Among the many diets that help with weight loss is the ketogenic diet, which is characterized by low carbohydrates and high fat foods. Research scientists have shown that this version of the ketogenic diet helps to improve the condition of a person with diabetes, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and even oncology.
ketogenic diet- This is a diet with both low-carbohydrate and high-fat foods. In fact, there is a displacement of carbohydrate substances with fats. These menu changes put the body into a metabolic state called ketosis. At the same time, the process of burning fat and releasing energy is enhanced, and ketones are converted in the liver, which provides a lot of energy to the brain. A ketogenic diet helps lower blood glucose and insulin levels. So, what is the keto diet - popularly called simply keto, it is characterized by the minimization of carbohydrate intake and the increase of fatty foods in the diet. Stimulates metabolism aimed at breaking down fats and ketones, not carbohydrates.
What are the types of ketogenic diet?
There are many options for the ketogenic diet. The most popular of them:
- The standard (SKD) is the minimum amount of carbohydrates - 5%, the maximum amount of fats - 75%, the average amount of proteins - 20%.
- Cyclic (CKD) - periodically comes the time to consume large amounts of carbohydrates. At the same time, the first choice is 5 days, and then high-carbohydrate foods are observed for several days.
- False (NKD) - with this option, adding carbohydrates before and after training is allowed.
- High protein - similar to the standard version, but the BJU scheme is as follows: 35% protein, 60% fat and 5% carbohydrates.
Standard and high protein options are more recommended for use. The rest are mainly used by athletes and bodybuilders.
Benefits of a ketogenic diet
Ketogenic diet helps to get rid of obesity and at the same time does not harm health. Nutritionists claim that it is better than low-fat diets. At the same time, the diet is more nutritious and there is no need to count calories. People using the ketogenic diet lost weight several times faster while improving their good cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Note: A major advantage of the ketogenic diet over a low-fat diet is the adequate protein intake, which is very important for the body. A ketogenic diet helps you lose more weight than one that focuses on eating low-fat foods. And it is important that everything happens without an unbearable feeling of hunger.
How it helps diabetics and people prone to it
With this problem, metabolism is disrupted, blood sugar rises and insulin functions are disrupted in the body. The ketogenic diet promotes the burning of excess fat, which is important for diabetics and people with metabolic disorders. Research scientists have proven that the ketogenic diet increases the body's sensitivity to insulin by 75%.
Experiments with type 2 diabetes patients gave amazing results - 7 out of 21 patients were able to refuse to take diabetes medication. Weight loss is more important than other types of diet. Type 2 diabetics have increased sensitivity to insulin, which leads to fat burning. And this is very important for patients.
Other Benefits of a Low-Carb Diet
A ketogenic diet is recommended to maintain the health of patients with neurological pathology.
It is also recommended for various diseases, for example:
- Pathology of the heart. Positive effect on such factors: fat, cholesterol, blood sugar, pressure.
- Oncology. It has a beneficial effect on reducing the growth of cancer cells.
- Alzheimer's disease. It improves symptoms and prevents the development of pathology.
- Epilepsy. Reduces the number of seizures in children.
- Parkinson's disease. It improves the symptoms of the disease.
- Polycystic ovaries. Lowering insulin has a good effect on the development of the syndrome.
- With brain damage. The effect of concussions is reduced, the recovery time is reduced.
- acneLow insulin levels and no excess carbohydrate intake help improve skin condition.
The ketogenic diet is beneficial for many diseases, especially those related to insulin levels, metabolism, and neurology.
What to exclude from the diet
All products with a large amount of carbohydrates should be excluded from the menu:
- Contains sugar - soda, fruit and berry juices, cakes, ice cream and other sweets.
- Cereals and starches - flour products, rice, cereals.
- Fruit products - everything except berries, but slowly.
- Legumes - peas, lentils, beans, etc.
- Vegetable products - potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.
- Diet and fat-free - contains a lot of carbohydrates after processing.
- Sauces that contain sugar and unhealthy fats. Vegetable oil, mayonnaise.
- Alcoholic drinks - they are saturated with carbohydrates.
Highly processed, sugar-free diet foods are bad for a ketogenic diet.
These foods must be eaten
And these products are required to be consumed while following a ketogenic diet:
- Meat products - ham, sausage products, ham, red meat, chicken, turkey.
- Oily fish.
- Chicken egg.
- Cow butter and heavy cream from grass-fed cows.
- Raw cheeses - mozzarella, goat, etc.
- Nuts - walnuts, pumpkin seeds, almonds, etc.
- Various oils - olive, coconut.
- Avocado in its pure form or in a salad.
- Low-carb vegetable products - onions, cucumbers, tomatoes and other green vegetables.
- Seasonings in the form of salt, pepper and dried herbs.
It is recommended to eat the products in their pure form, so that recipes for meals consist of one component.
