Introduction
I chose the ketogenic diet for analysis because it is one of the medical diets that have gained considerable attention among researchers and doctors because of its potential benefits over the years. The diet was introduced in the 1920s after being tested and proved as an effective treatment among epileptic children by Russel Wilder (Masood, Annamaraju & Uppaluri, 2020). The diet originated from the culture of ancient Greek and ancient Indian where physicians adopted the role of fasting and alteration of diet for disease treatment (Mandal & Robertson, 2019).
Americans have also widely embraced the diet because of its benefits in weight management among others. The diet is a decade old and people have practiced it for over 90 years. Over the years, research indicates that though the diet has potential health benefits, it has several risks.
Information about the Diet
The ketogenic diet is based on the philosophy of fasting and diet alteration to restore people’s health. The idea was popularized in the early 20th century to control epilepsy among children leading to mass use of the ketogenic diet. The diet consists of low-carbohydrate and is rich in fats and proteins. The ketogenic diet has been described as a form of fasting in the modern world (Kraeuter, Guest & Sarnyai, 2020). However, it was used formerly as a method of controlling seizures among epileptic patients. The diet’s main principle is the induction of a metabolic shift from glycolysis to fatty acids.
An example of a one-day meal plan representative of the ketogenic diet would contain fried eggs and mushrooms for breakfast, broccoli and low carb sesame chicken for lunch, and spaghetti squash Bolognese for dinner. A daily meal plan for a healthy ketogenic diet should have not more than 5% carbs, about 75% fat, and 10-30% protein (Crosby, Davis, Joshi, Jardine, Paul, Neola & Barnard, 2021). The diet’s popularity is derived from its restricted carbohydrate intake; increased fats and moderate protein consumption which helps people lose weight, reserve metabolic syndrome signs, reduce inflammation, increase longevity, and manage some health conditions associated with high carb intake.
Macronutrients are nutrients that are fundamental to promoting healthy dieting among individuals. This refers to the categories of a daily meal plan with the primary macronutrients including protein, fats, and carbohydrates. The ketogenic diet consists of the three primary macronutrients: fats, proteins and carbohydrates. These nutrients are critical for human as they provide energy to the body. The diet encourages a low intake of carbs and a high intake of fats with the latter being converted into ketones for fueling the body.
The ketogenic diet has poor coverage of micronutrients given that most of the essential micronutrients are found in high carbohydrates foods which are discouraged in the diet. Research shows that there is a significant correlation between high-fat diets and low micronutrient density (Kraeuter et al. 2020). This is because most of the micronutrients are obtained from the high carbs foods. The ketogenic diet is among dietary interventions that reportsignificant micronutrient deficiencies. The diet supports increased excretion which disturbs the balance of micronutrients. However, nutritionists recommend specific vitamin-rich foods or supplements to people on the ketogenic diet.
Critical Analysis of the Diet
Healthy lifespan improvement continues to be a popular research topic over the years. Carolie restriction is a common dietary intervention adopted by health experts to induce changes in metabolic pathways and serve as a control of some health problems. A ketogenic diet attains results within the first 6-12 months. However, achieving results mainly depends on individuals, micronutrient uptake, basal metabolic rate, body mass index, percentage of body fat, and age (Kraeuter et al. 2020).
A study conducted several decades ago showed that obese individuals are resistant to ketosis and take longer to achieve the dietary goals compared to the non-obese subjects (Masood et al. 2020).There is a decreased interpretability of the data on the assessment of ketogenic diet effects because of failure by current clinical and preclinical studies to report ketone levels.
People following a ketogenic diet are required to take several precautionary steps to facilitate success. Prior to starting the diet, one is required to undergo a medical examination because the diet should not be implemented for people with conditions such as porphyria, beta-oxidation defects, and primary deficiency in carnitine, among others without being cleared and monitored (Kraeuter et al. 2020). The examination notes several allergies and food aversions for the calculation of recommended fluid and calorie intake. People starting a classical 4:1 ratio ketogenic diet require hospitalization for close monitoring. Supplements are also necessary when starting a ketogenic diet (Kraeuter et al. 2020).
For children under this diet, carbohydrate-free multivitamins containing vitamin D, minerals, and calcium are mandatory. The ketogenic diet is demanding and therefore, assessment of religious, cultural, and socioeconomic factors is critical to ensure its feasibility. Successful administration of the diet requires strict adherence to the precautionary steps.
The greatest weakness of the ketogenic diet is its dietary restrictions and long-term adherence which results in low sustainability. The diet however has several strengths with its greatest strength being its successful short-term effect on weight management. The diet does not apply to the general modern population because of various factors including increased time commitment, food availability due, and costs involved in medical assessment before commencing the diet (Batch et al. 2020). Administration of this diet demands the help of a licensed nutritionist to aid in the management and administration process. The diet is harmful and contraindicated in patients with inborn fat metabolism disorders, those with liver failure, persons with pyruvate kinase deficiency, and several other medical conditions.
Over the last few years, the ketogenic diet has been reported applicable to individuals involved in high-intensity interval training. Self-experimentation in the past 3-4 years indicates success stories in endurance-trained athletes involved in ketogenic dieting for three to four weeks (Batch et al. 2020). Celebrities like Halle Berry and Vinny Guadagnino have become great ambassadors of the ketogenic diet. Fox (2021) states that several food companies including Base Culture, Eat Me Guilt Free, and Miss Jones Baking Co are promoters of the ketogenic diet. The diet continues to gain popularity because of dietary solutions to common health problems.
Conclusions
Strict adherence to a ketogenic diet would guarantee positive results. However, the precautionary steps of this diet and its long-term compliance make it challenging for effective implementation. Anyone planning to start the diet should weigh the benefits and costs to decide whether it would be worth starting or not. I would not consider doing the diet because of its long-term adherence and the precautionary steps which demand resources. However, I would recommend it to my family after ensuring that I fully understand the diet’s strengths and weaknesses.
References
Batch, J. T., Lamsal, S. P., Adkins, M., Sultan, S., & Ramirez, M. N. (2020). Advantages and disadvantages of the ketogenic diet: A review article. Cureus, 12(8). Web.
Crosby, L., Davis, B., Joshi, S., Jardine, M., Paul, J., Neola, M., & Barnard, N. D. (2021). Ketogenic diets and chronic disease: Weighing the benefits against the risks. Frontiers in Nutrition, 403. Web.
Fox, M. (2021). Three food companies targeting the growing keto diet market. Web.
Kraeuter, A. K., Guest, P. C., & Sarnyai, Z. (2020). Protocol for the use of the ketogenic diet in preclinical and clinical practice. Clinical and Preclinical Models for Maximizing Healthspan, 83-98. Web.
Mandal, A. & Robertson, S. (2019). History of the ketogenic diet. Web.
Masood, W., Annamaraju, P., & Uppaluri, K. R. (2020). Ketogenic diet. StatPearls Publishing.