Spilling The Tea On All Things KETO – What You Need To Know...

The ketogenic (aka. keto) diet is as equally fashionable as it is contentious, so in true Oxygen form we headhunted the best in the business, research & clinical nutritionist Claudette Casey-Freeman, to give us the bare bones when it comes to all things keto. The verdict? All diets, including keto, have a place but there is one extremely important step you need to take before beginning!

- Claudette Casey-Freeman

Low-carbohydrate diets, namely the ketogenic diet, became fashionable once again due to the introduction of ‘Paleo’ movements. Personally, I like this diet, and I would consider its use in treating many conditions - particularly metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes - because they are indicative of carbohydrate intolerance(1). Clients with these conditions are likely to see great improvements in the biological processes of disease risk if they follow a well-formulated low-carbohydrate diet and are managed appropriately by qualified healthcare practitioners. Glucose control improves because there is less glucose coming in and because systemic insulin sensitivity is improved. When comparing low-carb diets with low-fat diets, they work better in the long term(2).

What I do not like about this ultrafashionable diet is that it is becoming the diet of choice for most people to recommend ‘willy-nilly’, particularly from unqualified individuals. Then they continue to travel on a bandwagon and suggest the diet for every Tom, Dick and Tammy. This is what gets on my goat, and it’s inappropriate and potentially dangerous to the public. Unqualified people would not know how to manage or treat health conditions, and they are not qualified to advise this type of restrictive diet.