How and why does the keto diet work?
In: Biology
A ketogenic diet is a low carb, high protein and high fat diet. No one knows for sure if or why the keto diet might work. People have ideas, but they haven’t yet been proven by researchers. The prevailing opinion among physicians is that it works because it forces people to keep track of their diet and be mindful about what they eat.
Say you normally eat 3000 calories a day of primarily junk food. Now you adopt a keto diet that limits you to 2000 calories of nutrient dense food a day. Everytime you look at junk food, you notice it has carbs in it and stay away. That alone is enough to help you lose weight.
There are changes at a biochemical level as well, but the reduction in calories and increase in high quality food is enough to help people lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. The same applies to pretty much all diets. You can get similar benefits by adopting a vegan diet, a Mediterranean diet, the Atkins diet, or pretty much any non-Western diet.
The most important detail is that the best diet is the one you can stick with. So if cutting out carbs is tolerable or even easy for you, then go for a low carb diet. If you aren’t a fan of meat, then go for a low meat diet. Diets are a marathon, not a sprint. Or better yet, they are a long term lifestyle adjustment, not a temporary shift.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/best-diet-quality-counts/
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