THE
TRUTH
ABOUT
KETO
It’s the diet craze of the moment, but what does it mean, does it
work and, most importantly, is it healthy?T
he keto diet may already
be on your radar – if only
because you’ve seen random
adverts popping up across
social media. It’s gained A-list fans
such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Halle
Berry, who claim its fat-burning
properties are second to none. But
what’s the science? And is it really
a sustainable way to lose weight?
What’s it all
about?
‘Keto is short for ‘ketogenic diet’ and is
a plan that’s based on eating extremely
in the treatment of epilepsy. In the early
1900s, medical researchers found that
the absence of carbohydrates forced
the body to use fat for energy and
reported improvements in
seizure control after fasting.
‘In the 1920s, the goal was
to achieve ketosis without
causing malnutrition. The
diet is still used in seizure
management to this day,
particularly in children who
do not respond to modern
pharmaceutical treatments,’
explains Tasha Metcalf, author of
Keto: A Woman’s Guide.high fat, very low carbohydrate, and
moderate protein,’ explains nutritionist
Lily Soutter. When following a very
low carbohydrate diet such
as this, the body switches
from burning mainly
carbohydrates for
energy to burning
fat for energy. ‘This
causes the levels of
ketones to increase in
your body and you
enter a stage known as
ketosis – where your body
is burning fat,’ says Lily.
Ketogenic diets were originally usedWHAT IS
KETONE?
Ketones are chemicals
made in the liver when
fats are broken down
for energy.