I’ve wondered, why people are putting grass-fed butter in their coffee, downing ketone drinks, or replacing their cereal and pasta with eggs and avocados. With my close friends and family, either following the diet or counseling others for it, I had to get a better understanding of what a Keto diet is (and does it actually work or not!?).
With this article, I’m sharing my learnings, understandings, and opinions about it. My sources include magazines, research papers, books, and certified dieticians (reference links provided).
The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that shares many similarities with Atkins and other low-carb diets. (I believe, the same ideas are often rebranded over and over again, and in our eternal confusion about ‘dieting’, we keep falling for it!).
What is a ketogenic (keto) diet?
Essentially, it is a diet that causes the body to release ketones into the bloodstream. Most cells prefer to use blood sugar, which comes from carbohydrates, as the body’s main source of energy. In the absence of circulating blood sugar from food, we start breaking down stored fat into molecules called ketone bodies (the process is called ketosis). When this happens, our body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy to the brain.
What are the different types of Keto diets?
1. Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet. It typically contains 75% fat, 20% protein, and only 5% carbs.
2. Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods of higher-carb refeeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high-carb days.
3. Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around workouts.
4. High-protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet, but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.
It’s only the standard and high-protein ketogenic diets that are popularly followed. Cyclical or targeted ketogenic diets are more advanced methods and are primarily used by bodybuilders or athletes.
How does a Keto diet work?
Interestingly, the body can’t store much glucose long-term. Only enough to last a few days is stored. On a ketogenic diet, blood glucose levels are kept at a low but healthy level which encourages the body to break down fat into a fuel source known as ketones. So ketones can stand in for glucose as fuel for the body when there’s a glucose shortage.
Once ketogenesis kicks in and ketone levels are elevated, the body is in a state called “ketosis,” during which it’s burning stored fat. In practice, that means surviving mainly on meats, eggs, cheese, fish, nuts, butter, oils, and vegetables — and carefully avoiding sugar, bread and other grains, beans, and even fruit.
Umm.. So what can you eat on a Keto diet?
Meat (red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken, and turkey); fatty fish (such as salmon, trout, and tuna); eggs; butter and cream (preferably grass-fed); cheese (cheddar, goat, cream, blue or mozzarella); nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.); healthy oils (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil); avocados (whole avocados or freshly made guacamole); low-carb veggies (most green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.); and condiments (salt, pepper, and various healthy herbs and spices). Great snacks for a keto diet include pieces of meat, cheese, olives, boiled eggs, nuts, and dark chocolate.
Your diet should mostly be based on whole, single-ingredient foods. Check out a list of 44 healthy low-carb foods.
How do you know if it’s working or not?
Having ketones in the blood is probably the most definitive sign that someone is in ketosis. Even though breath analyzing tests to check for ketone levels are less reliable than blood samples; special home testing kits allow a person to measure their own blood ketone levels. When a person is in nutritional ketosis, they will have blood ketone levels of 0.5–3 millimoles per liter.
Are there any side effects of a Keto diet?
Any drastic change in your diet can have potential consequences for your health. The keto diet encourages the elimination of refined and processed carbohydrates. However, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Many health benefits come from a diet that includes a variety of nutrient-dense, fibrous carbs, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Notable side effects include:
While your body gets used to ketosis, it may initially go through a Keto flu, which dissipates on its own after a while, as the body adapts to the diet. Keto flu includes poor energy and mental function, increased hunger, sleep issues, nausea, digestive discomfort, and decreased exercise performance. To minimize this, one can try a regular low-carb diet for the first few weeks. This may teach your body to burn more fat before you completely eliminate carbs.
A keto diet can also change the water and mineral balance of the body, so adding extra salt to your meals or taking mineral supplements can help. 6-8 glasses of water help too!
For people with diabetes, ketosis can trigger a dangerous condition called ketoacidosis. This occurs when the body stores up too many ketones and the blood becomes too acidic, which can damage the liver, kidneys, and brain. Left untreated, it can be fatal.
These symptoms don’t affect everyone, so if you’re interested in trying the keto diet, give it a shot and see how you feel.
Is the Keto diet worth it? Does it work? What does it actually achieve?
There are several uses for a Keto diet. Popularly it is used as a weight-loss shortcut. There is strong evidence that ketogenic diets are very effective for weight loss. (read other studies) Other benefits or uses include:
1. Helps reduce blood sugar levels in persons with Type 2 Diabetes.
2. Acts as a mood stabilizer in people suffering from Bipolar Disorder.
3. Aids patients with Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
4. Because women with the infertility condition PCOS are at a greater risk for diabetes and obesity, some clinicians recommend the keto diet.
5. Reduction of acne.
6. Studies have shown that the keto diet may be a suitable complementary treatment to chemotherapy and radiation in people with cancer.
7. Improves heart health by reducing cholesterol.
Bottom line: Does it work? Yes! Will it work for you? Maybe! Like every other diet, there are multiple factors involved in the Keto diet. What works for your friend, may not work for you, and vice-versa. You can never be crystal clear on what aspect of your body or health, will Keto be beneficial. It’s ideal to consult a Keto specialist (and/or doctor) for better counseling before moving forward.
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