Sylvia S. answered • 06/17/22
High School Biology Teacher
Great question! The keto diet requires one to eat 20-50 grams of carbohydrates (carbs) in a day. Carbs include bread, pasta, fruit, and any other food with natural or additive sugar. According to the Mayo Clinic, you should eat around 225-325 grams of carbs every day for a healthy diet. While you should avoid food with unhealthy sugar (soda, cakes, candy, ext.), eating below the recommended can be devastating. Your body uses carbohydrates as an energy source. In cellular respiration, glucose (a carb) is broken down to synthesize ATP (energy). To be able to do anything (breath, walk, move, the majority of cellular reactions, ext.), you NEED energy. Eating under the recommended amount of carbs decreases cellular respiration, causing you to feel fatigued, sick, and lose energy. I would not recommend eating below 225-325 grams of carbs every day unless noted by a doctor.
Keep in mind, it is very easy to eat that amount in a day! So avoiding "bad" sugar is still recommended for a healthy diet, not you should not avoid eating all carbs.
Excess sugar is turned into triglyceride (fat) cells and will be used when needed for extra sugar (for cellular respiration). You can lose a lot of weight doing the keto diet, but it will not be permanent and your body will be in starvation mode. Doing healthier options, such as a cleaner diet, exercise, and a change of lifestyle will be much better for your overall health.
Seeing the keto diet be so popular in society is terrifying. The keto diet puts your body in starvation mode and encourages people to have a "quick weight loss fix" when it does not work permanently.
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/carbohydrates/art-20045705#:~:text=The%20Dietary%20Guidelines%20for%20Americans,grams%20of%20carbs%20a%20day.
