Keto vs. Gluten Free: Understanding the Key Differences

The world of dietary plans and nutrition might be constantly evolving, but the keto and gluten-free diets are two that have stood the test of time.

While each of them has its own unique requirements and features, the overlap between some of the foods that you can eat on either diet can sometimes lead to confusion as to whether keto is gluten-free.

In this post, we take a closer look at the key differences between keto and gluten free — as well as how KBosh’s gluten-free keto pizza crusts can help you stick to both diets!

Keto vs. Gluten Free

The keto diet and gluten-free diet are two fundamentally different dietary plans. To understand the differences between the two, we must first dive deeper into what each one entails.

What is Keto?

The keto diet is one that is primarily centered on triggering and maintaining a state of ketosis in the body. In this state, the body consumes fat for energy instead of the carbohydrates in a typical diet.

To achieve this effect, adherents to the keto diet significantly reduce their carbohydrate intake to just 10–5% of their diet, replacing these carbohydrates with foods that are high in protein and healthy fats. Because carbohydrates are no longer available, the body is forced to use fat as an alternative energy source.

Some of the benefits of the keto diet include effective weight loss, improved blood sugar control and even increased and sustained energy levels throughout the day¹.

What is Gluten Free?

On the other hand, a gluten-free diet is one that is centered on excluding gluten from the foods that you consume. Gluten is a naturally occurring protein that is mainly found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. Foods that are made using these ingredients such as bread from wheat flour will also consequently contain gluten.

Unlike the keto diet, which is typically a voluntary one, the gluten-free diet is one that people who have Celiac disease and allergies or sensitivities to gluten have no choice but to follow. The primary objective of the gluten free diet is to help people who suffer from such conditions to avoid allergic reactions or other symptoms that are triggered by gluten. 

Because of this, eliminating gluten from your diet when you don’t have any medical reasons to do so may not be beneficial and can be disadvantageous.

Not consuming gluten-containing food may be excessively restrictive and may potentially cause nutritional deficiencies if you don’t consume enough fiber or vitamins from other sources². 

Is Keto Gluten Free?

Despite the significant overlaps between the two diets, keto is not gluten free. Nonetheless, there are certain foods that fulfill the requirements of both diets including:

See our "Grocery Shopping on Keto" post for helpful tips on which foods are best for a ketogenic diet. 

The Best of Both Worlds

If you’re on both the keto and gluten-free diets, you might sometimes feel that your food options can be limited. If you feel that way, KBosh’s keto-friendly, gluten free pizza crusts provide a delicious and guilt-free way for you to add variety to your diet.

Our crusts come in many different flavors, including zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, kale and many more. Each one contains just 3 grams of net carbohydrates and because they don’t contain any flour, they’re completely gluten free as well.

What’s more, our crusts are also highly versatile and you can use them to make much more than just pizzas. We’ve got a large catalog of keto-friendly recipes, many of which are also gluten free, that you can browse for inspiration. If you haven’t already, give our pizza crusts a try today and we can promise that you won’t be disappointed!

References

[1] hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/ketogenic-diet/