Will Everyone Benefit From The Ketogenic Diet?

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Did you know that the original ketogenic diet was introduced to help treat patients with uncontrolled epileptic seizures? That was almost 100 years ago, when doctors first noticed the benefits of fasting for patients with epilepsy. But because continual fasting is impossible, doctors at the John Hopkins Medical center developed the close approximation they could find – a diet which is extremely low in carbs, and correspondingly high in fats.

Today, research is increasingly producing evidence that fasting – or intermittent fasting – may be good for you.

So, if fasting is good for you – and the ketogenic diet is as close to a fasting diet as one can get – does this mean that the ketogenic diet is good, not only for losing weight but for one’s overall health?

Let’s Take A Step Back

The ketogenic diet works by fooling your body into believing that it is fasting, and thus forces it to start burning your fat stores. When this happens, you enter a state of ketosis.

Generally, this is not recommended for children, apart from those suffering from uncontrolled epilepsy and then only under the supervision of a doctor.

But there is strong evidence that suggests that the ketogenic diet can have benefits for adults that suffer from various other medical conditions including high cholesterol and diabetes. These are both conditions that have long been recognized to have a diet component. What is more surprising is that the ketogenic diet may also be beneficial for people suffering from bipolar disorder.

That’s The Good News. Now For The Downside

For the diet to work, you have to remain in a state of ketosis. For that to happen you have to cut out nearly all carbohydrates from your diet and replace them with healthy fats – not the fats that you get from a juicy cheeseburger. That means cutting out bread – and in fact, all grains and cereals; saying goodbye to fruit, starchy vegetables like pumpkin and sweet potatoes, as well as potatoes themselves. There is also no place in the diet for sugar or even honey. If you slip, or cheat – and eat that cheeseburger with the bun, or slice of birthday cake – your body will no longer be in ketosis, you will stop burning fat, and you will have to start the process of achieving ketosis all over again. And if you think just eating the burger and the cheese will do the trick, think again.

What are the healthy fats that will keep you on the ketogenic diet straight-and-narrow and ensure its weight-loss success? Monounsaturated fats and some polyunsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids, and oils such as olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil. Add to that grass-fed butter and raw, whole-cream dairy products, ghee, lard, avocado, and some nuts and seeds.

Not many people are able to sustain this level of deprivation for six months or a year, let alone the rest of their lives.

But Is It Dangerous?

There is no real evidence that it is actually bad for your health, provided you don’t replace the carbs with red meat and other fatty, processed and salty foods that are notoriously unhealthy.

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Heather Acott, MPH

As a health and medical freelance writer for a number of online publications, Heather has lived the life of a nomad for the past 12 years, soaking up different cultures and ways of life. A California native, Heather received her undergraduate degree from UCLA and went on to study at San Jose State University to obtain a Master’s in Public Health with an emphasis on health communication. Before embarking on her current career path, she used her excellent communication skills and in depth knowledge of the healthcare industry as a grant writer for many years. Heather is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and American Public Health Association. As part of her job she interprets outcomes of medical studies, reports on annual scientific meetings and regularly interviews physicians, patient advocates and other healthcare professionals. Her areas of expertise include low-carb diets, biotechnology, metabolic disease, diabetes and When Heather is not writing or researching for her latest article, she can be found meditating, exploring whichever city she’s in and religiously following the ketogenic diet.

Different Types of Keto Diets

What all of these types of the keto diet have in common is their goal to get your body into the natural metabolic state of ketosis so you can burn fat, instead of carbs, for energy.

Standard ketogenic diet (SKD)

Consuming a high-fat, moderate-protein and low-carb diet. The percentages of your daily diet should be about 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbs.

High-protein ketogenic diet

Similar to the SKD, but with added protein. The ratio is about 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.

Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD)

Involves 5-6 days of the SKD followed by 1-2 days of refeeding days where the majority of calories come from carbohydrates.

Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD)

Eating carbohydrates around the times that you exercise. Meant for people who are regularly working out at a very high-intensity or for an extended period of time.