The Pros and Cons of the Ketogenic Diet
If you are thinking about trying a ketogenic diet for weight loss or health, it is worth considering the pros and cons.
Ketosis is a natural body process that converts stored fats into energy. A ketogenic diet helps your natural fat burning function work its magic longer than normal. In this way, it is a very natural form of dieting.
What are the cons or disadvantages of the keto diet plan?
- You will need to go through an adaptation period of around 1 to 2 weeks. For some people, this phase can be uncomfortable as the body becomes �fat adapted.�
- Many people take great pleasure in eating carbs, and feel like they lose the �fun� aspect of eating.
- It takes more time to consider your meal choices. This can be especially true when dining at restaurants, where a lot of meals are carb-heavy.
- For those who exercise a lot, there can be a drop in performance ability and stamina in the early stages. This can be unmotivating if you are a person who does a lot of physical activity.
- Sometimes your friends may criticize you, or say you are crazy for eating more fat. This is common on the keto diet, as for almost 50 years it has been believed that eating fat is bad for your health.
What are the pros or advantages of the keto diet?
- Reduce insulin levels meaning you have fewer crashes (sometimes known as a �carb crash�) during the day. This leads to more consistent sustained energy.
- A lot of people feel like they have reduced appetite, and will need fewer snacks. This is because the body is used to burning fat for fuel and isn�t seeking �quick burn� carbs and glucose.
- Studies have shown and Increase in thermogenesis (meaning the production of body heat) which increases the number of calories you burn on a daily basis.
- Reduced risk of degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes. The current research is showing how much our carb and heavy sugar diets are causing issues with our health. Ketogenic diets can potentially reduce this risk dramatically.
- When you�re in ketosis your brain switches to ketones as a fuel source. Because it has a consistent fuel source, this means that you can focus for longer periods of time.
- Recent medical studies have shown that the Keto diet can be a great way to help to lower blood pressure.
When weighing up the pros and cons of keto, you must decide what is more important: short or long-term results. Most of the cons of keto diets are short-term, whereas the pros of the ketogenic diet are long term.