Pros and Cons of the Keto Diet
You’ve probably heard of the keto diet and how it’s helping people lose weight and control blood sugar.
While the keto diet is one super beneficial diet that helps improve your health while you lose weight, there is various information you need to know before you begin.
Let's dive into the intrinsic of the keto diet.
What is the keto diet?
The Keto Diet is a high fat, low carb diet. It involves consuming food with fat and reducing carbohydrates in your diet as much as you can.
It helps lose weight and causes a high reduction in your insulin level and blood sugar.
Usually, when you embark on a keto diet, your carb consumption is limited to 20 to 50 grams per day.
Also, your protein consumption during a Keto diet is moderate because high protein consumption turns to glucose.
So if you're on a Keto diet, one of your staples should be keto-friendly protein bars.
Your diet should also majorly include consuming healthy oils, nuts, fish, meat, and eggs.
What happens when you embark on a Keto Diet?
The Keto diet puts your body in ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body uses fat for fuel instead of carbs.
Pros of the Keto Diet
It helps with weight loss
One significant benefit of the keto diet is that it helps with weight loss due to its contribution to boosting your body's metabolism and reducing appetite.
So going on a Keto diet involves consuming food that fills you up. Moreover, some of the food recommended to consume during your keto diet may reduce hunger-stimulating hormones.
Sheree VanVleet began her Keto journey in 2018. She weighed 249lb when she started her journey and reduced it to 149lb in 13 months.
Another success story is Jennifer Wurster, who started her keto diet in April 2018. By August 2018, she was weighing 135lb.
Here's also an 11 studies review that helps show how the Keto diet helps you lose more weight than low-fat diets.
It helps your heart's health
A ketogenic diet usually involves the consumption of healthy fat foods.
Since a high level of cholesterol in the body causes various heart complications, embarking on a Keto diet helps reduce the risk of you suffering from heart diseases.
It helps with acne
Your diet and sugar level can cause acne. Here is where the ketogenic diet comes in.
Since carbohydrates and blood sugar consumption contribute to your acne, a Keto diet will help your skin.
Here's a study that shows that people who go on a keto diet may experience a reduction in acne symptoms.
Cons of the keto diet
It may cause Keto Flu
At the start of your keto diet, you may experience the keto flu. The keto flu is due to the shock your body experiences while you reduce carb consumption.
Since your body is switching to fat for fuel, there's a probability that you'll experience flu-like symptoms such as nausea, constipation, headache, and dizziness. In contrast, your body tries to adjust to ketosis.
It may cause nutrient deficiencies
The keto diet may cause nutrient deficiencies in your body as it rules out the intake of foods with specific nutrients.
Moreover, studies have shown that the keto diet doesn't provide your body with enough vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus.
Over time the insufficiency of these nutrients in your body would lead to nutritional deficiencies.
It may affect bone health
The keto diet may affect your bone health due to your body's insufficient calcium intake, reducing your bone mineral density and leading to bone breakdown. However, there is a need for more studies to prove this claim.
The following people should avoid the keto diet
- If you’re an Insulin-dependent diabetic
- If you're pregnant or breastfeeding a child
- If you have eating disorders
- If you have kidney diseases
Although you should visit a health professional before you embark on a Keto diet, a health professional would be able to assess if a Keto diet is fit for you and the likely side effects you might have.
Conclusion
The Keto diet is beneficial for people trying to lose weight, some diabetics, and people looking to improve their metabolism.
It is essential to confirm with a health professional to determine if Ketogenic is right for you.
