Is The Keto Diet Really Good For you?

The Keto diet may be the most buzzed-about eating plan of  the moment, but it’s no walk in the park. Essentially, when following a keto diet food list, you’re eating mostly keto-friendly fat (60 to 80 percent of your calories) and very low carbohydrates, starting with 20 to 30 grams (g) per day. This allows your body to use fat for energy rather than carbohydrates, sending you into a state called ketosis.

People promoting the diet say it uses the body’s own fat burning system to help others lose significant weight in as little as 10 days. It has also been known to help moderate the symptoms of children with epilepsy, although experts are not quite sure why it works.

People have been saying the diet can produce quick weight loss and provide a person with more energy. However, after closer observation, it looks like the diet is an unhealthy way to lose weight and in some instances it can be flat out dangerous. In fact, those who are on the Keto diet have even experiencing flu-like symptoms such as:

• Fatigue
• Headache
• Irritability
• Difficulty focusing (“brain fog”)
• Lack of motivation
• Dizziness
• Sugar cravings
• Nausea
• Muscle cramps
• Bad breath

Some women may even suffer from, "Keto Crotch" or foul-smelling vaginal discharge caused by an imbalance of bacteria in the vagina. 

On average, we should be consuming approximately 20-35% of total fat daily, but with Keto, it requires 60-75% of total fat, which means long term use of this diet can do more harm than good. It can damage the heart, which is also a muscle. Anyone with type 2 diabetes can benefit from weight loss and a reduced-carb diet because it will improve insulin sensitivity, but there are many other ways to do it besides a fad diet that won’t keep weight off long-term.

Though the benefits of using Keto is losing a substantial amount of weight, I wouldn't recommend using this method for "cosmetic" reasons, simply because its just not healthy. This also confirms why being on a plant-based diet is much more beneficial!