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{{DISPLAYTITLE:An Introduction to the Ketogenic Diet}}
The ketogenic diet restricts bot carbohydrate intake and protein intake to the point where the body converts fat into ketones. These ketones are an alternative fuel source for most cells in the body, supplementing or replacing glucose as a critical fuel source. The [[Ketogenic Diet as a Treatment| ketogenic diet has the potential to help with a number of health conditions]], but also has [[Health Risks of the Ketogenic Diet| some significant potential health risks]].
=Who Should Consider the Ketogenic Diet?=
The table below reflects my personal thoughts on who would be good candidates for the Ketogenic Diet.
* '''Adaptation time'''. It can take some weeks to adapt to the ketogenic diet, a process known as [[Ketoadaptation]]. During this time many people report feeling sluggish and the benefits may not be readily apparent. It is unclear how longer you can be out of ketosis without losing your [[Ketoadaptation]], something that is important if you accidentally eat the wrong foods.
* '''Many unknowns'''. While there is a significant body of research on the ketogenic diet and low carbohydrate diets, there are still a large number of unknowns. Our lack of knowledge makes it harder to provide good recommendations, but hopefully this will improve as time progresses.
=The Inuit Diet=
The Inuit diet consists almost entirely of animal based foods, with virtually no plant food sources due to their artic location. It is therefore sometimes considered a model of the Ketogenic Diet. However, this diet is not what someone on a western diet would think of as a "meat diet", as the Inuit eat most of the animal, with the meat eaten raw (sometimes frozen) or partly boiled (including the broth), and they consume the blood, liver, etc.<ref name="Sinclair-1953"/>. The Inuit diet is not ketogenic unless they fast for a couple of days<ref name="Heinbecker-1928"/>, possibly because of the glycogen in the meat<ref name="Ho-1972"/>. Even though the Inuit eat animal parts that are higher in Vitamin C, such as the liver and skin, Vitamin C deficiency is widespread<ref name=" Geraci-1979"/>.
=Required Reading=
If you are seriously considering the ketogenic diet, you should read Dr. Kossoff's book as a bare minimum. The other books are worth reading, but I'm not as critical as Kossoff's volume.(The popular book [[Keto Clarity]] is not recommended and should be treated with caution.)
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<references>
<ref name="Myles-1976">WS. Myles, Survial of fasted rats exposed to altitude., Can J Physiol Pharmacol, volume 54, issue 6, pages 883-6, Dec 1976, PMID [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1021222 1021222]</ref>
<ref name="Ho-1972">Ho, Kang-Jey, et al. "Alaskan Arctic Eskimo: responses to a customary high fat diet." The American journal of clinical nutrition 25.8 (1972): 737-745.</ref>
<ref name="Heinbecker-1928">Heinbecker, Peter. "Studies on the metabolism of Eskimos." Journal of Biological Chemistry 80.2 (1928): 461-475.</ref>
<ref name="Geraci-1979">Geraci, Joseph R., and Thomas G. Smith. "Vitamin C in the diet of Inuit hunters from Holman, Northwest Territories." Arctic (1979): 135-139.</ref>
<ref name="Sinclair-1953">Sinclair, H. M. "The diet of Canadian Indians and Eskimos." Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 12.01 (1953): 69-82.</ref>
<ref name=" Geraci-1979">Geraci, Joseph R., and Thomas G. Smith. "Vitamin C in the diet of Inuit hunters from Holman, Northwest Territories." Arctic (1979): 135-139.</ref>
</references>
