The keto diet is a high fat and low fiber (carbohydrate) diet that has been promoted widely in the media and among celebrities as a tool used for healing and losing weight. Different social media platforms are filled with images of people who praise the keto diet for its propensity to help in weight loss. It was established in the 1920s to help kids with epilepsy and has been used over the centuries as a medication for different illnesses, such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. According to Haspel (2021), the keto diet is preferred for weight loss because of its low carbohydrate composition that produces energy in glucose. However, the diet may not be the best in enabling weight loss because it deprives the body of sufficient power may result in mood swings, and nutritional deficiency and will cause other dangerous health issues.
The Keto diet will make you feel groggy through what is popularly known as “the keto flu”. In the beginning, a person on a keto diet is likely to experience some side effects because the body has to adjust to a new source of energy. During this time, the keto diet is very effective and produces positive results for weight loss. However, the period may also engender unexpected effects labeled “the keto flu.” The name does not refer to the usual flu, and instead, it means the person experiences lethargy, cloudy, tiredness, slow thinking, mild headaches, light-headedness, and starvation (Haspel, 2021). The main reason for the feeling is that the body is short on carbohydrates. In other words, it is communicating the need to be fed with carbohydrates. This means that the keto diet can best work in the short-term, and in the long term, the gains made in the short term may end up being eroded. The keto diet facilitates ketosis through fat metabolism, where the body principally uses fat to generate energy instead of carbohydrates. By reducing the number of carbohydrates in the body, fats become transformed into ketones to energize the body (‘Keto flu’ during a ketogenic diet might be real: Study, 2020). However, as soon as the body enters ketosis, the body begins to drop muscles. In the end, a person turns out to be exceedingly exhausted, and in time the body enters starvation mode, making it even tougher to lose weight. For this reason, the keto diet would be better if taken under medical direction and only for the short term. They can be desirable, particularly in extreme circumstances.
Furthermore, the keto diet can lead to a nutritional deficiency. The keto diet is based on only three food components: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. But the human body requires many other nutrients from vegetables and fruits. The diet eliminates and greatly restricts some food components, which can effectively lead to nutrient deficiency (the Keto diet contains risks). The longer a person is on a diet, the greater the risk, and even if people can use food supplements, they cannot be effectively absorbed as natural food. Food supplements also do not spawn the same antioxidant value as whole foods. The low carbohydrate composition of the keto diet is hard to help sustain the body. There are many varieties of the keto diet that can have as low as 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, which is quite restrictive. As a result, the body will have meager calories because high-carbon foods also contain the highest calorie composition instead of fats and proteins. The keto diet is fashioned such that close to 90 percent of the calories needed by the body ought to be derived from fats. It is vital to note that nothing, including keto diets, can setback the body’s calorie equilibrium. The body is fashioned that a person has to burn more calories than the amount consumed. The keto diet circumvents this understanding, that’s why it is composed of over 70 percent fats, while carbohydrates and proteins constitute only 10 percent and 20 percent, respectively. Hence, the keto diet falls short of the recommended daily calorie intake. In research by Holland (2021), it is recommended that 40 to 60 percent of one’s total calories come from carbohydrates, 25 to 35 percent from fat, and 15 to 35 percent from protein. Holland (2021) further argues that anything below a 1,200 calories per day diet can only be regarded as a malnourished diet that people cannot effectively apply for long-standing weight loss programs. The diet can provide as low as 800 calories per day, basically starving the body. The goal of the keto diet is to enable the body to enter a state of ketosis, which requires very low carbohydrates of between per day.
Lastly, the Keto diet can cause dangerous health issues or worsen existing health conditions. Even though people are desperate to lose weight, the keto diet may not be the ultimate solution. It may worsen the condition of patients with underlying health conditions, especially liver and kidney complications. People with existing liver conditions could experience worse conditions because the keto diet causes the liver to strain more as it is a new formula for the body. Further, people with diabetes need to be careful or avoid this diet because it results in a reduced level of blood sugar in the body since a lower amount of glucose is generated by the body (The keto diet a safe way to drop pounds? You may lose fat, but also muscle and tissues, experts warn). The diet comprises a high-fat portion that can cause the amount of cholesterol to go up, leading to heart illnesses. The diet cannot help people with kidney disease because they produce excess proteins that may progress the condition more quickly.
The keto diet exemplifies how society is obsessed with weight loss. Humankind has lost the sense of good nutrition established upon individual nourishment. Instead of eating junky foods and then running to dietary programs for weight loss, we should strive to live a healthy life. Some of the practical actions include eating healthy food and conducting many physical exercises, such as jogging, walking, or bicycle riding. Losing weight has no magical solution apart from eating a balanced diet comprising fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole organic foods. Using dietary programs such as the keto diet punishes the body through starvation and worsens existing medical conditions (Holland, 2021). People should refrain from processed and refined foods filled with additives that lead to unhealthy bodies. In many cases, diet programs only help produce positive gains in the short term, but in the long run, the body cannot sustain the gains because it lacks an adequate balance of nutrients. The keto diet has helped improve the condition of people experiencing sicknesses, such as epilepsy and cancer. But to a healthy person, the keto diet may not produce the desired outcome, and it may well amount to punishing the body.
References
Haspel, T. (2021). Is keto really better for weight loss? A new study takes a closer look at the diet. Washington Post. Web.
Holland, K. (2021). I tried the ketogenic diet for 30 days and here’s what happened. EatingWell. Web.
‘Keto flu’ during ketogenic diet might be real: Study. (2020). Asian News International, NA. Web.
The keto diet a safe way to drop pounds? You may lose fat, but also muscle and tissues, experts warn. (2020). Spectator [Hamilton, Ontario], G7. Web.
Keto diet contains risks. (2019). UWIRE Text, Web.