Therapeutic diets, side by side
Every diet on SneakyKeto — what it's used for, what it actually asks of you, and roughly how much of your week it will take up.
The comparison table
| Diet | Used for | Core restriction | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keto | Epilepsy, metabolic health, weight loss | Carbohydrate under ~20-30 g/day | ●●●●● |
| Modified Keto | Epilepsy in teens and adults, migraine, adherence | 10-20 g net carb/day, fat encouraged, protein and calories unlimited | ●●●●● |
| Low Oxalate | Calcium oxalate kidney stones, oxalate sensitivity | Under 40-50 mg oxalate/day, spread across meals | ●●●●● |
| SIBO | Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, bloating | Fermentable carbohydrate, staged and time-limited | ●●●●● |
| Feingold-style | ADHD symptoms, hyperactivity, behaviour | Artificial colors, artificial flavours, BHA/BHT/TBHQ, and salicylates in stage one | ●●●●● |
| Low Histamine | Histamine intolerance, MCAS | Aged, fermented and leftover foods; histamine liberators | ●●●●● |
| AIP | Autoimmune disease, IBD, Hashimoto's | Grains, legumes, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, nightshades, alcohol, additives | ●●●●● |
| Low FODMAP | Irritable bowel syndrome | Fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols | ●●●●● |
| Gluten-Free | Coeliac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis | Wheat, barley, rye and cross-contamination | ●●●●● |
| Low Fibre | IBD flare, diverticulitis, bowel prep, strictures | Under 10-15 g fibre/day; no seeds, skins, or tough residue | ●●●●● |
| Renal | Chronic kidney disease, dialysis | Sodium, potassium, phosphorus; protein adjusted by stage | ●●●●● |
| GERD | Acid reflux, LPR, oesophagitis | Trigger foods, meal size, late eating | ●●●●● |
| DASH | Hypertension, cardiovascular risk | Sodium under 1500-2300 mg/day; saturated fat limited | ●●●●● |
| Gastroparesis | Delayed gastric emptying | Fat, fibre, meal volume and solid texture | ●●●●● |
| Candida | Recurrent yeast overgrowth (contested) | Sugar, refined carbohydrate, alcohol, and usually yeast and mould | ●●●●● |
| Gluten & Dairy Free | Coeliac disease with dairy intolerance, eczema, IBS | No wheat, barley or rye; no milk from any animal | ●●●●● |
| Vegetarian Heart | High cholesterol, hypertension, cardiovascular prevention | No meat or fish; low saturated fat and low sodium | ●●●●● |
| GLP-1 1200 kcal floor | Weight management on GLP-1 medication | A minimum of ~1200 kcal/day with 100-120 g protein and resistance training | ●●●●● |
Where the diets overlap and disagree
Keto
- Keto plus low oxalate is a real conflict: spinach, almond flour and chia are keto staples and oxalate bombs. Swap to cabbage, romaine, coconut flour and sunflower seed flour.
- Keto plus SIBO works well because both cut fermentable carbohydrate, but watch sugar alcohols and inulin-sweetened keto products.
- Keto plus renal diets needs supervision. Standard keto is protein and phosphorus heavy in ways CKD stages 3-5 cannot tolerate.
Modified Keto
- Easiest keto variant to combine with gluten-free, since it is already grain free.
- Combines cleanly with low FODMAP: both restrict fermentable carbohydrate, and the fat-forward emphasis is unaffected.
- If combining with low oxalate, avoid the almond-flour baking that most modified keto recipes lean on.
Low Oxalate
- Low oxalate is the hardest partner for keto, vegan and paleo diets, all of which lean on nuts, seeds, spinach and sweet potato.
- Low oxalate plus low FODMAP is workable — cabbage, carrot and rice are shared safe foods.
- If you also have IBD or short bowel, treat fat malabsorption first; it drives oxalate absorption more than diet does.
SIBO
- SIBO and low FODMAP overlap almost completely; low FODMAP is the best-evidenced backbone.
- SIBO plus keto is very compatible — both cut fermentable carbohydrate — but keto's inulin-sweetened products are a trap.
- SIBO plus histamine intolerance is common; overgrowth raises histamine load, so treating SIBO often relaxes histamine limits.
Feingold-style
- Feingold-style eating is naturally close to a whole-food diet, so it stacks easily with gluten-free or dairy-free trials — but change one variable at a time.
- Stage-one salicylate restriction conflicts sharply with low histamine and low FODMAP, since the safe lists barely intersect. Sequence them rather than stacking.
