The Keto Diet

The Keto Diet, or Ketogenic Diet, is an effective weight loss method for anyone looking to lose weight in a short time. It is an LCHF diet (Low-Carb High-Fat diet), which means you eat large amounts of fat and very little carbs. Due to the minimal consumption of carbohydrates, your body enters a state called ketosis.

Once your body enters ketosis, it turns your fat reserves into ketones, also known as ketone bodies. These are chemicals your body uses as an energy source. Simply put, instead of using the food you eat as a source of energy, your body uses its own fat reserves. Most of the cells in your body will use ketones until you start eating carbs again.

Under normal circumstances, carbs are the basic energy source for your body. When on a keto diet, you limit your carbs so that only 5-10% of calories come from this food group. This means you can typically consume about 20-30 grams (1 oz or less) of carbs daily. For example, a banana weighing 100 grams (3.5 oz) contains 23 grams of carbs (0.8 oz). You eat a medium-sized banana and that’s pretty much your carbs for the day.

The rules are not as strict when it comes to protein. 20-30% of your daily calories can come from protein but don’t exceed these amounts because too much protein can mess with ketosis as well. To maintain ketosis, 70-80% of your daily calories should come from fats.

How much weight can I lose with keto?

How much weight you can lose with the ketogenic diet largely depends on how much excess weight you have at the start. Weight loss in the first week of keto typically ranges from 2 and up to 5 kg (4.5-11 lbs). After the first week, the weight loss slows down, which is good. Losing 5 kg per week for an extended period would be a large shock for your body. But you can still expect to lose 1-2 kg (2.2-4.5 lbs) per week if you stick to the diet plan.

The keto diet was first developed as a way to help with childhood epilepsy. But over the last decade, it has become hugely popular for an entirely different reason: weight loss. Some research shows that keto can help with other neurological issues and disorders, but for now, not enough data is available to draw reliable conclusions.

What can I eat on the keto diet?

For everyone going keto and trying to cut carbs out of their daily menu, here is a comprehensive list of foods you are allowed to eat, and foods you should limit as much as possible. We also created a table with detailed data about the amounts of carbs, fats and protein in the most common foods.

We also have a delicious list of keto recipes for you, and a diverse keto meal plan for everyone who wants to make their keto journey more interesting. We add new recipes regularly, so check back, or get in touch with us via EMAIL if you have any specific questions or cravings. If you have your own delicious recipe you would like to share with others, you are most welcome to EMAIL us and we will add it to our list.

Benefits of the keto diet

• Help with epilepsy – A well-researched, documented and proven benefit of the keto diet is how it helps with childhood epilepsy when medication either doesn’t work or works with minimal effects.
• Weight loss – Short-term, the keto diet is an effective weight loss method.
• Help with certain medical conditions – A lot more research is needed to confirm these claims, but there are suggestions that the keto diet has a positive effect on people with neurological issues.

Negative effects of the keto diet

• Yoyo-effect – The keto diet is a great example of a diet that helps people lose weight fast and then regain that weight just as fast. That’s because most of the weight that is lost in the beginning is water. Our body stores each gram of carbs with 4 grams of water so in the beginning the weight will drop fast. But it’s just lost weight, not lost fat. The water weight will come back entirely once a normal eating pattern is resumed.
• Cholesterol – Due to a large amount of saturated fat there is a risk of LDL cholesterol increasing.
• Constipation – Due to very small amounts of whole grains and legumes, the fibre intake can be very low and cause constipation.
• Brain fog and mood swings – The human brain needs glucose to function properly and carbs are needed to form glucose. Of course, the brain can’t get the needed amount of glucose on the keto diet.
• Anaemia – This is a risk for those who are on the keto diet long-term. Due to a lack of diversity and not enough grains, fruit and vegetables the body doesn’t get all the necessary nutrients to function properly.
• Liver issues – This is also a risk when following the keto diet for a long time. The liver has to process a lot more fat than it was meant to so it is under a lot of pressure if a normal diet is not resumed.
• Kidney issues and kidney stones – Kidneys have to process a lot more protein when on the keto diet and this can cause issues in the long run. This is why anyone with known kidney issues should consult a medical professional before starting the keto diet.

Who shouldn’t go keto?

The ketogenic diet is not for everyone and we advise everyone who has problems with their liver, kidneys or cholesterol to find a different weight loss method. It’s also not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Due to several health risk factors and negative side effects, we recommend you consult a doctor or other medical professional before starting the keto diet.

Keto is an effective weight loss method for anyone who needs to lose weight fast, but it’s also very restrictive and limits a wide range of healthy, nutritious foods such as whole grains, legumes, fruit and several types of vegetables. If you decide to try this diet, plan ahead so you are ready to replace all the lost nutrients in other ways. Also, make a plan for when the diet is over so you don’t regain all the lost weight. A very effective way to maintain your weight is intermittent fasting so this is an example of a potential eating plan to adopt after the diet.