Keto diet loved by A-listers cuts out ‘some of the healthiest foods on the planet’ by ditching whole grains like oats and brown rice, doctor warns
- The ketogenic diet revolves around cutting out carbohydrates from the diet
- This is intended to induce a state of near-starvation which burns fat for energy
- But people may be missing out on whole grains, fruits and vegetables
- Potatoes, oats and brown rice have to be cut out, for example, but are healthy
People following the ketogenic diet may be missing out on some of the healthiest foods in the world, an expert has warned.
The ‘keto’ diet has been lauded by A-list celebrities including Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow and the basketball star LeBron James.
It focuses on cutting out carbohydrates in a bid to lose weight by mimicking starvation. People instead get most of their calories from fatty foods.
But Dr Shivam Joshi, a medical doctor and New York University professor, said people following the diet risk ‘throwing the baby out with the bath water’.
Carbohydrate-rich foods like brown rice, quinoa and oats have been proven to be healthy and risk being sidelined by people grouping them with white bread and cakes.
Kim Kardashian and LeBron James both reportedly lost a lot of weight by following the keto diet and cutting out carbohydrates
‘Many people who buy into the keto diet say that carbs are bad,’ Dr Joshi told Business Insider.
‘I’m not defending refined carbs, which many of my critics think I am.
‘I’m defending your unrefined carbs, your fruits, your vegetables, your whole grains, beans, lentils, things like that. These are some of the most healthful foods on the planet.’
Foods people can eat on the keto diet include fish, meat, low-carb vegetables like spinach or sprouts, cheese, avocados, eggs, yoghurt, nuts and dark chocolate.
Foods rich in carbohydrates which should be cut out include bread and baked foods, cereals, pasta, potatoes, fruits and beans.
The aim of the keto diet is to get the amount of calories the body gets from carbohydrates down to just five per cent.
The rest should be made up of fat (around 75 per cent) and protein (20 per cent).
WHAT IS THE KETO DIET?
The ketogenic diet defines a low-carb, high-fat way of eating.
Following this eating plan forces the body into a metabolic state, known as ketosis, which starves the body of carbohydrates but not calories.
Carbs are shunned in the keto diet as they cause the body to produce glucose, which is used as energy over fat.
Keto diets therefore lead to weight loss as they make the body burn fat as its primary energy source.
On the diet, followers can eat:
- Meat
- Leafy greens and most vegetables
- Full-fat dairy
- Nuts and seeds
- Avocados and berries
- Fats, such as coconut oil
People cannot eat:
- Grains, including rice and wheat
- Sugar, like honey and maple syrup
- Most fruit
- White or sweet potatoes
People burn carbohydrates for energy by default, which forms the basis of the keto diet cutting them out.
By removing them from the diet, followers believe, the body is instead forced to burn fat, which should lead to weight loss.
But Dr Joshi said people eating no carbs miss out on foods known to be linked to living longer.
The US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a diet high in whole grains is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer, while studies have also found grains like oats and cous cous are linked to slower brain decline.
‘What people are doing is essentially throwing the baby out with the bath water when they label all carbs as being bad,’ Dr Joshi said. ‘That’s not true…
‘When you look at it, we’ve been eating a lot of refined carbohydrates, like your white bread, white rice, white flour, things like that.
‘These foods don’t have fibre. These foods have never been helpful.’
Both Kim Kardashian and Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James claim to have lost significant amounts of weight on the keto diet, according to Everyday Health.
While Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kourtney Kardashian have all adopted the regime for health reasons – with Berry even reportedly doing it while she was pregnant.
But scientific evidence for the diet is mixed. One study last year found it could reduce the risk of diabetes but another claimed it may contribute to heart rhythm disorders.
Researchers at the University of Oxford found that ketones – chemicals created when the body burns fat – could keep blood sugar levels down.
Halle Berry, who is diabetic, said she continued to follow the keto diet even when she was pregnant, and Gwyneth Paltrow is also believed to be a fan of the low-carb regime
In a test on 20 human volunteers they found people’s blood sugar didn’t spike as much after a sugary drink if they had a ketone shake beforehand.
Keeping blood sugar levels under control is vital for controlling and preventing type 2 diabetes, which affects millions of people in the UK and US.
A study by Sun Yat-Sen University in China, however, found in 13,000 people’s medical records that people with a low carbohydrate intake were 18 per cent more likely to develop an irregular heartbeat than those with a moderate intake.
Dr Xiaodong Zhuang said a possible explanation was that people eating low-carb diets tend to eat fewer vegetables, fruit and grains – foods which are known to reduce inflammation.
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