What is the Keto Diet and the best way to use it

Is the Keto Diet another FAD diet or is the real deal? How do you follow the Keto Diet? Well I am about to tell you.

The classic Ketogenic diet has been used since the 1920’s, mainly for treatment of seizures. But now the diet is being widely used for weight loss. Diets and weight loss have been a long ongoing battle in the nutrition world. 

People have compared the Keto Diet to the Adtkins diet and other low-carbohydrate diets. But is it really that simple? 

Does Dieting Really Work?

If a person is trying to lose weight, then following a diet that lowers the caloric intake will result in weight loss. Basically you need to burn more calories than you take in.

However, all popular diets result in short-term weight loss if followed correctly. It is the long term and maintaining that becomes hard to do. 

Diets that are low-calorie usually result in body fat loss. In the short term, high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets cause a greater loss of body water than body fat.

With Fad Diets, one of the biggest struggles is making sure that you take in enough vitamins and minerals that you get from a well balanced diet. 

Overall, what I suggest is following a diet which emphasizes foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, fish, and low consumption of any carbohydrates or non-fish meat. And if the goal is to lose weight then a reduction in calories is the best way to achieve that.

But the Keto Diet does have its benefits.

What is the Keto Diet?

In simple terms, the Keto Diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. But the Keto Diet is actually more complicated than that. 

When you start a low-carbohydrate diet causes the body to go into a state of ketosis. What is Ketosis exactly? When your body burns through the glucose production, the brain still needs an energy source. Your liver will then produce ketoacids as the alternate source, this is Ketosis. 

This happens also in a state of starvation. 

The classic ketogenic diet is used in a ratio of 3:1 or 4:1, meaning that there are 3 or 4 g of fat for every 1 g of protein and carbohydrate combined in the diet. With a 4:1 ratio, the diet is calculated so that at least 90% of the kilocalories are from fat. Protein is calculated to provide appropriate intake for growth (approximately 1 g/kg/day). Carbohydrates are added to make up the remaining small portion of calories.

But more recently the common practice is to use 2:1 or even 1:1 ratios. This is for those who don’t suffer from epilepsy. 

The ketogenic diet has minimal side effects, and risks of the diet are low blood sugar, upset stomach at first caused by the high amounts of fat, and constipation. The long-term risk of kidney stones is rare; elevated serum cholesterol is usually temporary and disappears with discontinuation of the diet.

Best Way to use the Keto Diet

To be honest, nutrition should definitely be individualized because each person have different genetics and different health conditions.

But you can individualize and structure the Keto Diet just for you! 

The best way would obviously to work with a Nutritionist or Dietician, but if you don’t have access to that you can use what you do have. 

As previously state, the common practice now is to use 2:1or 1:1 ratio. The best way to figure out which one works best for you is trial and error.  So how do you calculate this? Let me help.

Take your weight in Kg (2.2lb = 1 Kg) and calculate your suggest protein intake. For example if you weight 180 lbs. that’s 81.65 Kg. So you should eat 81.65 g of protein a day roughly to maintain that weight.  If your goal is to lose weight then I would reduce the protein to 0.7g/kg of bodyweight, or for our example 57.16 g of protein. 

Depending on the ratio you follow will determine the grams of fat you need to eat. For instance, if you are using the ratio 1:1 then you should take in 81.56 g of fat as well. If you follow 2:1 you should take in 163.3 g of fat a day. Again this is to maintain the weight. 

Now to convert this to calories.

• Fat provides 9 calories per 1 g.
• Protein provides 4 calories per 1 g.
• Carbohydrate provides 4 calories per 1 g.

Using our 180lb example in a 2:1 ratio, you should take in 326 kCal of protein, (4x 81.65) and 1,470 kCal of fat (9x 163.3). You would finish your remaining calories in carbohydrates, trying to focus on dietary fiber. 

Your total number of calories will depend on you as an individual and how active you are and what your goal is. If your goal is to lose weight, again you need to take in less calories than you are burning in a day, but it is best to still follow the ratios listed. 

As far as eating your carbohydrate, what I suggest is waiting until your last meal of the day to eat your carbs. But I still recommend them to be whole foods. 

Some other Facts

High-fat, low-carbohydrate diets are low in vitamins E and A, thiamin, B 6 , and folate; and the minerals calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium. They are also low in dietary fiber. 

Controlled clinical trials of high-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-fat, and very-low-fat diets are lacking; therefore no data are available on weight maintenance after weight loss or long-term health benefits or risk.

Another consideration to take with the diet would be to consider that inflammation is at the root of all chronic diseases. Therefore it makes sense to increase intake of anti-inflammatory foods and decrease intake of processed meats, saturated fats, hydrogenated oils and fried foods which have been linked to inflammation 

These are things to consider when thinking about starting the Keto Diet. 

Also I am not a Registered Dietician or a Licensed Nutritionist at this time. I graduate in December though!! This information is to be used as general information and I advise that you discuss any changes in diet or exercise routines to medical professionals. 

Resources:

Mahan, L. Kathleen,Raymond, Janice L. Krause's Food & the Nutrition Care Process (Krause's Food & Nutrition Therapy) (p. 396). Elsevier Health Sciences. Kindle Edition.