You’ve probably heard about the keto diet, even if you may not know exactly what it entails. It’s an ultra-low carb, high-fat diet that has shown promise in managing Type 2 diabetics and in weight loss. But what’s all the fuss about? Is it really safe? Are there long-term effects, and can it really help you lose weight and keep it off?

We’ll explore the keto diet in this special report so you can decide for yourself whether this lifestyle change is right for you or not.

Keto Explained

The full name is the Ketogenic Diet, because it forces your body into a ketogenic state. The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet originally invented back in the 1920s as a treatment for childhood epilepsy.

If you go on a ketogenic diet, you’ll be getting around 80% of your calories from fat, which the body burns as fuel when it can’t get carbs.

You’ll also be dropping your carb intake to about 5% of total daily calories and getting the rest of the 15-20% from proteins.

This is a fairly drastic departure from what we all learned in school as a healthy, well-balanced diet which typically consists of: 20-35% protein, 45-65% carbs, and only 10-35% fat.

While you follow a keto diet, your body will become very good at burning fat, which of course, is exactly what you want when you’re trying to lose weight.

It also helps turn your own fat into ketones in your liver, which your brain can use for energy. This diet is known to drastically lower blood sugar and insulin levels, which is where the diabetic benefits come in.

There are two basic types of keto diet: standard and high protein.

The standard diet is the one discussed above, with around 70-80% fat, around 20% protein, and only 5-10% carbs. The high protein keto diet, just as it sounds, tweaks the proportions to add more proteins. You drop the fat to around 60% and increase the protein percentage to 35%.

Bodybuilders and athletes often need more carbs for fast energy, so sometimes they’ll tweak, and play with that carb percentage.

Some of them will also follow what they call a cyclical keto diet, which follows the standard diet for a certain number of days, followed by a couple of higher-carb days. It’s often also called “carb cycling”. Others will just increase the number of carbs they consume right before a workout (a targeted keto diet).

The standard and high-protein diets have been studied far more extensively than the cyclical or targeted diets, so in this special report, we’ll be mostly talking about the standard diet.

How (and why) This Works

In order to better understand how a keto diet works, let’s take a look at your digestive system and how it responds to fewer carbs.

When you eat carbs, found in anything from the fruit and vegetable families (and that includes products made from grains, like pasta, breads, and crackers), your digestive system breaks them down into glucose.

Glucose is used to provide energy for the body, and the digestive system isn’t particularly picky about where the glucose comes from. It’ll digest a healthy salad in the same way as it would a candy bar, so it’s up to you to decide what to feed it.

This glucose is stored in a couple of ways in your body: as glycogen in the liver and muscle tissue, and as adipose or fat. When your body can’t get sufficient carbs to turn into glucose, it will start to burn fat instead.

This metabolic state is called ketosis because one of the by-products of this fat-burning is the production of ketones, which can also be used for energy.

If you want to be super-scientific, you can get breath and urine tests that will show the presence of these ketones and prove that you’re doing the diet correctly.

Most people just follow along and trust that it’s working. You can also tell your body is producing ketones by the following side-effects of the process: increased thirst or dry mouth, increased urination, and a decreased appetite.

The most effective way to get your body into ketosis is to follow a ketogenic (keto) diet where you severely limit your carb intake (remember that 5%).

That’s around 20-50 grams a day. The rest of the time you fill up on fats and proteins like meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and healthy oils (like coconut or avocado).

It’s just as important to limit your protein intake, though, because if you eat too much protein, your body will sneakily start turning some of it into glucose, which it likes better than fat.

You can also enter ketosis by intermittent fasting, such as limiting your meals to an eight-hour period during the day and fasting the remaining sixteen hours. 

The Top Benefits of a Keto Diet 

As we previously mentioned, the keto diet was originally created to help with childhood epilepsy. It’s still used today, and children can actually have 30 to 40% fewer seizures by rigorously following the diet.

In addition to this disorder, the keto diet has been studied in several other conditions. Some studies have shown an increase in cognitive function when Alzheimer’s patients follow a ketogenic diet. This is thought to have something to do with giving the brain new fuel (ketones) and, in turn, improving mitochondrial function. More study is needed to be certain, but it does look promising.

Research funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation has studied the effects of a keto diet on Parkinson’s Disease. One of the key features of this disease is the accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein. The keto diet may stimulate breakdown of this protein and reduce the amount of accumulation in the brain, but again, more evidence is needed to be sure.

In a small study in 2016, multiple sclerosis patients were put on a ketogenic diet for six months. They reported improved quality of life, mental health improvements, and physical improvements. Because the study was so small, doctors need larger sample sizes and more thorough research before they can declare a definite connection between the diet and improvements in MS, but it looks promising.

Since the keto diet is about as low-carb as you can get, it’s been studied a good deal with Type 2 diabetic patients (Type 1 are those who produce no insulin and require regular injections of it).

While the studies have been mostly small, they do seem to show that a super-low-carb diet (like the ketogenic diet) might reduce A1C (a measure of how much glucose is in the bloodstream) and improve insulin sensitivity in the cells by as much as 75%.

