s it safe? Would I recommend it? Keto has been heavily promoted lately, yet it’s not something new. The famous Atkins diet (very low carbohydrate) starts with a 2-week ketogenic phase.
So what’s a keto diet? It is a diet that causes the organism to release ketone bodies into the bloodstream. Under normal conditions, most cells rely on blood sugar (coming from the body’s primary source of energy: carbs) for energy. When blood sugar from food is not available, we start breaking down stored fat into ketones. Once a person reaches ketosis, most cells will use ketones to produce energy until we start eating carbs again.
As it lacks carbs, a keto diet is heavy on fats and proteins. It consists of eating a lot of meats, processed meats, eggs, cheeses, fish, nuts, seeds, butter, oils, and fibrous veggies. Keto is so restrictive and expensive, so it’s really difficult to follow over the long run. Carbs usually account for approximately 50-60% of the Mediterranean diet. I, for example, can’t imagine not having my Man’ouche on Saturday morning, and (high carbs) cheat lunch on Sunday
Since the keto diet is very restrictive, people tend to eat too much protein, salty foods, and poor-quality fats that are notoriously unhealthy, with little to no fruits and vegetables. Some people may feel weak and tired in the beginning, while some may have bad breath, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and sleep disorders.
I know, people like to see rapid results, and Keto or low carbohydrate diet result in a faster weight loss compared to people on a balanced low-fat diet. However, that difference in weight loss seems to vanish after a while.
We still do not know much about keto’s long-run effects, probably because it’s so hard to follow and people can’t eat this way for a long period. Always bear in mind that fad diets that lead to fast weight loss fluctuation are associated with an increased mortality rate. Instead of trying yo-yo diets that would last only a few weeks to months, try to improve your lifestyle and make healthy choices that are sustainable over the long term.
