Written By Sam Martin
Why I am Choosing to say NO to a Keto Diet.
The Keto diet has quickly become the South Beach or Atkins diet of the past, only on steroids. All too often I am hearing friends and acquaintances tell me how I should switch to a Keto diet for weight loss. It’s simple, I am working towards living a healthier lifestyle, not one that can potentially put my body into more distress.
The essence of the ketogenic diet is to exclude all carbohydrates forcing the body to get energy from a different macronutrient, fat! This means if you choose this way of eating, you are choosing to omit whole grains, legumes and fruits from your diet as these are all carbs. Once the body begins to extract energy from the fats being consumed, it will create ketones as a means of metabolizing the fat.
The South Beach and Atkins diets taught us that simple carbs can be disastrous for weight loss. So it makes sense that it could be a great way to kick start a weight loss program, or sustain weight loss over a long period of time. I mean, who else struggling with losing the unwanted pounds does not want an easy out? Well, I do not! Not if it comes at the detriment to my health.
There are plenty of people out there who will try to convince you the keto diet is the only way to lose and maintain proper weight. Meanwhile they are suffering what can only be described as the “keto flu”, a mixed bag of feeling unwell, nausea and fatigue. This is because there i=are whole groups of foods your body is being denied, foods that provide essential nutrients.
Studies Show Low Carb Diets Are Killing You Slowly
A recent study in published in The Lancet, demonstrated that those eating a prolonged low carb diet, relying on fatty based cuts of meats from various animals suffered a higher mortality rate. Of course many studies have already indicated that diets with more animal products are the leading causes of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, with the keto diet specifically, you are eating in a means that increases the levels of bad cholesterol and lowers the amount of good. This puts anyone on the diet at a great risk of developing heart disease.
Vegetables, legumes fruits and whole grains have already been proven time and again to be the healthiest foods for the body. When you remove these foods from your plate, of course you would expect your life expectancy to decrease. My opinion is that these foods are deemed the healthiest for a reason. Why would I remove them from my diet? Especially when I sat across the table from a guy eating 2 sirloin patties, a side of bacon 3 sausage and 2 eggs. This guy was attempting to lecture me on how to eat. Simply because I was larger and he was leaner, he felt he was healthier. Carbs are not your enemy.
Sure, you can say you have seen keto work for weight loss. That does not mean there are not other reasons to avoid this diet. Use the google and look up the literature on the documented side effects of a prolonged keto diet. Patients suffered from side effects such as kidney stones, cardiac arrhythmias, pancreatitis, high cholesterol and more. Is this what you are looking for when trying to live a healthier life. NO
Let food be thy medicine. Th earth is replete with food that can help us heal. This includes managing diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It does not include killing ourselves slowly to look good in the mirror!
