Keto Diet: Pros and Cons You Should Know

By Susan Dickson

Keto Diet: Pros and Cons You Should Know thegearhunt.com

Nearly everywhere you go someone is talking about the keto diet and how much they love it. This diet isn’t as new as people may think it is. The keto diet has been used in clinical studies for quite a while in hopes of helping those who suffer from epilepsy. By being considered one of the strictest diets a person can follow, keto is designed to allow the body a high amount of fat while cutting out excess protein and carbohydrates. Following this type of diet makes your body train itself to burn ketones instead of carbohydrates for fuel. This process is known as ketosis.

This type of diet is the source of quite a bit of debate. Is it the keto diet safe? Is it the best diet for me? To find the answers to these types of questions, it’s important to know both the pros and the cons of following a keto diet. In this blog, we will discuss both the good and the bad in hopes of helping you decide whether joining the world of keto is an option that is right for you.

Getting Started

Before we start talking about the pros and cons of keto dieting, knowing exactly what it entails is key information you need. To make your body switch from using carbs as fuel to using ketones takes adhering precisely to what the keto diet calls for. Normally these guidelines are five percent carbs a day, which is a very small amount, around 20 percent of protein, and the remaining caloric intake, which is around 70 to 80 percent is comprised of fats.

This is where quite a bit of the debate about keto dieting comes into play. A diet that calls for such a large number of fats leaves a few experts concerned, especially for those who have health issues that could be affected by the number of fats consumed in this diet.

The Pros

The first thing we will look at are the pros of following the keto diet and the ketosis process it induces. These pros will help you decide whether you want to follow the keto diet or if choosing another weight loss option is best for you.

Weight Loss

Making your body switch into ketosis is a known way of making yourself lose weight. By reducing the number of carbs you take in, and also increasing your water intake, you’ll find that going into the ketosis stage can help you lose weight quickly.

Less Hungry

When turning to a diet to help you lose weight, one of the biggest issues people find themselves dealing with is the hunger and lack of feeling fulfilled after they eat. With the keto diet, many people claim they don’t have this issue. In fact, the keto diet is a great way to make a person feel satiated. This happens thanks to the fats being taken in during the dieting process. These fats help minimize cravings, suppresses the appetite, and helps provide the body with energy.

Reduces the Risk of Heart Issues

To understand what keto dieting can do for the heart, you must first understand what triglycerides are. These fat molecules are found in our blood and can raise a person’s risk of heart disease if you have a significant amount in the blood. By reducing your carb intake during the keto diet, you will also lower the fat molecules in the blood and help make the heart healthier.

Cholesterol

Like with several things in the world, cholesterol has both a good and buy side. With your good cholesterol, the higher, the better. Having a high amount of this type in your body can help you fight heart disease and stay healthier. When it comes to bad cholesterol lowering it or making it benign is needed to help take care of the heart and the rest of the body. This can be done by reducing the number of carbs taken into the body. When following a keto diet, the carb reduction may help to lower your cholesterol or render it benign like the body needs.

Insulin

Many researchers claim that following strictly to a keto diet and reducing the number of carbs taken into the body can lower the levels of blood sugar in the body. Having better control of the insulin in the body can help you fight against issues insulin and high blood sugar can cause such as diabetes.

Mental Benefits

The keto diet has been helping children who suffer from seizures for years. Now, it’s being noted that there are several other mental benefits someone may experience from this type of diet plan. After being on the keto diet, it is possible to experience better moods, be more alert, and sleep better than you once did.

When following a keto diet, the body isn’t getting a high number of carbs. It’s these carbs that make a person feel sluggish or tired after eating a big meal. By eating a diet that focuses mostly on fats as its source, you’ll find you feel more energized and often sharper mentally whether you’ve just eaten or not.

Hormonal Balances

Carbohydrates can affect a lot of areas of our lives. The same can be said when it comes to the hormones of women. By reducing the number of carbs taken into the body and placing yourself into a state of ketosis, it is possible to aid your hormones into becoming more balanced, thus making you feel much better.

The Cons

Now that we’ve talked a bit about the good things associated with following a keto diet, it’s time that we discuss the cons. Every diet has its own downside. Here’s a bit about the one you’ll experience when on keto.

