The main objective when starting a ketogenic diet is to lower the amount of carbohydrates you eat until your body goes through a process called ketosis. This is when the body changes its main energy source from glucose, which comes from carbohydrates, to fatty acids and glycerol, which come from fats. When I tell people that I eat just a lot of meat with vegetables, their eyes often widen in disbelief as they tell me that eating so much fat makes you fat. On the contrary, a study about the long term effects of the ketogenic diet in the medical journal Experimental and Clinical Cardiology concluded that “The weight and body mass index of the patients decreased significantly (P<0.0001). The level of total cholesterol decreased ... HDL cholesterol levels significantly increased ... LDL cholesterol levels significantly decreased after treatment. The level of triglycerides decreased significantly ... The level of blood glucose significantly decreased. … Administering a ketogenic diet for a relatively longer period of time did not produce any significant side effects in the patients.” These conclusions gave me exactly what I was hoping for …show more content…
The CDC has done a more recent study and amazingly, “The rate of new cases [of diabetes] fell by about a fifth from 2008 to 2014” I’m also thankful for the resources the government has provided to the public to inform us about our health and nutrition. I was surprised to learn that the government advocates a high carb low fat diet as opposed to the balanced diet I once thought it was. It makes me wonder what would happen if it was the other way around. There was also a lack of information or recognition of exercise as an essential part of health on choosemyplate.gov. In the end though, I think it’s really all about moderation, whether that be of carbs, fats, meats, or that ice cream you really like but shouldn’t have too often. Some people don’t eat meat but get a lot of carbs and nutrients from vegetables and that’s also a viable option. Personally I like eating a lot of meat, and all I had to do was replace my grains with fibrous vegetables and I was set; it’s about choosing something for you that makes your day to day life better. I think I’m going to be eating ketogenic for a long time, I won’t be changing that anytime soon. But if my eating habits become unsustainable, I’d probably start with this recommended