Ketogenic Diet: Discover Why You Should Try This Mind Blowing Diet
Ketogenic Diet: Discover Why You Should Try This Mind Blowing Diet
Are you seeking a transformative approach to dieting?
Look no further!
There is a common diet in the world today — the ketogenic diet.
Most people think it’s a newly discovered diet, meanwhile, it has been in place for many years now.
In fact, the ketogenic diet was first practiced in the 1920s, as a treatment for people with epilepsy, after research showed that fasting reduced seizure activity.
Ketogenic diet is believed to help most in weight management. However, it has a lot more unknown benefits.
In this article, we’ll explore the fascinating world of ketogenic diet and uncover the science behind its mind blowing benefits.
What is a Ketogenic Diet?
Ketogenic diet is an eating pattern that includes high amounts of fat, low to moderate amounts of protein, and very little carbohydrates.
When you deprive the body of carbohydrates (which are its main source of energy), your body quickly runs out of fuel (blood sugar) that is available for its use.
Then your body starts to break down protein and fat for energy, which can make you lose weight. This is called ketosis.
NOTE: The goal is to restrict carbohydrate intake so that the body must break down fat for energy.
Types of Ketogenic Diet
The major types of ketogenic diet includes:
Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD):
This is a diet that contains low carb, moderate protein and high fat. It typically contains 70% fat (165g), 20% protein (75g), and only 10% carbs (40g).
Cyclical Ketogenic diet (CKD):
This involves you practicing a ketogenic diet for 5 days, then eating high carb foods for the other 2 days.
Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD):
This diet allows you to add carbohydrates to your meal during workouts.
High Protein Ketogenic Diet:
This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet, but has more protein, which is 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.
The standard and high protein ketogenic diets are the most common. Cyclical and targeted ketogenic diets are advanced ones, used by bodybuilders or athletes.
Ketones, Ketosis and Ketoacidosis… What Do They Mean?
Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body uses fat for fuel (energy) instead of carbs.
It occurs when you reduce your consumption of carbohydrates, limiting your body’s supply of glucose (which is the main source of energy for the cells).
Then the body begins to use fat as its primary fuel.
The liver produces “ketone bodies” (bye products of the fat broken down in the liver), which can also be used in the absence of glucose.
However, high levels of ketone bodies produce a dangerously toxic level of acid in the blood called “ketoacidosis.”
Ketoacidosis causes the kidneys to excrete ketone bodies along with urine, causing some fluid-related weight loss.
To know if you’ve entered a state of ketosis, check your urine with ketone strips. You can get them online or in a walk-in pharmacy.
You can also detect through your breath, which gives a rotten fruit or metallic smell (referred to as “keto breath”).
Other symptoms that may indicate you’ve entered ketosis include increased thirst, dry mouth, frequent urination, and decreased hunger.
Modifying your diet and intermittent fasting can help you enter ketosis faster.
Tips on How to Effectively Follow Ketogenic Diet:
Opting for the ketogenic diet can be quite tasking but there are tips that can help make it easier for you.
They include:
Learn how to read food labels and check the grams of fat, carbs and protein to determine if you are following the right plan for your diet.
Plan your meals in advance for the week. It makes it easier to achieve your goal of eating right.
Check out keto-friendly recipes and meal ideas that you can use to build your own food menu.
Make enquiries on meal delivery services that offer keto-friendly options for a quick and convenient way of ketogenic life at home.
When going to social gatherings or occasions with family and friends, consider taking your own food along, which can make it much easier to curb temptations.
List of Foods to Eat and Avoid While on Ketogenic Diet
For effective ketogenic diet plan, you should base the majority of your meals around these foods:
Eggs
Cheese
Butter and cream
Fatty fish like salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel
Healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil, and avocado oil
Meat like red meat, steak, ham, sausage, chicken, and turkey
Low carb veggies like green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.
Nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds etc.
Fruits like avocado, watermelon, strawberries, lemon, raspberries, peaches, blackberries, blueberries, lime, apricot and pears.
