This is one of the latest buzzwords to hit the health world:  keto — it refers to the high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet. There are  claims that you can eat all the fat you want, never feel hungry again, lower your blood sugar if you have type 2 diabetes, and even boost your athletic performance, the diet promises something for everyone.

So what exactly is the Ketogenic Diet? And is it good for us?

The ketogenic diet is based on the principle that by depleting the body of carbohydrates, which are its primary source of energy, you can force the body to burn fat for fuel, thereby maximizing weight loss. When you consume foods that contain carbohydrates, the body converts those carbohydrates into glucose, or blood sugar, which it then uses for energy. Because glucose is the simplest form of energy for the body to use, it’s always used for energy before your body turns to stored fat for fuel. 

On a ketogenic diet, the goal is to restrict carbohydrate intake so that the body must break down fat for energy. When this occurs, fat is broken down in the liver, thereby producing ketones, which are by-products of your metabolism. These ketones are then used to fuel the body in the absence of glucose. There are several types of the keto diet, but essentially, to achieve a state of ketosis, you have to severely reduce the amount of carbs you eat. (Data suggest the average American man over age 20 consumes 47.4 percent of his daily calories from carbs, and the average American woman over age 20 consumes 49.6 percent of her daily calories from carbs.  But in the classic ketogenic diet, which was originally used for the management of seizure disorders, 80 to 90 percent of calories come from fat, 5 to 15 percent come from protein, and 5 to 10 percent come from carbohydrates. A modified version of the ketogenic diet, which allows you to eat protein more liberally — at 20 to 30 percent of your total calories — with the same carbohydrate restriction, is the more commonly used version of the diet today. Some of the aims of the latest version of the ketogenic diet are weight loss, weight management, and improved athletic performance.

(this discussion paper/article is for information purposes only and is not an endorsement of this diet or product by Drummond Education)

Source: Livestrong.com

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