By
Ryanne Hill
The
Keto Diet has become a hot topic and fat-loss fad diet within recent
years. Everyone from CrossFit athletes to moms trying to lose the
baby weight are giving the keto diet a try.
But does anyone actually know what the true keto diet is?
But does anyone actually know what the true keto diet is?
The
ketogenic diet can be defined as a high fat, low carbohydrate,
controlled protein diet. The ketogenic diet was created by Dr.
Russell Wilder in 1923. Dr. Wilder was working at the Mayo Clinic at
the time. He created the ketogenic diet as a treatment for
individuals with epilepsy. The diet aims to reduce seizures through
changing the fuel source of the body. Within healthy individuals,
their bodies use glucose from carbohydrates as energy. However, the
ketogenic diet switches the primary fuel source to fat. The body
begins to produce ketones and ultimately lives in a state of ketosis.
Recent studies have also shown that decanoic acid is also produced
during this diet and may be a key factor in helping decrease the
frequency of seizures in people with epilepsy.
The
classic ketogenic diet follows a 4:1 ratio. This means that there are
four parts fat for every one part protein and carbohydrate. This ends
up being 90% of calories from fat, 6% from protein and 4% from
carbohydrates.
The
modified keto diet breaks down to 82% of calories from fat, 12% from
protein, and 6% from carbohydrate. This variation allows a little bit
more flexibility for diet choices.
Living
the Keto Way
I
personally have not experienced living on a strict ketogenic diet.
However, I witnessed my younger brother follow a classic keto diet
for two years during his stint of epilepsy. At age three my brother
began having up to 8 tonic-clonic (convulsive) seizures a day. After
intensive work ups and screenings, he was diagnosed with epilepsy and
immediately placed on a slew of medications. These medications
greatly altered his mood and attitude; he was angry, aggressive and
moody most of the time compared to his previous kind demeanor. My
parents made the decision to attempt the ketogenic diet to help
mitigate the seizures and hopefully improving his mood. My brother
was admitted to Children’s Hospital to begin the transition to a
ketogenic diet. He was supervised for 24 hours to fast, then slowly
increase calories to meet the 4:1 classic keto ratio. Supervision is
completed in order to monitor for a potential increase in seizures.
Fortunately, my brother handled the transition well and was able to
stop taking most of his medications.
In order for the diet to be effective, he had to follow a strict 4:1 ratio diet. He got zero cheat meals, snacks or treats. Sweets and other carbohydrate rich foods were eliminated. A typical day for him included: Breakfast – Scrambled Eggs
38g (2.7 Tbsp) heavy cream
50g (1 large) egg
27g (1.9 Tbsp) Butter
Strawberries: 12g (1 medium)
Lunch
– Quesadilla
20g (1.4 Tbsp) Heavy Cream
11g (2.3 tsp) Mayonnaise
23g Avocado
10g Butter
30g Egg Whites
5g Almond flour
12g (0.4oz) Cheddar Cheese
20g (1.4 Tbsp) Heavy Cream
11g (2.3 tsp) Mayonnaise
23g Avocado
10g Butter
30g Egg Whites
5g Almond flour
12g (0.4oz) Cheddar Cheese
I remember babysitting and having to weigh every meal on a scale to maintain the perfectly portioned macronutrients. He would have to drink straight heavy whipping cream in order to meet the necessary fat content. He was a rockstar at school and only ate the food that was packed for him. During his last year on the keto diet he saved all of his Halloween candy and patiently waited a few months until he was cleared to stop the keto diet to eat the candy and celebrate! I am beyond proud of this stud for sticking to his ketogenic diet and now being 10 years seizure free!
Keto
in the Spotlight
Comparatively,
the Instagram keto translates to a high fat and high protein diet.
This is better outlined as the Modified Atkins diet which composes of
65% of calories from fat, 30% protein and 5% carbohydrate. At this
point, the body is most likely not producing enough ketones to be in
ketosis and switch to utilizing fat as the primary fuel source. Most
likely the Instagram fitness gurus and celebrities that you draw
inspiration from are not following the strict meal plan required of
the ketogenic diet. The transition into a ketogenic diet requires
intensive supervision from a medical team who specialize in epilepsy
and the ketogenic diet. The individual who you meet at the gym most
likely did not undergo supervision and therefore is most likely not
in ketosis.
So
Remember…..
Ketogenic
Diet
Not
Ketogenic Diet
Citations
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