It is urgent! The keto diet and products are gaining immense popularity in the weight loss community. Nearly every weight loss guru is found singing a keto song and people are widely incorporating the diet into their lifestyles.
The marketability is such that even restaurants or food services have started introducing “Keto Menu” and promising food with zero to no carbs delivered right to your doorstep.
But What Exactly is the Keto Diet?
You might be well aware that three food groups that should form a major chunk of your diet are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. As per Dietary Guidelines for Americans, your calories should be coming from carbs the most, protein, and fats next. However, keto is a diet plan that removes carbohydrates from your plate and shifts the focus to fats and proteins. It sort of reverses the guidelines:
Carbohydrates to form ONLY 5–10% of your total calorie intake
Protein to form 20–25 % of your total calorie intake
Fats to form 70–75% of your total calorie intake
What kind of food do we eat in keto?
The diet includes high-fat foods like nuts, seeds, coconuts, and avocados. Starchy vegetables are strictly prohibited, allowing leafy greens only. Fruits also have certain restrictions; they are limited to berries and watermelon only. Proteins from animal sources should be restricted in a healthy diet, but on keto, they aren’t. Because of this, people usually overeat bacon, sausages, and butter, all of which, in excess, are red flags in a good diet. Eggs: a good source of fats and proteins is a major ingredient in keto meals.
Entering the state of “Ketosis”
Normally, carbohydrates break down to glucose, and the body uses it as the main source of energy. The process is carried by a hormone called insulin which stores excess glucose as fats. When you force your body and give it very high amounts of fat every 4 hours, deprivation causes acidic ketone bodies to be built up from fat as an alternate fuel. Now instead of glucose in the blood, ketones circulate in your blood to provide energy. This is known as the state of ‘ketosis.’
The initial “false weight loss”
It might sound like a great hack to shed extra pounds. Isn’t it? Sure your body rapidly starts shedding off pounds and pounds, but keep in mind the initial 10lbs is just water weight. What exactly is water weight? It is the amount of water your body tends to hold onto, and it fluctuates daily. Carbohydrates of all the food groups tend to hold water, but when you restrict them, it doesn't happen and your scales start to lie.
Sufferings and Ketosis Symptoms
Coping with the sudden shift in the body’s mechanism from carbs to fats can be stressful. The initial two weeks can be accompanied by what is known as keto flu, and symptoms range from:
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Bad odor from mouth
- Fatigue
- Muscle weakness
Severe Consequences of Keto
If the keto is continued for the long term, it brings severe health consequences because of high fat intake, and the diseases that can accompany include:
- Fatty Liver
- Nutritional Deficiency Diseases
- Hair and skin problems
- High blood cholesterol
- Gut issues
- Chronic diseases that ultimately lead to death (see source)
Why was such a diet even invented?
The Keto diet was never introduced for weight loss but for treating many medical conditions. Its origin dates back to the 1920s when it was used for treating epileptic patients, for whom medications seemed ineffective. Ketogenic diets since then have also been researched for efficiency in cancer, diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease and are proving successful in treating many of these conditions.
Happened later in 1960, the Atkins diet promised to slim down people while cutting on carbs and focusing on proteins and fats. Looking at the commercial success, the keto diet also started gaining hype as a weight loss regime and was accepted by millions.
Safe Way to Opt for Keto:
When looking forward to a keto diet, it’s best to check your lipid profile and consult healthcare professionals (Doctors and Dieticians). According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association, consuming foods high in saturated fat affects blood LDL cholesterol. And LDL cholesterol, also termed ‘bad cholesterol,’ can lead to heart diseases and complications. A healthcare professional can efficiently guide you on whether the diet is suitable for you or not.
Bottom Line
Keto is a diet widely used as a medical treatment and was even invented to treat one. Using it for weight loss and for the long term is not a choice for a healthy lifestyle. The exclusion of several food groups can make the diet unsustainable and have serious side effects. It is quite sensible and evident that one should invite more vegetables and fruits to their plate instead of restricting them and avoiding extra fats and animal proteins instead of inviting them on the plate!