Keto Flu

Possibly one of the biggest downsides to following the keto diet is the process your body must be put through to get to highly functioning ketosis. This adaption process can be quite a struggle on someone who has never taken part in it before. The keto flu is when your body suffers through flu-like symptoms during this process, that can often take up to two weeks to change. Feeling weak and lethargic, while also having the sensation of being achy are common occurrences during this process.

Saying No to Favorite Foods

One of the worst things about following the keto diet is that you will lose certain foods you love as well as certain food groups altogether. No more sugars are allowed. No cookies, candies, or sodas. Also, you’ll find it difficult to eat certain fruits due to their high fructose content. Vegetables high in starch such as corn and potatoes must be stopped as well as other favorites that are high in carbs such as pizza, pasta, and most bread.

Stomach Issues

When adapting your body to a diet that is high in fat, you may find your stomach suffers a bit. Often those who start the keto diet find themselves suffering from either constipation or diarrhea. This is due to the body getting used to the new lifestyle you’ve adapted. Cutting out carbs and sugars while also adding the fat needed can take a bit of catching up where the stomach is concerned.

High Cholesterol

Above, we discussed how the keto diet can be beneficial to those who suffer from high cholesterol. Unfortunately, it isn’t beneficial for everyone who suffers from this issue. By being a diet that focuses on high fat keto requires a person to consume a lot of meat. This much meat and fat can often raise the cholesterol of those who are genetically predisposed.

Eating Away from Home is Difficult

Considering that most restaurants have carbs all over their menu, you may find it quite difficult to eat away from home. Whether you are simply wanting to go out with friends or are heading out with the family to an event such as a wedding, birthday, or even engagement, finding something safe for you to eat is difficult. Luckily, with the rise of keto dieting, most placed don’t mind if you ask for keto friendly options. In most cases, if they have something healthier, any server will be glad to discuss your options with you in hopes of keeping you healthy.

Follow Through is Hard

One thing you’ll notice if you start a keto diet is that it is quite difficult to follow. With such strict guidelines, you’ll find yourself working all day to ensure you are eating keto healthy foods that stick to the guidelines. This can often make it more difficult for people to lose the weight they are hoping to lose. For this reason, many people don’t adhere to the keto diet for the duration.

It is also very hard to understand the requirements of the keto diet. This leaves many people eating fats that are not actually allowed. With the difficulty many find themselves facing when following this diet, they often don’t lose the weight they want and end up choosing a diet option better suited to their needs.

More Things You Should Know

We’ve discussed a few of the pros and cons of following the keto diet, but that isn’t all the information a person needs before deciding whether this diet is the one best suited to them. Here, we will discuss a few more things you should know about keto to help you make this decision.

Keto is more than a diet. Those who change their lives to adapt the keto way of eating are changing their eating styles for the duration. Often it is known as the keto way or the keto life.
Keto can be customized is needed. Most researchers claim there is no magic number to get you into ketosis. The key is cutting the carbs and taking in the right kinds of fats. If you need to change the formula for your needs, it’s possible, if you can still make it to ketosis.
Keto is time-consuming. With it being a way of life, you’ll find most of your day is spent trying to determine which foods you can eat and meal planning. If you are truly dedicated to the keto way, be prepared for what is required of you time wise.

The Keto Flu is to be expected. This condition is quite normal and happens to many. Don’t panic if it happens to you. Within a few weeks, you’ll find yourself feeling like yourself again.
Keto can change the way you work out. Changing your eating style and cutting all carbs may change your endurance level. Don’t be surprised by this. This is usually only a factor in the beginning and will go away with time.
Keto breath and keto farts are common occurrences that shouldn’t be considered worrisome. In most cases, both of these issues will rectify themselves on their own. The key, however, is to drink a lot of water and stay hydrated to help fight off these issues.

Consulting Your Physician

It’s important to remember that the keto diet is a drastic change to a person’s body. If you think trying this diet is something you are interested in, consulting your physician is crucial. You and your doctor can talk about the effects this type of lifestyle could have on your body and whether it could be considered safe for you. Consulting a physician is especially important if you suffer from dangerous issues such as diabetes, high blood sugar, or high cholesterol.

Now that you’ve learned a few pros and cons of the keto diet, hopefully, you will be able to decide whether you want to commit to this type of lifestyle. Like with all other types of diets, do your research thoroughly and learn all you can about not only the requirements of the keto diet but of the lifestyle, you will be adapting. Once you’ve learned all you can, you will be able to make the most informed decision for you.