Can Plant-Based, Low-Carbohydrate Diets Help You Lose Weight?

February 18, 2024

by Cathe Friedrich

Low-carbohydrate diets have surged in popularity due to potential weight loss benefits. By reducing carb intake, these diets aim to induce a metabolic state called ketosis, where your body burns fat for fuel. Indeed, clinical trials show low-carb diets often outperform low-fat diets for short-term weight loss.

However, the long-term, real-world benefits are less clear. The benefits depend not only on the quantity of carbs but their quality and source. Diets emphasizing plant-based carbs and healthy fats appear ideal for lasting weight control. Let’s look at what science reveals about this eating approach.

The Problems with Typical Low-Carb Approaches

Low-carb plans, like Atkins or keto, emphasize animal products and processed low-carb foods. These animals and dairy sources of fat and protein can cause issues. For example, consuming massive quantities of red and processed meat, dairy, eggs, and tropical oils may increase heart disease, diabetes, and cancer risk, based on some research.

Plus, heavily processed low-carb bars, shakes, and baked goods are linked to poor diet quality and weight gain over time. And there are other issues. Typical low-carb diets provide insufficient fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants compared to plant-based eating patterns. But could a plant-based, low-carb approach be superior for weight loss with fewer downsides?

The Benefits of a Plant-Based, Low-Carbohydrate Diet for Weight Loss

In one study, researchers dug into decades of diet and weight data on over 120,000 American adults to uncover insights about low-carb eating. Specifically, they tapped into the rich datasets of the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study—tracking participants from as far back as 1986 up through 2018. Every four years, each volunteer provided detailed self-reports on what they were eating as well as their current weight.

With this robust data in hand, the research team set out to classify people’s diets into different flavors of low carb. Were folks emphasizing meats and dairy or sticking to tofu and lentils? Were the carbs coming from whole grains or processed cereals and bread? Based on these factors, they defined five types of low-carb diets.

What they discovered was that not all low-carb diets are created equal when it comes to lasting weight loss. Those shunning carbs and consuming lots of animal fats and proteins gained more over time compared to people who favored plant-based fats and proteins with healthier carbs sprinkled in. The benefits were especially noticeable for younger adults under fifty-five, those carrying extra pounds already, and people who were less physically active.

Over 20+ years of diet records from over 120,000 adults, plant-focused low-carb scores were associated with 0.5 kg less weight gain every 4 years compared to typical low-carb approaches. Benefits were enhanced among those with obesity, whereas unhealthy meat-based low-carb diets were linked to gradual weight gain over time.

So, in the great “to carb or not to carb” debate, this study suggests quality counts as much as quantity. If you’re looking to trim down by cutting carbs, be choosy about where your fats and proteins come from. Plant-focused low-carb diets seem to offer better and more sustained weight control compared to their meatier counterparts.

Structure of a Healthy, Plant-Based, Low-Carb Diet

Plant-focused low-carb diets provide healthy fats, clean protein sources, and unrefined carbs. Emphasizing nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil and other plant fats boosts intake of beneficial unsaturated fats while limiting less healthy saturated fats. Swapping animal protein for plant proteins like beans, lentils, tofu, and tempeh increases fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Focusing carb intake on whole grains, fruits, starchy vegetables, and legumes provides antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber.

Sample Plant-Based Low-Carb Eating Pattern

What does a nutritious plant-based low-carb diet look like? Here is a possible one-day meal plan:

Breakfast: Tofu veggie scramble with spinach, peppers, onions, and mushrooms with half an avocado
Lunch: Lentil soup with rainbow chard and pumpkin seeds
Dinner: Veggie burrito bowl with cauliflower rice, black beans, salsa, and guacamole
Snacks: Mixed berries with almonds; carrots and hummus

This provides around 40-50% calories from healthy fats (avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil), 20-30% from clean plant proteins (tofu, lentils, beans), and the remaining 20-30% from fiber-rich carb sources.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to low-carb diets, we often focus on how cutting carbohydrates can boost weight loss. But the latest study reveals it’s not just about the carbs themselves—it’s about what foods you eat instead. Swapping out bread and pasta for beef and bacon may help you lose weight initially but over the long haul, your success and health hinges on where those fats and proteins come from.

Emphasizing whole, minimally processed foods from plants instead of animals may give you an edge. Not only are these foods lower in calories and higher in protective compounds, but they keep your gut microbiome happy. Due to their higher phytonutrient content, they also reduce inflammation—two hidden keys for shedding pounds and keeping them off.

So, know that lasting success isn’t about following strict ketogenic rules forever. It’s about crowding your plate with as many whole, vibrant plants as possible…and watching the magic happen from there. Keep that timeless principle in mind, and you’ll be slimmer and healthier for decades to come.

References

“Low-Carbohydrate Diets Emphasizing Healthy, Plant-Based Sources Associated with Slower Long-Term Weight Gain,” 2023. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231228145755.htm.
“Looking for the Best Low-Carb Diet? Plant-Based Wins Again.” Harvard Gazette. Harvard Gazette, January 5, 2024. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/01/looking-for-the-best-low-carb-diet-plant-based-wins-again/.
Crosby L, Rembert E, Levin S, Green A, Ali Z, Jardine M, Nguyen M, Elliott P, Goldstein D, Freeman A, Bradshaw M, Holtz DN, Holubkov R, Barnard ND, Kahleova H. Changes in Food and Nutrient Intake and Diet Quality on a Low-Fat Vegan Diet Are Associated with Changes in Body Weight, Body Composition, and Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2022 Oct;122(10):1922-1939.e0. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2022.04.008. Epub 2022 Apr 20. PMID: 35452873.
National Institutes of Health (NIH). “NIH Study Compares Low-Fat, Plant-Based Diet to Low-Carb, Animal-Based Diet,” January 21, 2021. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-study-compares-low-fat-plant-based-diet-low-carb-animal-based-diet.
Pascual RW, Phelan S, La Frano MR, Pilolla KD, Griffiths Z, Foster GD. Diet Quality and Micronutrient Intake among Long-Term Weight Loss Maintainers. Nutrients. 2019 Dec 13;11(12):3046. doi: 10.3390/nu11123046. PMID: 31847176; PMCID: PMC6950482.