So, let’s start this discussion off with this needed disclaimer.  Make sure you have found a doctor you trust that can guide you when it comes to choosing a diet.  Many times we have reduced diets down to fads and weight loss results, but the reality is that the food you eat or do not eat, directly affects your life.  We all remember when the Atkins food plan was lauded as the best, eat-all-the-bacon-you-want diet to lose weight fast and forever.  Well, the fallout resulted in high cholesterol and the realization that weight loss was the only goal and other health indicators were ignored.

It is typical that no specific diet can meet all of your health goals but rather a cycle of focuses that allows for the lean and rich seasons.

So here are the basic tenets of the Keto diet.  The focus is on low to now carb intake so that the body remains in ketosis for long periods of time.  There are more detailed directives that discuss the type of sweetener, flours, and proteins that are best for the keto diet but the most important factor to help you decide if the Keto diet is right for you is the perspective on health.  The idea behind the keto diet is that few to no carbs encourage a fat-burning ketosis state (hence the name Keto).  The desire to oscillate between fat burning ketosis and non-ketosis states is due to the increased energy creating efficiency that results from fat-burning.  There is also the school of thought that too many carbs create a sluggish system that results in larger pockets of body fat and reduced focus, among other things.

I considered the keto diet and followed this diet for some time, however, I realized that following Keto is a very narrow version of a diet that has been around for some time – low-carb diets.  Pre-diabetic and diabetic individuals have been following a low-carb diet to increase their health and potentially beat the conditions altogether.  Keto is very useful for professional athletes and those trying to use their diets to provide sustained energy, focus, and weight control.  Of course, we can use the keto diet in the same way, even if we are not athletes.

To decide if you should go, Keto, I encourage you to think about the flexibility you want in your lifestyle and the real health goals you have.  Going low carb will create some of the same health benefits of a Keto diet without the intense restrictions and more expensive meal replacements.  As for me, I tend to mix the two.  Most of the time I eat a low carb diet and then switch to a more strict Keto meal plan after seasons of overindulgence or diminished health to help me regulate my insulin resistance.

The moral of this story is to do what your body and goals require for your best health.  It is typical that no specific diet can meet all of your health goals but rather a cycle of focuses that allows for the lean and rich seasons.