What’s Clean or Dirty Low carb?

If you’re following a clean diet, that means you’re avoiding processed foods, whereas a low carb  diet is one that doesn’t focus as much on whole foods, but rather seeks to adhere only to the macronutrient ratio – that is, the ratio of fat, protein and carbs – of the diet.

“Dirty low carb is a variation of the traditional low carb diet and is sometimes referred to as ‘lazy low carb,'”

“There aren’t clear guidelines for this variant, and it really depends on individual preference. The main difference with dirty low carb (versus clean low carb) is that users believe they can have more freedom to eat what they want, providing they maintain a low enough carbohydrate intake.

This includes some “cheat days, “Some users of dirty low carb  will also allow occasional days of eating higher carb foods, such as processed carbohydrates like chips, pretzels or baked goods. Additionally, dirty low carb  has less of an emphasis on the perceived quality of foods.” To some, this means certain foods that are a no-go on stricter or cleaner versions of the low carb  diet are in-bounds on the dirty version.

Examples of foods that can be eaten on a dirty low carb  diet – regularly or only on cheat days – depending on your interpretation:

For example, on a dirty keto protocol, you can eat a plain cheeseburger without the bun from any fast food restaurant, Black says. Though the food quality is low, it adheres to the macronutrient profile of the low carb diet.

By contrast, “clean low carb is typically regarded as the original version of the low carb diet,”

In keeping with the example above, someone on a clean low carb protocol wouldn’t eat the fast food cheeseburger.