One way to think about the keto diet is to compare it to taking a prescription medication like Mounjaro or Ozempic. For those unfamiliar, these medications are effective in helping obese patients with high health risks lose significant weight quickly. These drugs are somewhat similar to anti-anxiety medications in that they target compulsive behaviors. Whatever they're doing, they are effective because people do lose weight on them. However, as long as there are toxic side effects, it is important to continue scientific interventions to help people work on their anxieties and the issues that lead them to eat poorly and compulsively in the first place.
Some people, let's face it, aren't going to work on their issues on their own, especially when it comes to addictive behaviors. Unlike alcohol or drugs, which you can quit and then keep out of sight and mind, food is different—you still have to eat. This means every meal is an opportunity to slip back into old habits. With food, you have to regulate your cravings and anxieties to create a healthy relationship with eating, which is challenging when you're still "in the battlefield" and feeling anxiety. The ketogenic diet often fosters negative behavior patterns.
On the other hand, the keto diet can give someone a boost by helping them lose 30 pounds quickly, which might inspire them to continue losing weight. However, at some point, they have to return to eating fruits and vegetables and wean themselves off other fatty foods and proteins. Keto is not a sustainable lifestyle, especially for someone who is weak or ill.
We must consume our daily portions of fruit. Fruits are a primary source of vitamins and antioxidants, and you can't supplement effectively if your diet is poor. Also, most people are not supplement experts and have no idea if the vitamins they're taking are effective. The bottom line is that if we maintain ignorance and a poor relationship with food, we're doomed to fall back into old patterns and regain the weight—a painful setback.
If you need an emergency weight loss solution without long-term negative side effects, fresh juice can be beneficial, especially if your medication is effective and doesn't intoxicate the body. Yes, juice diets can be a hassle since you need fresh juice all day, but it's a healthier alternative.
If you're not in a health crisis, why not try meditation, exercise, and reading about addiction, anxiety, and childhood trauma? Engage in therapy, listen to lectures, and write—these are all steps to overcome addiction and become self-aware. Recover, lose weight, and adopt a lifestyle that promotes enlightenment. Make yourself the priority. The keto diet should be viewed as a last resort for someone with persistent food addiction who just needs a head start. But remember, you will have to transition off that diet and move toward a balanced, long-term healthy diet.
Start by eliminating refined and processed foods from your diet. This includes most packaged goods and many supermarket products, which are highly refined. Think of white rice, refined sugar, flour, and foods with preservatives, food coloring, and chemical compounds made in factories—these are the real problems. Cut out soda and all those supposedly healthy drinks that aren't fresh. Instead, focus on the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, sprouts, and seeds that have sustained humanity for generations.
Our ancestors primarily relied on vegetation and supplemented with animal protein only when vegetation was scarce. They succeeded, even as high-protein consumers, because they lived close to the earth and did not consume processed foods. They ate in sync with the sunrise and sunset, fasted often, and had rich metaphysical worldviews that kept them relaxed and somewhat happy. They lived in communities, breathed clean air from abundant vegetation, drank pure water, and were physically active.
The problem today is that humanity is constantly seeking quick fixes. We want immediate results, a mindset prevalent in almost every culture, which has contributed to many of our emotional problems. If we don't address the emotional aspects of our relationship with food and life, we will find ourselves compulsively eating the wrong foods. This is a lifelong journey, so wake up now and see this as an intervention to stop eating compulsively and to stop eating the wrong foods. Deal with the emotions and behavior patterns. Become self-aware. Free yourself from addiction and mental suffering. Do the work. Do it for yourself. It starts with willingness, then learning what to do. You need inspiration and accountability, and it's definitely not easy—that's why quick fixes that are harmful are so popular. Who really wants to do the hard work when it comes to saving themselves? Only a rare few.