An Introduction to the Keto Diet
Seems like everyone is talking about the keto diet. You see people avoiding certain foods, testing themselves to see if they’re in “ketosis”. To someone who isn’t part of this health craze, it might look like a lot of pointless restrictions and work for something that might not even get the job done. You either love the diet, or you absolutely don’t buy it!
So what is the keto diet? What does it do to the body? Keep on reading to find out!
What is the Keto Diet?
The keto diet (short for “ketogenic diet”) is a diet that focuses highly on consuming as few carbs as possible and eating more fats. The idea, according to Women's Health Mag, is that this will cause the body to convert all those fats into energy, resulting in weight loss. This means that up to three-quarters of your diet is fats, nearly one quarter is proteins, and the remaining percentage is carbs.
Ideally, after a week, your body will go into a state of ketosis, which is when your body lacks sufficient carbs to give you energy. With no carbs to use, your body should start producing carb stand-ins called “ketones” to produce some energy, with your body turning to burn fat to pick up the remaining slack.
Where Did the Keto Diet Start?
The keto diet actually began as a way to help prevent seizures, Women’s Health Mag goes on to say. The ketones produced when the body is in ketosis helped people with epilepsy and other seizure disorders. However, those that were eating keto noticed that they were starting to lose weight.
Why? Because carb-heavy diets cause the body to retain water to better store the carbs. When there are no carbs to be stored for later use, the water weight meant to preserve the carbs disappears as well. The lack of carbs in your diet plus the loss of extra water will cause quite a bit of weight loss.
Fat-heavy diets will also leave you with fewer carb cravings, allowing keto eating to be a long-term lifestyle change. Any additional fat, as said above, will also be burned up to create energy.
Why Don’t People Like Keto?
The keto diet has been controversial for years. Health gurus such as Jillian Michaels have denounced it, saying that balanced diets are much healthier. Those that have tried the diet have also claimed to feel sick or weak, while others claim it doesn’t work at all.
It’s important to keep in mind that, as with any diet, it affects people differently. Everyone’s body is unique and will react to eating habits differently. The key is understanding your body, your eating habits up until this point, as well as any health issues you may have - in addition to helping those suffering from seizures, the keto diet has purportedly helped those who have diabetes and similar chronic illnesses.
What about you? Would you try Keto? Let us know in the comments below!