If you have ever thought about weight loss, you must have come across the famous keto diet and its extraordinary effects on attaining fast weight loss results.
There’s a massive number of posts and videos, weight plan programs, that give too much credit to this particular diet plan, most of which often may not mention its downsides.
Even though the keto diet was not originally created for weight loss, it has become quite trendy.
Why do you think this particular diet plan has become more trendy as compared to the likes of the Dukan diet?
Keto diet is trendy because people don’t want to be physically active, but only want to keep eating, without the possibility of weight gain. True or false?
What is a keto_ diet?
A ketogenic diet is high in fat about (165 grams), very low in carbohydrates about (40 grams) with adequate amounts of proteins about (75 grams) calculated based on a 2000-calorie diet.
For reference, a medium-sized banana contains about 30 grams of carbs. A medium-sized avocado has about 21 grams of fat.
Basically what defines a ketogenic diet is the high fat. Most weight loss plans will rarely encourage high intakes of fat, let alone saturated fats. That is what makes the keto diet unique.
Usually the body works by breaking down glucose as the first source of energy for body functions. The sources of glucose are mainly carbohydrates. Which the keto diet discourages.
How does the keto diet work?
A keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has been shown to help people lose weight. The goal of the diet is to get your body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbs.
This is achieved by drastically reducing your intake of carbohydrates and increasing your intake of healthy fats. While the diet can be challenging to follow at first, many people find that it is effective for weight loss and improved overall health.
The keto diet works by breaking down fat for energy, instead of glucose.
When your body is deprived of sufficient amounts of glucose, then it’s forced to find alternative sources of energy, in this case, fat. With the help of the liver, fat is broken down into fatty acid substances, in other words, ketone bodies.
The accumulation of these ketones is what is called ketosis. The fact that the body now burns fat for energy instead of glucose is what makes this diet so attractive for those of us who want to lose weight and management of other health conditions.
What foods does the keto diet encourage?
The keto diet encourages foods that are high in healthy fats and low in carbohydrates. Some examples of foods that are allowed on the diet include,
- Meats and poultry.
- Dairy products even those that are high in fat.
- Non-starchy vegetables and fruits like watermelon and berries.
- Fish and eggs.
- Healthy proteins.
- Nuts and seeds
- Avocados
- Healthy oils like olive oil, and coconut oil.
- Dairy products such as cheese and butter are also allowed in moderation. What foods does the keto diet limit?However, foods that are high in carbohydrates such as,
- Sugary juices.
- Sweetened yoghurt.
- Honey.
- Sugary fruits like bananas, mangoes, and apples.
- Most grains.
- Mostly carbohydrates like bread, cereals, potatoes, corn, and rice.
What are the benefits of the keto diet?
Some of the benefits of the keto diet include weight loss, improved blood sugar control, increased energy levels, and better mental clarity.
This is because the high-fat, low-carbohydrate foods on the diet help the body enter a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates.
However, it is important to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new diet to ensure it is safe and effective for your individual needs.
Research has tried to show the benefits of the keto diet, especially for weight loss.
Keto diet and weight loss
Losing weight is one of the benefits of the keto diet, as the high-fat, low-carbohydrate foods on the diet help the body enter a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates.
To lose weight begs for consistency and compliance.
There is no single diet that will work magic for every individual.
The keto diet works by pushing your body into a state of ketosis. Where there are safe levels of ketones circulating, and not into ketoacidosis, that can be life-threatening. This state of ketosis allows your body to burn down fat primarily for energy.
The science here is usually, when you eat the body automatically seeks glucose from the foods and the action of energy starts.
The keto diet is very low in carbohydrates, and over time when the amount of carbohydrates is limited, then fat begins to break down.
Deprivation of carbohydrates, makes your body burn all the stored glucose, and glycogen as well. Which soon becomes depleted, and then nothing is left to burn but fat and proteins in the form of body muscles. That is why in extreme starvation there’s both fat and muscle loss.
The benefits include;
- Decreased fat in storage.
- Minimal carbohydrate intake and carbs actually can make you gain weight fast.
- Reduction in appetite hence less food intake
- More fat gets burnt.
That is what may contribute to weight loss eventually.
However, how would you be able to keep up with this famous keto diet? You will need to;
- Create a meal plan with your nutritionist.
- Remove all refined carbohydrates that are found in most processed foods.
- Find foods of your preference, lest you fail to go on.
- Eat lots of vegetables.
- Keep on track, if you will want to see any results.
- Rehydrate, water helps flush out all wastes.
- Remain consistent.
In this way, you can be able to see any changes in your weight.
What are the downsides of the keto diet?
The keto diet is extremely low in carbohydrates, and in no time you may start to feel;
- Extreme hunger.
- Irritability, bad mood.
- Extreme fatigue.
- Constipation becomes your intake of most dietary fibre, especially from whole grains has reduced.
- Mineral and vitamin deficiencies, mostly those found in whole grains, and most vitamins from restricted fruits.
Basically, some organs need glucose to work effectively.
Always talk to your doctor whenever you have to start a diet.
Another downside is the high fat. Most weight loss diet plans would rarely encourage a high fat intake.
The fact that the keto diet goes for high fat, the question of which type of fat comes in. There are two types of fat, unsaturated and saturated fats.
For heart health, unsaturated fat has always been encouraged, and saturated fat from meats and meat products is highly discouraged.
Now, the keto diet encourages high fat, will it be safe if you eat too much of these saturated fats? Definitely no, as this may actually be bad for your health, and increase even risks of more cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancers.
Excess fat storage may clog blood vessels, what’s called plaques. And cause obstruction of blood to the brain, causing stroke, or to the heart causing heart attacks.
For patients with diabetes, the keto diet may also look attractive, however caution! There’s diabetic ketoacidosis, which is more common in patients with type 1 diabetes than those with type 2.
In patients with type 1 diabetes, there’s usually not any insulin being produced, in this case, glucose is not being utilized as expected by the body.
When this individual goes without any insulin therapy, the body will not be getting energy from glucose, hence fat gets burned down to ketones, and too much ketone bodies quickly leads to diabetic ketoacidosis.
In one way, the keto diet can help reduce the number of carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates, hence maintaining blood glucose levels at a normal range.
But in other extremes, it can have negative effects in increasing diabetes complications, like stroke, heart attacks, kidney failure, and so on.
What’s important is to seek guidance before starting this kind of diet.
Every type of diet you start has its benefits and its downsides, ensure you understand both extremes.
