By: Hadel Sweilem
*Please note, we neither endorse or promote the use of any diet on this website. This is an informational excerpt on the facts about the Keto Diet. Please consult your physician before making any lifestyle changes*
Every year there’s a new diet that everyone’s talking about, and every year it is hailed as the cure for obesity and greatest method for weight loss. For many people, It’s easy to get lost in the frenzy of confusing terminology and aggressive marketing, as books are sold by the thousands along with CDs and other merchandise advertising the diet. These diets always have little to no long term research supporting them and after a few months of being in the spotlight, side effects and complaints begin to reign in from upset consumers. This year, it’s the Ketogenic (Keto) diet. This new diet is promising according to feedback from satisfied consumers who have not only drastically transformed their figures, but report to be mentally healthier after months on Keto. Ironically, Keto involves a high saturated fat and extremely low carb diet. This information should be good news essentially for Arab Americans, as our diet obviously involves high fat content. For those who are thinking about going on the keto diet, it is important to do your research beforehand. To help, I’ve compiled a list of the most important facts about Keto. How does it work? Why are people losing weight from a high fat diet, and why do they claim to feel mentally healthier than their normal everyday diets? Here are the top 10 things you should know about Keto:
1. The ketogenic diet limits carbohydrate intake to 20-50 grams a day, and includes plenty of cheese, meat, poultry, seafood, and non-starchy vegetables like kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and zucchini.
2. Ketogenics involves high fat and very low carb intake. Those who have been in ketosis for a while say they’ve incorporated intermittent fasting with their diet. This puts your body in starvation mode, where carbs, something your body is used to burning for fuel, are limited. Therefore your body is forced to use its fat stores as backup fuel, by creating ketones from fat molecules to use as energy. This may take a week or two as your body is generating new machinery, and engineering itself to utilize an entirely different resource for energy. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar is avoided because glucose being formed and taken up from proteins and fat.
3. The Ketogenic diet is safe, as long as you keep track of what you’re eating and how much. As with any diet, there may be a few side effects. The only consistent side effect of keto is a ‘fruity’ odor breath, due to the slightly acidic conditions of the body.
4. After a week or so on Keto, if done correctly, your body is working on Ketosis. This means your liver is turning fat molecules into ketones, and those ketones are being used for energy instead of glucose, which comes from carbs. There needs to be a high fat supply and very low carbohydrate supply. Therefore the keto diet involves eating lots of fat such as butter, cheese, nuts and seeds, and very miniscule amounts of bread, pasta, and sugary foods.
5. Ketosis is a mild form of Ketoacidosis, a condition in which your body creates a number of ketones and high blood sugar, which together can create serious problems and even lead to death. It is most common in diabetic patients who are insensitive to insulin, therefore the high levels of acids and blood sugar can linger in the blood and lead to complications. Thus, you need to be very mindful and careful of making such a change to your lifestyle.
6. Ketones are preferred over glucose in the brain. Keto diet induces increased mitochondria production in the regions of the brain for learning and memory. Specifically, the ketone called BHB is a more efficient fuel for the brain. Ketone production breaks down and directly inhibits production of disease-causing molecules. Ketones are therefore a cleaner form of energy.
7. Your body on ketosis uses healthy fats, the same kind of fats that are marketed and sold as supplements at your nearest drug store.
8. Keto diet will not increase chances of getting Heart disease. This is a common concern among nutritionists and dieticians. People have always associated saturated fat and cholesterol with heart disease. Truthfully, in the presence of the hormone insulin and high blood sugar, your body will package fats into small and compact pieces that will allow them to clog your arteries and contribute to heart disease and plaque development. However, your body in ketosis makes less insulin. In presence of low blood sugar and less insulin, fats are actually larger and fluffy and are therefore not small enough to enter and clog arteries to form plaques. In the absence of insulin, fat molecules are normally used for energy.
9. It was used in the early 20th century, to help epileptic patients who were unreceptive to regular anti-seizure drugs. In fact, researchers have record of its first use during medieval times.
10. It can aid patients with neurological diseases and mental illnesses. Evidence from various trials has shown that people with neurodegenerative diseases have significantly improved after being on keto. All neurodegenerative diseases share one major thing in common: poor energy production. As I’ve stated above, the ketogenic diet increases energy available to the brain, which explains why it helps people with these disorders.
Although this diet seems too good to be true, no lasting negative effects have been observed, and there are only well received responses from people who are feeling better than ever on Keto. Then again, there is little to no long term research done on Ketogenics, so only time will tell its extensive effects on the body. Most doctors do not recommend doing ketogenics long term. It is a great option for Arab Americans who are unable to resist the high fat content of our ethnic dishes, so long as you keep track of what you are eating. Although this list includes some in depth information about the inner workings of Keto, it is imperative that anyone who starts a new diet does their research on what it entails and how it has affected other consumers.