The Truth About the Ketogenic Diet

Let’s talk about ketosis first, so that people understand what it actually means. 

According to all the sources, ketosis is a metabolic state that occurs when your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose. The keto diet has many possible benefits, including potential weight loss, increased energy, and treating chronic illnesses.

I was not aware of how many people did not understand that carbohydrates (all vegetables, potatoes, beans, bread, rice, and pasta) are actually sugar, just disguised with a much better name. Typically, you get glucose in your diet by eating carbohydrates, such as starches and sugars. Your body breaks the carbohydrates down into glucose and then uses the glucose as fuel. Your liver stores what is not needed and releases it as needed. The body does not have to use a lot of energy to convert the carbs to glucose, so it gets the biggest bang for the buck. Fats are a lot more work.

When my sister was diagnosed with cancer, she was told not to eat sugar, caffeine, or drink alcohol. She stopped drinking her sweetened soft drinks (we all know they contain mostly sugar); she ate brown rice, lots and lots of vegetables, and bread; she thought she was eating healthy. I had not seen her instructions and was not aware that she did not know that starches and carbohydrates would eventually be turned into glucose.  

The more we read, the more apparent it is that diet will be the key to healing your health, whether it is keto, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, diabetic-controlled carb/calorie diet, or omnivore.

Here is a short article reviewed by Dr. Robert Kiltz on 17 Keto Myths: Debunked 

https://www.doctorkiltz.com/keto-myths/

I am not here to tell you what choices you should make; that is between you and your doctor. Everyone is different and responds to diet changes differently. The common thread for disease keeps going back to obesity, diet, inflammation, and a lack of exercise.  

Let’s talk about what a keto diet is and what it is not.

It is not all you can eat in any food group. Keep in mind that the health of your gut is very important. You can incorporate pretty much any pickled or fermented food as long as it does not contain sugar; most are very low in carbs (i.e. sauerkraut, pickles, olives, and kimchi). If you like to cook, you should enjoy the challenge of making foods you can eat that taste great, and you learn your portion sizes (total calories) so that you stay within your ratio of carbs, to protein and fats.

Typically, you get glucose in your diet by eating carbohydrates (starches and sugars, mostly, but think of starches as vegetables—the “good stuff”). Your body breaks the carbohydrates down into glucose, which is then used as fuel. However, if you eat too many carbs (we are all guilty from time to time of that), your liver stores the rest and releases it as needed.  However, a large excess that cannot be stored has to be converted to fat.  That is why very large, sugary soft drinks are so bad for us.  We cannot store or use all the sugar in them, and the excess will be converted to fat.  

If your carbohydrate intake is very low, these glucose stores in the liver are not enough to supply the body with the fuel it needs. Since your body doesn’t have enough carbs to burn for energy, it burns fat instead. As your body breaks down fat, it produces a compound called ketones. The ketones (or ketone bodies) become your body and brain’s main source of energy. The brain prefers glucose, so sometimes, when first starting the diet, you get “brain fog” or a feeling of flu-like symptoms. This is usually temporary.  

Many people experience weight loss on a keto diet. Some from water, and some from using stored fats or from your diet (also called nutritional ketosis). Your liver can produce some ketones as well, but when your glucose level decreases, your insulin level decreases as well, because less insulin is necessary to open the door to your cells to let the lower amount of glucose in. The brain really loves glucose, but when the glucose level in your blood falls, the body will respond by making ketones to give the brain the energy it needs.

What is a ketogenic diet?

The keto diet reduces the number of carbs you eat and forces your body to burn fat for fuel in the form of ketones instead of using glucose.

My sister chose to do: 10% carbs, 20% protein, and 70% healthy fats. Typically, the standard keto diet consists of 70% to 80% fats, 10% to 20% proteins, and 5% to 10% carbohydrates. Her goal was weight loss along with a reduction of available sugars and her corresponding insulin levels, both of which would affect her cancer.

