The new keto diet
Posted on: 11/Oct/2016 11:11:26 AM
A new diet called the ketogenic diet, or KD, or the keto diet lets you gorge on fats like butter and cheese while staying clear of carbs is helping some Indians shed the kilos.
Surprisingly, the diet seems to work. One of the dieters went down 20 kgs in nine months. He says, I limit my carb intake to just salads. At home I cook my own food according to the diet guidelines. When I am travelling I usually eat omelettes and kebabs, and carry protein shake powder. I pair the diet with weight training as it enhances the outcomes.
Normally, we meet 45-65 percent of our calorie requirement from carbs; keto cuts it to just 5-10 percent. You are not allowed to consume more than 20 gm of carbs a day but eat more fat - 70 percent of calorie requirement. The diet trains the body to derive energy from fats instead of carbohydrates. Glucose from carbs has been linked to obesity, diabetes and cardiac diseases. But when fats are metabolized they create ketone bodies or ketones, which can be used as fuel, just like glucose, by human cells. The name `ketogenic` comes from ketones.
A well known, overweight standup comedian went down a massive 100 kgs, His coach says, Now he is down to 120 kg and aiming to knock off another 20kg.
Another dieter says, I have been on keto since January last year. At the time I used to weigh 100 kg and now I am 62 kg. I researched the diet online and created recipes that can be made using local ingredients. Keto is a western diet and relies heavily on non-veg food items and special ingredients like heavy whipped cream, which are not easily available in India.
However, the keto diet is controversial. The initial transition period, when the body is getting used to metabolizing fats for energy instead of carbs, can leave some dieters low in spirits and energy, with brain fog and nausea. These symptoms, called the keto flu, last for a couple of days. Because fruits are off-limits, dieters may also face constipation and certain nutrient deficiencies.
Dieters don’t recommend it to everyone, and only to those who have failed to lose weight by traditional workouts and diets. A leading neurologist from Mumbai says, We have used this in uncontrolled epilepsy in over 370 children, infants, adolescents and adults till now. The rate of success is around 60 per cent, having more than 90 per cent control of seizures. We use it as a treatment option only in cases where standard medicines have failed to help.
