Do you think keto is healthy?

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  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    AlabasterVerve wrote: »
    I live under a rock. Apparently keto is the current dieting fad and I doubt it has anything to do with health like I thought... yikes.

    Quest Nutrition co-founder Tom Bilyeu concurs. “You have to have a ketogenic product line—that’s where everything is going, and rightly so—and we’re at the forefront of that,” he said to a gathering of reporters at last year’s Mr. Olympia Expo. “And we have the full complement of items ready to go: high-fat, low-calories cookies and chips that will cause the body to burn fat reserves even as they keep you satiated.”

    ...

    Anthony Roberts emphasized that market imperatives, not humanitarian ideals, best explain this rapid transition toward ketogenic foods. “Remember all of those absurd fat free products of the 1990s through the 2000s? That was a multi-billion dollar industry. Now that keto dieting is big, we have another multi-billion dollar industry in the works, and a lot of vested financial interests working to keep their low/no-carb profits rolling in,” he said.

    Google Users Can’t Stop Searching for the Ketogenic Diet

    Rather eye-opening stuff, huh?

    Yup.
  • LittleBrookFiona
    LittleBrookFiona Posts: 1 Member
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    There is some misinformation regarding ketogenic diets on this thread. I've been on a medically supervised keto diet for 6 months. Essentially, you can eat whatever you want, as long as you keep your carb level at or below approximately 50 grams/day for women, slightly higher for men. Anything over that will kick your body out of ketosis. If you want a piece of fruit that has a higher level of carbs, you make adjustments for the day. I've lost over 70 pounds with maybe another 20 or so to go. I feel great, have much more energy. All of my blood work is in the normal range - no more meds for prediabetes or high cholesterol. My BMI is now within 2 points of the normal range (a decrease of 12 pts.). Once you reach your goal weight, you can slowly increase the carb level until you reach a maintenance point that will stop the weight loss but prevent weight gain. It's not a fad diet if done correctly. This is a lifestyle change that works for some. There is a lot of useful information out there, you just have to sift through it to see if it will work for you.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited January 2017
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    zeldon919 wrote: »
    The only medical condition that the ketogenic diet is prescribed for is pediatric epilepsy.

    That being said I personally don't feel that such a restrictive diet (any restrictive diet) can be healthy. Keto, Atkins, South Beach, Paleo - I don't trust em. But I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist, so my opinion is of no value.

    If you are considering any diet but are worried if it's healthy, I would advise 3 things:
    1 - Question why you are considering a diet whose health benefits you question. If you aren't comfortable with the eating plan you're following (whatever it is) you won't follow it for long.
    2 - Figure out if you can follow a restrictive diet. I couldn't, and I'm a-ok with it. I know people who thrive on them. Either way is fine, but figure it out before you start if you can.
    3 - Speak to your doctor or a licensed nutritionist. They would best be able to assess if a particular diet is healthy for you, taking into account any health conditions or medications.

    South Beach: whole foods, lean proteins, lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes, low fat dairy. What's the concern? What's being "restricted" that "should" be eaten? South Beach basically just morphed into the DASH Diet for Weight Loss. Nothing scary there either.

    If you mean the "new" SB that no longer resembles the South Beach Diet, meh, skip it.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    newmeadow wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    newmeadow wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    rikkejanell2014 wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    People assume vegetables are healthy and needed in great quantity. Or at all. It's just an assumption.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdRBFiBWQZQ

    Whaaaaat!

    It's part of their religion...

    Dude, you're pretty much the only one who brings up religion. Whether they're talkin' paleo or low carb, you start in with the religious references every time. I think you better get it over with and start going back to church again.

    Dudette...That doesn't even make sense...

    I go to church all of the time...it looks like this...

    50-New-Mexico-Ruins-Your-Life-50.jpg

    I just call it like I see it...religious fanaticism accounts for about 90% of the problems in the world I'd say...and it comes in many flavors.

    I noticed that.



    Yeah, eat a healthy and balanced diet is so out there....sheesh...why don't you just put me on ignore if you don't like it...pretty ezpz huh?
  • Toyash17
    Toyash17 Posts: 7 Member
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    No
  • SymbolismNZ
    SymbolismNZ Posts: 190 Member
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    It's interesting when people attack certain diets without researching them as fads.

    This diet has been around for a bunch of years, prescribed in many situations to those with diabetes, or those with high amounts of inflammation within their bodies.

