Among the many diets that help with weight loss, there is also a ketogenic diet, which is characterized by low carbohydrate intake and an abundance of fatty foods. Researchers have shown that this version of the ketogenic diet helps improve the condition of a person with diabetes, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and even oncology.
ketogenic diet- This is a diet in which the diet contains both low carbohydrate foods and fatty foods. In reality, there is a displacement of carbohydrate substances by fats. These menu changes bring the body into a metabolic state, the name of which is ketosis. At the same time, the process of burning fat and releasing energy increases and ketones are converted in the liver, which gives the brain a lot of energy. The ketogenic diet helps lower blood glucose and insulin levels. So what is a keto diet – commonly referred to simply as keto, it is characterized by reducing carbohydrate intake to a minimum and increasing fatty foods in the diet. It causes the metabolism to work, aimed at the breakdown of fats and ketones, and not carbohydrates.
What types of ketogenic diet are there
There are many options for the ketogenic diet. The most popular of them:
- Standard (SKD) is a minimum of carbohydrate substances - 5%, a maximum of fats - 75%, an average amount of protein - 20%.
- Cyclic (CKD) - periodically there comes a time to consume a large amount of carbohydrates. At the same time, the first option is observed for 5 days, then a carbohydrate-rich food for a couple of days.
- False (NKD) - with this option it is allowed to add carbohydrates before and after training.
- High in protein - similar to the standard version, but the BJU layout is: 35% protein, 60% fat and 5% carbs.
Standard and high protein options are more recommended. The rest is mainly used by athletes and bodybuilders.
Benefits of the ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet helps to get rid of obesity and at the same time does not harm health. Nutritionists say it's better than low-fat diets. At the same time, the diet is more nutritious and there is no need to count calories. People who used the ketogenic diet on themselves lost weight several times faster, while improving levels of good cholesterol and triglycerides.
Note: A big advantage of a ketogenic diet over a low-fat diet is getting enough protein, which is very important for the body. A ketogenic diet promotes weight loss more than a diet focused on eating a small amount of fatty foods. And it is important that everything happens without the excruciating feeling of hunger.
How it helps diabetics and those predisposed to it
With this problem, the metabolism is disturbed, blood sugar rises, and the functions of insulin in the body are disturbed. The ketogenic diet promotes the burning of excess fat, which is important for diabetics, people with a metabolic disorder. Scientific researchers have proven that a ketogenic diet improves the body's sensitivity to insulin by 75%.
Experiments with type 2 diabetics gave amazing results - out of 21 patients, 7 people were able to refuse diabetes medication. Weight loss is much greater than with other types of diets. In type 2 diabetics, insulin sensitivity increases, which triggers fat burning. And this is very important for patients.
Other Benefits of a Low-Carb Diet
The ketogenic diet is recommended to maintain the health of patients with neurological pathologies.
It is also recommended for various diseases, such as:
- Pathology of the heart. A positive effect on these factors: fat, cholesterol, blood sugar, pressure.
- Oncology. It has a beneficial effect on reducing the growth of cancer cells.
- Alzheimer's disease. Improves symptoms and inhibits the development of pathology.
- Epilepsy. Reduces the number of seizures in children.
- Parkinson's disease. Improves the symptoms of this disease.
- Polycystic ovaries. Lowering insulin has a good effect on the development of the syndrome.
- With a brain injury. The impact of concussions is reduced, recovery time is reduced.
- Acne. Low insulin levels and the absence of excessive carbohydrate intake contribute to the improvement of the skin condition.
The ketogenic diet is beneficial for many ailments, especially those related to insulin levels, metabolism, and neurology.
What to remove from your diet
From the menu it is necessary to exclude all products containing carbohydrates in large quantities:
- Containing sugar - sodas, fruit and berry juices, cakes, ice cream and other sweets.
- Cereals and containing starch - products from flour, rice, cereals.
- Fruit products - everything except berries, but little by little.
- Legumes - peas, lentils, beans and more.
- Vegetable products - potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and more.
- Dietary and fat-free - after processing they contain a lot of carbohydrates.
- Sauces containing sugar and unhealthy fats. Vegetable oil, mayonnaise.
- Alcoholic beverages - they are saturated with carbohydrates.
Highly processed, sugar-free diet foods are bad for a ketogenic diet.
These foods should be eaten
And these products should be consumed while maintaining a ketogenic diet:
- Meat products - ham, sausage, ham, red meat, chicken, turkey.
- Oily fish.
- Chicken eggs.
- Cow butter and heavy cream from grass fed cows.
- Raw cheeses - mozzarella, goat, etc.
- Nuts - walnuts, pumpkin seeds, almonds, etc.
