In the previous article, we explained what is the Keto Diet and how your body reacts to it.
We will now develop the Pros & Cons of this nutrition plan.
VERY LOW CARBS – HIGH FAT DIET
PRO:
Weight Loss
Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets are well-known for their effectiveness at achieving weight loss, including increased satiety, lower insulin levels, and increased lipolysis, or fat breakdown.
Better Body Composition
Although in some circles low-carb diets have a reputation for inducing muscle loss, research has demonstrated the opposite: A very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet promotes better retention of muscle mass during weight loss and overall improvement in body composition.
Decrease the Risk of Heart Disease
People who restrict carbohydrates and increase intake of healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, olives, and nuts almost universally experience a drop in triglycerides and an increase in healthy HDL cholesterol. In addition, Very Low Carbs Keto Diet promote large, fluffy LDL particles (Pattern A) which are relatively benign with respect to heart disease risk.
Cons:
Your LDL Cholesterol might go up
Will a very-low-carbohydrate diet raise your LDL cholesterol? Maybe. LDL cholesterol response to carbohydrate restriction is variable; it’s believed that roughly 50% of people experience a rise while the other half either see a decrease or experience no change.
Food Restriction
This is one of the biggest criticisms of low-carbohydrate diets, and there’s some validity to it. On a Keto Diet there are several off-limits foods that may include some of your favorites: pasta, rice, bread, most fruit, and sweets. Although there are acceptable substitutes for many of these items, even the most enthusiastic low-carber will admit that there are some foods that simply can’t be successfully replaced by a low-carb version, such as bread or baked potatoes.
Tolerance for High Carb Food will decrease
Although people respond to carbohydrate restriction differently, generally speaking, tolerance for carbohydrates usually goes down after becoming keto-adapted. In other words, your blood sugar will rise higher after consuming a high-carb item than it would if you followed a regular diet comprised of at least 150 grams of carbohydrate daily. This is sometimes referred to as physiological insulin resistance in order to distinguish it from the pathological insulin resistance that occurs in Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.
