The world of dietary plans can be overwhelming, with numerous options promising effective weight loss and health benefits. Two popular diets that have gained significant attention are the GOLO diet and the ketogenic (keto) diet. This article provides a comprehensive comparison of these two diets, exploring their principles, benefits, drawbacks, and how they stack up against other eating plans.
Introduction to the GOLO Diet
The GOLO diet, also known as the GOLO Metabolic Plan, was launched in 2009. The GOLO diet works off the notion that hormone imbalances are at the root of weight loss struggles, leading to hunger, fatigue, binge eating, and poor sleep quality. Unlike many diets that focus on calorie restriction alone, the GOLO plan emphasizes balancing hormones through whole foods and a proprietary supplement called Release. The GOLO diet suggests that spiked insulin levels are the cause of slow metabolism, which, in turn, is responsible for weight gain. To take this a step further, GOLO argues that when you can control your insulin levels, you won’t store excess sugar in your blood, which your body then stores as fat. Regulated insulin levels lead to regulated weight.
Principles of the GOLO Diet
The GOLO diet promotes a balanced caloric intake, emphasizing whole foods, lean proteins, and plant-based ingredients. The GOLO program emphasizes maintaining an individualized daily caloric intake determined by factors such as weight, height, gender, and physical activity level.
- Whole Foods: The backbone of the GOLO meal plan consists of whole foods and lean proteins. Dieters are encouraged to fill their plates with nutrient-dense food items such as lean cuts of meat, poultry, and fish.
- Balanced Meals: While many diet plans consider carbohydrates an adversary, the GOLO diet incorporates them as part of a balanced meal. Similarly, healthy fats aren't shunned in the GOLO plan. On the contrary, they're seen as a crucial part of maintaining blood sugar levels. Beyond just carbs and proteins, the GOLO diet underscores the importance of plant-based ingredients and veggies.
- Portion Control: The GOLO diet provides detailed meal plans that specify the types of foods to eat, as well as their portion sizes. The portion sizes are calculated to ensure that dieters get the nutrients they need while staying within their calorie limits.
- Release Supplement: One of the core components of the GOLO diet is a supplement called Release. The company claims that Release will help kickstart your body's ability to regulate insulin, increase your metabolism, and burn more fat. The company makes this claim based on a team of doctors and pharmacists, though GOLO doesn’t disclose the names and affiliations of these experts.
Pros and Cons of the GOLO Diet
Pros:
- Focus on Whole Foods: With a focus on whole foods, there’s less of a reliance on processed foods, and that on its own can be a boon to your health.
- Balanced Nutrient Intake: The GOLO diet, unlike Whole30 or keto, does not prohibit or severely restrict you from eating entire food groups, such as carbohydrates. Instead, the GOLO diet focuses on consuming whole, unprocessed, and unrefined foods. Specifically, at mealtime, a GOLO dieter would select one to two servings from each category-proteins, carbs, vegetables, and fats.
- Address Cravings: Managing cravings and navigating dietary restrictions can be challenging aspects of any weight loss diet. The GOLO diet aims to address this by providing a variety of food options and allowing for flexibility within its meal plans.
- Potential Weight Loss: Based on its design, the GOLO diet appears to be structured with weight loss in mind. By doing so, the diet aims to reduce hunger and cravings, making it easier for individuals to eat less without feeling deprived.
Cons:
- Reliance on Supplement: This diet hinges on the supplement, called Release. While the company claims the supplement is safe to take with medications, at the very least you’ll want to ask your healthcare team if your meds should be adjusted. (The company notes that Release may lower blood sugar, so certain medications may need to be adjusted.) You may also be taking medication for high blood pressure, a condition that this diet claims to improve.
- Lack of FDA Approval: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate supplements the way they do conventional medications. Namely, the FDA does not test supplements before they’re marketed - that responsibility falls to the supplement makers.
- Limited Research: There is a lack of peer-reviewed published research in a medical journal on the Golo diet. One of their pilot studies did not have a placebo group. And note that this study was funded by the Golo company, so there is an inherent conflict of interest.
