Despite the mass acceptance of a high-protein, high-fat ketogenic diet in popular culture, we at Mindful Living promote a keto-modified diet. This keto-modified diet has a far lower fat consumption recommendation than those that many people follow (like in the picture below). Why is that? Why do we promote cutting fat consumption when it seems to work for so many people? Here is why making fat a large part of your diet can negatively impact your well-being.
My Keto Kitchen
The body metabolizes its food in a specific order. First carbohydrates, then proteins, and then finally, fats. If the energy consumed exceeds the energy required, the excess is stored for later use. Consistently consuming a large number of calories, especially from carbohydrates or fats, ensures that the storage does not get utilized. With a keto approach, you are trying to get the body to get into ketosis; the metabolization of fat, by cutting carbs which are the easiest and most convenient source of nutrition for the body and the brain. Having a high-fat, high-protein and low-carb diet during this process of losing weight does put your body into ketosis, but there is little weight loss as the CONSUMED fats are the ones being USED. This is artificial ketosis, where while the body is in ketosis, there is no BODY fat being burned.
The goal is to put the body in natural ketosis. Ketosis where the body fat is the fat being burned. This is what allows for weight loss. The body can get into natural ketosis by restricting fat consumed and tap into the reserved fat STORAGE. Weight loss resulting from this will be significant, if diligently followed, and much healthier.
When the central nervous system does not get its easiest source of energy, it finds an alternate one: the ketone bodies produced by the liver in fat breakdown. Natural ketosis has been proven to reduce blood serum triglyceride levels, reduction in total cholesterol levels and an increase in HDL (good cholesterol). This reduction is due to the fact that a key enzyme in cholesterol synthesis is activated by insulin. Restricting carbs decreases insulin levels, which in turn decreases cholesterol production. A decrease in total cholesterol levels improves overall health and health outcomes.
Sources:
Shilpa, J., & Mohan, V. (2018). Ketogenic diets: Boon or bane?. The Indian journal of medical research, 148(3), 251–253. doi:10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1666_18