Everyone who wants fast weight loss is now looking at the ketogenic diet. My sister lost 90 pounds in 7 months on the keto diet. She was not hungry (burning fat turns off the brain center that tells you you are hungry). She was never able to do this before because she ate carbs, and her body would constantly tell her body to need to eat more carbs after the spike effect in her blood from the previous carbs wore off.  

Some people find a Keto diet restrictive in meal choice, but we are having some fun with it. The following might be helpful: We limit the medium- and high-carb vegetables due to her wanting only 10 carbs per day.  That is only 40 calories in total.  

It is important to remember that even low-carb vegetables are not unlimited; otherwise, you will never go into ketosis (the state of the body where you burn fat instead of glucose). My sister sticks to 1/4 to 1/2 cups per meal for her carbohydrate portion. She supplements with fiber tablets and multivitamins and seems to be doing fine. But please remember that her goals may be different than yours.

Here is another source to check out for vegetable options.

Keto vegetables: The best and the worst (a review by Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt, MD)

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/vegetables

My sister told me how many calories she wanted to eat each day, and then I calculated how many grams of carbs, how many grams of protein, and how many grams of fat she could eat each day based on the 10%, 20%, and 70%-calorie profiles (carbs, protein, fat). Just count your calories, carbs, protein, and fat each day (it is on the package), but keep the ratio exactly as it needs to be; otherwise, you will suffer from the issues my sister has. Which was jumping in and out of therapeutic ketosis. Your body will not be in ketosis if your ratios are off (in other words, too many carbs). This goes for protein as well. Protein will be converted to glucose if you eat too much or not enough fat. 

Many nutrient-rich foods contain high amounts of carbohydrates. This includes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Which carbs will be restricted on your keto diet will depend on your personal goals. You may have to cut out all bread, cereals, and other grains and make serious cuts to your fruit and vegetable intake.

The types of foods that provide fat for the keto diet include:

• Meat (not processed) and fish (oily fish).
• Eggs.
• Nuts and seeds (if there are no allergies)
• Butter and cream.
• Cheese.
• Oils such as olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil

Debunking keto myths about fat and weight loss

https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/myths

If you eat a high-carb diet before starting a keto diet, it may take you longer to reach ketosis. That’s because your body needs to exhaust its glucose stores first.

What are “NET” carbs? This is a simple calculation to help you know how many carbs are available in different foods. If the package says carbs 8 and lists fiber as 6, then you simply subtract the fiber from the carbs, and that gives you net carbs (this is the number to use). Fiber slows down carb absorption in the gut, so the higher the fiber, the fewer carbs are to be converted to glucose.  In this case, 8 grams of carbs minus 6 grams of protein is 2 net grams of carbs.  

Here is Dr. Bergs “Beginner’s Guide to Keto and Intermittent Fasting”

beginner-guide-healthy-keto-and-if.pdf (windows.net)

You may be able to get into ketosis faster with fasting or intermittent fasting. One common method of intermittent fasting involves eating all of your food within eight hours. Then, you fast for the remaining 16 hours of 24 hours each day. This is one way; there are several. My sister has done intermittent fasting several times and always got right back into ketosis after she fell out of ketosis.  

The most common side effect of a keto diet is constipation (stool softener may be helpful) from a lack of fiber. You need to drink plenty of water to remain hydrated, as dehydration can occur (water follows sodium, and a reduction in insulin has a relationship with your sodium levels). The last two most common side effects of a keto diet are fatigue and headaches. Getting exercise (walking) and drinking plenty of water helped my sister. Is it safe? Keep reading and decide for yourself.

I would recommend reading the websites I have attached because each one addresses different myths regarding the ketogenic diet. Good luck on your journey, and I hope this helps clear up some misconceptions I have been seeing in comments on the internet. I do not necessarily agree with everything I read, but I do feel there is enough good information for you to begin with. Just remember, this diet is not for everyone; there are many to choose from.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/ketogenic-diet/diet/keto-diet-myths-you-shouldnt-believe/

https://ancientnutrition.com/blogs/all/keto-diet-myths