The keto diet was created in the early 1900's but only gained high popularity recently. The diet consists of high fat (80% of your total calories), adequate protein, and low carbohydrates (only 20-30 grams/day). The goal of the diet is too loose fat by forcing your body to burn fat as energy instead of carbs.
A normal day of the keto diet may include:
Breakfast: 2 eggs with bacon and avocado
Snack: Nuts
Lunch: Roast beef, avocado, and cheese, lettuce wraps
Dinner: Grilled pork belly with a side of vegetables
Some people may look at this and say "wow, no bread, sugar, or processed foods, must be healthy."
But, this diet is lacking vegetables, fruits, and whole grains which contain vital vitamins such as fiber. A diet lacking in fiber causes digestive issues including constipation, higher blood sugar levels higher cholesterol levels, and more. In order to not only loose wright but live a healthy lifestyle it is recommended 20-30 grams of fiber per day. The average person on a keto diet is only have around 10 grams of fiber each day.
In addition, the high fat contents can lead to unhealthy cholesterol levels which in turn can lead to severe heart problems. If you have a low cholesterol level to begin with then this diet might not be detrimental to your heart health. On the other hand, if you are obese, have type two diabetes, insulin resistance, or some other health issue this high fat diet may give you an even greater risk to heart disease among other severe issues.
Lastly, the Portland Health Clinic describes the long and short term risks of the ketogenic diet. "Common short-term side effects include fatigue, headache, brain fog and upset stomach, aka “keto flu.” Long-term health risks include kidney stones, osteoporosis and liver disease. Other risks are unknown, since no long-term studies exist."
Overall, the cons of the keto diet outweigh the pros and no one should dare attempt this diet as the keto diet = death. Eating protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables will ensure you remain in good shape and ensure you live a long life of health and happiness.
Keto is yet another symptom of us trying to overcontrive our diets instead of just using common sense- similar to the "Liver King" raw meat diet (which is bad for obvious reasons) or the "raw fruit" diet which has an extreme dearth of protein. Carbs, proteins, and fats cannot hurt you if consumed in a way that makes sense- eating a ton of cheese, eggs, and oils every day is dangerous, and it's why we popularized cereal as a breakfast meal; Englishmen were getting gout all the time because they were having a boatload of fat and meat for breakfast.
Both my parents tried this diet for a while and I think it's a little weird that people experience flu-like symptoms when attempting to lose weight with a "healthy" diet. Luckily for my parents it was just a fad and they stopped after like a month. The 7 or so pounds they lost over that months time came back a few days after stopping. When they were dieting they were super irritable and unhappy and didn't lose a significant amount of weight for it to be worth it for them. I do not eat a super healthy diet but it didn't take an expert to see that the keto diet wasn't the answer.
Not enough people have been criticizing the negative impacts of the keto diet. My mother tried it at one point and was putting butter in her morning coffee. It is absurd that anyone thinks that can be healthy. Diets should be about making your body healthier, not just trying to lose weight. I imagine you'd feel sluggish eating that much fat as well, which would make it harder to work out and actually lose weight like you want.
This is something I've been thinking a lot about latel; mostly in how much can be lost from having a poor diet plan. I've learned over the past couple years how important fruits and veggies are to ones health in countering high cholesterol, and blood pressure. It's wild to me that a diet would suggest not to eat fruit or veggies (I mean staying away from ones with pesticides and GMOs is another issue altogether)! I honestly find so many benefits from one of my favorite fruits (pineapple!) and am glad more people are realizing the harm in certain diet plans and eating more fruit and veggies.