The keys to understanding the keto diet

The ketogenic diet recently ranked 39th out of 40 on a list of best diets by U.S. News & World Report, scoring just 1.9 out of a possible 5 points.

But it has also been named one of 2018’s hottest diets and is used as a medical treatment for children with epilepsy at MUSC Children’s Health, reducing the frequency of certain types of seizure activity. It has also been used to treat diabetes.

So what should potential dieters know about the ketogenic diet? MUSC Health dietitian Amanda Peterson says first of all, they need to understand what it is. “It’s basically a high fat diet with moderate protein and minimal carbohydrates.”

Some people call it the low-carb version of a low-carb diet. Unlike similar diets such as Atkins and Dukan, the ketogenic diet doesn’t have phases. People stay on it until they reach their goal, but there’s no maintenance plan after that.

“With the ketogenic diet, when you deprive your body of carbs, which is your body’s immediate energy source, your body will then start burning fat,” Peterson says. Ketones are fat by-products, so ketosis refers burning fat instead of glucose. “For people who are doing it for weight loss, it can work for short term weight loss.”

Do an internet search for weight loss and the keto diet, and amazing stories come up. Fans describe losing ten pounds in a week, 30 pounds in a month.

But Peterson says people need to keep some other factors in mind as well. “The problem is that you’re basically eliminating total food groups. You’re eliminating grains; fruit; some dairy, like milk; and starchy vegetables. It’s a pretty strenuous diet.”

And for most people, it’s not a long-term solution, she says. “Most people can’t stay away from those major food groups forever. Once they start reintroducing those food groups, they struggle with moderation, and they gain the weight that they lost almost immediately.”

Peterson also raises some health concerns for people on a ketogenic diet who are not being monitored by a medical professional. “It’s a really high-fat diet,” she points out. And because the diet excludes a lot of food normally considered healthy, it can lead to deficiencies, Peterson says. “If the keto diet is something you’re planning to follow, you need to be followed by a medical team to monitor your vitamin and mineral levels and your kidney function.”