Recently, the keto diet became well-known among people who wish to lose weight quickly and effectively. Indeed, this approach has many benefits as it allows you to become thinner without starving yourself – in fact, you can enjoy some dishes entirely forbidden by most diets.
However, keto also implies a significant change in your diet, which can cause significant stress to your organism. What’s worse, it excludes a significant part of products present in the daily rations of most people. So are the results of keto worth the sacrifices, and can you reduce the potential risk of this diet? Let’s analyze this problem and find out!
Why is keto effective for weight loss?
The main principle of keto is pretty simple: eat more fatty foods and reduce carbs almost completely. Of course, there are different varieties of keto, some of which allows consuming carb-high foods during training or specific periods of time or consuming high levels of protein instead of standard moderate quantities. However, all of them have high-fat, low-carb notions in their base, which makes them so effective for losing weight without starving yourself.
This approach makes your body change its main source of energy as it enters a specific state called ketosis, during which the organism starts using ketones as a fuel. Ketones, in turn, are produced only when the carb intake is limited significantly, as many body cells prefer using blood glucose for energy. This potential in breaking down fats and reducing body mass is what draws so many people to keto – but it has other advantages too.
Potential dangers and benefits of the keto diet
Due to significant changes in your nutrition plans, some studies consider keto a pretty risky diet. Among the disadvantages of keto are various side effects that usually arise in the beginning due to extreme carb limitations. Fatigue, headaches, and dizziness are well-known problems you’ll have to live through during the first weeks of your keto journey. Moreover, research suggests that the diet might increase the risks of kidney stones, heightened levels of blood urine acid, and osteoporosis.
However, these pitfalls can be avoided by approaching keto carefully: a thorough consultation with your medical provider can prevent potential problems arising from following this diet. Furthermore, some studies demonstrate that keto can be useful for improving certain health parameters, among which are insulin resistance and blood pressure. Since keto is a low-carbohydrate diet, it even might be used as a part of treatment for diabetes II, Parkinson’s disease, PCOS, and other illnesses. Finally, it helps your body avoid sugar highs and crashes: the steady supply of energy helps you avoid fits of hunger and constant desire to snack.
How to ensure that keto is safe for your health?
The vital aspect of extracting all the benefits of keto while avoiding dangerous aspects of this diet is ensuring that your organism receives all the necessary nutrients and vitamins. Hence, even though the diet’s guidelines mainly focus on increasing the amount of fat in your rations, properly choosing the food products is necessary. Enjoying fast food like patties with cheese is a tempting option: but fish, nuts, seeds, and non-starchy vegetables are very important for maintaining your health and avoiding long-term issues caused by nutrient deficiency.
Starting keto abruptly also isn’t the best decision. If yesterday you’ve consumed sweets and enjoyed soft drinks without restriction, your organism is likely will have a hard time adjusting to the fact that from today it is going to receive no more than 20-50 grams of carbs. Prepare for changes beforehand, gradually reducing your carbohydrate intake before you start following keto principles in full.
Finally, if you have significant health problems – especially those that depend on your nutrition, like diabetes – consulting with a medical professional before starting keto would be necessary. This way, the healthcare provider will determine if this diet is suitable for you and adjust the changes accordingly to your needs, greatly reducing risks.
Conclusion
Keto is gaining more and more popularity due to its significant potential for weight loss. Though the diet is pretty hard to follow in the beginning because of considerable change in rations, it allows you to reduce body fat without feeling hungry all the time. For the same reason, long-term use of keto might present certain health risks, among which nutrition deficiency is one of the most relevant. However, preventing these problems is possible – a consultation with a medical professional allows you to adjust your diet to ensure your health is safe.