Diet
What is a Ketogenic Diet ?, The Keto Diet is a low-carb, high-fat, medium-protein diet that turns the body into a fat-burning machine.
What is the keto diet?
The ketogenic diet is a
low-carb, high-fat diet that shares many similarities with the Atkins and
low-carb diets.
It involves drastically
reducing the intake of carbohydrates and replacing them with fats. This
decrease in carbohydrates puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.
When this happens, your
body becomes incredibly effective at burning fat for energy. It also turns fats
into ketones in the liver, which can provide energy for the brain.
Ketogenic diets can cause
blood sugar and insulin levels to drop dramatically. This, along with the
increase in ketones, has several health benefits.
Types of the keto diet
The Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD):
This is a low-carb,
moderate-protein, and high-fat diet. It usually contains 75% fat and 20% protein
and only 5% carbohydrates.
The cyclic ketogenic diet (CKD):
This diet includes
periods of higher carbohydrate deposits, such as 5 days of ketosis, followed by
2 days of high carbohydrates.
The targeted ketogenic diet (TKD):
This diet allows you to add
carbohydrates around workouts.
The high protein ketogenic diet:
This is similar to a
standard ketogenic diet but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat,
35% protein, and 5% carbohydrates.
However, only
high-quality ketogenic protein diets have been studied extensively. Periodic or
targeted ketogenic diets are more advanced methods and are primarily used by
bodybuilders or athletes.
The information in this
article applies mostly to the Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD), although many of
the same principles also apply to the other versions.
Does the keto diet help in losing weight
The keto diet is an
effective diet for losing weight and lowering risk factors for disease. In
fact, research shows that the ketogenic diet is much better than the
recommended low-fat diet.
What's more, this diet is
so filling that you can lose weight without counting calories or tracking your
food intake.
The keto diet and diabetes
Diabetes is characterized
by changes in metabolism, high blood sugar, and impaired insulin function, and
a ketogenic diet can help you lose excess fats, which are closely related to
type 2 diabetes, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
Other health benefits of the keto diet
Heart disease: A
ketogenic diet can improve risk factors such as body fat, HDL cholesterol
levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
Cancer: This diet is currently
used to treat several types of cancer and slow tumor growth.
Alzheimer's disease: The
keto diet might reduce symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and slow its
progression.
Epilepsy: Research has
shown that the ketogenic diet can cause massive reductions in seizures in
children with epilepsy.
Parkinson's disease: One
study found that diet helped improve symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Polycystic ovary
syndrome: A ketogenic diet can help reduce insulin levels, which may play a
major role in polycystic ovary syndrome.
Brain injuries: One
animal study found that the diet can reduce concussions and aid recovery after
a brain injury.
Acne: Lower insulin
levels and eating less sugar or processed foods may help improve acne.
Foods to avoid on the keto diet
Sugary foods: soda, fruit
juice, juices, cakes, ice cream, candy, etc.
Grains or starches:
Wheat-based products, rice, pasta, grains, etc.
Fruit: All fruits, except
for small portions of berries such as strawberries.
Beans or legumes: Peas,
kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
Root vegetables and
tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.
Low-fat products: These
are highly processed and often high in carbohydrates.
Certain condiments or
sauces: often contain unhealthy sugar and fats.
Unhealthy fats: Limit
your intake of processed vegetable oils, mayonnaise, and more.
Alcohol: Due to the carb
content, many alcoholic drinks can get rid of ketosis.
Sugar-free diet foods:
These are often high in sugar alcohols, which can affect ketone levels in some
cases. These foods tend to be highly processed.
Keto-friendly drinks
Sugar can be found in a
wide variety of drinks including juice, soft drinks, iced tea, and coffee
drinks, so high-carb drinks such as high-carb foods should be avoided, and
fortunately, there are many delicious sugar-free options for those on the keto
diet.
Water: Water is the best
hydration option and should be drunk throughout the day.
Sparkling water:
Sparkling water can perfectly replace the soda solution.
Unsweetened coffee: Try
heavy cream to add flavor to your cup of coffee.
Unsweetened green tea:
Green tea is delicious and offers many health benefits.
