Would YOU try the keto diet? Expert says controversial eating plan leads to 'superior' weight loss and there is 'no evidence it is damaging to the body'

Many people struggle with weight loss, often trying out a variety of diets to see which will have the best results for them.

Now Australian nutritionist and dietitian Susie Burrell has said that the controversial ketogenic diet has helped people with epilepsy and seizures and can result in rapid weight loss.

'There is no evidence to show that keto diets are damaging to the body,' Susie Burrell wrote for news.com.
'In fact, with their superior weight loss and associated reductions in inflammation in the body, there are a number of benefits, particularly for individuals with high blood glucose levels, fatty liver and significant amounts of weight to lose.'

A keto diet is rich with foods that contain a high amount of healthy fats such as nuts, avocado, oils and fish and the focus is on these good fats rather than bad, like milk, butter and cream.

Ketogenic diets are ones that are low in carbohydrates and are made up of 5-20 per cent of carbohydrates, whereas a standard diet has 30-50 per cent.

If your diet is low in carbohydrates your body is shifted into 'ketosis', which is when fat stores in the body are broken down into ketones, which fuel the muscles and the brain.

This then results in enhanced fat burning and relatively quick weight loss.

'The primary issue with keto diets is that the total amount of carbohydrate consumed needs to be kept very low, or the body will quickly come out of ketosis,' Ms Burrell said.