Ketogenic Diet

It is important to understand that the ketogenic diet is not a diet that should be entered into for weight loss. Instead, the ketogenic diet has been indicated for pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency, which is a fancy way of saying that someone is lacking a crucial enzyme that is used by the body to reduce lipoic acid. The ketogenic diet is very often associated as a treatment for seizures, yet not for adults but instead for children. As such, at times in the past it has become necessary to help one of the unfortunate children who suffered from epileptic seizures to get the help she or he needed from this dietary measure by inserting a g-tube for ketogenic diet feedings.

If the name “ketogenic diet” rings a bell, it is probably due to the fact that the world famous Atkins diet also speaks of ketosis which is usually associated with diabetic terms, yet the ketogenic diet that Dr. Atkins spoke of has little to do with the ketogenic epilepsy diet. While some physicians employ a form of the ketogenic diet for remission in type 1 diabetes, it is imperative to point out that undergoing the ketogenic diet to lose weight for a healthy individual is counter-indicated.

Consider for example that the ketogenic diet, easy ketogenic diet recipes may be found for free online on any number of websites, is extremely high in protein and extremely low in carbohydrates. Once again, this sounds familiar for those who may make the mistake of comparing the Atkins diet too closely to the ketogenic diet, yet it is imperative to realize that the ketogenic diet and weight loss experienced are considered to be a negative side effect of a diet that is too radical to be healthy. Ketogenic diets and low carbohydrate biochemistry are used in clinical settings in only the most extreme cases to help children and juveniles suffering from epileptic seizures when medication has failed to bring help. Thus, the ketogenic diet is not formulated as a healthy diet regimen for adults, and those who lose weight on the ketogenic diet do so with a very unbalanced and unhealthy mode of eating. Some physicians have stated that the carb contents of medications for the ketogenic diet are working in conjunction with the seizure controlling drugs the children are on.