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A keto diet, also known as ketogenic diet, is a very low carbohydrate and high-fat diet that has many scientifically-backed health benefits. A growing body of evidence supports this diet as a vehicle to lose weight and improve your health. (1)
Diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease are diseases a well-formulated ketogenic diet may protect against. (2-5)
Let’s dive in and identify how to establish a healthy ketogenic diet.
What Exactly is a Ketogenic Diet
A ketogenic diet is considered a very low-carb, high-fat diet. The focus and goal are to reduce carbohydrate consumption and replace carbohydrates with healthy fats. By lowering your carb intake, your body enters a natural metabolic state referred to as ketosis. Ketosis is when your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose it gets from breaking down carbohydrates. When in ketosis, your body can convert the fat in your liver into ketones and supply your brain with energy. (6) A well-formulated ketogenic diet can trigger drastic reductions in your blood sugar and insulin levels and is associated with several health benefits when accompanied by increased ketones. (6-8)
A standard ketogenic diet incorporates a very low amount of carbohydrates, moderate protein, and high fat. Usually, it consists of 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbs. (9)
To maintain ketosis, you will need to avoid high carbohydrates, such as grains, legumes, rice, potatoes, sugars, and most fruits.
The ketogenic diet is easily adaptable for different cultural tastes, such as swapping rice with cauliflower, and has been successfully used worldwide. Despite various cultures and religions, a ketogenic diet is adaptable, and many use MCT oil, small amounts of meat, fish, cream, butter, and vegetables frequently. (10)
Can You Benefit From A Very Low Carb Diet
A growing body of evidence suggests that a well-formulated ketogenic diet is a healthy way to lose weight and reduce risk factors for disease. (1-5)
Several studies show that following a ketogenic diet may provide the same weight loss results as a low-fat diet. (11-13)
A study published in 2020 followed 34 older adults and found an association between those who followed a ketogenic diet and total body fat loss. Those following a ketogenic diet lost five times as much body fat compared to those following a low-fat diet. (14)
A well-formulated ketogenic diet can assist with the reduction of fat, and fat is associated with type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. (15-18)
A study conducted in 2019 followed women with type 2 diabetes and found that following a well-formulated ketogenic diet for 90 days resulted in a significant reduction in hemoglobin A1C and meaningful reductions in body weight and blood pressure. (19)
Is This Diet Safe for everyone?
Some individuals should avoid a ketogenic diet. For example, research suggests those with pancreatitis, liver failure, and fat metabolism disorders should not follow a ketogenic diet. (6)
If you have diabetes and taking insulin or using a hypoglycemia prescription, you should consult your physician before starting this diet to be aware your medication may need to be adjusted.
Cons Associated with A Keto Diet
Just like all diets, a ketogenic diet has its cons. The keto diet is a stringent diet plan, and many are not able to maintain it.
The keto diet removes all grain and products made from grain, beans, legumes, many fruits, starchy vegetables, alcohol, and all sugars.
If you choose to indulge in a piece of birthday cake or eat a granola bar after a workout, you will be kicked out of ketosis, and your body will begin burning glucose for fuel instead of fat.
Side effects are also associated with a ketogenic diet referred to as the “keto flu.” These side effects can include fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, headaches, insomnia, mild irritability, nausea, and weakness.
Tips To Get Started
Load up on veggies - Because fat is high in calories, use low-carb veggies as the base of each meal. A plate full of low-carb veggies will provide you with fiber which you will no longer be getting from whole grains, beans, and legumes.
Be mindful of hidden carbs - Check the food labels before you buy a product. Try to stay between 20-50 grams of carb per day or less. (6)
Bottom Line
When following a well-formulated ketogenic diet, you want to focus on high fat, low carbohydrate food like fish, eggs, meat, and low carb vegetables. Make sure you stay away from highly processed foods and unhealthy fats. Consistency is critical for this diet, but health benefits and weight loss will be your reward when followed accurately.