    It's not for everyone, but advantages of the diet are pretty well researched and proven, it's not about cutting calories (unless you're also wanting the associated weight loss) and more about reducing blood sugar, promoting better HDL ratio in Cholesterol, improving blood pressure/hyper tension, reducing water retention, assisting those with brain disorders, or delaying neuro-degenerative diseases.

    It's also one of the easier ways to reduce a lot of the processed foods and empty calorie *kitten* food that exists, because ultimately there isn't much room for it in the diet.

    The reason it's currently being promoted a ton in health circles is more to do with all of the recent research, and the renewed focus that people like Rhonda Patrick or Aubrey Marcus have placed on the diet.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    psuLemon wrote: »
    All diets can be implemented in a healthy and unhealthy way. It's not the diet that is the issue, but usually the person implementing.

    This was pretty much what I was going to post.
  • SymbolismNZ
    SymbolismNZ Posts: 190 Member
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    rikkejanell2014 wrote: »
    No fruits or veggies?

    Also, this is wrong.

    A properly managed keto diet won't remove fruit and veggies, it will limit fruits or veggies that have a high amount of carbs and a low amount of fibre, but for instance, my own particular diet, I'm consuming approximately 75-80g of carbs a day, most of which are coming from leafy greens, tomatos, avocado, berries, the occasional banana, etc.

    My lunch today for instance was Chicken, Bacon, Lettuce, Cheddar, Onions, Mushrooms, Capsicum, Cucumber and Tzatziki dressing.
  • SymbolismNZ
    SymbolismNZ Posts: 190 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    As insulin resistance goes, I've read plenty in regards to it actually making it worse...yes, folks in keto are in remission, but if they were to start eating carbs again, they'd be worse off than they were before. My dad was a type II diabetic and worked with a registered dietitian specializing in diabetes...she never once suggested doing keto. My dad went into remission when he lost weight and dropped the junk food he was eating and started eating more whole foods, to include many complex carbohydrates.

    Yes; but this again tells me something - you're advised to do keto for your entire life span if you're diabetic as ultimately it will help keep your blood glucose in check, if you come off that diet, of course your body is going to adjust and likely spike due to the introduction of new sources of glucose (like any other time you come off a diet)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    SymbolismNZ wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    As insulin resistance goes, I've read plenty in regards to it actually making it worse...yes, folks in keto are in remission, but if they were to start eating carbs again, they'd be worse off than they were before. My dad was a type II diabetic and worked with a registered dietitian specializing in diabetes...she never once suggested doing keto. My dad went into remission when he lost weight and dropped the junk food he was eating and started eating more whole foods, to include many complex carbohydrates.

    Yes; but this again tells me something - you're advised to do keto for your entire life span if you're diabetic as ultimately it will help keep your blood glucose in check, if you come off that diet, of course your body is going to adjust and likely spike due to the introduction of new sources of glucose (like any other time you come off a diet)

    Did you miss the part air my dad? I dint understand why keto folks insist than its the only way to control all of these diseases. My dad lost weight and stopped eating a *kitten* diet...he so ate plenty of carbs...fixed him right up. Not all carbs ate low nutrient junk foods, but that seems to be a common theme with keto people.
  • SymbolismNZ
    SymbolismNZ Posts: 190 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    YDid you miss the part air my dad? I dint understand why keto folks insist than its the only way to control all of these diseases. My dad lost weight and stopped eating a *kitten* diet...he so ate plenty of carbs...fixed him right up. Not all carbs ate low nutrient junk foods, but that seems to be a common theme with keto people.

    The case you're talking about seems to be a life long poor eater who cleaned up his eating habits, dropped some weight and improved his health; that he's eating complex carbohydrates instead of simple carbohydrates probably touch on similar benefits, and I bet if you looked at his overall macros, you'd find he probably skirted close to, if not actively ate a ketogenic diet while removing all the junk food.

    Again, eating 50g of Net Carbs when all you're consuming is vegetables can be quite challenging. Eating 50g of Net carbs when you're eating junk food (as you suggested he was), chocolates, drinking a ton of alcohol is a doddle.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    edited January 2017
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    SymbolismNZ wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    YDid you miss the part air my dad? I dint understand why keto folks insist than its the only way to control all of these diseases. My dad lost weight and stopped eating a *kitten* diet...he so ate plenty of carbs...fixed him right up. Not all carbs ate low nutrient junk foods, but that seems to be a common theme with keto people.

    The case you're talking about seems to be a life long poor eater who cleaned up his eating habits, dropped some weight and improved his health; that he's eating complex carbohydrates instead of simple carbohydrates probably touch on similar benefits, and I bet if you looked at his overall macros, you'd find he probably skirted close to, if not actively ate a ketogenic diet while removing all the junk food.

