Keto diet – What you need to know
The Keto (short for “ketogenic”) diet is all about minimizing carb intake and upping fat consumption in its place to get the body to use fat as a form of energy. It aims to force your body into using its fat reserves as its main source of fuel rather than relying on sugar (glucose) that comes from carbohydrates (such as grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits).
What do you eat?
On a 2000 calorie diet, the average keto diet typically suggests that you eat about 165g of fat, 40g of carbs and 75g of protein.
The keto diet has a high fat requirement and followers must eat fat as part of every meal. This would typically come from meats, dairy and oils. The keto diet does not generally discriminate between healthy unsaturated fats and unhealthy saturated fats. Infact, in order to consume the required amount of daily fat intake some variations of the keto diet encourage high amounts of saturated fats from oils (palm, coconut etc), lard, butter, and cocoa butter in high amounts, as well as eating meats high in saturated fats such as beef, pork, and bacon.
What about fruits and vegetables? Well, as all fruits are rich in carbs, they are off the menu! Vegetables, which are also rich in carbs, are restricted to leafy greens (think kale, Swiss chard, spinach), cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, bell peppers, onions, garlic, mushrooms, cucumber, celery, and summer squashes.
Keto Risks
Like all diets, the Keto diet has numerous health risks attached, so you really should consult a doctor and a registered dietitian before starting on any form of diet.
1) Heart Disease
According to registered dietitian Kathy McManus (director of Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital) the biggest risk with the ketogenic diet is the high consumption of saturated fat. Dietitians recommend that calories from saturated fat should make up no more than 7% of your daily intake due to the links to heart disease, however on the keto diet that can go up as high as 90%, depending on the particular keto diet you are following. As a result, due to the high intake of saturated fats, your “bad” LDL cholesterol will increase, which again is also linked to heart disease.
2) Nutrient deficiency
Not having a varied diet consisting of a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and grains will result in a risk of micronutrients deficiency (think selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamins B and C etc).
3) Liver problems
With so much fat to metabolize, the diet could make any existing liver conditions worse.
4) Kidney problems
If you have any kind of kidney problems you really should avoid the keto diet. High levels of protein consumption may worsen kidney function in people with kidney disease because your body may have trouble eliminating all the waste products of protein metabolization. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/high-protein-diets/faq-20058207
5) Osteoporosis and kidney stones
When you’re on a high-protein diet, you may urinate more calcium than normal. There are conflicting reports, but some experts think this could make osteoporosis and kidney stones more likely.
6) Other issues
- Constipation – the keto diet is very low in fibrous foods like grains and legumes, the side effects of which can be severe constipation.
- Bad breath – the production of ketones results in terrible breath.
- Fuzzy thinking and mood swings – since the brain is designed to receive 90 per cent of its energy from carbs, its deprivation can cause mood swings, especially in the initial weeks while the body is adjusting.
- Dehydration – anybody on a low-carb diet needs to increase their water intake. Since each gram of glycogen is accompanied by a few grams of water, in the absence of glycogen, there is a high risk of dehydration.
Depending on your current physical condition, those risks could add up to something troublesome so make sure that you talk to a doctor and a registered dietitian before ever attempting a ketogenic (or any other) diet.
Also, like any other diet, the ketogenic diet is not a quick magic solution, even if the “before/after” pics on Instagram tell you otherwise. It will take time to achieve the weight-loss you want – at least two months for physically active people.
Remember, weight loss that lasts is usually based on changes you can live with for a long time, not a temporary diet. Maintaining a keto diet for more than a few months could result in medical issues, so always take advice from health experts before, during and after your diet.
All that said, a diet can work for you, especially if you a have strict personality. As the keto diet depends on physiological changes within the body, you have to be strict and regimental to achieve and maintain a “ketosis” state to achieve the weight-loss you want. Whilst its not going to be the end of the world if you have a odd cheat day here and there, having too many may slow down the rate at which you lose weight.
Keto Diet – The Beginners Guide
References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet#Adverse_effects
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/high-protein-diets/faq-20058207
- https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/high-protein-low-carbohydrate-diets
- https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/wellbeing/a-closer-look-at-the-low-carb-high-fat-ketogenic-diet-including-side-effects-and-concerns-1.152058
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/should-you-try-the-keto-diet
