• While a huge population in India is battling malnourishment, obesity is a paradoxical concern. With everything in the world moving as fast as a flash, we are all in search of natural and easy solutions to all our problems, including obesity. A quick solution to overcome obesity and lose weight fast these days is the keto diet. But do you think a keto diet will help you lose weight quickly or is it just another myth? Is it really beneficial or does it have any adverse effects? These are just a few questions out of the millions that arise in our mind.

Revealing the facts

Slaying the myths and revealing the facts are the only solutions to reaching any conclusion about this popular diet plan.

1. What to follow?

• The most common mistake people do is to follow the diet suggested by a friend that is very different from the real one. Keto diet has been hyped so much as a no-carb diet that most people don’t even realise that, in reality, it is a low-carb diet and not a no-carb diet. The keto diet requires you to decrease the carbohydrate intake and increase the fat intake from your diet. The total carb intake should be around 20 to 50 grams per day. The calorie intake should be managed in such a manner that 70-80% is from fat, 10-20% from proteins, and 5-10% from carbs.

2. How does it work?

• When you are on a keto diet, a low carb intake ensures that the amount of available glucose from the carbs (a major source of glucose) reduces drastically. The brain cannot store glucose, so it needs a constant supply of glucose to function, as does the body. Thus, you start using the glucose stored in your body. When all the glucose stores in your body are depleted, a temporary breakdown of muscles to produce glucose begins. After three to four days, the level of appetite-stimulating hormones, insulin and ghrelin, decreases in the bloodstream. This is when your body starts utilising the stored fats, which are broken down into ketone bodies and used in place of glucose.
• The decreased level of appetite-stimulating hormones and increased expenditure of energy due to the conversion of fats and proteins to glucose help you achieve the goal of losing weight. Unlike other diet plans, the keto diet produces a feeling of fullness due to the excess fat in your diet and reduces cravings for food.

3. What changes should you make to your food intake?

• You can incorporate some basic changes in your diet and fit it into your keto plan. Make sure that of your calorie intake, 70-80% should be from fat, 10-20% from proteins, and 5-10% from carbs, the standard pattern of a keto diet. Some examples you can follow are:

1. Omit whole wheat bread and toast in breakfast.
2. Replace wheat wrap with a lettuce wrap at lunch.
3. Skip rice in your main meals.
4. What are the stumbling blocks in going on a keto diet?

• The drawback of any type of diet is the magic that food has on our minds. The disadvantages specific to keto diet are irritability, fatigue, hunger, and low mood due to the decreased carbohydrate consumption. This type of diet is suitable in the short term because in the long term, keto diet may lead to gout, kidney stones, and osteoporosis.
• A keto diet can be useful in losing weight if a proper diet chart is followed after consulting your physician. If you are on any medications or battling any disease, you should consult a doctor before making any changes in your eating habits. Just a click on HealthAssure can accelerate your process of losing weight and maintaining a healthy life. You can also visit our primary care centre nearby for proper guidance from an experienced nutritionist and break the wall between you and fit life!

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