I have had many patients asking me about the KETO diet for weight loss.
Today, I’ll answer 8 questions: 1. What is the KETO diet?
2. Can you eat fruits on the KETO diet? 3. Isn’t that used to treat seizures in children?
4. Does it really help to lose weight? 5. Why I don’t recommend the KETO diet for
my patients with chronic pain? 6. Is the KETO diet
safe? 7. If I decide
to do a KETO diet, how long is it safe? 8. Is it expensive to follow a KETO diet?
So, let’s talk about KETO diet today
Before I continue, please remember that this video is not medical advice.
This video is for educational purpose only. If you are thinking about doing the KETO diet,
please ask your doctor, your nutritionist or your dietician. In case of emergency please go to the
nearest emergency department or call an ambulance. 1. What is the KETO diet?
The name KETO comes from ketones or ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis is a state that will allow your body
to survive if you are starving or in a period of famine. If you don’t eat, then your body
will start breaking down the fat storage to make fuel for your brain and other organs.
Instead of making glucose, it will make ketones. Ketones can be used for energy in our body.
In the KETO diet, the person has to stop eating carbohydrates,
or eat a very low amount of maximum 50 g a day, which is equivalent to 5 large strawberries.
When we ingest carbs, they are broken up by our liver into glucose,
the main source of energy of our body. Here are some examples of carbohydrates, or carbs:
- Rice - Pasta
- Bread - Fruits
- Milk - Vegetables like potatos,
carrots, beets, and corn
Fibers are a type of carbohydrates that our body cannot digest, so they stay in the guts
and help to form bulky stools and therefore they help in digestion and avoid constipation.
So, when a person adheres to a KETO diet, they must cut carbohydrates and ingest only fat and
proteins. Basically, 75% of all calories they eat must come from fat. In a regular diet,
fat usually comprises 20 to 30 % of all calories. Then, the remaining calories come from proteins,
and just 5% can come from carbohydrates, like 5 strawberries a day.
What kind of fat is allowed in a KETO diet? - Meat: red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon,
chicken and turkey - Fatty fish:
salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel - Avocados
- Low-carbs vegetables: cucumbers, lettuce, celery, white mushrooms, spinach,
broccoli, bell peppers - Eggs
- Butter and cream - Cheese
- Nuts and Seeds like almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds
- Healthy oils: extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil
2. Can you eat fruit in the KETO diet? Avocados are allowed, but with moderation,
because they are mainly composed of fats. One avocado contains around 300 calories,
30 g of fat , 4 g of protein, 17 g of carbohydrates, and 14 g of fibers.
Other fruits are very limited in quantity. So, here is one main problem with the KETO diet,
limiting fruits may lead to serious vitamin deficiencies.
In many places around the world, fruits are widely available and inexpensive.
Many people have fruit trees which are their free supply of nutrients. Therefore, sticking to this
diet will be impractical for a majority of people who live in rural and poor areas of the world.
3. Is the KETO diet used to treat seizures in children?
Actually, this is how the KETO diet was discovered in the 1920s. At that time there were no good
medications to treat seizures, and there are many types of epilepsies that affect children.
The KETO diet helps to reduce the number of seizures in some specific types of epilepsy,
but it is not the first choice to treat them. Nowadays, we have excellent and
low-cost medications to treat seizures. There are many problems with the implementation of
the KETO diet in children. First, they need a very strict nutritional supervision. These
children may have serious consequences if they don’t adhere to the a proper KETO diet, such as:
- Slow growth - High cholesterol in their blood
- Kidney stones - Bone fractures
They need to continue on the anti-seizure medications, even when they adhere to the diet.
If the child goes off the diet even for one meal, the diet may lose its effect.
This diet may limit the socialization of these kids. For example eating at the school cafeteria,
going to birthday parties or sleepovers. 4. Does the KETO diet really help to lose weight?
Yes. People will notice their weight dropping after a few weeks on the KETO diet.
The first few days of the diet is hard on their body. They will feel fatigued,
dry mouth, and thirsty. They will feel less hungry because food high in fat is very filling.
The KETO diet generally does not put a limit on how many calories the person can take
per day. This is one of the main differences between this and other diets. But it seems that
most people will end up reducing the amount of calories they eat per day
because they don’t have that much appetite after eating a diet very rich in fats and proteins.
For people with chronic pain who are overweight, losing weight is very important. The KETO diet
may be a quick fix, but it is a short-term solution. Using the KETO diet to lose weight
comes with a high price. And I’m not just talking about the grocery bills,
I’m talking about the damage to their pain system. Which brings me to the next question.
5. Why people with chronic pain should not do the KETO diet?
Well, if you want to create an animal model of chronic pain,
then you give the animal a high-fat diet, and in a few weeks the animal has developed chronic pain,
very similar to fibromyalgia, small fiber neuropathy or diabetic neuropathy.
Scientists know this for many years. That is how laboratory studies are done to study pain.
High-fat diet creates pain and it makes existing pain worse.
Take inflammatory arthritis as an example. We know that a diet rich in essential polyunsaturated
fats omega 6 aggravates inflammation. Essential omega 6 means this is an
essential fat that we need to get from our diet. They are very important to our body,
but the problem is that the Western world has too much omega-6 in our diet and almost no omega 3.
I have another video in that I talk just about omega 6 and omega 3.
But basically, if you want to have more inflammation in your body, just add lots of
omega 6 to your diet. Where is Omega 6 found? One avocado has 13 times more
omega 6 than omega 3. Another reason for people
with chronic pain to stay away from the KETO diet is that there is evidence that a high-fat
diet prior to surgery leads to more pain after surgery and therefore a higher need for strong
pain medications like opioids. 6. Is the KETO diet safe?
I don’t think it is safe for a prologued period. And here are other reasons for not doing the KETO
diet, especially if you have chronic pain: - A diet that eliminates grains, fruits,
vegetables will reduce the amount of fiber, and fiber is very important
for a healthy gut and bowel function - The KETO diet is pro-inflammatory,
and this is not a good choice for people with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis,
and other inflammatory arthritis. It is best to adhere to an anti-inflammatory
diet. I have another video about that. - The KETO diet may increase the risks of
cardiovascular diseases, and there is no research about the long-term consequences of this diet.
- The KETO diet is difficult to sustain because it is a restrictive
diet and may lead to weight gain when stopped. - The KETO diet may create more social isolation
as the person will avoid visiting family and friends, or going out on parties and restaurants.
KETO is not safe for people with pancreas,
liver, thyroid and gallbladder disesea. 7. If I decide to do a KETO diet,
how long is it safe? I would recommend not more than 3 to 6 months,
and with a nutritionist or dietician supervision. 8. Is it expensive to follow a KETO diet?
Yes, most people in the world would not be able to afford this diet.
You tell them to eliminate rice, bread, pasta, vegetables and fruits.
These are the staple food for 99% of the world population. It is just unrealistic.
I think the problem of obesity is a very serious problem. We know people
who are overweight have worse pain scores. But there are healthier ways to lose weight and
that are more sustainable. Overeating is more of a psychological problem than a physical condition.
Many people eat to deal with their anxiety, frustrations and to reward themselves.
Let me know in the comments below what is your opinion of the KETO diet. Did you try it,
did it work for you? Share your experiences below. And if you like this video don’t forget to
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I post new videos on this channel. Good bye!