Source: food.ndtv.com
Did you know Keto Diet can take a toll on our overall health if people are not able to sustain such a drastic change in eating habits that too in a safe manner?
Most of the people around us, who are on their weight loss trail, follow Ketogenic Diet. This high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet is one of the most popular diets in the recent time as it helps to lose good amount of weight in a much lesser time. But did you know Ketogenic Diet can take a toll on our overall health if people are not able to sustain such a drastic change in eating habits that too in a safe manner? This diet, which excludes a wide array of essential food groups, has been touted as one of the best weight loss programs, at the same time been dismissed by many.
In Keto Diet, as per an ANI report, out of the total daily caloric intake, nearly 70 to 80 percent comes from fat, 20 percent from protein and the remaining 5 percent or so are derived from carbohydrates. The carbohydrate deprivation pushes the body into ketosis, which is a state where fat becomes its primary fuel source. Despite its ability to cause rapid weight loss, this dieting approach doesn’t find many supporters among medical professionals. The Keto Diet is usually not recommended by doctors for the reason that it excludes a wide array of essential food groups that are imperative for optimal health such as grains, fruits, and some vegetables.
Medical professionals caution people to be aware of the difference between weight loss and overall health. The report says, Jeffrey Mechanick a medical director at Mount Sinai Heart’s Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Center for Clinical Cardiovascular Health stated that he would not “recommend the keto diet to anybody.”
Vasanti Malik, an adjunct assistant professor of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, expressed her concern regarding this extreme system of eating. “You want to be mindful because these foods – whole grains, fruits, and vegetables – carry a number of beneficial nutrients – vitamins, polyphenols, fibre – that have been shown time and time again to be beneficial for cardiometabolic health,” Malik said, as per the ANI report.
According to Mechanick, depletion of carbohydrates compels the body to scavenge upon its fat and muscle tissue to keep everything up and running. He explained, “In theory, the Keto Diet basically mimics starvation. If you don’t eat carbohydrates but you eat an excessive amount of fat and protein, you’re still going to waste tissue. The tissue is still going to burn off.”
The report further says that fad diets such as Keto also lead to weight rebound issues with people who are not able to stick to them after losing weight. The answer for sustainable weight loss, hence, lies with emphasising on the quality of food and not exclusively the number of calories that are consumed.
Mechanik suggests the minimisation of sugars and starches and an increased intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and beans. Malik, on the other hand, recommends people to include more grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, while limiting saturated fat, added sugar and added sodium. Tidying up your menu, in conjugation with daily physical exercise would be enough to create a solid foundation for health.