What is keto: A miracle weight-loss formula or a risky diet plan?
The keto diet is not new, but it is increasingly being adopted around the world for quick weight loss.
One of the reasons behind the massive popularity of diet plans that produce rapid results is unhealthy weight gain and obesity, partially caused by the availability of convenience foods that are high in calories but low in nutrition. Beauty standards and judgmental attitudes add to the problem. Body surgery and manipulation of images on social media create unrealistic and unattainable body goals that even people with healthy body weight try to achieve.
In such an environment, diet plans that promise to make people lose a lot of weight quickly become instant trends. In the first week on keto, people lose 2 to 10 pounds, and in the long term, 1 to 1.5 pounds per week. While the popularity of the keto diet is understandable, it is always a good idea to have full information about the diet plan you want to follow.
Origin and history of the keto diet—when and how it started
Surprisingly, the roots of the keto diet are in our ancient past. In ancient Greek and Indian medicine, fasting was used to treat epileptic seizures. Although researchers continue to study how fasting helps control seizures, in the 1920s Dr. Russell Wilder devised the ketogenic diet to create the same metabolic effect as fasting. It was intended to prevent seizures among children. When put to the test, it was effective for children and adults alike, and became widely used thereafter.
Normally, our bodies burn carbs to produce energy, but the keto diet reduces carb intake and focuses on fat. As a result, the body learns to burn fat instead of glucose for energy. The process creates ketones, a type of chemical compound produced by the liver when the body breaks down fat. The energy shift and subsequent chemical changes in the brain slow down the excited nerve signals, and the metabolic state known as ketosis thus helps prevent epileptic seizures.
Over a 100 years of its lifetime, the ketogenic diet has seen its own share of ups and downs—from being an ‘amazing medical therapy’ that rescued thousands of children at John Hopkins Hospital to being cast into near-oblivion by the pharmaceutical industry’s new anti-epileptic drugs. In the early 1970s, the founding of John Hopkins Pediatric Ketogenic Diet Center put it back on the charts—research found new vigor and the center continued its clinical use.
Keto’s newfound stardom in the 1990s was courtesy of Hollywood. Its trend status in the 2010s was a gift of digital culture. It’s been in the limelight ever since, thanks to commercialization that might have stripped it of its medical precision and effectiveness but definitely sustained it as a long-life consumer trend.
What is keto and how it works
At its core, the keto diet is a low-carb regimen that restricts carb intake to levels so low that the body is forced to switch to an alternate source of energy. This is when it starts burning stored and dietary fat, and the liver accelerates production of ketones to meet its energy needs. With carbs reduced to 5-10%, protein allowance at 10-20%, and fat intake increased to 70-80%, as in the standard keto diet, the body enters ketosis after a few days.
Essentially, ketosis is a secondary process, lipolysis being the primary. Lipolysis is the body’s natural process for dissolving fat to produce usable energy. Stored body fat dissolves (i.e., lipolysis occurs) when carb intake is reduced to a bare minimum. As a result, the liver ramps up ketone production to meet the body’s energy requirements (i.e., ketosis begins).
While there is evidence that the keto diet is an effective way to lose weight, even when other diets have failed to achieve desired results, its exact mechanisms remain surrounded in ambiguity.
What is clear, however, is that reduced carb intake makes room for lipolysis. As the body shifts from glucose to ketones for energy, blood sugar levels stabilize, helping the body break the cycle of excess insulin and stored fat. Reduced hunger is arguably another factor contributing to weight loss; however, there isn’t enough clinical evidence yet to prove this, and research continues.
Keto vs. Atkins: A tale of rebranding?
Some of you might remember the high-protein Atkins diet, famously believed to lead to a loss of 1 kilogram per day while you ate as many boiled eggs, meat, poultry, and fish, just minimal carbs. Cardiologist Robert Atkins developed this diet in the 1970s.
Essentially, the Atkins diet employed the same logic as ketogenic diets. The original version, Atkins 20, relies on the body’s natural metabolic process, lipolysis, and severely reduces carb intake to trigger ketosis to result in weight loss. The Atkins diet reduces carb intake drastically in its first phase (induction). However, unlike keto diets, which allow moderate protein intake, it imposes no cap on protein.
The popularity of the Atkins diet declined when studies suggested that it could lead to kidney damage among people with already impaired kidney function and even those with healthy kidneys.
In terms of trends, the standard keto diet, popularized in the 2010s, can be seen as a rebranded version of Atkins 20 since both are low-carb. But ketogenic diets are markedly different from earlier Atkins and other high-protein diets in that they focus on fat instead of protein.
What is the keto plateau: A slowed metabolism?