- Cost: To start the diet, you will order the Release supplement. The monthly cost of Golo depends on the amount of their Release supplement you are taking, which is based on your weight loss goals. One to three bottles of Release cost \$59.99 to \$119.85.
Introduction to the Ketogenic Diet
The keto (short for ketogenic) diet was conceived in the 1920s to treat medical conditions such as epilepsy. There are several variations, but most keto plans allow 70 to 80 percent of your daily calories to come from fat, 10 to 20 percent from protein and 5 to 10 percent from carbs. Keto meal plans are built on meats, nuts, avocados, cheese, fish, poultry and nonstarchy vegetables such as broccoli and leafy greens.
Principles of the Ketogenic Diet
The ketogenic diet is a stringent nutrition plan that’s high in fat, moderate to low in protein, and very low in carbohydrate.
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- High-Fat Intake: Most keto plans allow 70 to 80 percent of your daily calories to come from fat.
- Moderate-Protein Intake: Keto plans allow 10 to 20 percent from protein.
- Very Low-Carb Intake: Keto plans allow 5 to 10 percent from carbs. The idea is that restricting carbohydrates reduces insulin levels and fat accumulation. After a few days on the diet, decreased carbohydrate reserves can no longer fuel your central nervous system, and the liver responds by producing ketone bodies from fatty acids. The process is called ketogenesis (thus the name ketogenic diet).
Pros and Cons of the Ketogenic Diet
Pros:
- Weight Loss: Going keto can help you shed pounds if you can stick with it.
- Potential Benefits for Certain Conditions: Not solely used for weight loss, the ketogenic diet has been around since the time of Hippocrates, when it was used to help manage epilepsy. Since then, research has suggested that ketogenic diets can reduce food cravings and may benefit people with obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Cons:
- Keto Flu: In the beginning, you may suffer what’s known as “keto flu” symptoms (nausea, fatigue, headaches), as your body adjusts.
- Long-Term Health Risks: Over the longer term, research suggests, following a keto plan can increase the risk of kidney stones and digestive issues such as constipation, diarrhea and bloating.
- Restrictive Diet: A low-carb, high-fat plan can be hard to sustain. If you return to carbs, you may gain the weight back. Any diet that is restrictive in a particular type of food or food group, like carbohydrates, should not be followed unless there is a medical reason.
- Nutrient Deficiencies: It’s easy to follow an unhealthy version of the ketogenic diet. Don’t choose unhealthy fats, such as processed and factory-farmed meats, high-fat dairy products, and partially hydrogenated oils. For optimal results, you’ll want to focus on high-quality fats, such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, etc.
GOLO Diet vs. Keto: A Detailed Comparison
Firstly, let's compare the GOLO diet with the ketogenic, or keto, diet. The keto diet dramatically reduces carbohydrate intake, instead promoting a high intake of healthy fats. Unlike the keto diet, the GOLO diet doesn't significantly limit carb intake. Instead, it focuses on balanced meals that include a mix of proteins, healthy fats, and carbohydrates.
| Feature | GOLO Diet | Ketogenic Diet |
|---|---|---|
| Macronutrient Ratio | Balanced, emphasizes whole foods, lean proteins, and plant-based ingredients | High fat (70-80%), moderate protein (10-20%), very low carb (5-10%) |
| Primary Goal | Support metabolic health through balanced meals and steady blood sugar levels | Induce ketosis for fat burning |
| Food Focus | Whole, unprocessed foods; includes a variety of proteins, carbs, and fats | High-fat foods, moderate protein, and very limited carbohydrates (meats, nuts, avocados, cheese, fish, poultry and nonstarchy vegetables such as broccoli and leafy greens) |
| Supplement | Relies on the “Release” supplement, which claims to support insulin regulation and metabolism | No specific supplement required, but some may use MCT oil or exogenous ketones |
| Pros | Balanced approach, includes all food groups, focuses on whole foods, addresses cravings | Effective for weight loss, may reduce cravings |
| Cons | Reliance on supplement, potential side effects from supplement, requires commitment to meal planning | Restrictive, may cause "keto flu," potential long-term health risks, hard to sustain |
GOLO Diet Compared to Other Diets
GOLO Diet vs. Mediterranean Diet
Next up is the Mediterranean diet, inspired by the traditional eating habits of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean diet is more of a lifestyle approach, promoting heart health and longevity without focusing specifically on weight loss.
