The keto diet is a type of eating plan that is composed mostly of fats, enough amount of protein, and only a few carbohydrates. Once you give your body a lot of fats and just a little amount of carbs, something happens. This is known as ketosis.
When you drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake, the body runs out of its usual fuel from carbs including your glycogen storage. The body then turns to burn fat to give the body energy. This is the metabolic state called ketosis.
What is ketosis?
When in the state of ketosis, the liver converts the fatty acids it stored into ketones or ketone bodies. This will be used to fuel the functions of the muscles, heart, and brain. Most individuals have to restrict the number of carbs they take to 20 to 50 grams every day and increase their fat intake to achieve the state of ketosis. Ketosis supports weight loss and has several other health benefits.
The keto diet has several versions, but the most popular is the standard keto diet. The typical macronutrient breakdown is 20 percent protein, 70 percent fat, and 10 percent carbs.
How does the keto diet work?
A ketogenic diet usually allows less than 50 grams of carbs daily or just about 200 calories per day and about 60 to 80 percent fat, and 10 to 15 percent protein. The best thing about having a high-fat diet is that you will feel full for a longer time. Once this is paired up with resistance training, the keto diet can help the body convert fat into fuel, which reduces the body’s fat mass. The downside is that it may be more difficult to train harder and build muscles.
What happens to the body when you are on a keto diet?
Because of the limited amount of carbs to be used for fuel or energy, the body breaks down the stored fats into ketones. This becomes the primary source of body fuel. Ketones will provide energy to the kidneys, heart, brain, and other muscles. The keto diet is often called the partial fast. This is according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Unlike any full fast though, the keto diet aids in the maintenance of lean muscle mass.
What are the pros of the keto diet?
The keto diet has several benefits. These include the following:
Weight loss
There’s anecdotal evidence of people who lost weight due to the keto diet. People have also reported being less hungry on a keto diet compared to other restrictive types of diets. This is so because it takes time for fatty foods to break down in the human body. Weight loss doesn’t only come with ketosis. It also hails from reducing carb intake by taking away certain food groups.
More fat to eat
It is naturally enticing to eat lots of high-fat foods which is why the keto diet has become popular. Dieters can eat fatty fish, butter, cheese, nuts, and red meats.
Reduced abdominal fat
There’s evidence that the keto diet targets reducing abdominal fat. A Nutrition and Metabolism published study shows that low-fat and low-carb diets can affect body composition. The results also revealed that low-carb diets produce better results compared to low-fat diets in terms of weight and fat loss. It also showed that there is substantial fat loss in the trunk area.
Improved brain functions
The brain has specific regions that can only burn glucose. Hence it requires glucose supply continuously. When you don’t take in enough carbohydrates, the liver starts to create glucose with the use of protein. Studies suggest that this can cure epilepsy among children who haven’t responded to medication for several years. Following a high-fat and low-carb diet may improve focus and feelings of anxiety.
Improved athletic performance
Based on research, the keto diet can help athletes in the following: reduction of body fat, body weight control, and maintenance of muscle mass in sports that put a premium on weight. The increase in fat oxidation and the rate of glycogen return in the body can help a lot of endurance athletes.
Specific individuals with medical conditions can benefit
The keto diet has been observed to lessen the seizures of those who suffer from pediatric epilepsy. Bodybuilders and endurance athletes also use the keto diet to do away with fat in a shorter timeframe. The keto diet is currently being studied for its impact on patients who have a progressive neurological disorder like Parkinson’s disease.
What are the cons of the keto diet?
The keto diet is not perfect. It has its own share of drawbacks. Here are some of them:
Hard to sustain
Many dieters find it hard to stick to the keto diet because of its many food restrictions. The keto diet is effective for weight loss in the short term and when supported by healthy eating habits. On the other hand, it is also difficult to achieve ketosis since it works like a light switch, on and off. Those who are consistent in tracking their food intake are likely to achieve ketosis. But the only way to find out if you achieved it is through a blood test.
Renal risk
Patients who suffer from kidney disease may risk going through dialysis on the keto diet because of the additional ketones that must be processed by the renal system. Some individuals experience dehydration while on the keto diet since the diet gets rid of glycogen which can hold water from the bloodstream.
Food obsession
Once you start to micromanage your food intake by tracking the amount of food you eat, you may sometimes become disconnected from what your body truly needs. You start using numbers from outside instead of focusing on what your body needs. When you do this, this causes psychological distress like shame and binge eating. Restriction may cause binging which usually leads to guilt which also causes restrictions in a cyclic manner.
Keto flu
Side effects during the initial phase of the keto diet are often known collectively as keto flu. Some of the symptoms include fatigue, headaches, mild irritability, light-headedness, exercise intolerance, gastrointestinal symptoms, insomnia, weakness, and nausea.
