So you’ve decided to go on the Ketogenic diet - Keto diet.
No more nasty carbs for you! As from now on, you’re going healthy and getting yourself that body you always dreamed of. What a great way to start your health journey? Well… it depends.
PROS AND CONDS OF THE KETO DIET
Despite its popularity, research on the long-term benefits of a keto diet is still relatively low. Some researchers are even calling it downright dangerous.
The highest evidence - we currently have - has shown that low-carb diets can reduce your lifespan by up to 5, some say 10 years!
So don’t just join the fad before knowing all the facts first.
To help you make a decision for your health, I’ve made a short list of some of the main pros and cons of the keto diet.
The pros:
1. It will make you eat more natural products
The Keto diet offers a mouth watering list of foods to pick from (cheese, poultry, red meat, avocados, nuts, olives etc…) and practically none of them are processed foods. And, since it’s so anti-carb, you’re also waving bye bye to flour based processed foods (white bread and roti, I’m looking at you) which when consumed in excess is bad for your health.
2. Weight Loss
Most people will see short term weight loss with the Keto diet. Whether it’s a long term solution however, remains to be seen (more on that later).
3. You’ll eat more vegetables
I’m always the first to say that you should be adding more vegetables to your meals and the Keto diet will have you doing just that.
4. It reduces the frequency of epilepctic seizures
If there is one situation in which I would advocate for a Keto diet, it definitely has to be the case of Epilepsy. A lot of children on a Keto diet see the frequency of their seizures reduced dramatically.
Apart from epilepsy, I’d say a big fat NO to Keto. Why? Keep scrolling down.
The cons:
1. It’s a diet
All diets offer a short term solution to a long term problem, i.e: Your relationship with food.
As the Keto diet is very strict in regards to your carb intake (especially in a Mauritian context where so much of our food is carb based), you’re likely to be the odd one out at every meal and find it hard to stick to.
Ready to feel socially awkward?
2. It impacts your gut health
Gut health research is one of the biggest medical revelations of the century. As
an increasing amount of research shows that your gut has a major impact on your mental health, eating foods which benefit it will soon be on everyone’s to-do-list.
So it’s good to know that the Keto diet negatively impacts your gut health. The diet does not favour maintenance of good bacteria in your gut, leading some to even experience diarrhea and constipation. Seriously, who would want that?
3. It lacks essential nutrients
Carbs are good for you! Wait what? Carbs are not that bad? No, they’re actually essential for your health. High quality, minimally processed carbohydrates pack a lot of essential nutrients, especially your B vitamins and fibre: Fibre for your gut health, B vitamins for your overall health (immune system, cellular renewal, nervous system just to name a few).
Ready to follow Keto and start having nutrient deficiencies?
4. It’ll make life hard for your kidneys
The Keto diet cuts the carbs and asks that you eat more fats and proteins instead. Though it offers plenty of tasty meal options when compared to other diets, Keto dieters may run a risk of increasing the level of protein and uric acid in their bodies to unsafe levels. This can lead to kidney problems and gout.
5. It’s nothing new
If you’ve tried the Atkins or Ducan diets and failed, then you’re likely to get the same results from Keto as it’s basically the modern version of those two. All are low carb diets and in fact, the Keto is even harder to stick to because of its strict anti-carb policy. And of course, once you stop the diet, the weight loss will transform back to kilos piling up.
So, Keto or no Keto?
Ultimately, the decision is up to you, but even though this list is not exhaustive, I hope that it opens your eyes to the fact that there is no “one size fits all diet”. Any diet will give you results as long as you stick to the diet.
Losing weight doesn’t mean you're eating healthy. Instead of trying every new diet out there and hoping for a miracle, opt for a healthy lifestyle to get long lasting results. It’s important that you take into consideration your body and current health status.
If you feel ready to bring REAL change to your life, consider booking a consultation with a health professional. I’d be happy to help you and you can book an appointment here.