From actress Halle Berry to famous basketball player LeBron James, it seems
like every time you flip through the headlines, a new celebrity is talking
about the keto diet. The what diet? Stay with us. Keto, short for Ketogenic,
is a high-fat, low-carb diet that is quickly gaining popularity in the
United States. While
recent studies suggest keto diets may have long-term health benefits for certain populations,
we’re asking our in-house experts here at CaroMont Health to break
down the latest, trendiest diet to hit newsstands.
According to Pam Cornelius, Registered Dietitian at the CaroMont Health
& Fitness Center, the keto diet flips your energy source by eliminating
carbohydrate stores and forcing the body to use fat for energy instead.
This diet includes a high amount of fat, moderate amount of protein and
very few carbohydrates, perhaps limiting carb intake to just 20 grams a day.
Foods that are not permitted on the keto diet include bread, pasta, grains
and added sugars. Foods that you can eat include meat, poultry, fish,
nuts, butter, bacon, mayonnaise, eggs, most cheeses and oil. The only
vegetables permitted are leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower and celery.
While the diet was originally created in the 1920s to treat children with
epilepsy, these days it is being used for weight loss, and researchers
are investigating it as a treatment for certain cancers, brain tumors,
dementia and Parkinson's disease.
While Cornelius says the main benefit of this diet is the reduction of
seizures , it will also “dramatically diminish hunger, producing
weight loss.” But there’s caution with the possible weight
loss. Cornelius urges readers that this is an extreme diet approach and
should not be done without medical supervision, noting that “long-term
studies have not been conducted for use other than for the treatment of
epilepsy.”
Of course, there are other side effects to implementing a keto diet. Cornelius
notes a few, including dehydration, constipation, pancreatitis, osteopenia,
high LDL cholesterol, kidney stones, vitamin and mineral deficiencies,
and bone fractures.
While keto may be effective for quick weight loss, Cornelius highly recommends
more sustainable lifestyle changes, like their Jump Start Weight Loss
Program, which focuses on making healthy food choices and introducing
consistent exercise. The program is an easy-to-follow weight loss approach
offered at the CaroMont Health & Fitness Center. Participants completing
this 12-week healthy lifestyle program typically lose 10-24 pounds and
frequently lower their blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Keto may
be a “quick fix” but it will be difficult to maintain long-term,
which can leave some to gain back the weight they worked so hard to lose.
Interested in joining the Jump Start Program? Talk to your doctor, call
us at 704-834-3787 or visit us on
Facebook
to request more information.