The so-called keto plateau occurs when, after dramatic weight loss in the beginning, the body refuses to lose more weight. This also happens with other diets. Initially, you lose a lot of weight on a diet because the body releases its glycogen stores to create energy when calories are cut down, and carb intake is restricted. Glycogen is a complex type of carbohydrate and is partly composed of water. This is why the rapid initial weight loss is primarily due to water loss.
A common factor contributing to a plateau during weight loss is metabolic changes. Your metabolism may become slower as it adapts to the new diet regimen. Also, as you lose weight, your energy requirement declines, and your calorie intake must be reevaluated. While you are not exactly counting calories on a keto diet, consuming too many from high-fat foods can become a problem. A reevaluation of your high-fat food intake may be necessary.
Also, it is natural to lose track of your macronutrient intake with time. But even a few more grams of carbs and protein slipping in unnoticed can affect ketosis, contributing to you hitting the plateau.
A reassessment of calorie and macronutrient intake, combined with resistance exercises, usually helps break through the keto plateau.
What to eat on keto and what not to eat
The keto diet limits carbohydrate intake to 5-10% to keep the body in ketosis. There are different types of keto diets, but all of them restrict carb intake. This means that in a 2000-calorie keto diet plan, carbs will be reduced to 25-50 gms per day. Thus, bread, rice, pasta, grains, beans and other legumes, vegetables high in carbs such as potatoes and peas, and fruits high in sugar, like mangoes and bananas, are avoided.
Milk, butter, cream, cheese, and yogurt
Dairy is generally low in carbs; however, you should aim to include high-fat, low-carb dairy options with no more than 5 gms of carbs per 100 gms.
Most milks, liquid, condensed, or evaporated; sweetened yogurts and creamers; dairy desserts and ice creams; and fresh and soft cheeses high in lactose are among foods that should not be consumed on keto. However, pure dairy fats like butter and ghee are among the most keto-friendly. Cream is also a rich source of fat, with minimal carbs—especially heavy whipping or sour cream. If you have to choose a cheese, it’s safest to go with the aged, hard ones that are rich in protein and fat with lactose removed through the long aging process.
Nuts, seeds and oils
Nuts and seeds that are low in carbs and high in nutrients are perfect for a keto diet plan intended for weight loss. Macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds yield about 4 gms of carbs per ounce. Almonds and hazelnuts come next with 5 gms of carbs per ounce. You can enjoy peanuts and pistachios too, but an ounce of these has 6 and 8 gms of carbs, respectively.
Among keto-friendly oils, you can count on sesame, avocado, coconut, and extra virgin olive oil. They give you a decent variety of smoke points. Highly processed vegetable and seed oils should not be used when you’re on keto.
Meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood
Protein intake in a keto diet plan should ideally come from fattier cuts of beef, lamb, goat, and pork. Internal organs such as heart, liver, and kidney are also considered good sources of protein in keto.
Poultry such as chicken, quail, duck, and turkey; fatty fish like mackerel, salmon, and sardines; and low-carb shellfish such as lobster, crab, and shrimp can all be part of a keto diet plan.
Eggs prepared in various ways, fried, scrambled, and boiled, etc., are also eaten on a keto diet. They give you very few carbs but good protein.
Vegetables and fruits
Keto vegetables grow above the ground and are low in carbs, while those that grow under, such as potatoes, are not considered keto-friendly. Spinach, asparagus, celery, cabbage, olives, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, cauliflower, tomato, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin, etc. are low in carbs and can be included in a keto diet.
Fruits that are low in carbs and high in fiber can be eaten while on a keto diet. These include avocados, olives, strawberries, lemons, raspberries, and blackberries, etc.
Keto-friendly kebabs and Indian dishes
Traditionally, kebabs like Shish, Adana, and Kofta require fat in the mix to keep them juicy and hold them together when grilled on skewers. They are simple in ingredients, low-carb, but packed with protein. When prepared without high-sugar marinades and not glazed, they are ideal for a keto diet plan. Marinades for meats, based on fresh lemon juice, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, ground cumin, coriander, paprika, herbs such as thyme, oregano, and rosemary, are considered keto-approved.
If you want to include a variety of foods in your keto diet, Indian foods can be your best friend.
Usually, rice, naan, and paratha are so associated with Indian food that people forget most traditional Indian dishes rely on ghee; tandoori kebabs and chicken are prepared without breading or batter; and many curries include heavy cream. Several Indian foods are high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbs. Meat-based curries like butter chicken, paneer dishes such as palak paneer, tandoori foods like chicken tikka, and kebabs such as seekh are keto-friendly foods. All you need to do is skip the breads, rice, and condiments typically served with these dishes.
