“Keto” is a big term these days making itself known from the performance world to the weight loss community. In fact, you’ll now find "Keto-friendly" written on packages carefully lining the shelves of your local retailer!
What Is “Keto”?
“Keto” is short for ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet focuses on high-quality fats, high-quality proteins, and minimal carbohydrates. Yes, similar to the Atkins diet with high protein, but keto focuses on fat as the fuel source.
The body typically uses carbohydrates as a quick source of fuel for energy. Carbohydrates turn into sugar (glucose) for the body to use. This is a quick burning fuel that works well for short intervals, but if excess carbohydrates are present, they can turn to sugar and store in the body.
When the body does not have enough carbohydrate present, fat is a secondary and longer-lasting fuel for the body to consume.
A well-formulated ketogenic diet, besides limiting carbohydrates, also moderately limits protein intake to less than 1g/lb body weight; unless individuals are performing heavy exercise involving weight training when the protein intake can be increased to 1.5g/lb body weight. This is to prevent the endogenous production of glucose in the body via gluconeogenesis. However, it does not restrict fat or overall daily calories. People on a ketogenic diet initially experience rapid weight loss up to 10 pounds in 2 weeks or less. This diet has a diuretic effect, and some early weight loss is due to water weight loss followed by a fat loss. Interestingly with this diet plan, lean body muscle is largely spared. As a nutritional ketosis state sustains, hunger pangs subside, and an overall reduction in caloric intake helps to further weight loss.
Evidence For The Ketogenic Diet
In relation to overall caloric intake, carbohydrates comprise around 55% of the typical American diet, ranging from 200 to 350 g/day. The vast potential of refined carbohydrates to cause harmful effects were relatively neglected until recently. A greater intake of sugar-laden food is associated with a 44% increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome and obesity and a 26% increase in the risk of developing diabetes mellitus.
In a 2012 study of all cardiometabolic deaths (heart disease, stroke and type-2 diabetes) in the United States, an estimated 45.4% were associated with suboptimal intakes of 10 dietary factors.
The largest estimated mortality was associated with:
- High sodium intake (9.5%)
- Low intake of nuts and seeds (8.5%)
- High intake of processed meats (8.2%)
- Low intake of omega-3 fats (7.8%)
- Low intake of vegetables 7.6%)
- Low intake of fruits (7.5%)
- High intake of artificially sweetened beverages (7.4%)
The lowest estimated mortality was associated with:
- Low polyunsaturated fats (2.3%)
- Unprocessed red meats (0.4%)
In addition to this direct harm, excess consumption of low-quality carbohydrates may displace and leave no room in the diet for healthier foods like nuts, unprocessed grains, fruits and vegetables. Read more about a Ketogenic Diet.
In short, there are some positives for the ketogenic diet, though some argue it is difficult to get into ketosis or maintain ketosis.
Ketosis is the state where the body burns ketones instead of carbohydrates (sugar) for fuel. This is thought to be a longer-lasting and slower burning fuel. Ketones are also something that the brain uses for fuel, so many brain-boosting diets often follow a ketogenic pattern.
Whatever your diet preference, Tennant Products has you covered!
Dr. Tennant’s® Restore Is Keto-Friendly
One of the ways to assess a keto-friendly item is to review the Supplement Facts (or Nutritional Facts) and look at overall carbohydrates, total fiber, and added sugars. The equation is pretty simple:
Total carbohydrates – Total Fiber = Net Carbohydrates
The lower the total net carbohydrates, the better as a keto-friendly product.
For example, Dr. Tennant’s® Restore Veggie and Restore have three net carbs per serving.
Total Carbohydrates (7 grams) + Total Fiber (4 grams) = 3 Net Carbs
Take a look at the Supplement Facts below:
Featured Products in This Article:
Dr. Tennant’s® RestoreAn all-natural, biologically active formula with over 20 patented and trademarked ingredients. Restore contains superior quality ingredients in the most bioavailable form to rebuild your body at the cellular level, simplifying the solution for optimal health in just one packet per day.
