Weighing In On The Keto Diet

You probably hadn’t heard of the ketogenic/keto diet until a couple years ago, but now the trend is everywhere. In fact, in 2018 new product launches positioned with the term “keto” or “ketogenic” showed a year over year increase of  595 percent. That is a total of 292 products launched globally in 2018 positioned for the keto diet, according to Innova Market Insights.*

So What Really Is The Keto Diet?

In essence, the keto diet is very low in carbohydrates, moderate in protein and high in fat. Calorie intake should be approximately 5% carbs, 20% protein and 75% fats. Generally, carbs are restricted to around 20 grams or 50 grams a day.^1-2 That means hello meat and cheese; goodbye pasta and bread. 

Additionally, keto diets can change your metabolism. Glucose provides our body with the most efficient fuel source, like high octane gasoline. When on a keto diet, your body creates ketone bodies and converts stored fat to glucose to use as fuel, which is less efficient; like using gasoline that has ethanol in it. When you use high octane gasoline, you get more miles to each gallon compared to a fuel that has ethanol in it. Now think of this in terms of your body but replace gasoline for calories that come from fat, carbohydrates and protein. If carbs are high octane, then fat and protein are ethanol and if all you are eating is fat and protein in a ketogenic diet you need to burn more calories to keep your engine running.3 Combined with decrease food intake, this increased calorie burn is another reason keto diets can result in weight loss. In addition to weight loss, research also shows that keto diets may reduce blood sugar and blood pressure.5-10

Keto Criticism

As with any new diet trend there are plenty of skeptics surrounding this regime. Jillian Michaels, the famous trainer seen on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” being one of the biggest critics. She claims that ditching any of the macronutrients (carbs, fat, and protein) threatens the body’s overall health.⁶ For all of the research touting the benefits of a ketogenic diet, other studies suggest there is no clear advantage of a ketogenic diet in comparison to a balanced macronutrient low-calorie diet, especially over the long-term. Additionally, there is also concern that such a high intake of saturated fat might result in increased cardiovascular risk from levels of LDL cholesterol and reduced intake of vitamin and mineral rich fruits and vegetables.^11,12 You should consult with your doctor before trying the keto diet. 

The keto trend is not isolated to North America, although that is where 80 percent of product launches took place in 2018. Europe accounted for 10 percent with 30 products and APAC was at six percent with 19 product launches. We predict that the keto product launches will continue to increase through 2019. Innova’s database shows that there have already been 114 product launches as of April 2019. If growth continues throughout the year we could see an increase of 60 percent from 2018 to 2019. 

Popular Product Formats

Of the 292 keto new product launches in 2018,* the majority fall into the sports nutrition category; the most popular format being powders. Additional popular products include snack bars, salad dressings, condiments and baking mixes. When it comes to flavoring, fruit and “brown flavors,” such as chocolate, peanut butter and coffee, are the most popular.

Extra Satiety Support

If you are looking to formulate a new keto product (or weight management product) you may be wondering how to differentiate among all the new product launches. Consider adding Slendesta®, a natural dietary ingredient for satiety that offers the support weight-conscious consumers need to control hunger and feel full between meals. It can be difficult to start a new diet and fight the hunger cravings, so extra satiety support may not be a bad idea. An efficacious dose of Slendesta for foods or supplements only contains 0.159g of carbs. Contact us to learn more about Slendesta.