According to the Department of Nutrition at Harvard, keto diet reduces the frequency of epileptic seizures in children. It is equally great for weight loss.
What exactly is a keto diet plan?
In a ketogenic diet, the body relies on a fuel known as ketone bodies which are produced by the liver from the stored fat.
So, in a keto diet, a person’s body is not dependent on food like vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains for glucose.
So, what to have in this diet?
Ketogenic meal followers needs to ensure that each of their meals contains fat. Generally, a keto-friendly diet includes a diet with 2000 calories in a day with 165 grams of fat, 75 grams of protein, and 40 grams of carbs.
Huge amounts of saturated fats that come from oil like butter, coconut, and palm are necessary. Almonds, seeds, walnuts, tofu, avocados, and olive oil are some unsaturated healthy fats that are required in a little amount. In a keto diet, you can consume only leafy vegetables, onion, mushrooms, broccoli, etc, and fruits.
Pros and Cons of the diet-
Pros-
A keto diet has many advantages such as:
- Reverses type II diabetes
- Helps to reduce systematic inflammation
- Breaks stored body fat in the liver instead of glucose, and an energy byproduct known as ketones are produced.
- Reduces weight
Cons-
According to Lisa Cimperman, R.D.N., a clinical dietitian at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, most of the weight that is lost in the keto diet is water weight and can be regained easily. So, there are many disadvantages that must be kept in mind before engaging to this diet plan.
- A human body should include only 7% of saturated fat in a day but a keto diet includes a high amount of this type of fats which further invites heart diseases.
- Due to restrictions, one can’t consume various pulses, fruits and vegetables. This can lead to the deficiency of micro-nutrients like Vitamin B, Vitamin C, magnesium, and phosphorous.
- The ketogenic diet can invite the different types of kidney-related diseases as the kidney helps in protein metabolism and in this type of diet overloads it.
- As the keto diet contains less amount of fibrous food like grains, pulses and legumes, one can get constipation as well.
- The lack of sugar in the body could lead to mood swings and Fuzzy thinking.
- The keto diet is not for children or adolescents either, and a long-term complication can be growth retardation in children
So, if ever you decide to go on a keto diet, make sure to follow it under the guidance of a nutritionist specialized in this area. Each keto plan differs and is customized according to the health issues of an individual and the medicines they consume.
Instead of a keto diet, one can go for healthier plans such as a low carbohydrate diet to reduce weight. The Paleo diet comes with lesser risk. But in the end, all these modern diets come at a cost of your health in long term. The best food to eat is the ones that you ate since childhood and the ones which belong to your region. None of the food you eat is unhealthy for your health if consumed in the right amount. Read some healthy meal prep ideas for weight loss.
