By Marika Sboros
Ketogenic (keto) diets are all the rage globally. The experts say that it’s a big mistake to dismiss these diets as a fad. Many doctors and dietitians still do just that. They’ll tell you that ketogenic diets are dangerous. That’s dishing up dogma.
If keto diets really were dangerous, the Maasai in Kenya wouldn’t be around today. Ditto for the Inuit in Canada and other traditional communities worldwide that have naturally existed in ketosis.
Worldwide, people use ketogenic diets safely and effectively for a range of different aims and have done so for aeons. Some use it for weight loss, others to ward off chronic illness or improve athletic performance.
Still others use ketosis simply to wake in the morning feeling full of the joys of spring – even in the dead of winter. Here’s how to do keto best – and safely:
At heart, a ketogenic diet is high-fat, moderate-protein and low-carb – very, very low carb. It puts you into a state known as “ketosis”. That’s when the body starts using its fat stores for energy rather than glucose.
If you think ketosis is dangerous, as many doctors and dietitians still do, you are buying into dogma. You are mistaking ketosis for ketoacidosis – that really is dangerous and rare. Ketoacidosis is potentially dangerous, and seen mostly in type 1 diabetics.
Ketosis couldn’t be more different. It is actually a perfectly natural, benign condition. If you doubt it, just ask the experts.
To my mind, the best keto myth-busters are Prof Stephen Phinney and Prof Jeff Volek. I like to think of them as “keto kings”.
They are pioneers in the science of ketogenic diets for sports performance and to treat and prevent serious disease. Among those diseases are obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and even dementia.
Dementia is becoming so common these days, that doctors are calling it “type 3 diabetes”. That’s because of its demonstrable link with diet. But what’s ketosis really all about?
South African sports scientist and keto pioneer Prof Tim Noakes can tell you all about it. Noakes is on the speakers’ panel at the Free Keto Summit. Noakes will speak on Getting the Most Out of Your Diet with the Least Amount of Restriction. (For more on Noakes and his work, visit The Noakes Foundation.)
Click here to read: CANCER: SEYFRIED ON REAL CAUSE, RIGHT DIET TO BEAT IT
US medical doctor and biochemist Dr Tommy Wood will speak on What to Do When Your Keto Diet Isn’t Working: Underlying Issues. Wood is involved in multiple interdisciplinary collaborations that include researching and presenting novel methods for chronic disease treatment.
Other top speakers include:
- Dr Thomas Seyfried on How to Treat and Prevent Cancer with Diet, Supplements & Lifestyle
- Dr Jason Fung on Controlling Sugar, Beating Diabetes, & Losing Weight on a Keto Diet
- Prof Eric Westman on Solving Obesity and Metabolic Disease – The Simplest, Most Effective Methods
- Prof Richard Feinman on A Deep Dive into Metabolism, Energy, Phosphorylation, and Thermodynamics
- Dr Mike Nelson on Should You Eat Carbs at All? How to Build Better Metabolic Flexibility
- Ivor Cummins (aka the Fat Emperor) on Preventing Heart Disease through Diet, Lifestyle, and Diagnostic Testing
- Marty Kendall on More Important than Ketones – How to Optimise Your Health and Energy
- Dave Asprey (aka the Bulletproof Executive) on Major Keto Pitfalls, Inflammation, & Supplements for Mental Performance.
- Main image credit: Ninara via Foter.com / CC BY
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Completely agree about Professors Phinney and Volek. The art and science of low carb living is our bible. We reference it anytime that we’re unsure of something or we’re feeling a bit off.
It was also very interesting to see people backtracking after Tim Noakes success against the Health Professional Council of South Africas enquiry into him.
Great article thanks again,
Matt