Sample menu for the week
For clarity, a one-week ketogenic diet menu is presented:
| days | food | Menu |
| Monday | Breakfast | Poached eggs with bacon and tomatoes |
| Supper | Poultry and feta cheese salad with butter | |
| Supper | Steamed salmon with asparagus | |
| Tuesday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with tomatoes and goat cheese |
| Supper | Almond milk, cocoa and stevia smoothie | |
| Supper | Meatballs, cheese and vegetables | |
| Wednesday | Breakfast | Milk cocktail |
| Supper | Shrimp salad with avocado | |
| Supper | Pork chops, cheese and vegetables | |
| Thursday | Breakfast | Fried egg with avocado, onion, pepper |
| Supper | Nuts, salsa, guacamole | |
| Supper | Chicken meat with sauce, cream cheese | |
| friday | Breakfast | Sugar-free yogurt with coconut oil and cocoa |
| Supper | Veal steak and vegetables | |
| Supper | Burger with egg and cheese | |
| Saturday | Breakfast | Eggs with cheese, vegetables and ham |
| Supper | Ham, cheese and nuts | |
| Supper | White fish, eggs with spinach | |
| Sunday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with bacon and mushrooms |
| Supper | Sandwich, salsa, guacamole | |
| Supper | Beef steak with vegetables |
It is necessary to diversify the menu as much as possible so that a more complete set of nutrients enters the body.
What can you eat on a ketogenic diet?
When hunger strikes between mandatory meals, you can satisfy it with healthy snacks.
For this you can use:
- boiled meat or oily fish;
- allowed cheese;
- some nuts or seeds;
- a few hard-boiled eggs;
- 90% cocoa chocolate;
- milkshake with cocoa and butter;
- yogurt with cocoa and nut butter;
- strawberries with whipped cream;
- celery with salsa and guacamole sauce.
You can refresh yourself with a small portion of the dishes prepared for the main meal.
What can you eat outside the house?
Food establishments have a wide variety of dishes from meat and fish of fatty varieties. You can get rid of excess carbs by ordering more vegetables. Egg dishes are varied - with bacon, cheese, vegetables.
It is better to consume burgers without bun, but eat the filling. You can add cheese, eggs or bacon to it. If there is nothing suitable for a ketogenic diet, but you still need to lose weight, then order cheese mixture, all kinds of meat, fish, eggs and many vegetables in restaurants and cafes.
How to improve the adaptation period
The ketogenic diet is considered safe for almost everyone, but adapting to this diet can lead to what is popularly called the "keto flu. "It is characterized by: general malaise due to lack of energy, impaired mental activity, insomnia, animalistic hunger, nausea and upset stomach. This condition lasts for a few days and then disappears without a trace. In order to eliminate such symptoms, it is necessary to immediately adjust the low-carbohydrate diet in the first days. These activities help to lose more weight before completely eliminating carbohydrates from the menu.
Important: This kind of nutrition causes a change in the water and mineral balance in the body. Additional servings of salt and mineral supplements may be required. The body needs an additional 3000 mg of sodium, 1000 mg of potassium, and 300 mg of magnesium per day. If you take them, you can avoid the imbalance of nutrients in the body.
At the very beginning of the ketogenic diet, you can eat until full, do not reduce the consumption of high-calorie foods. Weight loss occurs without calorie restriction. If you follow all the rules, the side effects of the ketogenic diet will not be so significant.
What questions do people ask?
If you read the reviews, you can highlight frequently asked questions from people who want to lose weight.
- Can you eat carbs later? Yes you can. In the beginning, they should be excluded, but after 3-4 months, you can enjoy ketogenic and non-ketonic desserts, remembering to return to the ketogenic diet.
- Is it possible to lose or gain muscle mass? Muscle mass is lost with any diet, but high protein intake with this diet won't make it very noticeable. You can also increase it, but not as much as in diets with the use of carbohydrates.
- How much protein can you eat? Its amount should be moderate in order not to increase insulin and not to reduce the number of ketones. 35% of all calories should come from protein foods and the rest from ketones.
- What should I do if I feel constantly weak? This may be due to incomplete immersion in the state of ketosis, as well as poor burning of fats and ketones. It is necessary to reduce the consumption of carbohydrates and read the complete instructions of this diet again, to observe the amount of ketones.
- Bad breath, what to do? This is what happens with the ketogenic diet. To reduce the concentration of ketones, it is necessary to drink clean water with various natural supplements or use chewing gum.
- Is ketosis really dangerous to health? People confuse ketosis with ketoacidosis, but it's actually dangerous and happens with uncontrolled diets.
- I have indigestion and diarrhea, what should I do? This is a common side effect of the keto diet and will go away on its own after 3-4 weeks.
The ketogenic diet, like any other diet, has side effects. They pass quickly, but it is better to refuse it with long-lasting problems.
Contraindications
Nutrition with an increase in the number of ketones is not indicated for everyone. Who can apply a ketogenic diet: diabetics, obese people who need to improve their metabolic processes, as well as those who can maintain this diet for a long time.
Note that it is less suitable for active athletes, as well as those who want to gain muscle mass. They should choose a different diet. The remaining contraindications are specific to human health.
A low-carb diet promotes weight loss and improves health. You should consult a dietitian or treating doctor before switching to the suggested diet.