The ketogenic/keto diet actually has a history of more than a hundred years. It was originally used to treat epilepsy and relieve epilepsy symptoms.
However, in recent years, due to the rise in health care awareness, many people have begun to use the ketogenic diet to lose weight. There are also a small number of people who believe that the ketogenic diet is healthier and choose this way of eating.
But you must have heard that many people are strongly opposed to the ketogenic diet, and even think that the ketogenic diet is harmful to health.
Does the ketogenic diet help lose weight? What are the pros and cons for health?
Lets find out the advantages and disadvantages of the ketogenic diet, who is suitable for the ketogenic diet, whether the ketogenic diet can lose weight etc., let’s look at this popular but controversial ketogenic diet together!
1. What is Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic/keto diet originated in the 1920s as a medical diet. It was mainly used to treat intractable epilepsy. The main features are very low carbohydrate intake, low to moderate protein, and high fat .
“Ketogenic” means producing ketone bodies, because the ketogenic diet limits the intake of carbohydrates, and when the body cannot produce enough glucose to provide energy, the body switches to ketone bodies produced by breaking down fat as a substitute. energy.
To put it simply, if you look at the nutritional content of common foods in your daily diet, a ketogenic diet means that you can hardly eat rice, pasta, bread, etc. carbohydrates, including candies, desserts, many types of fruits, etc.
In a ketogenic diet, high-fat and protein foods such as high-fat meat, cheese, butter, oils, nuts, etc. must be the main intake.
2. Advantages and Benefits of Ketogenic Diet
- Helps burn more fat and reduce muscle consumption
- Increase good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL)
- Helps the mind function more efficiently when using ketone bodies as energy
- Can help control blood sugar
- Can help control blood pressure
- It has a weight loss effect in the short term (unknown in the long term)
- It can help patients with epilepsy improve their symptoms (it is recommended to be evaluated by a physician)
- Helps control appetite
- Helps resist oxidation and reduce free radical production
- It can improve the body’s sensitivity to insulin
3. Disadvantages and Side Effects of the Ketogenic Diet
- It is easy to feel mentally weak and physically weak during the adaptation period
- Hypoglycemia may occur during the adaptation period
- Gastrointestinal discomfort eg nausea and diarrhea
- Insufficient intake of minerals or vitamins
- Some people may experience heart palpitations due to this
- May increase the risk of osteoporosis and kidney stones
- You may have cramps, insomnia and other symptoms
- Dyslipidemia may occur
- There may be a risk of excessive uric acid
- Growing children are prone to growth retardation
4. Who is the Ketogenic Diet suitable For?
Based on the above-mentioned advantages, disadvantages, and side effects of the ketogenic diet, I believe everyone would like to know more, who is suitable for eating the ketogenic diet? Or who are not suitable for eating a ketogenic diet?
From an objective standpoint, no one is necessarily suitable for what kind of diet or lifestyle. It depends on what your purpose is?
It is true that according to current relevant research data, ketogenic diet is often used for patients with epilepsy. It can also be helpful and relatively safe for short-term consumption in weight loss, cardiovascular risk reduction, and blood sugar reduction. But the premise is still based on whether you have the correct concept to try the ketogenic diet and be able to maintain flexible adjustments at any time to cope with the changes and needs of the body.
However, if you have the following two conditions, it is “not recommended” to adopt a ketogenic diet:
- Diabetic patients : Although it can help control blood sugar in the short term, it is still necessary to rely on doctor’s treatment and advice.
- Developing children and adolescents : There is evidence that low-sugar diets can affect development.
5. Recommended Foods, Vegetables, and Fats in Ketogenic Diet
- Coconut oil
- Cold-pressed virgin olive oil
- Avocado oil
- Omega-3 oils (eg nuts, salmon)
- Spinach, asparagus, romaine lettuce (non-roots)
- Various meats (e.g. chicken, beef, sheep, fish, duck)
- Eggs
- High-fat fruits (e.g. avocados, olives)
- Seaweed
To put it simply, it means to consume good fats + vegetables, meat and eggs, and avoid high carbohydrates.
6. Ketogenic Diet is Prone to Nutrient Deficiencies. Recommended Supplementary Foods
In terms of vitamin or mineral intake, it is easy for the ketogenic diet to have a huge gap between the dietary pattern and the general diet, which can lead to special deficiencies of certain nutrients. Common ones include magnesium and calcium. Here are a few key points for you. You can consider supplementary health foods to supplement the nutritional deficiencies of the ketogenic diet.
- Calcium (natural calcium sources are preferred eg natural seaweed calcium)
- Mineral magnesium (natural sources are preferred eg natural marine magnesium)
- Whey protein
- Collagen (small molecules are preferred, e.g. fish skin extract)
- Multivitamins
- Fish oil/algae oil (Omega-3)
- Fiber (eg flaxseed, chia seed)
- MCT oil
- Electrolytes (eg sodium, potassium)
- Vitamins/vitamin C, vitamins/vitamin B complex
It is recommended to choose “natural health products” as health food to avoid consuming unnecessary additives during the ketogenic diet!
Key Message
There is really a lot of information that can be discussed about the ketogenic diet. I believe that after reading this, everyone can at least have a preliminary understanding of this dietary method.
The operating mechanism of the human body is indeed very complex, so understanding the impact of a dietary change on the human body is not a simple concept when discussed in detail. Therefore, it is suggested that if you are unable or unwilling to take the time to fully understand the ketogenic diet, it is recommended to avoid such more extreme dietary methods, because you may not be able to understand or grasp the related risks, or if you really want to implement it, remember to find truly professional medical personnel to provide evaluation advice and assistance!
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