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What Is The Ketogenic Diet?
The Ketogenic diet, typically known as the keto diet, is one where the main source of calories is from fats, some protein, and very limited amounts of carbohydrates. An average person must consume less than 30 grams of carbs in a day (this varies person to person). This is about the same amount in two slices of bread.
Further, The diet was developed to aid children with epilepsy who are not improving with medications. It is prescribed by a doctor and managed by a dietitian; it is necessary to be very cautious with macro ratios, types of fats, and sustaining ketones. It is more recent that it has become a diet used for weight loss by the average person, making this fad diet one with minimal long term information on its affects to adult not experiencing seizures.
Ketosis
Reaching and maintaining ketosis is the goal of going on the keto diet. Your bodies preferred form of energy is from carbs. When you are only consuming a limited amount of carbs your body begins to use fat at its energy source. This is when you’ve heard about the word ketones. It is an acid produced in your liver from fat when there isn’t enough carbs for your body to continue functioning. At first thought this seems like the best way to burn the stubborn belly fat because you are directly using fats, but maintaining ketosis has its caveats.
Ketogenic Diet Side Effects
When you first begin this diet it is likely you will incur some unfavorable side effects. It varies person to person but some potential effects are bad breath, brain fog, fatigue, constipation, and headaches. Although it is not a true medical term, this stage of the diet is often referred to as the ‘keto flu’.
Popular Foods for the Keto Diet
- Seafood
- Avocado
- Bacon
- Cheese
- Beef
- Olives
- Eggs
- Nuts
- Non-starchy Veggies (think cauliflower and zucchini)
- Heavy Cream
Potential Issues
Changing the way your body natural functions is going to create some changes. One of which is hepatic insulin resistance. Glucose has the goal of entering cells. Insulin is needed to allow this to happen. Think of insulin as a key. When an insufficient amount of carbs are being consumed insulin is ‘stuck’ in the pancreas, and cannot work as a key for glucose to enter cells. If you already have diabetes or pre-diabetes, this creates an additional risk for you. More issues from choosing this diet is increased risk for kidney stone development, cancer, and heart disease.
A Better Choice
If you are considering the keto diet in order to lose weight, hear me out. The keto diet is a very extreme and strict lifestyle. Ask yourself if it is one you plan on continuing forever. The best way to lose weight is consuming a balanced diet with 50-65% of your daily calories coming from carbs, 20-35% coming from fats, and 15-35% coming from protein. This is a sustainable and enjoyable way of eating.
Weight Loss Tips
- Drink enough water
- 2.5 hours of moderate exercise a week
- Whole grains instead of refined grains
- Increase your fiber
- Have snacks with at least two macronutrients
You can find an article from Harvard Health also discussing the keto diet here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/should-you-try-the-keto-diet
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