Celebrities such as Halle Berry and Kourtney Kardashian swear by the keto diet, but popular fitness trainer Jillian Michaels is not impressed.
In a video interview with Women's Health, the reality television personality dished out harsh criticism against the high-fat, low-carbohydrate plan that has received a surge in popularity in recent years.
Jillian Michaels Warns About Keto Diet
"Your cells, your macro molecules, are literally made up of protein, fat, carbohydrates, nucleic acids," she said in the magazine's "Rant or Rave" series online. "When you do not eat one of the three macro nutrients — those three things I just mentioned — you're starving yourselves."
Instead, the mother of two wants everyone to switch to a well-rounded diet to achieve overall health and wellbeing.
This is not the first time that Michaels aired her dislike of keto. In an interview with People last year, the celebrity trainer advised her fans not to switch to the fad diet.
She insisted that those who want to lose weight should do it the traditional way: by working out and eating clean.
The ketogenic diet promises weight loss by burning a different source of fuel; instead of sugar from carbohydrates, the body relies on ketone which the liver produces from stored fat.
For this to happen, a person enrolled in a ketogenic diet eats food that is high in fat and low in carbohydrates. The diet plan also restricts the consumption of certain fruits and vegetables.
Health experts have mixed opinions on the effectiveness of keto as a weight-loss plan and for overall health. A U.S. News and World Report panel ranked the popular plan last in the list of best diets of 2018.
Kathy McManus of the Brigham and Women's Hospital warned that a ketogenic diet comes with numerous risks, including nutrient deficiency, liver problems, kidney problems, and constipation. A diet high in saturated fat is also linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
In Defense Of Carbs
Michaels also discussed other health and fitness trends like revenge bodies in the feature. Similar to her stance against keto, the Biggest Loser trainer defended carbohydrates against alternatives such as zoodles (zucchini noodles) and lettuce burger buns.
"If you feel like you want pasta, the key is whole grain, go organic when you can, and work it into a balanced diet," she added.
