Geschatte leestijd: 5 minutenThe concept of the keto diet is not new; it has become known in many variations and under many names. There are many similarities with the Atkins Diet, and it is closely related to other popular diets such as the South Beach diet and the Paleo diet. Today, we will look at the arguments in favor of a keto diet. Shortly thereafter, attention will be devoted to the arguments against a ketogenic diet.
Table of Contents
- Three types of keto diet
- What is the keto diet?
- Why does the keto diet work?
- Less hunger due to keto diet than other calorie-restricted diets
- A ketogenic diet keeps blood sugar and insulin spikes under control
- A ketogenic diet lets you eat filling and satisfying food
- How do I follow a keto diet?
- How do I know if I am following the keto diet correctly?
- Counterarguments: “Keto diet simplified representation of the functioning of carbohydrates, insulin, fats, and protein”
Three types of keto diet
First of all, we distinguish between three different types of ketogenic diets:
- the Standard Ketogenic Diet
- the Cyclical Ketogenic Diet
- the Targeted Ketogenic Diet
These types of keto diets are closely related, but there are differences in the limits and timing of carbohydrate consumption. Below, we will discuss the standard keto diet, unless otherwise specified as another specific type of keto diet. Most information applies regardless of which type of ketogenic diet you follow.
What is the keto diet?
A ketogenic diet is simply any diet that “puts the body in a state of ketosis,” where fats are burned instead of carbohydrates to be used as energy. A good ketogenic diet requires the person following the diet to consume relatively high amounts of fat, adequate amounts of protein, and very few carbohydrates.
Our bodies are used to converting carbohydrates into glucose and sending it throughout the body as energy. When the body enters ketosis, by sufficiently reducing carbohydrate intake, our liver begins to break down fat cells into fatty acids and ketones, which are then used as sources of energy.
Why does the keto diet work?
The ketogenic diet works much like almost any other diet: by reducing the number of calories you consume and thus creating a calorie deficit where the body burns more energy than it receives. That is the basic science of weight loss, and few people will disagree with the statement that all successful diets in some way depend on reducing the number of calories in the diet.
So, the ketogenic diet also depends on eating fewer calories. Why don’t we go back to the traditional way of counting calories and eating low-fat, as most diet books and dietitians recommend? What is the advantage of the ketogenic diet?
Less hunger due to keto diet than other calorie-restricted diets
When you consume fewer calories than you are used to, it is not surprising that this can lead to feelings of hunger. In practice, it is often the feeling of hunger that makes it difficult to stick to a diet. However, research has shown that you can limit this increase in hunger by achieving the calorie reduction primarily by reducing the number of calories rather than the amount of fat.
Although these absolute changes in appetite were small, they occurred within the context of energy restriction, which is known to increase appetite in obese people. Thus, the clinical benefit of a ketogenic diet is in preventing an increase in appetite, despite weight loss, although individuals may indeed feel slightly less hungry (or more full or satisfied). Ketosis appears to provide a plausible explanation for this suppression of appetite.
-A.A. Gibson. The Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition,Exercise and Eating Disorders, SydneyMedical School, The University of Sydney
A significant part of the success of a ketogenic diet is the fact that the hunger normally associated with a diet is limited. However, this takes a few days. At first, your body is still used to burning carbohydrates, which eventually run out. Until the switch to fat burning is made, you may feel genuinely hungry. So it’s a matter of taking that threshold for a moment and then benefiting.
A ketogenic diet keeps blood sugar and insulin spikes under control
When you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels rise quickly. This causes an equally rapid insulin response from the pancreas. Insulin removes excess blood sugar by signaling to make fat from the excess glucose.
Lowering insulin levels is according to the theory behind the ketogenic diet and many other diets the key to success. Insulin is as just mentioned the hormone that stores fat in your body. By keeping the amount of insulin low, you ensure that your body stores less fat and stimulates fat burning.
A ketogenic diet lets you eat filling and satisfying food
Many people find that reducing calories on the ketogenic diet is very easy. If you follow a ketogenic diet correctly, you get most of your calories from fats and proteins, both of which are filling and can be very tasty.
Once you cut out things like refined sugar and simple carbohydrates from your diet, you’ll find that eating 2000 calories (or whatever your target is) per day is enough to feel satisfied. Many people who follow a ketogenic diet even find it difficult to get enough food daily!
How do I follow a keto diet?
Successfully following a ketogenic diet is all about balancing the amounts of nutrients or macronutrients. Generally, it is recommended that someone following a ketogenic diet gets about 60% of nutrients from fats, 35% from proteins, and 5% from carbohydrates.
You try to keep the number of carbohydrates per day to less than 50 grams. When you start a ketogenic diet, it is recommended to eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day because strictness in the beginning helps you to bring your body into a state of ketosis. It also helps you to learn all the rules of successful low-carb dieting.
During the first few weeks, it is good to keep very careful track of every bit of food and fluid that enters your body. Many dieters following a ketogenic diet use their smartphones to track their diet. This can of course also be done via the FITsociety App.
After a while, you will begin to feel how many grams of carbohydrates are in different types of food, and you will quickly learn to adjust your eating habits to your low-carb lifestyle.
How do I know if I am following the keto diet correctly?
A very good way to check the level of ketones in your urine is by buying “Ketostix”. When your body is in a state of ketosis, it will excrete excess ketones through your urine, sweat, and breath. This is useful because with Ketostix we can check if there are ketones in your urine. If they are found in your urine, your body is in ketosis, and you know for sure that you have sufficiently reduced your carbohydrate intake.
Ketostix are relatively inexpensive to buy, but compare prices carefully. Prices on various websites can vary widely.
Once you start to get the hang of the basics of the keto diet, you will be able to keep your body in ketosis continuously and effortlessly. You can then increase your carbohydrate intake until you find the ideal amount, where your daily carbohydrate intake is just low enough to keep your body in ketosis.
Just because your body is in a state of ketosis doesn’t mean you’re doing keto right; balancing nutrient amounts is also important. Your body needs enough protein to maintain your muscle mass, and you also need enough energy to keep your brain, organs, and muscles happy.
Counterarguments: “Keto diet simplified representation of the functioning of carbohydrates, insulin, fats, and protein”
The simple idea behind the keto diet is that carbohydrates cause an increase in insulin and that insulin then causes the conversion of fat from excessive amounts of sugar to keep your blood sugar stable.
However, there are a few problems with this reasoning that will be addressed in a separate article.
- Studies have shown that protein can also increase insulin
- What happens with an excess of fat and protein?
- Insulin also stimulates the production of proteins in muscles and thus muscle growth. What happens to the muscles if insulin is kept continuously low?
- What happens if the body suddenly receives a lot of sugar again?
Only after writing this article with opposing views will the balance be struck and a conclusion drawn about the usefulness of a keto diet.
References
- A. Johnstone et al. Effects of a high-protein ketogenic diet on hunger, appetite, and weight loss in obese men feeding ad libitum 1,2,3 Am J Clin Nutr January 2008vol. 87 no. 1 44-55
- A.A. Gibson et al. Behavior/EtiologyDo ketogenic diets really suppress appetite?A systematic review and meta-analysis. obesity reviews (2015) 16, 64–76