A 2017 review actually found that a keto diet was connected to better glucose control and a reduction in medication use—however, they noted that it wasn’t clear if this was solely the result of the diet, or if simple weight loss was involved.

You’d think a high-fat diet would create havoc with the cardiovascular system, but studies have actually shown that a keto diet might help lower triglycerides, HDL, and LDL levels.

Since high cholesterol levels are associated with heart disease, this is good news. A 2017 review of information showed that a ketogenic diet could be associated with lower cardiovascular health risks.

However, there are no long-term studies and reviewers noted that the diet may be difficult to maintain for long periods of time. We need some good studies showing whether maintaining a keto diet actually reduces cholesterol over a long period of time.

And finally, early research suggests that a ketogenic diet might even have anti-tumor effects. This would be due to the lower overall calorie intake and lower circulating glucose levels (which would help tumors to grow rapidly).

In a 2014 review of animal studies, a keto diet was shown to help reduce tumor growth and cancer in the colon, stomach, and brain. Human research is needed, though, with larger sample sizes, but the initial results seem heartening.

Keto and Rapid Weight Loss

Weight loss is one of the reasons the keto diet has become so popular. With keto, you can drop a significant number of pounds in a short time while following this diet. But is this too good to be true?

A number of studies have shown that a low-carb diet is better for losing weight than a low-fat one. But the problem is, are low-carb diets sustainable over the long term?

One meta-analysis showed that the low-carb dieters did lose more weight in the first year than the low-fat dieters, but after that year, weight loss seemed to even out in both groups. So while it’s a big difference in the beginning, it might not keep giving you such significant numbers in the end.

Let’s look at some of the ways it can work for you, though, so you can decide for yourself.

Calorie Restriction: cutting carbs significantly reduces the total number of calories you’re eating every day, and that is proven to result in weight loss. Many diets, in fact, depend on calorie counting to succeed.

Water Loss: the keto diet also works by reducing the amount of glycogen in your body. Glycogen, remember, is one way your body stores glucose, and it’s bound up with water in this form.

So if you break down the glycogen, water is released and excreted. This means you lose a good deal of “water weight” in a short period of time.

Appetite Control: fat and protein satiate you so you don’t feel as hungry all the time. In addition, the keto diet may also help suppress the hunger hormone (ghrelin), which is good news for most dieters.

A study of 34 older adults who followed a ketogenic diet for eight weeks showed they lost nearly five times as much weight as dieters who followed a low-fat diet.

A review of 13 different studies found that following a keto diet resulted in an average loss of two pounds more than following a low-fat diet did.

You can see, though, that these are not large study numbers, so more research is probably needed, especially on the long-term effects of following a strict diet like the ketogenic.

Keto isn’t for Everyone (is it for you?) 

The truth is, the ketogenic diet isn’t for everyone. We already mentioned athletes and bodybuilders, who do require carbs for quick energy while working out. Carbs release insulin, which drives protein into your muscles faster for bodybuilding and peak performance. Glucose also builds up your glycogen stores for longer training sessions or runs and hikes.

So, if you’re a dedicated athlete or bodybuilder, you might find this diet just doesn’t work for you. Another downside is that, when you start a ketogenic diet, your body isn’t used to using ketones for energy.

When you make that switch, you come down with a temporary condition called “keto flu,” where you may feel fatigue, headaches, and nausea. The ketogenic diet also affects your electrolyte balance, which might give you a feeling of “brain fog” on top of the other reactions.

You may also notice bad breath at first, because your body is breaking down fat instead of glucose, and that results in acetone production.

Your sweat and urine may also smell foul. Thankfully, all these negatives are only temporary, so you won’t stink for the rest of your life.

If you’re not careful about your food choices when following a keto diet, you may also find constipation a problem.

You’re cutting out your major sources of dietary fibre, after all, like whole grains and fruit. You need to increase consumption of fiber-rich veggies and even think about taking a fiber supplement while you’re on the diet.

And as with all diets, the ketogenic diet can interfere with your relationship to your food. You might find yourself obsessing over what you can and cannot eat.

And remember all those social eating occasions, too. No more birthday cake. No pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. No pasta. If you’re a gourmet who loves everything about food, this diet might not be the right choice for you. 

Foods: Reference List

Foods to avoid: 

Anything high in carbs should be avoided, of course. But what foods, exactly, have carbohydrates? Here’s a short list:

Sugars: cake, candy, sodas, sweetened drinks, fruit juices, smoothies, etc. Check the nutrition label if you’re not certain.

Grains (“starches”): anything made with wheat (bread, cookies, etc.), pasta, rice, cereals, oats, etc.

Root vegetables: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, etc.

Fruit: basically, any fruit except small portions of berries; and watch trail mixes with dried fruit in them.

Low-fat or “diet” products: low-fat mayonnaise, salad dressings, condiments, etc.

Artificial sugars: sugar-free candies, puddings, sodas, sweeteners, etc.

