Look good, feel good

Wellness

Of all the diet crazes to come and go, the ketogenic – or keto diet – has piqued some of the greatest interest. Its popularity has surged as the diet’s reputation grows as one of the fastest and most efficient ways to lose weight while still being able to eat delicious fat-filled foods like salmon and avocado.

The downside is that the diet strategy involves eating very few carbohydrates in lieu of fat, and that is largely where the debate around its benefits revolves. What is a keto diet? Under a keto strategy, healthy fats make up 75 per cent of your daily diet, high-quality protein 20 per cent and nutritious carbohydrates

just five per cent. A properly structured keto diet will include a range of wholefoods, fresh natural produce and high-quality meat and fish, with lots of leafy greens, healthy fats from nuts, seeds and coconut, and a small amount of fruit. A keto diet also includes a lot of fibre. The diet requires cutting out all sugar, starchy carbohydrates (basically, all processed food) and gluten. How does it work? Eating to these proportions and, most significantly, dropping your

carbohydrate level to such low levels, forces your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. Ketosis forces your body to burn the stored body fat that you wish to lose, instead of using the glucose it usually gets when you eat a higher level of carbohydrates.

Pros

A reduction in excess body fat is not the only welcome benefit of the keto diet. The diet also helps build lean muscle mass, gives you far more energy (eventually) and results in heightened mental clarity.

Cons

At the beginning, switching from regular eating to a keto diet can be difficult, even more so if your eating habits are carbohydrate heavy. This is mainly because putting your body into ketosis can bring on flu-like symptoms for a few days – a state known as ‘the keto flu’. Symptoms include brain fog, fatigue, moodiness, migraines, muscle cramping or tightness caused by dehydration or electrolyte changes.

However, if this happens it is easy to alleviate by drinking a lot of water and avoiding strenuous physical activity. It is often suggested to add half a teaspoon of salt to your food, too.

The good news is that when these rocky few days of transitioning are over, the keto diet’s health benefits of feeling energised – both mentally and physically – kick in and you’re on the road to losing weight.

People with medical conditions should consult a docotor before going on the diet.

For a guide to keto dieting, see dietdoctor.com/ low-carb/ keto.

Our recipe is for a typical keto meal with a balance of nutrients, devised by clinical nutritionist and weight-loss specialist Rebecca Miller, founder of Health with Bec (healthwithbec.com).