The “Miracle” Diets

The “Miracle” Diets

Most of the fad diets have something good in them. But often

the good part is taken out of context or taken to the extreme.

For example, the Paleo diet wasn’t meant to be bacon, steak, and

burgers. It was developed in the 1970s by Walter Voegtlin, who

believed eating like our Paleolithic ancestors could make us health-

ier. This meant getting rid of all foods that come from farming,

such as grains and legumes, the primary sources of carbohydrates

for most people. This was meant to shift the focus from bread,

pasta, and cereals to fruits and vegetables as the primary source of

carbohydrates. Initially, lean protein was meant to be less than half

of your daily calories. But after hitting mainstream diet culture, the

Paleo diet changed. For some, it became more about anything you

wanted to eat as long as it didn’t have grains. Now you can pick up

paleo candy bars, paleo donuts, and paleo cereal, all with the same

amount of sugar and calories as their non-paleo counterparts.

Similarly, the Keto diet was developed in 1924 by Dr. Russell

Wilder as a treatment for patients with epilepsy at the Mayo Clinic.

The diet is very restrictive in carbohydrates, focusing on high fat

and protein. The idea is that when carbohydrates are restricted

or eliminated, the body switches from burning carbohydrates to

burning fat. When you burn more fat as fuel for longer periods of

time (weeks and months), your liver will produce ketones, which

your body will use as fuel when no glucose is present. When

ketones are present, your glucose levels go way down. High levels

of glucose are linked to some seizures in patients with epilepsy

because high levels of glucose can lead to excitability in neurons

in the brain, which can, in turn, disrupt signaling in the brain and

trigger a seizure. Ketones, however, have anti-epileptic effect on

the brain. It is hypothesized that this is the case because ketones

are metabolically efficient and don’t cause the same excitability as

glucose does in the brain.

In addition to potentially reducing seizure activity, the ben-

efits of the Keto diet are weight loss, low blood sugar levels, and

in some cases, an improved lipid panel, and for some athletes,

enhanced performance. But the side effects of the Keto diet can

include fatigue, headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, constipa-

tion, and low exercise tolerance. Sounds fun doesn’t it?

For most of us, fad diets aren’t sustainable and, when taken

to the extreme, they can be unhealthy. With that said, it’s okay

to experiment. It can be an excellent way for you to learn. My

only caution is that you test knowing that you are doing just that,

testing. Be careful not to jump into a diet that isn’t sustainable for

you, like the “lion diet” where you only eat meat, salt, and water.

Instead, balance and getting back to the basics—whole foods and

limited sugar and alcohol—is key.

See you in the gym,

Aaron Leventhal CSCS, ACSM CS, PN1