Controversial Keto

Fruits and vegetables that fit

There’s a lot of buzz around “The Keto Diet”. Short for ketogenic, this controversial diet has been used as a treatment for children with epilepsy or seizures. Today it’s a way of eating that touts quick weight loss as a result of keeping a very low carbohydrate and high fat diet. That said, we wonder, are there any fruits or vegetable you can eat and if so how much?

Followers give up foods like whole grains, fruits and most vegetables– eliminating important nutrients that align with diet recommendations for longevity. These eliminations also contradict advice for people with heart disease, diabetes or other chronic diseases. Plus, new research adds even more weight to the importance of diet and health, suggesting that lack of certain foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, is responsible for more deaths globally than any other risk factors.

Here’s aside by side of Keto compared to the well-established Mediterranean diet:

Keto Diet

55-60% calories from fat
30-35%calories from protein
5-10%calories from carbohydrates
A typical day could include eggs, salmon, avocado, chicken, bacon, cheese, meat and seafood.

Mediterranean Diet

20-35%calories from fat
10-35%calories from protein
45-65%calories from carbohydrates
A typical day includes a variety of whole grains, chickpeas,lentils, nuts, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables.

On a 2000-calorie Keto diet, only 25-50 grams carbohydrates are allowed per day. A normal day could include foods like these:

• 2 cups raw Spinach: 2g
• ½ cup Canned Pumpkin : 10g
• 6 Jumbo Olives : 3g
• 1 medium Banana: 27g
• 1 cup Broccoli: 6g
• Total: 48g Carbohydrates

Exceeding these amounts would take the body out of ketos is changing the body’s energy source from relying on fat for fuel, vs carbohydrates, which is the basis for this trendy diet. Long term effects of the diet aren’t well known, but short term side effects include flu-like symptoms, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and constipation. Yikes!

At Dole we support diet and lifestyle changes that can be followed for the long haul. Check with your doctor before starting a new diet, especially this one. The Keto diet is not for everyone­—especially for those breastfeeding, with diabetes or high blood pressure—and there is minimal long term evidence of benefit or harm, so for real impact, stick to the time-tested health messages, like getting at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day for good health.

Published June 1, 2019