Side effects of the keto diet—the other side of the coin
It is important to keep in mind that keto is essentially a medical diet devised for treating epileptic seizures among children. It significantly alters the macronutrient ratio in your diet, imposing many restrictions on what you can eat; thus, it carries risks, too.
The diet is high in saturated fats that are associated with ‘bad cholesterol’. Preexisting liver conditions can worsen when the liver metabolizes more fat than normal. Kidney function can be affected because kidneys help metabolize protein and can become overwhelmed. Our brain naturally gains energy from sugar produced by healthy carbs. A low-carb diet can lead to fuzziness and mood swings. Excluding many vegetables, fruits, and grains can cause vitamin deficiency, and lack of high-fiber foods can lead to constipation.
Several other popular high-protein, low-carb diets are basically versions of the ketogenic diet. They also carry similar risks associated with high intake of fat or protein and deprivation of carbs and sugars. So, while the keto diet can help people lose weight quickly, it does not come without side effects and risks.
Concluding words…
All diets intended for weight loss are restrictive and unsustainable in the long term, and once you return to normal eating, the weight comes back. This is because a naturally healthy body is programmed to maintain a healthy weight, and continued weight loss or sustaining a very low body weight is possible only by depriving our bodies of nourishment.
While it is necessary to lose unhealthy amounts of weight, it is equally necessary to maintain your natural body weight.
It is important to establish healthy eating habits that don’t exclude important food groups. Usually too much of anything is not a good idea. Apples are healthy, but imagine eating two kilograms of apples per day! Moderation, balance and flexibility are key to physical and emotional well-being. Bottom line, there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating some delicious tandoori naan as long as you don’t overdo it!
Common questions asked about the keto diet
What exactly is keto?
The keto diet is a low-carb regimen that restricts carb intake to levels so low that the body is forced to switch to an alternative energy source. It starts burning stored and dietary fat, and the liver accelerates production of ketones to meet its energy needs. As the body shifts from glucose to ketones for energy, blood sugar levels stabilize, helping the body break the cycle of excess insulin and stored fat.
How much weight can you lose on keto?
In the first week on keto, people lose 2 to 10 pounds, and in the long term, 1 to 1.5 pounds per week. The body releases its glycogen stores to provide energy when carb intake is restricted, and calories are cut. Glycogen is a complex type of carbohydrate and is partly composed of water. This is why the rapid initial weight loss is primarily due to water loss.
Are meats, poultry, and eggs keto?
Yes. Eggs prepared in any way provide only a few carbs but good protein. For meat and poultry, fattier cuts are recommended. Fatty fish and shellfish, like mackerel and lobster, also fit in a keto diet plan.
Which vegetables are keto?
Keto vegetables grow above the ground and are low in carbs, while those that grow under, such as potatoes, are not considered keto-friendly. Spinach, asparagus, celery, cabbage, olives, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, cauliflower, tomato, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin, etc. are low in carbs and can be included in a keto diet.
Which fruits are keto?
Fruits that are low in carbs and high in fiber can be eaten while on a keto diet. These include avocados, olives, strawberries, lemons, raspberries, blackberries, etc.
Can I eat kebabs on keto?
Yes. Skewered kebabs that use fattier cuts of meat, are prepared without high-sugar marinades and not glazed, are good to go in a keto diet plan.
Which Indian foods are keto-friendly?
Several Indian foods are high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbs. Meat-based curries like butter chicken, paneer dishes such as palak paneer, tandoori foods like chicken tikka, and kebabs such as seekh are keto-friendly foods.
What are keto rules?
Keto diets focus on increased fat intake, reduced carbs, and moderate protein consumption. The intake of carbs must be so low that it forces the body to enter ketosis.
What not to eat on keto?
Bread, rice, pasta, grains, beans and other legumes, vegetables high in carbs such as potatoes and peas, and fruits high in sugar, like mangoes and bananas, should be avoided when you are on a keto diet. Also, most milks, liquid, condensed, or evaporated; sweetened yogurts and creamers; dairy desserts and ice creams; and fresh and soft cheeses high in lactose are among foods that should not be consumed on keto.
Is keto healthy?
Keto is essentially a medical diet devised for treating epileptic seizures among children. It significantly alters the macronutrient ratio in your diet, imposing many restrictions on what you can eat; thus, it carries risks associated with high fat or protein intake and deprivation of carbs and sugars.
What is high-protein keto?
The high-protein version of keto is based on a slightly altered ratio of macronutrients. Fat and carb intake are reduced, making room for more protein. Fat intake, however, remains the highest, while carbs are restricted still more.
