Ketogenic Diet
The keto diet is quite the hot topic right now. While I have my own opinions about this fad, there are plenty of scientific evidence to prove its effects.
Before we begin we should explain exactly what "keto" is. This is a little-to no carb, high fat, no sugar, moderate protein diet. By limiting your carbs you're forcing your body into a state of "ketosis" where you use fat for energy instead of carbs. Got that down? Let's get going.
Let's start with the "pros" of this diet, shall we?
First of all this diet is excellent at retraining your body to use its store of fat in different ways. By restricting the number of carbs you take in you're effectively forcing your body to get its energy from fat.
Secondly, this diet can be particularly beneficial to those suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Lower carbs, higher fat means less insulin being produced to make up the slack. This diet can completely reverse your type 2 diabetes and greatly help manage those with type 1. This is also very beneficial for those who are insulin resistant by the same principle.
Third, this regimen is great for those who live a more sedentary lifestyle. This includes those who don't want to, don't have time to, who those who physically can't work out for more than 30 minutes a day. That "30 minutes a day" is very important. For those working desk jobs or any other job that doesn't get you on your feet and moving you really should be exercising about 60-90 minutes each day (give or take and not accounting for rest days, which are also very important.)
Now let's address the "cons."
First off, this diet does not give your brain the energy it needs. Your brain runs off of blood glucose. It needs sugar and the carbohydrates that it is derived from. This diet does not provide your brain with the energy it needs. There is a thing that comes from this fact called the "keto flu" where you experience symptoms such as: nausea and vomiting, constipation, headaches, irritability, weakness, poor concentration, dizziness, and stomach cramps. To name a few.
Secondly, and the inverse of the third example of the "pros" section, this diet is not recommended for those that live an active lifestyle. The lack of carbs and high fat content just isn't cohesive to high levels of activity. If you do plan on working out or being active while trying the keto diet you'll experience muscle weakness an elevated level of fatigue.
Third, and what I think is one of the most important points, calorie counts are much more important on the ketogenic diet. You've heard the old "calories in- calories out" method of losing weight, which is all fine and good, it's been proven to work, but it's also very damaging to the person's self-esteem. Your outlook on yourself is much more important than any diet when you're trying to lose weight. Counting calories can become a very toxic part of your diet by tricking yourself into cutting back more and more each day to reach your goal.
The fourth and last point is that this diet was invented to be used under strict medical watch. While it is very helpful and can yield amazing results, this is a very extreme diet plan and you should absolutely consult your doctor before starting it.
I tend to stress this point because the keto diet is very rarely done correctly, or how a doctor would prescribe it. Just because you see "high fat, moderate protein" absolutely does not mean you can eat a greasy steak covered in butter for each meal. Your meals still need to be rounded and healthy. Try an avocado for healthy fats, or olive oil instead of butter. Instead of getting your latte made with heavy cream try just black coffee, unsweetened tea, or plain water. There absolutely are healthy and effective ways to participate in the keto diet, but you have to be smarter than the trends.
This diet can be extremely beneficial to those who don't abuse it. This diet can even be used long-term to those who are still careful about what they eat. We didn't even get into the cardiovascular issues a high-fat diet can lead to, but that is mostly due to the fact that really only occurs in those with existing cardiovascular conditions.
My main point is: If you feel the need to give this diet a try, consult your doctor first. It can be very useful and give off amazing results, however it can also be very counterproductive to your goals. You just have to decide which side of the scale you're on.
Before we begin we should explain exactly what "keto" is. This is a little-to no carb, high fat, no sugar, moderate protein diet. By limiting your carbs you're forcing your body into a state of "ketosis" where you use fat for energy instead of carbs. Got that down? Let's get going.
Let's start with the "pros" of this diet, shall we?
First of all this diet is excellent at retraining your body to use its store of fat in different ways. By restricting the number of carbs you take in you're effectively forcing your body to get its energy from fat.
Secondly, this diet can be particularly beneficial to those suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Lower carbs, higher fat means less insulin being produced to make up the slack. This diet can completely reverse your type 2 diabetes and greatly help manage those with type 1. This is also very beneficial for those who are insulin resistant by the same principle.
Third, this regimen is great for those who live a more sedentary lifestyle. This includes those who don't want to, don't have time to, who those who physically can't work out for more than 30 minutes a day. That "30 minutes a day" is very important. For those working desk jobs or any other job that doesn't get you on your feet and moving you really should be exercising about 60-90 minutes each day (give or take and not accounting for rest days, which are also very important.)
Now let's address the "cons."
First off, this diet does not give your brain the energy it needs. Your brain runs off of blood glucose. It needs sugar and the carbohydrates that it is derived from. This diet does not provide your brain with the energy it needs. There is a thing that comes from this fact called the "keto flu" where you experience symptoms such as: nausea and vomiting, constipation, headaches, irritability, weakness, poor concentration, dizziness, and stomach cramps. To name a few.
Secondly, and the inverse of the third example of the "pros" section, this diet is not recommended for those that live an active lifestyle. The lack of carbs and high fat content just isn't cohesive to high levels of activity. If you do plan on working out or being active while trying the keto diet you'll experience muscle weakness an elevated level of fatigue.
Third, and what I think is one of the most important points, calorie counts are much more important on the ketogenic diet. You've heard the old "calories in- calories out" method of losing weight, which is all fine and good, it's been proven to work, but it's also very damaging to the person's self-esteem. Your outlook on yourself is much more important than any diet when you're trying to lose weight. Counting calories can become a very toxic part of your diet by tricking yourself into cutting back more and more each day to reach your goal.
The fourth and last point is that this diet was invented to be used under strict medical watch. While it is very helpful and can yield amazing results, this is a very extreme diet plan and you should absolutely consult your doctor before starting it.
I tend to stress this point because the keto diet is very rarely done correctly, or how a doctor would prescribe it. Just because you see "high fat, moderate protein" absolutely does not mean you can eat a greasy steak covered in butter for each meal. Your meals still need to be rounded and healthy. Try an avocado for healthy fats, or olive oil instead of butter. Instead of getting your latte made with heavy cream try just black coffee, unsweetened tea, or plain water. There absolutely are healthy and effective ways to participate in the keto diet, but you have to be smarter than the trends.
This diet can be extremely beneficial to those who don't abuse it. This diet can even be used long-term to those who are still careful about what they eat. We didn't even get into the cardiovascular issues a high-fat diet can lead to, but that is mostly due to the fact that really only occurs in those with existing cardiovascular conditions.
My main point is: If you feel the need to give this diet a try, consult your doctor first. It can be very useful and give off amazing results, however it can also be very counterproductive to your goals. You just have to decide which side of the scale you're on.
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