Is the keto diet really a healthy eating plan?

Celebrities rave about it, but is the high-fat, low-carb keto diet all it’s cracked up to be? Here’s what you need to know.

Even if you haven’t tried it, chances are you know someone who swears by keto.

Enthusiasts trumpet the high-profile diet as a miracle no-hunger, weight-loss regimen with a host of health benefits.

Despite the recent hype, doctors actually began using ketogenic diets in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy in children.

These days, keto has a legion of new fans and celebrity endorsements.

But is it the right weight-loss program for you?

What is the keto diet?

The ketogenic diet essentially inverts the food pyramid, advocating lashings of fat and strictly limiting carbohydrates to about 20g to 50g a day.

Dietitian Milly Smith says this forces the body to burn fat as its main source of fuel, breaking it down into ketones through a process called ketosis.

“Typically, this leads to rapid weight loss; however, this is predominantly due to water loss, and because a diet high in protein and fat causes you to be less hungry,” Milly, of Dietitians Australia, explains.

Milly says the difference between keto and other low-carb diets, such as Atkins and paleo, is it restricts carbohydrate intake much more severely.

“This can make it tougher to stick to long-term,” she says.

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What can (and can’t) you eat on keto?

On a ketogenic diet, 60 to 80 per cent of your total calories come from fat, up to 20 per cent from protein, and no more than 10 per cent from carbohydrates.

With a limit of 20g to 50g of carbohydrates a day – the equivalent of half a bun – there’s a list of foods to avoid.

• Foods to eat: Meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, avocado, butter, cream, oils, nuts and seeds, low-starch vegetables, berries.
• Foods to avoid: Bread, pasta, grains including rice and corn, sugar, honey, legumes, starchy vegetables, most fruit.

What are the pros of a keto diet?

Studies have shown the keto diet to be effective for rapid short-term weight loss.

Clinical trials have also demonstrated carbohydrate restriction could be beneficial for hyperglycaemia and Type 2 diabetes, and one study showed it may improve cognitive performance in Alzheimer’s patients.

“This diet does promote a higher intake of lean proteins and vegetables than many Australians currently consume, and excludes processed sugary foods we shouldn’t eat much of,” says Milly.

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What are the cons of a keto diet?

“A high-meat, low-fibre diet reduces gut microbiota, and too much meat carries with it a risk of bowel cancer,” dietitian Joanna Baker, of Everyday Nutrition, says.

“Restrictive diets are difficult to maintain, lead to bingeing and interfere with a person’s relationship with food.”

Studies show there are other risks, including dehydration, constipation, low protein in the blood, extra fat in the liver, kidney stones, and micronutrient deficiencies.

Milly adds a diet high in unhealthy fats like cream, butter, sour cream and cheese increases the risk of heart disease.

“The key to healthy, long-term weight loss is to find an eating pattern that is sustainable for you over time,” Milly says.

Written by Dimity Barber.