The ketogenic diet has hit Hollywood in full force.
Celebrities are known for regularly trying off-the-wall crazes1, such as Beyoncé’s all-liquid diet of cayenne lemon water, or Elizabeth Taylor’s obsession with peanut butter-covered steak sandwiches. While it is normal to see actors, actresses, and athletes occasionally engage in extreme (and odd) dieting, it takes a diet that has real success behind it to attract the following that the keto diet has.
Keto For Weight Loss
The low-carb, high-fat diet has attracted quite a number of A-list celebrities, including Adriana Lima, Megan Fox, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Biel, and Drew Carey2. Many of these stars admit that the primary purpose of their time on the diet was a temporary fix to lose weight, and this attitude has irritated some staunch proponents of keto.
Writer Brian Williamson2 states:
See, for celebrities, keto is often a quick fix. For me, keto is a lifestyle change. There is no quick fix. Celebrities will mention an “intense 6-week program of low-carb/ketogenic…resulted in a 20-pound loss…blah blah blah.” So people read that and, because the celebrity carries lots of social capital, people figure they should try it, too. So they try it. And they treat it like a diet. Like a fad diet. Anyone remember the cabbage soup diet? And they lose some weight. And they are happy. And they start eating crap again. And they gain it all back and then some…just like what happens with any fad diet. And then they say that keto doesn’t work.”
Keto For Health
Not all celebs approach keto in this manner, however. Superstar Halle Berry, for example, is diabetic—she uses the diet as a long-term lifestyle in order to control not only her weight, but her health3. “Taking care of my health and keeping my weight a certain (level) is really very much a part of taking care of myself and being healthy.” Tim McGraw is another celebrity who has credited the diet with helping him stay healthy while on tour.
Keto For Performance
Taking a step beyond a healthy lifestyle are athletes who use a ketogenic lifestyle to enhance their performance to world-class levels. Tim Tebow, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant4 are three athletes who have experienced the diet’s ability to not only keep them in top shape, but also allow them to perform consistently in a manner that can’t be matched by the highs and lows of a carbohydrate-based diet. Bryant’s experience was so positive that the entire LA Lakers team “went keto” with him—when a franchise that’s won 16 NBA championship gets on board, you know there’s got to be something to this.
Dave Scott, a six-time Ironman Champion, not only lives on the diet but trains other athletes to do the same5. He’s noticed a number of benefits, including a reduction in appetite cravings, increased clarity of mind, a steady state of fuel, decreased inflammation, and enhanced recovery.
While celebrities may be known for trying some of the craziest things on earth, occasionally they get something right. This looks to be one of those times.
NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
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