which is healthier?

Healthy Keto® is a more sustainable and effective meal plan than Atkins because it emphasizes nutrient-dense whole foods to promote fat adaptation while avoiding harmful additives and inflammatory ingredients.

While initially effective for weight loss, Atkins permits inflammatory processed foods, snacking, and high protein intake, which can negatively impact insulin balance and overall health.

3. What is the Atkins diet called now?

The Atkins diet is still known as the Atkins diet but has added subcategories such as Atkins 20, Atkins 40, and Atkins 100, which reflect the daily net carb intake for different health goals.

4. Is Atkins lazy keto?

While Atkin isn't the same as lazy keto, it does align with some dirty keto principles as it permits ultra-processed foods and low-quality fats.

5. Does the Atkins diet keep you in ketosis?

While the Atkins diet is a carb-restrictive diet intended to help your body achieve ketosis and burn fat, elements of the program, such as periodic snacking, allowance of ultra-processed foods, and unlimited protein, can interfere with ketosis and hinder fat-burning.

Sources

1. https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003256 

2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8350890/