What is the Keto Diet?

The Keto (Ketogenic) Diet is a Low-Carb/High-Fat diet dating back as early as the 1920's. 

Macronutrients are closely monitored to fit the following general ranges in the Keto Diet:

• 60-75+% of calories from fats
• 15-30% of calories from proteins
• 5-10% of calories from carbohydrates

The Keto diet is used to send the body into a state of Ketosis, a natural metabolic process that the body implements in order to survive low food intake. Once a state of Ketosis is achieved, the liver starts producing 'ketones', a more efficient energy source than glucose. These ketones will replace glucose as your main energy source. The Keto Diet is not a calorie cutting diet. Instead, carbs are cut in order to spur a state of Ketosis. There are some supplements available as well that, along with diet, can help you to achieve Ketosis.

Why Not a Carbohydrate based diet:

In a carbohydrate based diet, your body uses glucose as it's primary energy source. As a result, burning fat becomes unnecessary, and it is instead stored. When your body runs off carbohydrates, it produces much more glucose as well as insulin in order to process the glucose throughout your body. In cases where cells stop responding to insulin (insulin resistance), the insulin producing cells can break down under the heavy demand and cease insulin production. This can often lead to Type 2 Diabetes.

Benefits of the Keto Diet:

Weight Loss:

By cutting out carbs and putting your body into a state of ketosis, you are forcing your body to use ketones and burn fat as your primary energy source. Carb cutting also allows you to reduce the levels of the fat-storing hormone insulin in the body. The Keto diet has shown greater weight-loss results than many leading diet plans and has been shown to be up to 50% more effective in certain weight-loss studies. Because of the types of foods in the Keto diet, there is also a substantial decrease in Blood-Sugar and increase in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) levels, reducing the risk of diabetes. More on weight-loss here.

Increased Energy:

Fats are shown to be our most effective source of fuel. They also leave you feeling 'full' much longer than a glucose based diet would, curbing your hunger. Because the Keto Diet relies so heavily on the reduction of glucose in your diet, you do not experience an insulin spike, which means you will no longer experience a post-meal crash.

According to leading Keto expert Dom D'Agostino, as we age, glucose energy metabolism tends to decrease, whereas ketone energy metabolism tends to remain consistent. This means as we age, the Keto diet provides us with the same amount of energy as in our youth.

Epilepsy:

The Keto Diet has been shown to have a profound affect on the control of epilepsy, especially in cases of uncontrolled epilepsy in children. It was observed long ago that by fasting, people were able to halt seizures. This is because fasting forces the body into a state of fasting ketosis. For more information on the remarkable use of the Keto Diet with epilepsy, click here. These findings are backed by many studies similar to this.

Cancer: 

Cancer thrives on glucose. Because the Keto Diet puts you into a state of ketosis, and allows your body to use ketones and fat as an energy source in place of glucose, cancer loses its main energy source. Cancer cells have many more insulin receptors on their surface than other cells, allowing them to devour glucose very rapidly. A high-carb diet feeds cancer plenty of glucose, in-turn allowing cancer to thrive and spread. Whereas the Keto diet greatly reduces glucose in the blood, in essence starving out the cancer cells.

Increased Mental Performance: 

Ketones are an ideal fuel source for the brain as the brain is able to create more energy from them than glucose. With a lower carb intake, you are able to avoid glucose/insulin spikes, positively impacting brain function & memory. In addition, fatty acids have been shown to be good for mental function.