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Published 07:09 IST, October 15th 2019

Keto Diet: Pros and cons of following the ketogenic diet in daily life

Keto diet is a low carb and high-fat diet. The food you should prefer should be rich in fats and avoid added sugar. Here are the pros and cons of keto diet.

Reported by: Aditi Sharma
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Weight-loss is the main concern for many people these days due to the lifestyle they lead. However, due to their busy schedules, it is very difficult for some people to go to the gym regularly and follow a diet plan that comes with tough work-outs. Therefore, often people prefer to go for a particular diet that involves fewer restrictions and more tasty food. Keto-diet is the most preferred diet these days. This diet involves a no-carb diet plan by providing more fat to the body.

What is a Ketogenic diet?

The Keto diet is a very low carb or no carb diet plan that enables the body into a state of ketosis, that is when the body burns fat or energy instead of carbohydrates. Food that is high-source of fats is mainly preferred in a keto-diet. This includes fish, other seafood, low-carb vegetables, cheese, meat, poultry, eggs, and plain yogurt. You should avoid going for foods that include added sugar. According to Dr.Nancy Rahnama, the classic ketogenic diet suggests that total calorie count in the body should be 75% of fat, 20% of protein and 5% of carbohydrate.

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Pros of the keto diet:

Keto diet can be hard to be consistent with, but it is very effective when it comes to weight-loss. Research published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health shows that the ketogenic diet can be useful to treat obesity. The key to better effective results from the ketogenic diet is that it should be monitored by a doctor.

Keto benefits Sedentary lifestyle

A sedentary lifestyle is all about desk jobs and long work hours. Even after working out for 30 minutes a day, if you aren't moving for the rest of the day, there are many reasons to keep your carbs low since you don’t need the glycogen for muscle. Dr, Nancy Rahnama suggests that you can also monitor your intake timings around your pre and post-workout.

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Keto resets insulin sensitivity

According to Healthline, Insulin sensitivity happens when the body finds it difficult to metabolise glucose and make use of the sugars from carbohydrates. It also causes the reduction of glucose storage within muscle cells, negatively affecting training and results.

Cons of a Keto diet

The brain needs sugar to process

There are always pros and cons to a particular diet; the same goes for keto-diet. The essential factor is to focus not only on exercise but on your work and personal life as well. People who practice keto-diet often undergo one problem that is ‘keto flu’. Symptoms experienced under these include flu-like sluggishness, nausea, irritability, and constipation.

Also Read| Diabetes Diet: Know what food to avoid to control the disease

Carbs fuel performance

People who play sports or have a very active lifestyle, in general, should avoid going for a keto diet. A 1996 study conducted by Copenhagen University proved that low-carb, high-fat diet resulted in poor training than that of a high-carb diet. Researchers found that the ketogenic diet shows a negative impact on power output and performance when participating in a competition.

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Disclaimer: The effects for a keto-diet may vary from person to person as per his/her health and lifestyle. Hence, before starting with the diet it is recommended that you get a counsel from a certified dietician.

Updated 11:21 IST, October 15th 2019

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