| Feature | GOLO Diet | Mediterranean Diet |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Weight loss and metabolic health | Overall health, particularly heart health and longevity |
| Macronutrient Balance | Balanced meals with controlled portions | Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and olive oil; moderate amounts of fish and poultry; limited red meat |
| Restrictions | Requires the Release supplement; encourages whole foods and portion control | No strict restrictions, but encourages limiting red meat, processed foods, and added sugars |
| Benefits | Balanced nutrient intake, may aid in weight loss, potentially improves metabolic health | Rich in antioxidants and healthy fats, supports heart health, may reduce risk of chronic diseases |
| Drawbacks | Dependence on supplement, requires meal planning | May not be as effective for rapid weight loss, requires a shift in eating habits |
GOLO Diet vs. Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth Diet
Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth Diet is a 21-day plan that can help you lose up to 15 pounds, four inches, and wrinkles, too! The Bone Broth Diet and the GOLO diet have different focuses. The Bone Broth Diet, for example, emphasizes collagen-rich bone broth to support joint health, gut health, and skin rejuvenation.
| Feature | GOLO Diet | Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth Diet |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Weight loss and metabolic health | Weight loss, gut health, and skin rejuvenation |
| Key Component | Balanced meals with whole foods and the Release supplement | Bone broth, lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fats |
| Duration | Ongoing diet plan | 21-day plan with specific phases |
| Benefits | Balanced nutrient intake, may aid in weight loss, potentially improves metabolic health | Rapid weight loss, improved gut health, and skin rejuvenation |
| Drawbacks | Dependence on supplement, requires meal planning | Restrictive, may be difficult to sustain long-term, and may not be suitable for everyone (e.g., vegetarians) |
The Rise of Keto 2.0 or "Keto Green"
As people look for ways to modify a plan that’s based on consuming a significant majority of their calories in fat, a hybrid is seemingly emerging: a fusion of keto and plant-based eating that’s also trending big time as a new decade begins. Bacon and heavy cream while beloved in many ways, is making way for a more balanced approach.
Principles of Keto 2.0
Essentially, Keto 2.0 is more flexible, replacing unhealthy fats with fats deemed healthier. Instead of casting away vegetables, fruits and forms of fiber, this version incorporates foods that are plant-based and whole grain but still lower-carb. The resulting breakdown, then, moves to a model like 50% fat, 30% protein and 20% carbs. Touted by some health professionals, “keto green” or “keto alkaline” is a 2.0-typeketogenic diet that allows followers to stay in ketosis but also get important pH from alkaline foods. Carbs are limited, intermittent fasting is encouraged, and alkaline foods like leafy green veggies are given a green light.
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Food Choices for Keto 2.0
- Low-Carb Plant Foods: Leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale, collard greens and chard, low-carb nuts, lower-sugar fruits, like raspberries and strawberries, vegetables lower in starch like asparagus and cauliflower, seeds, such as flax, chia and hemp
- Low-Carb, Lower-Fat Proteins: Spirulina, nuts, tempeh, seeds, some plant-based protein powders
- Plant-Based Fats: Coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil, MCT oil, nuts, seeds
Opportunities for Food and Beverage Developers
Those following the Keto 2.0 can’t have their duck fat and eat it, too. For that matter, followers of 2.0, like 1.0, avoid or altogether eliminate sugars, starchy vegetables, fruits high in sugar and many grains. But this next-gen keto, with its new proportion of healthy fats, proteins and carbs, does have room for low-carb food and beverages that also fall within holistic diets, plant-based diets and flexitarian-style eating. Food developers can bring flavor to the fore with Keto 2.0-friendly products, spanning snacks, meals, beverages and even desserts (hello, dark, dark chocolate!)
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