References
Paoli A. Ketogenic diet for obesity: friend or foe?. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(2):2092-2107. Published 2014 Feb 19. doi:10.3390/ijerph110202092
Westman EC, Tondt J, Maguire E, Yancy WS Jr. Implementing a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to manage type 2 diabetes mellitus. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab. 2018;13(5):263-272. doi:10.1080/17446651.2018.1523713
Ułamek-Kozioł M, Czuczwar SJ, Januszewski S, Pluta R. Ketogenic Diet and Epilepsy. Nutrients. 2019;11(10):2510. Published 2019 Oct 18. doi:10.3390/nu11102510
Weber DD, Aminazdeh-Gohari S, Kofler B. Ketogenic diet in cancer therapy. Aging (Albany NY). 2018;10(2):164-165. doi:10.18632/aging.101382
Rusek M, Pluta R, Ułamek-Kozioł M, Czuczwar SJ. Ketogenic Diet in Alzheimer's Disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(16):3892. Published 2019 Aug 9. doi:10.3390/ijms20163892
Masood W, Annamaraju P, Uppaluri KR. Ketogenic Diet.StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/ Published 2020. Accessed June 10,2020
Freeman AM, Pennings N. Insulin Resistance. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; July 10, 2020.
Puchalska P, Crawford PA. Multi-dimensional Roles of Ketone Bodies in Fuel Metabolism, Signaling, and Therapeutics. Cell Metab. 2017;25(2):262-284. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2016.12.022
Shilpa J, Mohan V. Ketogenic diets: Boon or bane?. Indian J Med Res. 2018;148(3):251-253. doi:10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1666_18
Kossoff EH, McGrogan JR. Worldwide use of the ketogenic diet. Epilepsia. 2005;46(2):280-289. doi:10.1111/j.0013-9580.2005.42704.x
Bueno NB, de Melo IS, de Oliveira SL, da Rocha Ataide T. Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet v. low-fat diet for long-term weight loss: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Nutr. 2013;110(7):1178-1187. doi:10.1017/S0007114513000548
Seid H, Rosenbaum M. Low Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets: What We Don't Know and Why we Should Know It. Nutrients. 2019;11(11):2749. Published 2019 Nov 12. doi:10.3390/nu11112749
Sumithran P, Prendergast LA, Delbridge E, et al. Ketosis and appetite-mediating nutrients and hormones after weight loss. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013;67(7):759-764. doi:10.1038/ejcn.2013.90
Goss AM, Gower B, Soleymani T, et al. Effects of weight loss during a very low carbohydrate diet on specific adipose tissue depots and insulin sensitivity in older adults with obesity: a randomized clinical trial. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2020;17:64. Published 2020 Aug 12. doi:10.1186/s12986-020-00481-9
Westman EC, Tondt J, Maguire E, Yancy WS Jr. Implementing a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to manage type 2 diabetes mellitus. Expert Rev Endocrinol Metab. 2018;13(5):263-272. doi:10.1080/17446651.2018.1523713
Bolla AM, Caretto A, Laurenzi A, Scavini M, Piemonti L. Low-Carb and Ketogenic Diets in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. Nutrients. 2019;11(5):962. Published 2019 Apr 26. doi:10.3390/nu11050962
Rochlani Y, Pothineni NV, Kovelamudi S, Mehta JL. Metabolic syndrome: pathophysiology, management, and modulation by natural compounds. Ther Adv Cardiovasc Dis. 2017;11(8):215-225. doi:10.1177/1753944717711379
Al-Goblan AS, Al-Alfi MA, Khan MZ. Mechanism linking diabetes mellitus and obesity. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2014;7:587-591. Published 2014 Dec 4. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S67400
Walton CM, Perry K, Hart RH, Berry SL, Bikman BT. Improvement in Glycemic and Lipid Profiles in Type 2 Diabetics with a 90-Day Ketogenic Diet. J Diabetes Res. 2019;2019:8681959. Published 2019 Aug 14. doi:10.1155/2019/8681959
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