The keto diet— short for ketogenic diet— is having quite a moment right now! It has been wildly famous on social media in recent weeks and months, and Google searches for related “keto” terms have shot up since the beginning of 2018.
Celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian and Tim Tebow have even joined the hype and called it a “reset button” or detox for the body.
Its main idea is to ditch the carbs and go with fats. Meaning, you binge on butter, mayonnaise, whipped cream, and cheese.
Lots of cheese!
Sounds so good to be true? I know right!
But…
Is it safe and healthy? Let’s find out!
But, first…
What Is This Keto Diet?
The ketogenic diet is a diet plan which consists of 80% fats and moderates to little protein and little to no carbs. Favorite staples of keto diet include:
Green vegetables- Oils
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Meat
- Fish
While fruits, potatoes, rice, and other grains and pasta are strictly a big NO!
The goal of a keto diet is to help you be healthy while entering a metabolic state called ketosis where the body is starved of glucose and forces it to burn ketones for fuel.
The Process?
Carbs and sugar are converted into glucose by our liver. If you stop eating carbs and sugar, then the body will start burning all the glucose it had stored first, namely glycogen. When there is no more glycogen, the body transition to a state where it burns dietary fat which is now in plenty of supply because of the high-fat diet. The liver then breaks down the fatty acids into ketone and uses it for energy.
Where Did This Diet Start?
I’ll tell you right now, the keto diet is not a fad, at least in the usual sense of the word. This diet has been around for almost a century and has its roots in the medicinal world.
In the year 1920, researchers on epilepsy found out that increased levels of ketones in patients can help in fewer seizures and recommended it as a diet treatment for epilepsy, until today.
There is also some evidence which proves that the keto diet has therapeutic powers for a broad range of diseases and symptoms including diabetes, neurological conditions, polycystic ovary syndrome, cancer, and even acne.
So, how did it become a popular diet for weight loss?
Although the keto diet has been gaining popularity due to Pinterest recipes and celebrity endorsements, this is not the first time that a form of it has gone big. There are variations of low-carb diets for decades such as the Dukan and Atkins diet. Therefore, the idea is definitely not new— just repackaged in a newer and sexier way.
So, Is It Safe or Healthy?
Keto diet is created for epilepsy treatment.
However, a high in fat and low in carb diet has been shown to aid people to lose weight as well as positive health benefits, such as:
- Improved mental clarity and focus
- Improved cholesterol level
- Decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease
- Lower blood sugar
- Steady energy levels
- Rapid fat loss
- Helps manage diabetes
All these perks seems healthy and beneficial, right? Thus, keto diet should be a health plan you can follow, right?
Well, it depends.
All diets can be healthy and safe or unhealthy and dangerous, depending on your approach. If you choose healthy fats for your keto diet then you can enjoy all the health benefits it provides. If you let saturated, unhealthy fats inside, then you’re doing more harm than good to your body. So its better to opt for ketoforce supplements along with the diet which acts as an additional support for the body to help it get started with ketosis. Check this best keto supplement at KetoaHolics.com for more info to overcome the side effects of keto diet.
Furthermore, researchers believed that a keto diet is only beneficial on long-term and it is not advisable to follow it for more than 12 weeks. This is because some negative side effects can hit you if you try to restrict your body with carbs.
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