The Ketogenic Diet / Keto-Diet

I have been asked numerous questions about the Ketogenic Diet or Keto-Diet and whether it’s healthy or not, so we’re going to discuss it in a series of articles. Numerous studies findings have indicated that the Ketogenic Diet helps with Obesity management and weight loss, Epilepsy, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Cancer and overall improve health. 

  

So, what is a Ketogenic Diet?

The Keto Diet is a very low Carbohydrate, High Fat Diet. It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing fat intake, and basically using fats as the main energy source.

When you drastically reduce carbohydrate intake, which are basically the typical energy source for the body, this puts your body in a metabolic state known as Ketosis. In Ketosis, the body uses fat for energy.

The body breaks down fat into Fatty Acids and Ketones in the liver. The Ketones are used for energy.  The ketogenic diet actually originated as a tool for treating Epilepsy. The ketogenic diet was designed in 1924 by Dr. Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic. 

    

Types of Ketogenic Diets

       i.            The Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD)

This is a very low-carb, moderate-protein and high-fat diet. It typically contains 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbs.

     ii.             High Protein Ketogenic Diet

Similar to a standard ketogenic diet, but has more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.

  iii.            Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD)

In this diet the person has higher-carb refeeds, for example, 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high-carbs days

   iv.            Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD)  

This diet allows for higher carbs intake around work-out hours.

Of all the four diets however, only the Standard Ketogenic Diet is well researched. Therefore its benefits and side effects are more defined.