From a ketogenic diet to Atkins, and from a Mediterranean diet to eating only raw foods, there are so many different ways in which people across the world attempt to lose weight and get healthy.
Unfortunately, the adult mortality rate from obesity accounts for almost 3 million people every year.
Keto has been around since the 1920s and 30s when it was used as a therapy for epilepsy. Abandoned after about a decade, the ketogenic diet has once again gained serious traction in the last few years.
The question is, does keto work for everyone?
Keep reading for a break down of what keto entails, and whether or not it works for everyone!
What Is Keto?
The ketogenic (keto) diet is essentially a low-carb diet, not unlike the Atkins diet. The purpose is to get more calories from protein and fat and fewer calories from carbohydrates. Most people cut back on things like sugar, pastries, bread, soda, rice, pasta, and other high-carb foods.
How many carbs you eat per day depends on your body type and your weight loss goals. Typically, if you eat less than 50 grams of carbs per day, your body runs out of fuel (blood sugar) that’s used for quick energy. Once your body runs out of that carb fuel, it’ll start to break down fat and protein for energy, which makes most people lose weight.
When your body starts doing this, you’re in “ketosis.” Most people can get into ketosis in 3 to 4 days, but for some, it happens in a day or 2, and for others, it can take a week.
Maybe you will notice a dramatic loss of weight, sometimes overnight. This effect has been known as the keto whoosh effect.
Why Do People Use a Ketogenic Diet?
Most people use keto to lose weight. It can help manage specific medical conditions, too, like epilepsy.
Keto can also help certain people with some brain diseases, acne, and heart disease. More research is needed in all of those areas to prove the hypothesis, but it’s something that shows promise and repeated testing in the medical community.
Carbohydrates have been linked to acne, so some people find that cutting carbs helps. Plus, the drop in insulin that keto can trigger can also help to stop acne breakouts.
A ketogenic diet can increase “good” cholesterol and lower the “bad” stuff. While more research is still needed, it’s suggested that lower levels of insulin that result from keto can stop the body from making more cholesterol. Less cholesterol can mean you’re less likely to have heart failure, hardened arteries, or high blood pressure.
Ketogenic diets make you burn more quickly through insulin, the hormone that lets your body use and store sugar as fuel. Since your body needs less insulin on a ketogenic diet, these lower levels could help protect you against some cancers or slow the growth of cancer cells. Research is still being done to address this theory, though.
Researchers have been delving deeper into the relationship between keto and depression, too. By doing things like stabilizing energy levels, lowering inflammation, and influencing brain structure, keto could be an answer to some who suffer from depression.
Is Keto Right for Me?
There are some great reasons to try keto, especially for some of the conditions we mentioned above or simply as an alternative to other weight loss methods.
If you’re looking to reset your insulin sensitivity, improve your blood pressure, or lose weight with a sedentary lifestyle, then keto could very well be for you.
However, if you’re a keto beginner or you don’t want to have to worry about counting macros or eating only certain types of food, you can start with the Lazy Keto Diet.
With this diet, you can still enjoy the benefits of the low-carb lifestyle, including improved health and weight loss.
Quick and easy Lazy Keto meals offer a great way to start your journey into the keto diet without feeling overwhelmed by rules. Some tasty lazy keto meals include sheet pan chicken fajitas, cauliflower rice carbonara, and bacon-wrapped keto sushi.
Keto helps the body lose weight faster by:
- Lowering blood sugar and insulin, which promotes fat loss and lower inflammation levels
- Reducing cravings by reducing ghrelin, the body’s hunger hormone
What Should a Keto Diet Look Like?
Remember that being on a ketogenic diet doesn’t necessarily mean you’re on a healthy diet. You could technically eat half a bagel topped with bacon, eggs, and cheese and call it a day, ensuring you don’t go over your daily carb allotment.
The best way to live on a ketogenic diet is to make sure you’re still getting all the nutrients your body craves. If you limit yourself to 25 carbs a day, for example, most of those carbs should come from healthy veggies like spinach and broccoli.
Bacon, eggs, and cheese are all excellent keto options, but instead of using your carb allotment up on half a bagel, you could pair those things with a veggie breakfast hash, or some avocado, or both!
Don’t start your diet until your mind and your kitchen are prepared. You’ll enjoy your new lifestyle much more if you have the best foods ready to start your week.
If you don’t have the time to do and plan it all yourself, there are plenty of keto meal plans that will give you exactly what you need to get through your ketogenic diet with delicious foods.
Try to eat as clean as you can, choosing things like avocado and lean meats rather than high-fat junk foods. Check for hidden carbs, and for the best results, add exercise to your regime!
Who Should Not Do Keto?
If you have any underlying health conditions or aren’t sure if keto is a good choice for you, it’s important to check with your doctor before you make any drastic changes to your diet.
Low-carb diets keep blood sugar low. When your body burns fat for energy instead, it makes ketones. Too many ketones aren’t a good thing for everyone, though. If you have diabetes (especially type 1), too many ketones could make you sick.
People with kidney damage, those who are at risk for heart disease, those who are nursing or pregnant, and anyone who has undergone gallbladder removal or a pancreatic condition, shouldn’t attempt a ketogenic diet. If you aren’t sure, talk to your doctor about whether or not it might work for you.
Does Keto Work for Everyone?
Does keto work for everyone? The short answer is no.
Aside from drinking water, no dietary choice is the best choice for everyone.
That being said, if you are otherwise healthy and are looking for a great way to lose weight, a ketogenic diet could very well be your best bet.
Do you have any questions, or would you like to connect? Reach out to us or check out more articles in our wellness section for all things healthy living!