The keto diet has been relatively popular over the past several years. Avid keto-ers rave about how quickly they shed their weight. But, how sustainable is the keto diet? Why is the keto diet so popular? How did the keto diet originate, and what exactly is the keto diet? 

I’ve got you covered! I can remember learning about the ketogenic diet in my nutrition classes as my undergraduate to become a registered dietitian. However, the way I learned about the ketogenic diet was completely different than how it is used today, and mind you this was only 4-5 years ago. 

I learned that the keto diet was created and implemented in the treatment of children with seizures. Research has shown that the ketogenic diet can reduce or prevent seizures that are otherwise uncontrolled by medications. That is great news! Seizures can be hard on the body and having the ability to minimize them with nutrition was wonderful to learn about. 

The reason the ketogenic diet worked was that, without the glucose from carbs, the neurotransmitter activity in the brain that would signal a seizure was slowed down. It reduces the amount of glutamate produced in the brain while enhancing GABA synthesis. 

Now, the keto diet is all of the rages for losing weight. As we know, people will do anything to lose that stubborn weight and the keto diet is another fad diet that falls in line with unsustainable, unrealistic diets. 

So, what is the keto diet?

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the ketogenic diet is “a high fat, moderate protein, low carbohydrate eating pattern.” Carbs are very restricted while on the keto diet. I believe the goal is to limit carbs to less than 50 g of CHO/day. For the keto diet to “work”, you have to limit the number of carbs you are consuming because carbs are our main source of energy. Without carbs which eventually convert into glucose, our bodies look elsewhere for sources of energy so the body begins to break down our stored fat into ketones for energy. So, when we break down our fat stores, weight begins to fall off which is why the keto diet is placed on a pedestal. 

But, is it safe? Is losing that amount of weight that fast healthy?

In my personal opinion, no. I don’t think the ketogenic diet is healthy. Cutting out an entire food group (carbs) goes against everything I learned in nutrition. Do I think the ketogenic diet should be used for children with epilepsy? Yes, the research backs it up and shows that it truly does help reduce the frequency of seizures, but do I think the average person should be going to these lengths to lose a few pounds? No. 

I would NEVER recommend this diet because well, I don’t believe in diets and this is bogus, but I especially would never recommend it if you fall into any of these categories:

• Diabetic- you NEED carbs

• Actively struggling with an eating disorder or have previously been diagnosed with an eating disorder

• Pregnant or breastfeeding

• Pancreatitis- due to the high-fat content recommended by the diet

Losing weight in a short amount of time is not healthy and can be dangerous. There are several health concerns for people that are on “keto.” These include headaches, fatigue, dizziness, brain fog, vitamin deficiencies, constipation (no fiber from carbs), etc.

In case I still haven’t persuaded you on why the keto diet sucks, here is one aspect that might get your attention. The keto diet is not sustainable! What do I mean by this? The keto diet is not a diet that you could do for the rest of your life. So, when you inevitably allow yourself to indulge in the demonized carbs, you may find yourself binge eating because you had been restricting for so long and you may find that you gain all of your weight back and more. The keto diet makes carbs the enemy, but they aren’t! Carbs are amazing and provide us with energy, aid in digestion, and can help protect against cardiovascular disease. The keto diet forces you to view food as “good” vs “bad” and in reality food is just-food.

95% of diets fail and 80-95% of dieters gain their weight back. It’s not your fault that you regain your weight! Diets lure you in to think they will solve all of your problems, when in reality they may be the problem. 

If you are on the keto diet or have been on the keto diet please know that I am not pointing my finger at you or dismissing your desire to lose weight. I mean who doesn’t have that thought cross their mind in our fat-phobic society? It’s easy to try different diets and then start a new one when the last one “failed.” 

But what if I told you that you didn’t have to? What if I told you there was a way that you could eat all of the fats, proteins, and carbs that you wanted without food rules, guilt, or shame? 

If you are sick and tired of chasing the weight loss fantasy, let’s talk! You are more than a diet and life is too short to cut out amazing foods that have carbs!

Resources:

https://www.eatright.org/health/wellness/fad-diets/what-is-the-ketogenic-diet