Some people who are on low-carb diets will tell you they’ve lost weight and they feel great. Anecdotally, it seems to be a way of eating that works for some. In this respect, keto seems like any other diet: it’ll work for some people, and some people will be able to keep it up for the rest of their lives, which is what you need to do to sustain the benefits of any diet. If you need to lose weight for health, and this seems to suit you, this is one way to do it.

For others, this will be too restrictive and just too hard to stick to, just as Atkins was.

There’s not much in the way of long-term evidence to show benefit or harm from a very low-carb diet so far. It works, science says, just about as well as any other diet for weight loss.

There are some notes of caution, however.

Nutritionists warn a low-carb diet is likely to leave dieters short on fiber, which could have potential life-shortening effects; the latest research suggests we need at least 30 grams of fiber a day to lower our risk from conditions including bowel cancer and heart disease; high-fiber eaters also live longer. Getting 30 grams of fiber a day is potentially tricky without any grains or legumes in your life.

Experts also warn of a possible downside for the gut bacteria, which loves the food it gets from different types of fiber from a wide range of foods. Ideally, our fiber should come not only from leafy greens, but from starchy vegetables, fruit, grains and pulses, which are often eliminated in low-carb diets.

Here it’s worth remembering that carbohydrates come in many, many forms, from carrots to cupcakes, and they’re definitely not all created equal.

Since carbohydrates are the preferred fuel for most cells in the body, and our main energy source, it is worth including them in our diets – especially if we’re exercising regularly.

Foods with moderate carb content

Lower in carbohydrate are legumes – chickpeas, beans, lentils and the like – and these provide different useful types of fiber as well as some protein. Starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potato etc) are not as high in carbohydrate as we might imagine. A potato is about 13 percent carbohydrate; a sweet potato about 20 percent. For gut health we’re wise to include these, especially when cooked and cooled. In that state they contain resistant starch, an important type of fiber our gut bacteria love. Most fruits are the same, even when they taste sweet.

Lower-carb foods

Vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin and peas – which we might believe are high in carbohydrates – are really moderate in carb levels, at below 10 percent. Along with all other vegetables and fruit, they contain vitamins and minerals and all the goodness that comes from colorful plant foods.

Carbs we don’t need

In terms of carbohydrate foods we don’t need, think refined: all the stuff made with white flour such as cakes, cookies, sugary cereal, biscuits and junk food. Once in a while these are okay, but on a regular basis we’re better off replacing them with whole food versions.

Article by Niki Bezzant supplied by Les Mills International