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Special K Diet

Submitted by Serena Mason on December 23, 2009

The special K diet is an invention of the Kellogg Company, which has been producing breakfast cereal for years all over the world. The special K diet is one which involves munching on cereal for breakfast and lunch and eating salads and greens for dinner. Snacks are allowed between meals but only if these are fruit or salad. The diet is not dangerous in any way unlike some of the more aggressive weight loss diets that have gained popularity but there are some doubts regarding its logic. This is interesting because the K cereal actually contains more fat than the standard cereal; yet, people have lost weight by being on the special K diet.

Any weight loss diet is usually focused on the elimination of fat from the diet and concentrating on increasing protein intake. This is because fat is not a primary energy source in humans but rather carbohydrates are. Fat is used as an energy source but that is only when the supply of carbohydrates is dwindling – as is the case during starvation.

Fat metabolism is a process that starts in the liver and is called ketosis – or the creation of ketones. This can be done by periodic reductions of carbohydrate intake. Ideally, the best diet that one can indulge in without gaining too much weight is to eat lots of leafy green vegetables and fruits.

Protein is something that should only be acquired through non-fat dairy during this time. Even if this kind of a diet is not followed up with exercise, a major change can be felt. The special K diet is quite odd in this regard because it contains 60% more fat than the regular breakfast cereal.

There have been additional controversies regarding the diet from opponents that rejected it on the grounds of the iron content in the cereal.

Whatever the criticisms are, the fact is that eating cereal for breakfast and lunch is something that will definitely help cut down weight. This is curious because it is purported as beneficial for those with a BMI over 25. Eating cereal then instead of lunch automatically means a reduction in caloric intake. If the cereal is not taken with lots of sugar, then this diet will automatically induce the body to start metabolizing fat instead of sugar. There are some dangers of doing this for a long time. The stresses that fat metabolism causes on the liver can result in a fatty liver. Apart from this, prolonged fat metabolism can cause a condition known as ketoacidosis.