How keto began
INFO
A ketogenic diet, forms the foundation of what LEAN Keto is based on. In a nutshell, the ketogenic (keto) diet is an eating style that involves consuming high amounts of dietary fat, moderate amounts of protein, and only a tiny bit of carbs. This minimal carb intake causes the production of “ketone bodies,” which are an energy source your organism can use when glucose is scarce.
Lets take a brief look at how this eating style originated.
Many people believe Dr Atkins developed the keto diet in the form of the Atkins Diet, but that is a misconception. While he has been a significant influence in promoting a low carb lifestyle, this way of eating is much older.
Humans have been eating a low carb and ketogenic diet well before recorded history because high carb foods were simply not always available.
Many nomadic cultures nowadays still eat low carb. These include the Bison People of the Great Plains, the Inuit in the Arctic, and the Masai herdsmen in Central Africa. Interestingly, these tribes do not suffer from modern health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
If you thought the idea of a structured low carb diet was new, think again. During the eighteenth century there a was a notable English undertaker by the name of William Banting. He is known as the ‘Father of the low carbohydrate diet’ as he was the first to popularise a weight loss diet based on limiting the intake of carbohydrates, especially those of a starchy or sugary nature.
His low carb journey was due to his inability to lose weight through the traditional methods that were being advised by his doctor. When William Banting started his low carb diet he weighed 202 lbs. Five months later, Banting was down to 184 lbs and by the following August, he weighed 156 lbs.
This led him to write one of the most famous books on obesity ever written entitled “Letter on Corpulence”. His book was first published in 1863, it went into many editions and by its third printing it had sold 63,000 copies. William Banting’s book continued to be published long after his death.
While humans have been eating keto for ages, scientific research on the topic is relatively new. It started in the 1920s when scientists discovered that the keto diet benefits people with epilepsy.
Over the last decade, the keto diet has become more mainstream. Thanks to it, many people have already transformed their weight, health, and well-being, and more get on board every day. The main reasons the keto diet produces tremendous benefits have to do with ketosis and insulin. In the upcoming sections, we will look at what these are and how they work.