Alcohol: beer, wine, mixed drinks, etc.Some condiments: ketchup, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, etc.

Unhealthy fats: processed vegetable oils, mayonnaise, etc.

Foods to include: 

One good trick to this diet is to eat whole, single-ingredient foods without all the sauces or dressings. Here are some specific foods you definitely can eat on a keto diet:

Meats: red meat (like steak or beef roast), ham, bacon, sausage, chicken, turkey, etc.

Fatty Fish: salmon, tuna, trout, and mackerel

Eggs: pasture-raised, free-range, or Omega-3 whole eggs

Butter & Cream: grass-fed butter and heavy cream

Cheeses: unprocessed cheese like cheddar, goat, cream, blue, or mozzarella

Avocados: either whole or in freshly made guacamole

Low-carb Vegetables: green veggies, tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc.

Nuts & Seeds: almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.

Healthy Oils: extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil

Condiments: salt, pepper, herbs, and spices

Natural sweeteners: erythritol, monk fruit, or stevia

Things You Need to Know 

Staying on a ketogenic diet long-term may carry with it, some negative effects. As with all diets, check with your doctor to be sure it’s safe with your condition or medications.

If you have gallbladder or pancreatic issues, you probably shouldn’t try this diet.

Fats are harder for the body to digest, and especially hard on someone with a poor or absent gallbladder or a poor pancreas.

If you have kidney problems, you probably should avoid the keto diet. The shifts in sodium, potassium, and fluid balances may make you prone to kidney stones.

Healthy children shouldn’t be on a diet at all. This is the time when they should be getting enough carbs for energy and proteins for growth. If you feel your child is overweight, talk with your doctor about the best solution.

If you have a history of eating disorders, you should avoid a highly restricted diet like this. It could restart some obsessive thinking that you don’t need to be doing.

If you’ve had bariatric or gastrointestinal surgery, you should avoid this diet.

As mentioned above, fat is difficult to digest and if you already have digestive issues, this probably isn’t the diet for you.

If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you should not be on a diet at all! Your baby needs every nutrient you can pass along to help them grow up healthy and strong.

You might also experience low blood protein or extra fat in the liver over a long-term following a ketogenic diet, so keep up your regular doctor visits to be sure there are no problems. 

Top Tips & Strategies 

Starting any restrictive diet can be difficult, and the keto diet is restrictive. Here are some good tips to help you succeed at it:

Start out by reading food nutrition labels.

Figure out how many carbs your favorite foods have and see if you can fit them into your diet somehow. Make sure that can doesn’t have added sugar. Check the yogurt to see if it’s low-fat or high carb.

Plan your meals ahead of time. 

Do your grocery shopping once a week (or even every two weeks if you can) so you don’t impulse-buy unhealthy foods. Meal planning also saves you time during your week, so you don’t have to think about what to fix every day.

If you’re visiting friends or family or attending a social function, think about taking your own food with you. That will make it much easier to stick to your meal plan and you don’t have to ask the cook to make special food for you. Just warn them ahead of time not to fix you a portion of that high carb food you’re skipping.

You can find plenty of keto recipes in cookbooks, websites, food blogs, and even apps. Start hunting and you can find lots of ideas and meal plans that you can adapt for your own individual choices. Some meal-delivery services also offer keto-friendly options.

Final Words 

A ketogenic diet can be great if you’re looking to lose some weight fairly quickly.

It’s good for Type 2 diabetics looking to improve their blood glucose control, and maybe even reduce their medications. It’s also a good idea for anyone trying to improve their metabolic health.

This diet may not be a good choice for athletes who need quick energy or bodybuilders who are looking to add muscle mass.

It’s also not a good idea if you have kidney, gallbladder, gastrointestinal, or pancreas issues.

If you’ve had a food disorder in the past, a keto diet is probably the wrong idea for you, too. If you’re a carb-lover, you might benefit from not cutting all of them out completely. Just choose healthy options that will satiate your tummy and watch your serving sizes.

Talk with your doctor about your goals and eating plan to decide if a ketogenic diet is right for you personally. We’re just scratching the surface on some of the therapeutic uses of a ketogenic diet.

While it does seem to have some distinct advantages, the truth is that there’s no “one size fits all” diet that works for everyone.

If you’re just looking to lose a few pounds, remember that short-term diets really don’t work.

Dieters tend to regain what they once lost, and in many cases, add additional pounds. If you’re looking for a lifestyle change, a keto diet may be the way to go.

Our advice is to get in touch with a registered dietician if you really want to give the keto plan a try.

They help you decide the best and healthiest way to lower your carb intake and change your lifestyle.

Resources 

Here are links to a few resources that I believe will help you:

Keto-Friendly Recipes:

https://www.delish.com/cooking/g4798/easy-keto-diet-dinner-recipes/

Keto Diet Tips for Beginners:

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto

Keto Strategy Guide: 

https://www.bulletproof.com/diet/keto/keto-diet-beginners-guide/

Keto-Friendly Foods:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-101

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