Photo courtesy of Popole Chien, Wikipedia
The ketogenic diet is a virtually no carbohydrate food plan that puts the body into a state of ketosis, which is where your body burns fat for energy instead of carbs.
Most of the keto diets, just like any other, limit the amount of food you should eat, but with this plan, the type of food you eat is just as important as the quantity.
The diet requires you to eat a lot of fish as well as other types of seafood, low-carb vegetables, cheese, meat, poultry, eggs, plain yogurts and fats. Things like fruits, grains, legumes and anything with added sugar are all foods that you’ll find yourself giving up.
For the standard diet, your calories should be made up of 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein and five percent carbohydrates.
While this diet has worked for many under doctor supervision, many physicians are warning against going on the diet because of the severe issues it could present if it isn’t done properly.
Cardiologist Dr. Ahsan Achtchi is one of the leading physicians that have come out to speak on the severity of issues that the keto diet can cause, including kidney stones and even heart attacks.
“For people who are prone to kidney stones, for instance, it will be more likely to develop kidney stones,” Dr. Achtchi said to CBS 47 Jacksonville. “A high fat diet will raise your cholesterol and we know for a fact raising your bad cholesterol increases your risk of heart attack substantially.”
Another phenomenon that doctors warn could happen is called the “keto flu,” which is where your body starts to feel unwell when you first begin the diet.
With the keto flu, some of the most common symptoms people have faced ranged from headaches and fatigue, to dizziness, nausea, difficulty focusing, lack of motivation and irritability. Because these are similar symptoms when people stop drinking soda or other sources of caffeine, some physicians said that the diet is a period of detox.
Many, because of the severe health risks that are presented with the diet, have called for physicians, dieticians and fitness professionals to stop recommending it and take it away completely.
While that is a bit extreme, I do believe that the diet should only be done under professional supervision. People who try these unorthodox plans and workouts tend to do them wrong, and in return, continue to hurt themselves when they believe they’re doing it right.
This diet shouldn’t be taken away, that’s ridiculous. People should have the freedom to do what they want, as long as they’re properly supervised.
The ketogenic diet has proven to help people lose a lot of weight in a very short period with no health problems because doctors were monitoring them closely. If it’s done right, the diet is very useful and can help people who desperately need to lose weight.
Obviously, those with heart, kidney and other medical issues that could negatively be affected by this should stay away from the diet, but everyone else should be able to do as they wish.
wfeola@ramapo.edu