    Again, eating 50g of Net Carbs when all you're consuming is vegetables can be quite challenging. Eating 50g of Net carbs when you're eating junk food (as you suggested he was), chocolates, drinking a ton of alcohol is a doddle.

    I dint think so....I worked pretty close with him and his dietician...I started eating pretty well the same way with him and in a cut I'm still around 180 grams of carbs...about 130 -140 net

    My dad was usually 110-130 net
    .
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    LittleBrookFiona wrote: »
    There is some misinformation regarding ketogenic diets on this thread. I've been on a medically supervised keto diet for 6 months. Essentially, you can eat whatever you want, as long as you keep your carb level at or below approximately 50 grams/day for women, slightly higher for men. Anything over that will kick your body out of ketosis. If you want a piece of fruit that has a higher level of carbs, you make adjustments for the day. I've lost over 70 pounds with maybe another 20 or so to go. I feel great, have much more energy. All of my blood work is in the normal range - no more meds for prediabetes or high cholesterol. My BMI is now within 2 points of the normal range (a decrease of 12 pts.). Once you reach your goal weight, you can slowly increase the carb level until you reach a maintenance point that will stop the weight loss but prevent weight gain. It's not a fad diet if done correctly. This is a lifestyle change that works for some. There is a lot of useful information out there, you just have to sift through it to see if it will work for you.

    It's wrong to suggest that one person can eat unlimited amounts of food while eating Keto. You still can gain weight. It may be hard for some because they are filled by fats, but others, like myself, don't. I can easily overeat on keto. In fact, my toughest days are my low carb days (I am carb cycling) and my toughest days are the days I need 320g.
  • Cylphin60
    Cylphin60 Posts: 863 Member
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    I did what would have been considered a liberal keto diet for about 6 months. I only had about 14 lbs to lose, but that's when I lost the weight. Now, I can't say the keto is what lost me the weight, as it's the first time in years that I also restricted calories. So one or the other, or a combination of both.

    That "diet" was almost primarily red meats, fish, chicken and veggies, lbs and lbs of veggies a week, with lots of cheeses/butter/olive oil etc. No pastas/rice/breads and so on.

    Meals were fantastic, but I was hungry again within an hour and a half, really struggled with satiety.

    OP - all I can suggest is try it if you're curious. It won't do you in as long as your CICO is kept in check, and you might like it. You might not. I don't regret anything about trying it at all. Best of luck.
  • blwhitfield22101
    blwhitfield22101 Posts: 44 Member
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    I'm very new to keto but what I can tell switching from counting calories and eating typical 'healthy foods' to balancing macros in aligned with a keto diet while also maintaining a calorie deficit I feel more satisfied and less tempted to binge. That's a huge thing for me so for my mental heath its doing wonders. What I do know about carbs with me is that if I don't watch myself it makes me pack on weight faster, feel hungry more often, and binge until I feel sick. I want to believe keto is a good option for me, but I know it's helping my resolve to stay on track.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    nvmomketo wrote: »
    People assume vegetables are healthy and needed in great quantity. Or at all. It's just an assumption.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdRBFiBWQZQ

    So essentially, there just isn't enough data to determine the true effect of vegetables since the studies (or at least the ones she looked at) dont' do a good job at only changing the one variable. She does make an argument though that fruits are what supposed to be eating, and often that is the one thing that is severely limited or even non existent on Keto diets.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    OMG i had just about finished writing a long post, and my cat jumped up and stepped on my keyboard and completely spazzed out my computer and erased it all!! :rage:

    The gist of it was... I often see people posting their improved lab numbers after switching to keto, but 99% of the time it's followed by "I also lost 50-100lbs". Did their labs improve because of the diet, or the weight loss, or a bit of both?

    I would love to hear from someone who was at a normal weight and lived an active/fit lifestyle but also had type 1 or 2 diabetes or other conditions that keto is claimed to improve, and if just switching to low carb also showed such dramatic results.

    Let me add that I'm totally on board with keto and low carb, and i really enjoyed while i was doing it, but because of stupid circumstances i had to quit.

    One of the big issues with this, is generally when people switch, they add a ton of monounsaturated fats which has been demonstrated to improve health. And often limit SFA.

    Weight loss is probably the largest variable to healthy, along with exercise and genetics, but increase MUFA/PUFA, Omega 3's and MCT can probably help as well.

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