Is Keto the way to go?

A ketogenic diet is a high fat diet that includes a moderate amount of protein and an extremely limited amount of carbohydrates. The purpose of this diet is to burn fat fast by causing the body to go into ketosis. Ketosis is the metabolic state where the body actively burns fat instead of carbohydrates for energy.

There are two main sources of fuel or energy for the body. The first source is glucose which we get from carbohydrates. The second source is from ketones which we get from fat. Ketones are a replacement fuel when there is no glucose (due to minimal consumption of carbohydrates.)

A diet that severely limits carbohydrate consumption has an impact on certain hormones. It causes insulin to decrease and glycogen to increase. This causes the body to switch from storing fat to burning fat.

An obvious positive of this diet is weight loss, however the other positives are probably a bit unexpected. Some research has suggested that a ketogenic diet can help with the improvement of epileptic seizures. Additionally, according to Dr Russell Wilder, a ketogenic diet can also be helpful in respiratory failure, head trauma and certain types of cancers.

There are some risks associated with this diet, namely the issue of Ketoacidosis. This is where the ketone levels in the body become too high and cause the blood to become acidic and the body to severely dehydrate. This requires hospitalisation.

The macronutrient breakdown of this diet looks as follows:

Fat- Heavily reliant (70-80%)

(This includes foods such as olive oil, avocado, whole eggs, chia seeds, nuts, dairy and fatty fish.)

Protein-Moderate intake (15-20%)

(This includes eggs and fish as seen above and additionally chicken, turkey, beef, tempeh and greek yoghurt.)

Carbohydrates -Severely limited intake (5-10%) (Fruits and vegetables. Avoid breads, pasta, cereals and rice.)

A common misconception with this diet is that it is both a high fat and high protein diet. Excess protein consumption on this diet can cause glucose to be produced which causes the body to not go into ketosis. That is why only 15-20% of the diet should be protein.

Before starting on a ketogenic diet, it is important to speak to your doctor. Medical professional advice regarding this diet is that it should only be followed for a brief amount of time and under the supervision of a healthcare professional. It is considered an extreme diet.