Also, ensure adequate intake of fibre, vitamin B’s and minerals (iron, magnesium, zinc).
Water is the perfect drink during keto diet. Coffee or tea are fine too, but use no sweeteners, especially sugar.
On the flip side, here is a list of foods you should reduce while on a ketogenic diet.
They include:
Alcohol
Bread, muffins, pancakes
Baked foods like cake, cookies etc
Syrups, puddings, sweeteners, desserts, etc
Sauces like barbecue sauce, honey mustard, ketchup etc
Legumes like peas, kidney beans, black beans, lentils etc
Unhealthy fats like processed vegetable oils, mayonnaise etc
Grains or starches like wheat-based products, rice, pasta, cereal etc
Root vegetables and tubers like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc
Fruits like apples, grapes, mango, pineapple, dates, banana, oranges etc.
Why Should You Try A Ketogenic Diet ?
Ketogenic diet has several health benefits which includes:
Helps in Weight Loss:
One of the common benefits that attract people to ado pting a ketogenic diet is the promise of weight loss.
A ketogenic diet helps you lose more weight than other diets. It helps with weight loss by burning fat for fuel which leads to loss of appetite.
It also consists of foods that fill you up fast and may reduce hunger-stimulating hormones.
Helps Protect Brain Function:
The ketones that generate during the keto diet provide neuroprotective benefits, which means they help strengthen and protect the brain and nerve cells.
For this reason, a keto diet may help prevent or manage conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, autism, brain cancers and other neurologic conditions.
Improves Type 2 Diabetes:
The ketogenic diet helps boost insulin sensitivity, leading to significant health benefits for people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.
The keto diet can help people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and keep their blood sugar levels on the right track.
Helps Reduce Risk of Heart Diseases:
Ketogenic diet lowers your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, by improving your HDL (good) cholesterol levels and lowering the bad cholesterol (LDL) in your body.
It limits your risk for cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure, hardened arteries, heart failure, and other heart conditions.
Helps Improve Acne:
A diet high in processed and refined carbohydrates causes acne and other skin conditions.
Therefore, cutting down on it may help reduce its breakout.
Potentially Reduces Seizures:
Ketogenic diet is used to reduce or even prevent seizures by altering the excitability part of the brain.
It can reduce seizures in people with epilepsy, especially those who have not responded to other treatment methods.
May Reduce Risk of Certain Cancers:
Ketogenic diet is a suitable complementary treatment, to use alongside chemotherapy and radiation therapy in people with certain cancers.
This is because it would cause more oxidative stress in cancer cells, than in normal cells, causing them to die.
Improves PCOS symptoms:
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that can lead to ovulatory dysfunction and infertility.
Ketogenic diet helps in ruling out several factors that contribute to development of PCOS by helping with weight loss and hormonal balance.
Side Effects of Ketogenic Diet:
Ketogenic diet is usually safe for most healthy people.
Although, there may be some side effects you experience during your initial attempt.
They include:
Fatigue
Diarrhoea
Irritability
Low mood
Headaches
Sleep issues
Constipation
Mental function
Increased hunger
Nausea and vomiting
Staying on the keto diet for a long time may also have some negative effects.
Which includes:
Fatty liver
Osteoporosis
Kidney stones
Micronutrient deficiencies
Increased uric acid in blood (risk for gout)
Low protein in the blood (Hypoproteinaemia).
Final Thoughts On Ketogenic Diet
If you wish to start a ketogenic diet, consult your physician or a dietitian to create a meal plan that suits your existing health conditions.
Meanwhile, some people are exempted from trying the keto diet.
They include:
Individuals with eating disorder
Pregnant and breastfeeding women
Individuals with kidney disease or pancreatitis
Individuals with diabetes, who are insulin-dependent.
A ketogenic diet can be a healthier and simpler way of life, as long as you remain consistent with it.
See you in the next blog post. Stay healthy!