Happy Saturday! Let's start off this blogpost by acknowledging God's goodness. We made it to the end of the week. I don't know about you but I am grateful. Oh wait! its also a new month!! Gratitude is a must. So this month I will be doing a series. If you follow us on the gram (@theholistichealthnut), and you watch our stories, you might be familiar with my posts on diet culture and its misleading tendencies. As a future registered dietitian and researcher, I do not recommend dieting for weight loss. In this series, we will be exploring diet culture and learning how to take care of our bodies outside of it. We will be talking about a few of the popular diets and the research, or lack thereof, behind them.
Today, we will be talking about the ketogenic diet.
The Ketogenic diet is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet. Majority of the daily calories are provided from fat sources such as cream, butter, oils, milk, meats, nuts, avocados etc. Our bodies' primary source of energy is glucose which is the product of carbohydrate metabolism. Following a ketogenic diet forces the body to use other metabolic pathways that breakdown fat to access energy from ketone bodies. Since the amount of daily carbohydrate consumption is significantly less than normal diet, the body has to rely on fat breakdown for energy. (1)
Metabolically speaking, when we consume carbohydrates, our body breaks it down to glucose and uses it for energy. If we consume more carbohydrates than we need, the excess is stored in liver and muscles as glycogen for later use. After a few hours after that meal, when our body needs energy again, it starts to breakdown glycogen to glucose for energy. Once the glycogen is completely broken down, the body will use protein to generate new glucose through a metabolic process called gluconeogenesis. This use of protein to create new glucose is temporary as the body does not store protein. After this, the body goes to ketones for energy as a last resort. Typically protein is taken from the muscles. This can be detrimental if prolonged. So, with the keto diet, the body uses fat as the primary energy source because carbohydrate intake is low.
The ketogenic diet was originally used as treatment for pediatric seizures.(2) According to the Mayo Clinic, ketosis (a state of ketone production) may have brain protecting effects, as a lot of the children experienced fewer seizures after following the diet. (3) Today, people have adopted the keto diet as a method for weight loss. The reason why weight loss is achieved over such a short period of time is because the body is breaking down fat from adipose tissues (tissues that store fat).
As I mentioned earlier, the keto diet prescribes a high fat and low carb way of eating. Generally, the guidelines for this diet suggests that 70 percent of daily calories should be from fat, 5-10 percent from carbs and 10-20 percent from protein.(2) Protein is also kept low because proteins can be used to make glucose and this can prevent ketosis. Recall that for this diet, the body needs to be in a state of ketosis. (2)
Here's what the research says:
- According to the Mayo Clinic, there is little to no research in support of the long term safety and efficacy of the keto diet for weight loss. (3)
- Short term, the diet helps to provide improvements in metabolic parameters such as cholesterol, blood glucose and pressure.
However, research on the long term effects is not available. (2)
Assumptions on why this diet works (SHORT TERM), is that fat causes satiety, which means you are full for longer and so you would potentially be eating less.(3) Another assumption is that ketone bodies might have a hunger reducing effect. (3)
My thouhgts:
Since the diet is mainly focused on foods high in fat, it can be limiting in certain nutrients such as certain vitamins and minerals that are present in fruits and vegetables that contain carbohydrates. I personally do not recommend it. However, if someone is planning on doing it, it is important to know that the weight loss achieved on this diet is short term and not sustainable. My advice is to talk to a dietitian before going on this diet.
My Recommendation: Eat a variety of foods to increase nutrient variety. Listen to your body and pay attention to your physical cues of hunger and satiety. Prioritize having a healthy relationship with your body and food. If you lose weight, fine. If you don't lose weight that is also fine. Pushing our body to a weight that it is not meant to be at, will only hurt us in the long run. Each of us are different and have a specific set point for our weight than the next person, which means we won't all look the same. Thats okay. Body diversity is normal. I think diet culture has been successful in telling us that we should all look the same. Trying to change your body because of what you see online is no way to live. You are more than just a number on a scale. Health is not represented by weight.
I hope this was a helpful introduction to the keto diet and I hope this series will shift your perspective on health outside of diet culture. Definitely comment any questions you have and I will try to answer as best I can. Please subscribe to be a part of the HHN family and share this post with anyone you think might benefit.
See you on Saturday! we'll be talking about the alkaline diet.
Peace, health and blessings!
References:
1. Sumithran, P., & Proietto, J. (2008, March 4). Ketogenic diets for weight loss: A review of their principles, safety and efficacy. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1871403X07000816
2. Diet Review: Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss. (2019, May 22). Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/ketogenic-diet/
3. The truth behind the most popular diet trends of the moment. (2019, April 24). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/the-truth-behind-the-most-popular-diet-trends-of-the-moment/art-20390062
Comentarios