Keto diet refers to a Ketogenic diet, which is a low-carb, high-fat and adequate-protein diet. Its primary goal is to achieve a higher intake of calories from fat and protein than from carbohydrates.

It calls for consuming all stored sugar in your body, so that it breaks down protein and fat for fuel, causing a process called Ketosis, which brings about rapid weight loss.

So, is this diet healthy or unhealthy for you? In order to understand this better, let’s see some of the benefits and unhealthy sides of the Keto diet:

Benefits Sides Of The Keto Diet

Ketogenic diet creates remarkable beneficial changes in the body that effectively improve overall health. The diet can be used not only for weight loss, but also for increased energy, performance, and even reduce the risk of chronic disease conditions.

These benefits make the Keto diet formula much more profound than any other mode of diet. They include:

Boosts weight loss

Overweight is often considered as a risk factor for several diseases such as stroke, gout, high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers. Additionally, having excess body fat especially in the gut is highly associated with hormone imbalances and toxin accumulation in the body.

Therefore, the Ketogenic diet can help you achieve a quick weight loss, plus you don't have to worry about energy as it provides you with steady energy.

The Keto diet, therefore, helps to boost weight loss through the following ways:

More fat burning making the body to use stored fat along with the fat from your diet as a primary source of energy.
Consumption of healthy fat and quality protein making you feel satisfied quicker and for longer hence, suppressing hunger.
Production of Ketones hormones (ghrelin) which control appetite.
Stabilize blood sugar putting your body on the right balance of blood sugar.

Disease prevention

The Ketogenic diet can help to protect your body against a wide array of disease processes including epilepsy, type II diabetes, heart disease, chronic fatigue and among others. The idea behind the Keto diet and disease prevention is its anti-inflammatory effects along with improved mitochondrial function which makes the diet a foundational and effective strategy for mitigating your risk of these disease processes.

Other benefits of Keto diet in disease prevention include:

help to reduce cancer
Improves heart performance due to healthy fat and quality protein intake which reduce cholesterol levels.
Prevents unhealthy skin conditions like acne.

Improve mental clarity and sharpness

A ketogenic diet is a powerful tool when it comes to controlling inflammation levels. Although the presence of inflammation may be advantageous in the body, too much of it can cause problems like depression, poor cognitive function and anxiety.

Therefore, the Keto diet is helpful for neurological disorders as well as generally improve mental performance. The following are ways through which Keto diet helps to improve mental performance:

Reduce oxidative stress in your body cells since excess oxidation can damage your mitochondria energy output.
Improves the number of energetic output of the mitochondria (energy powerhouse of the cell) in your brain.
Improving insulin signaling by forming a pattern of blood sugar balance.

Enhance energy performance

When you reduce your carb intake, this means that the amount of sugar you consume is also cut down resulting in a steady supply of overall energy in your body. Ketosis also helps the brain create more mitochondria - the energy factories in your cells. You need lots of active mitochondria to give your cells and organs sustained energy for effective performance.

Other ways by which Keto diet enhance energy performance include lowering inflammation levels and stabilizing the blood sugar level. Combined, all these benefits increase energy output in the body.

Unhealthy Side Of Keto Diet: Risks and Side Effects

Nutritional deficiency

Since the keto diet is associated with extremely low intake of certain fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes that are generally considered as healthy. People on this diet can miss out essential minerals and fiber content resulting in a significant human health impact over the long term such as increased risk of chronic diseases, but if you take proper minerals with keto diet then you can avoid this effect.

Digestive problems

Digestive problems such as constipation is a crucial sign that your body is not maintaining mineral balance during the initial stages of Ketosis.

Bad breath

Keto breath is another side effect associated with the Keto diet. It is something that many people have experienced especially in the early stages of keto-adaptation. When your body begins producing Ketones, it delivers them in several different forms such as acetone which is mainly released through the breath. This acetone is responsible for the bad breath that you may experience.

So, Is Keto Diet Good or Bad For You?

While Keto diet is a double sward diet. While it comes with lots of benefits, it is also associated with negative symptoms. Lowering carb intake forces the body to dramatically burn Ketosis for fuel instead of glucose.

This may lead you to experience both negative and positive symptoms, plus the negative symptoms are meant to only last for a few days of your diet which actually good thing.

Where Is It Helpful?

What makes this diet outstanding is that, it has the potential to bring significant benefits to your health which outshine the short-term health problems associated with the diet, Some of the health benefits include:

Keto is right for your liver; diabetes and overweight are two significant causes of liver diseases such as NAFLD. Since Keto diet tackles both of these, studies show that it is more likely that Keto can do your liver more good than harm.
Keto is good for your skin; by following a low carb diet, you are targeting the excess inflammation in the body - which is a huge promoter of acne conditions. This helps to maintain healthy skin.
Keto is your heart’s savior; if Keto diet is followed correctly with consumptions high-fat foods that provide more health benefits, it can do greater favor for your heart. Focusing on healthy foods that contain fiber, high-quality protein, and healthy unsaturated fats will help to keep you away from heart complications.
Your kidney is safe; moderate intake of protein (approximately 50 grams per day) is what you need to remain healthy on a Keto diet.
Keto is a solution to your cholesterol; studies show that people with high cholesterol have a strong possibility that the Keto diet can be a healthy choice for them. Keto diet results in improved cholesterol values.
Keto diet is good for your brain; Keto diet has a fascinating way of providing your mind with energy via processes called ketogenesis and gluconeogenesis hence improving mental clarity and sharpness.

Where Is It Unhealthy?

When on a Keto diet, you may experience short-term negative symptoms as you continue adapting the diet. These include;

You may experience bad breath.
You may develop some cramps.
Your mouth may dry up and experience a thirsty feeling.
You may develop digestive complaints such as constipation, diarrhea and stomach upset.

The keto diet verdict

Although Keto diet can have some adverse effects, it carries significant benefits that are imperative for long-term success. These symptoms last for a few days and are a good indication that you have reached the state of Ketosis. They are as a result of transition where your body is adopting a low carb diet. However, if you choose to follow a Ketogenic diet, you should do so under close medical supervision from your doctor.