Lebron James’ Ketogenic Diet Could Be Your Ticket To Becoming A Shredded Beast…But At What Cost?
Credit: Original article published on Dmarge.com
“I’m not a celiac but…”
Some call the Keto diet a celebrity-fad palatable only to cross-fit warriors and Bondi hipsters. Others reckon it’s an energy-boosting weight-loss program that cures diabetes, epilepsy and arthritis. We talked to The Paleo Chef (and MKR judge) Pete Evans, Transform Health dietician Jordan Ponder, and nutritionist Zoe Bingley to get the inside scoop.
What did we find? Let’s just say that before you follow in Lebron’s Ketogenic footsteps you’re going to want to read this guide.
What Is The ‘Keto’ Diet?
Ketosis is an evolutionary mechanism the body initiates to survive when food intake is low. The Keto diet is basically a way to trigger it (without starving). This involves replacing foods high in carbs (pasta, bread etc.) with one’s higher in protein or fat (meat, leafy greens etc.).
The reason this triggers Ketosis is because your body typically burns carbohydrates before its reserves of fat, so if you deprive yourself of carb-rich food, even if you are consuming a healthy number of calories, you trick your body into thinking it’s starving.
Jordan Ponder, a dietician at Transform Health, says that this causes the body to break-down fat into substances called ketones (a process which takes place in the liver), using them for energy instead of glucose—the broken down version of carbohydrates the body normally uses for fuel.