(upbeat music)
- Hi, I'm Susan Taylor with Scripps Health
in San Diego, California.
There's lots of diets out there to help you lose weight.
We're gonna talk about the Keto diet,
and the Paleo diet.
Joining us is Dr. Samantha Harris.
She is an endocrinologist
who specializes in weight management
at Scripps Clinic in San Diego, California.
Dr. Harris, thanks so much for being with us.
- Thank you for having me, Susan.
- So what is the keto diet?
- So the keto diet sort of varies
in terms of definition,
but it's essentially an eating plan
low enough in carbohydrates
that people start using fat for fuel and energy
as opposed to carbohydrates.
- What is ketosis?
- So when people are eating low enough in carbohydrates,
they can enter the state of ketosis.
Or even if they're not eating,
they can enter the state of nutritional ketosis.
And that is where the body really relies
on the breakdown of fat,
and the byproducts of this, which is ketones,
for energy as opposed to using carbohydrates for fuel.
- So how do you know
that you've entered that state of ketosis?
- Well there are a lot of ways to tell.
There are mechanisms out there that can test your breath,
that can check your blood,
that can even check your urine.
But most people are able to tell.
A lot of times they might feel thirstier,
they might be urinating more frequently,
even lose a few pounds pretty quickly
in the first few days.
It can also cause a change in taste,
like a metallic taste in the mouth,
or a change in your breath.
It can effect your stomach,
sometimes causing a little bit of nausea,
a decrease in appetite, more energy.
Sometimes difficulty sleeping as well,
especially in the beginning.
- Talk about intermittent fasting
and its effect on ketosis.
- Yes, so intermittent fasting
comes in a variety of different forms.
The most common being time-restricted eating,
where most people will eat for an eight hour period
of time during the day,
and then fast for 16 hours,
until the next day,
and continue that cycle.
During periods of fasting,
especially while not eating anything,
and we're not eating carbohydrates,
our body really has to turn to an alternative fuel source,
which is fat.
So it breaks down fat,
which can lead to more ketones
as a source of fuel and energy
since we're not really eating,
and don't have that immediate source of carbohydrates.
- What foods can you eat on this diet?
- That really can vary based on which keto plan
somebody is following,
but essentially animal protein
is very low in carbohydrates.
Most fat sources are also low in carbohydrates.
So things like beef, chicken, fish,
eggs, sources of fat like certain oils,
mayonnaise, some cheese,
and then vegetables as well.
Some plans permit other food
such as nuts and fruit,
but it really depends how strict of a low carb plan
somebody is following.
- And what foods do you need to avoid on this diet?
- Yeah, so anything that is really high in carbohydrates.
So simple sugars, processed sugars,
things like juice, starches, bread, potatoes,
corn, rice, even fruit can be very high in carbohydrates
and sugars, depending on the fruit type,
so a lot of people are limiting those as well.
- What kind of fruit would you limit on this diet?
- So usually the fruits that are higher in sugar
include the tropical fruits,
so things like pineapple, grapes, bananas, mangoes, papaya.
And things that are lower in carbohydrates
are usually berries such as blueberries,
raspberries and strawberries.
- How long do you stay on this diet?
- Well, the truth is any time somebody does a diet,
it really should be an eating plan
that is a permanent solution
because any time someone does a temporary change in eating
and eventually goes back to eating
the way they were beforehand,
they run the risk of regaining the weight
that they had lost.
So in general I only recommend people follow
any type of eating plan,
whether it's keto, paleo or otherwise,
if they're really committed to it
pretty much forever.
- Who's a good candidate for this diet,
and who should avoid this diet?
- So a good candidate for a keto eating plan
would be somebody who is very motivated,
enjoys the food in the plan,
and wants to do it forever.
Because really it's a longterm solution
and not a short term plan.
The people I usually recommend not following it
are people who cannot eat protein,
for example if they have advanced kidney problems,
women who are pregnant or nursing
really should not be in the state of ketosis.
It potentially has some effects
on the developing fetus
or on the nursing child.
Anyone with a history of eating disorders,
binge eating disorder, anorexia.
Cutting out carbohydrates can worsen
the cycle and make eating disorders worse in the long run.
- All right so let's talk about the paleo diet,
also affectionately known as the caveman diet.
- Yes.
So this was a very popular diet a few years back,
but a lot of people are still,
are following this eating plan.
And essentially it's sort of going back to the basics
as we would imagine
our ancestors years ago would have eaten.
And this would really be whole foods,
unprocessed foods.
Avoiding thing such as dairy and grains, especially.
So it really focuses on protein,
especially lean protein such as fish, chicken, eggs,
vegetables, fruits, things like nuts.
Even root vegetables and things like casaba.
- And what about meat?
- So meat consumption on a paleo plan
is considered acceptable,
but generally leaner cuts of meat are preferred.
I usually recommend grass fed meats as well
as opposed to grain fed meats,
but it sort of depends on your level of carbohydrates
because if you're eating foods
that are higher in carbohydrates like fruit,
carrots, more starchy type vegetables,
you really don't wanna be eating very high fat foods as well
because the conjunction of high fat
and high carbohydrate foods together
can be problemsome.
- So who is a good candidate for this diet?
- So a good candidate for a paleo plan
would be somebody who enjoys the foods in the plan,
wants to continue it indefinitely,
at least a majority of the time.
Because, like I said,
anything that's considered temporary
and eventually going back to old eating habits
usually result in weight regain.
- And what are the health benefits of this diet?
- So the health benefits of eating foods
that are whole, natural, high in vegetables,
low in sugar are numerous.
One, they can help promote weight loss.
And actually I'm sitting in my clinic
where I have a sample of a five-pound fat mass
that I sometimes show patients
who feel like five pounds isn't a lot of weight loss,
and it really is a lot,
and it can be helpful to see
a visual demonstration
of what the actual area and volume looks like.
But weight loss if a benefit
of both keto plans and paleo plans.
Really, any diet that's eliminating calories
and easy to stick to
can help people lose weight.
When people lose weight,
their general health and well being improves.
They lower their risk of cancer,
high blood pressure, heart disease,
diabetes, depression, sleep apnea, dementia.
It goes on and on.
- And what about the pegan diet,
which is a combination of paleo and vegan?
- I've heard of this plan,
I haven't yet seen that many people following it.
It seems to be essentially a paleo type plan
with a focus on plant based food.
So really instead of doing more lean meats
with the vegetables and fruits,
having 75% of daily food intake
coming from fruits and vegetables,
and only a small amount coming from meat.
So more of a plant-based paleo,
but still eliminating beans and starches,
sugar, dairy foods, and grain products
such as wheat or bread.
- And what's the benefit of this pegan diet?
- Essentially similar benefits
to paleo or keto type plan with weight loss,
but there is evidence that focusing on
more plant-based foods
might also help in terms of cardiovascular risk.
So there is a lot of debate out there.
I don't think anyone can argue
that eating a lot of vegetables
and whole foods and avoiding processed refined food
isn't good for your health.
- Any final thoughts, doctor?
- I would just say,
and to remind people that any type of eating plan
really depends on your personal preferences,
what you enjoy eating,
what you think you could continue in the long run
because it shouldn't be temporary fix.
The data has shown that short term diets
usually fail in the long term
because people will regress to their prior eating habits.
So definitely think about something
that's simple, that's safe,
but most importantly sustainable for you
that can be continued really indefinitely.
- Thanks so much, Dr. Harris, I really appreciate it.
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I'm Susan Taylor, thanks for joining us.
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