The Ketogenic Diet is an effective diet for weight loss and is not new, but a lot of people are not aware of its dangers. I am against Keto style diets as I don’t believe in eating a diet that restricts whole food groups. Not only is it bad for your physical health, but it can also be devastating for your mental health and cause disordered eating.
A healthy, balanced diet is the diet I always recommend. I eat healthy most of the time but I allow treats in moderation. Nothing is off-limits for me. If I want chocolate, I will have chocolate. But I just have one portion and don’t binge each.
Anyway, back to low carb diets and why they are trash.
The Ketogenic Diet is Not a New Idea
The Ketogenic Diet has been around since the 1920s and it was invented by Dr. Russell Wilder for use in epilepsy patients.
During the 1920s, one of the biggest problems that people had with this diet was that they would be starving all day while only eating two meals per day. There was also a lack of knowledge on how to properly plan out a ketogenic meal which made it difficult to stick with for long periods of time.
Therefore, many people would quit after just a few weeks, while others might be able to stay on it for months at a time if they were dedicated enough.
The low-carb weight-loss craze started when the Atkins Diet became popular in the 1970s. The original Atkins Diet was high in protein and fat and had limited carbohydrates. Today, there are many variations of the diet with different amounts of carbs allowed each day.
The problem is that when your body’s carb stores are depleted, it turns to break down stored fat for energy instead of glucose from carbs. This process can cause insulin resistance which can lead to weight gain and fatigue.
Low-Carb Dieting Increases the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
It has been discovered that low-carb diets increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. This is because the diet leads to a higher insulin resistance, which is an important precondition for developing type 2 diabetes.
Insulin resistance increases the time of exposure to high levels of blood sugar. This leads to chronic exposure to high levels of glucose, which is one of the main risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes.
With this increased risk comes a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease and other conditions such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain damage from stroke.
The costs associated with developing these illnesses are staggering in comparison with treating them when they occur later in life – and they’re not just personal costs; they’re societal ones too.
A Ketogenic Diet Can Lower Your Body’s Immunity Against Cancer Cells
A ketogenic diet includes low carb, high-fat foods. One study found that ketogenic diets can lower the body’s immunity against cancer cells and produce a pro-inflammatory effect.
Keto and Low Carb diets can lead to a Deficiency in Nutrients like Vitamin A, C, D and E, Folate, Calcium and Fiber
A ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. The idea is to get the body into ketosis – this is a state where it’s using fat as its main energy source rather than carbs. The problem with this type of diet is that it can lead to deficiencies in some nutrients.
Dieticians recommend that people on the keto diet have more supplements in their diets like Vitamin A, C, D and E, Folate and Omega 3 fatty acids to try to combat these deficiencies.
Restricting Carbs is Bad for Your Gut Health and Digestion
Restricting carbs is a common diet plan that many people turn to in order to lose weight. The problem with this is that it will cause your gut health to deteriorate and your digestion to suffer.
One of the most important aspects of this diet is the reduction in carbs. Normally, these would be limited to grains and sugars, but also things like beans and potatoes. These are very important sources of fibre, which are essential for digestive health. They help regulate bowel movements and maintain gut health.
When you reduce your fibre intake on a low-carb diet, not only do you risk digestive problems like constipation or diarrhoea, but also a loss of muscle mass. This makes it harder for your body to extract energy from food which can lead to fatigue or disorientation often caused by low blood
Low-Carb Diets Can Make it Harder for Your Body to Naturally Digest Food and Absorb Nutrients
Low carb diets can make it harder for your body to naturally digest food and absorb nutrients because they contain fewer carbohydrates than other types of diets which can lead to nutrient deficiencies.
Low-carb diets may be great for weight loss but they can lead to nutrient deficiencies, as the name suggests. Low carbohydrate intake reduces the amount of fibre you consume and that means the absorption of nutrients from the food you eat becomes a problem.
So now we’ve established that Low-Carb diets are bad for you, it’s time to get that pasta and eat! Remember food is for energy so you can enjoy life being active! Not for silly fad diets.
If you want to lose weight, a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veg, plus exercise is the best way. Aiming to lose 1-2lbs per week. Not cutting out carbohydrates, which will just leave you feeling miserable, irritable and wanting to binge!