New diet fad: Go lazy on Keto!
A spin-off of the keto diet, health experts help decode lazy keto, the new kid on the fitness block.
The pandemic period has witnessed a whole lot of food trends and culinary experiments being done, as most people were confined to their homes. Many even tried their hand at a number of fad diets, such as the keto diet, GM diet and intermittent fasting, often sharing tidbits on social media about their experiences. And, lazy keto seems to be the new kid on this block!
A spin-off of the keto diet, which involves strict monitoring of calories, protein, fat and carbohydrate intake, lazy keto largely focuses on just carbohydrate intake, without having to count calories or any other micronutrients.
“The lazy keto diet is based on ketosis, a phenomenon that happens when your body stops using glycogen (carbohydrates) stored for energy consumption and begins to burn fat instead. In this procedure, your body burns the fat you have stored, plus the fat you consume,” shares nutritionist Dr Rohini Patil.
Elaborating further, clinical nutritionist Gauri Anand says, “Keto focuses on breaking down food into three macronutrients, namely carbohydrates, proteins and fats, which means you have to consume your daily calories in the proportion of 5% carbs, 20% protein and 75% fats. Lazy keto is a more flexible diet and focuses on being low carb. In other words, people limit their carb intake to 20-50g. Ultimately, the goal is to induce a metabolic state or ketosis, in which your body mainly burns fat for fuel.”
While weight loss remains one of the key benefits, following the lazy keto diet does a lot more good than that, say experts. “If followed correctly, under the supervision of an expert, it can help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels as well as epilepsy seizures, for which it was originated,” says dietitian Vidhi Chawla.
However, a number of experts continue to be wary of it, just as in case of the keto diet, one of the main reasons being that results aren’t permanent. “Although it is just counting carbs, aiming for 20-40g of carbohydrates per day itself is being overly restricted with what you are eating. Before you start, consult your physician and make sure you’re aware of your body type and the process of ketogenesis. This diet isn’t meant for those with cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol, hypertension etc. Furthermore, it cannot be followed for a longer time, as it misses out on a lot of important nutrients,” opines Patil.
Chawla, too, believes that one can’t stick to this diet for long. “Since you are only paying attention to your carb intake on a lazy keto diet, you may eat low-quality fats unknowingly. Trans-fatty acids, for example, frequently cause inflammation, which raises the risk of heart disease. Trans fats can be found in a variety of foods, including vegetable oils and restaurant food. It has numerous effects on our kidneys, and if we lose weight as a result of it, the weight will quickly return,” she explains, asserting that slow and steady weight loss is always the healthier, more sustainable option.
Author tweets @srinidhi_gk
