The KEN diet

The 'KEN' diet does not refer to the male version of Barbie, but stands for Ketogenic Enteral Nutrition.

It was developed to help severely obese patients lose weight in a controlled hospital environment. However, it has now become a ‘fad’ for those wishing to lose a few kilos quickly.

KEN requires the dieter to have a feeding tube inserted through their nose and into the stomach for ten days of each cycle which feeds 800 liquid calories per day to the digestive system through a bag. The bag must be carried around, attached to the dieter for the entire day. They are allowed one hour bag-free to shower.

This process, and the major lack of calories causes the body to enter a state called ketosis. This state is meant to force the body to burn fat stores for energy. However, as with any ‘quick-fix’ weight-loss scheme, this is a very short-term solution. Most of the kilos lost will be from water and muscle mass, rather than fat.

Unless done in a controlled environment over a longer period of time (as in the case of severely obese patients), this diet is simply dangerous.

The side effects include bad breath, constipation, dehydration, headaches, weakness and potential kidney problems amongst others.

This one is definitely NOT recommended. It could severely damage your health.

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