Let's be clear from the outset: this isn't about advocating for draconian weight-loss diets . Outdated and a source of endless frustration, strict diets with their numerous restrictions only serve to turn us against food. However, nothing prevents us from experimenting, testing routines with proven health benefits, and adopting those that best suit our bodies and lifestyles! Among them is the ketogenic diet, better known by its English name, Keto (Diet).
What is the Keto diet?
The keto method: a very popular way of eating, to the point of being the subject of many dedicated books.
While it has become particularly popular among people looking to lose weight in recent years, the Keto diet is actually a century old. Invented in 1921 by Dr. Russell Wilder, who was searching for a way of eating that could replicate the effects of fasting over a prolonged period, the Keto diet was initially tested on people suffering from epilepsy. The trial was successful, and this has been confirmed to this day: by depriving the brain of sugars, it seems that seizures can be spaced out.
Besides reducing fat cells, the ketogenic diet is said to have numerous health benefits that have been consistently supported over the years: several scientific and medical studies report a reduction in the risk of Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes. Thanks to the ketones secreted by our system when we deprive it of sugar, the body delivers energy to healthy cells and neurons, preventing the risk of cancer and brain degeneration. Since the brain relies on fat for 60% of its functions, the keto diet boosts our performance and is also considered the best option for combating slumps and mental fatigue.
The danger of the Keto method
While the entire medical community agrees that it is remarkably effective, some experts believe that it should only be carried out over periods of a few weeks, in order to avoid any deficiency.
In practice, how do you do the keto diet?
The basics of the ketogenic diet:
Let's be clear: in reality, the Keto diet is far from the least restrictive. Its founding principle? To prioritize (good) fats at the expense of sugar and carbohydrates (= 'carbs'). Going against the grain of the recurring principles of a society that has labeled fat as a collective enemy to be fought, the Keto diet helps us to question our preconceived notions. The French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) estimates that 10 to 20% of energy should normally come from protein, 40-55% from carbohydrates, and 35% from lipids (in other words, fats). The Keto diet thus invites us to rethink our approach and brings about a major overhaul of our meals: it reduces carbohydrate intake to the bare minimum (no more than 50g per day), which it replaces with a significant increase in lipids, found primarily in fish, eggs, but also vegetable oils, avocados, and nuts.
In short, we're removing starchy foods, grains, and sweets from our cupboards, as well as fruits (except for berries and certain citrus fruits like grapefruit, which should always be consumed in moderation), corn, and potatoes. We're also cutting out legumes, and needless to say, alcohol and sodas.
So, what's left for us? Vegetables, protein sources (fish, meat, eggs), and "good fats," from avocados to oilseeds (almonds, walnuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, and pecans), including unrefined vegetable oils (coconut, olive, flaxseed, etc.). Good news for cheese lovers: some cheeses, such as Parmesan, feta, Gouda, and goat cheese, are allowed in moderation.
Precise and involving numerous restrictions, the Keto diet demands great discipline, as the slightest deviation can knock the body out of ketosis, which is reached after a few days of drastically reducing sugar intake. A necessary and truly arduous process, ketosis is accompanied by a dry mouth and a characteristic odor on the breath. Challenging for some, this pivotal stage can even trigger flu-like symptoms, hence its name "keto flu," a temporary state of weakness caused by the lack of carbohydrates and the abrupt change in diet. Another critical point is that this prolonged state of ketosis profoundly alters the composition of the gut microbiota, promoting bloating and chronic inflammation.
Struggling to find satisfaction in a single option, many health enthusiasts advocate a "mix and match" of eating routines. This is also the approach taken by Dr. Claude Chauchard, author of "Lose Weight Quickly with the Chrono Keto Slimming Method," a guide proposing to combine intermittent fasting and a ketogenic diet.
The ideal way to detoxify your body, reduce inflammation and boost your metabolism?
The Keto-tarian option avoids an overdose of animal protein and saturated fats. The menu therefore excludes red meat and dairy products (except for ghee, also known as clarified butter), but includes wild-caught fish, organic eggs, bone broth, avocado, nuts and seeds—and above all, plenty of vegetables. This is the approach advocated by Dr. Will Cole, an expert in functional medicine and author of the book *Ketotarian®*. This plant-based diet is said to boost energy levels while burning excess fat and calming inflammation in all its forms.
“I eliminated all the foods normally used in a simple vegan diet, such as gluten-free bread and fruits high in fructose,” explains the author and doctor on the Mindbody Green website. “I replaced them with antioxidant-rich, low-sugar fruits like berries, good plant-based fats (avocado and coconut), and leafy green vegetables. By incorporating more healthy fats, the change in my brain and energy levels was almost immediate. My skin problems started to disappear within a few weeks in a rather astonishing way.”
The main advantage of this customized Keto diet? It helps to curb the inflammation often caused by the classic Keto diet, which is rich in meat and dairy products. In this streamlined version, there's no butter, but rather plant-based fats like coconut and olive oil. It also alternates between 'pure' keto days (5/7) and days richer in 'good carbs' (fruits, rice, sweet potatoes) — gluten and added sugars are definitely off-limits! Dr. Cole recommends combining the keto-tarian diet with intermittent fasting .
The rules of the ketogenic diet in brief
The Keto menu: a macro balance to respect
- High in fat: 60 to 80% of calories come from lipids
- Moderate in protein: 15 to 30% of calories come from protein
- Low in carbohydrates: 5 to 15% of calories come from carbohydrates.
The keto-tarian approach combines the benefits of the keto diet without red meat, dairy products and animal fats:
- The basis of the diet is vegetables, to which good fats such as avocado, oilseeds and quality oils (olive oil, ghee, avocado and coconut oil) and 'clean' proteins (organic egg, wild fish) are added.
- We use and abuse plant-based proteins ( spirulina , chickpeas, hemp seeds, soy, peanut butter, tempeh, nuts) to maintain the state of ketosis without losing tone.
- We use a heavy hand with organic vegetables, which we cook and season with olive or coconut oil.
- We avoid staying in a state of ketosis for too long to avoid nutritional deficiencies by alternating days with quality carbohydrates (rice, squash, sweet potato).
The Keto-tarian duo
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