With summer just around the corner, everyone is looking for the perfect diet that will get them their dream body fast.
The keto diet is one that has been growing rapidly in popularity over the past few years. This diet is high in fat and very low in carbohydrate.
Sounds good, right? Not really.
The keto diet is popular mainly because, unlike most other diets, the dieter does not go hungry and the foods to which they are restricted are very high in fat and filling.
The ultimate goal with the keto diet is to get the body in ketosis and start a new journey from there. To do this, dieters must reduce their carb intake to no more than 20 grams per day. This means filling up with foods that are high in fat, such as meat, dairy, seafood, etc.
Many people go into the keto diet thinking they can also load up on their fruits and vegetables, but this is not exactly true. Many fruits and vegetables are high in carbs and would quickly exceed the daily recommended carbohydrate intake recommended by the keto diet.
The keto diet goes by five per cent of your energy coming from carbohydrates, around 25 per cent from protein and around 70 per cent from fat.
Although this diet sounds like it can’t be all that bad, there are many problems with the keto diet. Dating back to the 1920s, doctors originally created this diet to help control seizures in patients with epilepsy. Today, it is one of the fastest growing diets around the world.
The main problem with the keto diet is that such intense carbohydrate restriction means that many people have a hard time sticking to it.
“I was on the keto diet for around three months before I had to call it quits. I had absolutely no energy to do anything,” said Terri Duckworth, a third-year psychology student at Wilfrid Laurier University. “My body was not adjusting to the diet and oftentimes I felt very tired and dizzy. Whenever I stood up, my vision would go blurry and I would feel very light-headed.”
The keto diet is also known to not have long-lasting results once the dieter comes off of it.
“Once I tapped out after three months and, eating a normal amount of carbohydrates, I noticed all of my weight coming back and a little bit extra too. I was not impressed,” said Duckworth. She added that she now eats a healthy balanced diet and works out to lose any extra weight.
Our bodies naturally need carbohydrates to function normally. Healthy carbs that come from vegetables and fruits that are exempt from the keto diet are necessary in a healthy weight-loss diet that will provide long-lasting results.
“I have had a few clients try the keto diet mixed in with their workouts and I’ve noticed a decrease in energy levels from all of these clients when they are in ketosis,” said Tannis Maciel, a personal trainer from Waterloo, Ont.
“I just find it’s better to be on a normal diet that includes a normal amount of all of the necessary food groups. Trying to trick your body with diets such as keto won’t last very long.”
The keto diet may seem like its all that but those who try it may end up worse off than they started.
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