- Salicylate restriction also overlaps with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease management, which is a separate medical protocol.
Low Histamine
- Low histamine plus SIBO is a common pairing; treating overgrowth usually raises histamine tolerance.
- Conflicts with fermented-food-heavy 'gut health' advice — probiotic strains matter, since some produce histamine.
- Combining with low FODMAP shrinks the safe list drastically. Sequence: FODMAP first, histamine second.
AIP
- AIP is already grain-free and dairy-free, so it subsumes gluten-free and low-lactose diets.
- AIP plus low FODMAP is extremely restrictive; use it only short term with a dietitian.
- AIP's coconut, sweet potato and berry emphasis conflicts with low oxalate and low histamine.
Low FODMAP
- Low FODMAP is the backbone of most SIBO diets.
- Low FODMAP plus gluten-free is easy — most gluten-free grains are low FODMAP.
- Low FODMAP plus low histamine is very restrictive; do them in sequence, not together.
Gluten-Free
- Gluten-free is a permanent requirement, so every other diet on this site has to be built on top of it, not alongside it.
- Gluten-free plus low FODMAP is straightforward and often used together for IBS-like symptoms that persist after diagnosis.
- Keto and AIP are already gluten-free by construction.
Low Fibre
- Directly contradicts most 'gut health' advice; that advice is written for a healthy colon.
- Overlaps with gastroparesis diets, which also favour low fibre and soft textures.
- Combines with gluten-free easily using white rice and GF white bread.
Renal
- Conflicts badly with keto: standard keto is high in protein, phosphorus and potassium-rich vegetables.
- Overlaps with DASH on sodium, but DASH's high potassium emphasis is exactly wrong for advanced CKD.
- Low oxalate and renal diets share the kidney focus but restrict different foods — get both reviewed together.
GERD
- GERD advice conflicts with keto's very high fat intake — go moderate-fat if you are combining them.
- Overlaps well with DASH and low fibre approaches, both of which favour moderate, simple meals.
- Combines fine with gluten-free and low FODMAP; reflux triggers are a different axis entirely.
DASH
- DASH is the most compatible diet here — it stacks with gluten-free, low FODMAP and GERD approaches with small adjustments.
- Directly conflicts with advanced CKD renal diets, because DASH deliberately maximises potassium.
- Conflicts with keto on grains and fruit; a low-sodium Mediterranean-keto hybrid is a common compromise.
Gastroparesis
- Overlaps almost entirely with the low fibre diet, with the addition of a fat restriction.
- Conflicts with keto's high fat intake, which will worsen emptying.
- Combines with low FODMAP for gastroparesis plus IBS, but the resulting list is narrow enough to need dietitian oversight.
Candida
- Very close to keto in practice, minus the emphasis on very high fat.
- Overlaps with the SIBO diet on sugar and fermentable carbohydrate, though the reasoning differs.
- Conflicts with low histamine on garlic and vinegar, and with low FODMAP on onion and garlic.
Gluten & Dairy Free
- Sits neatly on top of the gluten-free guide — read that one for coeliac specifics, then remove dairy on top.
- Pairs easily with low FODMAP, since lactose is a FODMAP and wheat is a fructan source.
- Compatible with AIP, which already excludes both, and with the Feingold-style diet.
- Conflicts with the low oxalate diet on almonds, tahini and spinach — the very foods usually recommended for calcium here. Use calcium-set tofu, bok choy and fortified milk instead.
Vegetarian Heart
- Very close to DASH and the Mediterranean pattern; the main difference is that fish and poultry are off the table.
- Compatible with gluten free, though seitan is out and packaged gluten-free breads are often lower in fibre.
- Conflicts sharply with low FODMAP, because beans, lentils and onions are core here. Use canned, rinsed lentils and tempeh during an elimination phase.
- Conflicts with the renal diet at stages 3-5, where the potassium and phosphorus in beans, nuts and wholegrains need careful limits.
- Conflicts with keto and low oxalate — this pattern leans on the legumes, wholegrains and greens both of those restrict.
GLP-1 1200 kcal floor
- Layers onto almost any other diet here, because it is a calorie and protein framework rather than a food-exclusion list.
- Combines well with DASH or the vegetarian heart pattern if you keep the protein target — plant protein needs slightly higher totals.
- Pairs naturally with the gastroparesis guide, since GLP-1 medications slow gastric emptying in much the same way.
- Conflicts with keto in practice: at 1200 kcal, very high fat leaves almost no room for the protein this plan is built around.
- Not to be combined with fasting protocols while on GLP-1 medication without medical advice.