The ketogenic diets are the new craze, but they’re actually old news in a new package. The low carb, high protein diets, such as the Atkins, South Beach, Paleo and Keto, intentionally put your body into ketosis. That practice began in the 1920s to treat epilepsy, not for weight loss.
Ketosis naturally occurs when you cannot get enough carbs to fuel your body. Your body conserves its energy, curbs your hunger and turns to its fat reserves for fuel. It’s meant to occur naturally when there’s an emergency, such as starvation or illness. It’s not meant as a long-term strategy because it’s toxic to the body, which is the overall concern with keto diets. Of course, that spawns other problems.
Keto diets recommend over-consumption of animal products, which are overloaded with protein. Your body is equipped to handle a certain balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. By over consuming protein, your ratios are thrown off, which puts extra stress on your kidneys to filter urea (acid) from your blood. When you go too far, you could have kidney failure.
Consumption of excessive animal products also dumps larger amounts of carnitine (an amino acid) and choline (an essential nutrient) into your digestive system. When that is done, your microbiome creates bacteria to digest it. However, that bacteria is unhealthy as it creates plaque in your blood that clogs your arteries. Ideally your microbiome prefers resistant starches and fiber that’s not available in meat products.
The list regarding how detrimental long-term ketosis is to the body is extensive. The most buff-looking keto guys in the gym are setting themselves up for disaster. However, plant-based eating, with unrefined carbs, shows no detrimental effects on the human body. By far, it’s the superior option.
