We have had experience with ketogenic nutrition programmes since 2005. The nutritional principle is based on a metabolic change by severely restricting carbohydrates while at the same time consuming high-quality healthy fats and moderate amounts of protein.
The ketogenic diet utilises the positive effects of fasting – without having to go hungry. When you eat less than 50g of carbohydrates a day, the body begins to deplete its carbohydrate stores from muscle and liver glycogen. In order to nourish the brain in particular (which consumes 20% of the energy supplied, although it only accounts for 2% of our body weight), the metabolism is forced to switch to a carbohydrate-free mode. In the liver, the body’s own fat and fatty acids can then be converted into ketone bodies, which are available to supply the cells with energy. In evolutionary terms, this metabolic pathway has become an important survival strategy for the development of humans, especially in times of famine.