- Various oils - olive, coconut.
- Pure avocado or in salad.
- Low-carb vegetable products - onion, cucumber, tomato and other greens.
- Seasonings in the form of salt, pepper and dried herbs.
It is recommended that the products be consumed in their pure form, so that the recipes for dishes consist of only one component.
Sample menu for the week
For clarity, a menu of a ketogenic diet for one week is provided:
| days | meal | Menu |
| Monday | Breakfast | Hard-boiled eggs with bacon and tomato |
| Having dinner | Chicken and feta salad with butter | |
| Having dinner | Steamed salmon with asparagus | |
| Tuesday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with tomatoes, goat cheese |
| Having dinner | Smoothie with almond milk, cocoa and stevia | |
| Having dinner | Meatballs, cheese and vegetables | |
| Wednesday | Breakfast | milkshake |
| Having dinner | Avocado Shrimp Salad | |
| Having dinner | Pork chops, cheese and vegetables | |
| Thursday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with avocado, onion, pepper |
| Having dinner | Nuts, salsa, guacamole | |
| Having dinner | Chicken in sauce, cream cheese | |
| Friday | Breakfast | Unsweetened yogurt with coconut oil and cocoa |
| Having dinner | Veal steak and vegetables | |
| Having dinner | Egg and cheese burger | |
| Saturday | Breakfast | Eggs with cheese, vegetables and ham |
| Having dinner | Ham, cheese and nuts | |
| Having dinner | Variety of white fish, eggs with spinach | |
| Sunday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with lard and mushrooms |
| Having dinner | Sandwich, salsa, guacamole | |
| Having dinner | 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 required meals, you can satisfy it with healthy snacks.
For this you can use:
- boiled meat or fatty fish;
- cheese allowed;
- a few nuts or seeds;
- a few boiled eggs;
- chocolate with 90% cocoa;
- milk cocktail 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 food prepared for the main meal.
What can you eat outside the home
In catering establishments there are many different 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.
Burgers are best eaten without the bun, but only 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, order a mixture of cheeses, meat of all kinds, fish, eggs and many vegetables in therestaurants 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 illness, commonly known as the "keto flu". It is characterized by: general malaise due to lack of energy, mental activity disorders, insomnia, beastly hunger, nausea and stomach discomfort. This condition lasts for several days and then disappears without a trace. To eliminate these symptoms, it is necessary to adjust the low-carb diet immediately in the first days. These activities contribute to greater weight loss before you need to eliminate carbohydrates from the menu altogether.
Important: Such nutrition causes a change in the water and mineral balance of the body. Additional servings of salt and mineral supplements may be needed. The body needs an additional 3000 mg of sodium, 1000 mg of potassium, 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 you are 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 great.
What questions do people ask
If you read reviews, you can highlight common questions asked by those who want to lose weight.
- Can you eat carbs later? Yes you can. They should be excluded at first, but after 3-4 months you can enjoy desserts with and without ketones, not forgetting to return to the ketogenic diet.
- Is it possible to lose muscle mass or build it? With any diet, muscle mass is lost, but with this diet, a high protein intake will not make it too noticeable. You can also increase it, but not as much as with carbohydrate diets.
- How much protein can you eat? Its amount should be moderate so as not to increase insulin and reduce the number of ketone bodies. Of all the calories consumed, 35% should come from protein foods, the rest from ketones.
- What should I do if I feel constant weakness? This may be due to incomplete immersion in a state of ketosis, as well as poor burning of fats and ketones. It is necessary to reduce the consumption of carbohydrates and again read the complete guide to this diet, observe the amount of ketones.
- Bad breath, what to do? This happens with the ketogenic diet. You should drink pure water with various natural additives or use chewing gum to reduce the concentration of ketones.
- Is ketosis really dangerous for health? People confuse ketosis with ketoacidosis, but it's really dangerous and happens with uncontrolled diets.
- I have digestive problems and diarrhoea, what should I do? This is a common side effect of the keto diet and goes away on its own after 3-4 weeks.
The ketogenic diet, like any other diet, has side effects. They quickly pass, but with prolonged troubles it is better to refuse this.
Contraindications
Nutrition with an increase in the number of ketones is not shown to everyone. Who can practice the ketogenic diet: diabetics, obese people who need to improve their metabolic processes, as well as those who are able to maintain this diet for a long time.
Warning: For active athletes, as well as those who wish to gain muscle mass, it is less suitable. They must choose another type of diet. The remaining contraindications are within the characteristics of human health.
A low carbohydrate diet promotes weight loss and improves health. Before proceeding to the proposed diet, you should consult with a nutritionist or attending physician.