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The Keto Diet: Pros, Cons And Tips
Keto is a newer trend diet, or so many people may think. Keto has actually been around since the 1920’s, and was originally popular as a tool for reducing seizures in epileptic patients. But a renewed interest as a weight loss diet, and techniques to stay the course of this diet, has exploded in the last couple of years. The keto diet is all about keeping the diet low in carbs and high in fat. To follow the guidelines of keto, it is recommended to have less than five percent of calories in carbs, 20 percent in protein, and 75 percent in fat. Following this regiment will put the body in a state of ketosis, which trains the body to break down fat for energy, thus the weight loss begins. Dietician Richelle Gomez, MS, RDN, LDN of Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital states that cutting carbs and upping fats is what makes the body burn more fat. “Your body turns carbohydrates into glucose for energy. When you cut carbs from your diet, you switch to burning fatty acids, or ketones,” Gomez explains. One on the path of keto, it takes about three weeks for the body to switch from using carbohydrates for energy to burning fatty acids, or ketones, for energy. Once this transformation happens, one’s body is officially in a state of ketosis. But this diet is not without its share of drawbacks. To learn more about the ketogenic diet, check out these pros and cons of keto.