Among the many diets that help you lose weight, there is also the ketogenic diet, characterized by a small amount of carbohydrates ingested and an abundance of fatty foods. Research scientists 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 low-carb and fatty foods. In reality, there is a displacement of substances from carbohydrates by fats. These menu changes push the body into a metabolic state, called ketosis. At the same time, the process of burning fat and releasing energy increases, and ketones are converted in the liver, which provides a lot of energy to the brain. The ketogenic diet helps lower blood glucose and insulin levels. So what is a keto diet - popularly called simply ketogenic, it is characterized by a reduction in carbohydrate intake to a minimum and an increase in fatty foods in the diet. It causes metabolism to work, targeting the breakdown of fats and ketones, 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 proteins - 20%.
- Cyclic (CKD) - periodically there comes a time to consume a lot of carbohydrates. At the same time, the first option is observed for 5 days, and then a carbohydrate-rich food for a few days.
- Wrong (NKD) - with this option, it is allowed to add carbohydrates before and after training.
- High protein - similar to the standard version, but the layout of the BJU is as follows: 35% protein, 60% fat, and 5% carbohydrate substances.
Standard and high protein options are best recommended to use. The rest is mostly 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 claim 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 themselves lost weight several times faster, improving their good cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Note: A big advantage of a ketogenic diet over a low-fat diet is sufficient protein intake, which is very important for the body. A ketogenic diet promotes more weight loss than one that focuses 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 people predisposed to it
With this problem, metabolism is disturbed, blood sugar rises, and insulin functions in the body are disrupted. The ketogenic diet promotes the burning of excess fat, which is important for diabetics, people with metabolic disorder. Research scientists have proven that a ketogenic diet improves the body's sensitivity to insulin by 75%.
Experiments carried out with type 2 diabetics gave surprising results - out of 21 patients, 7 people managed to refuse to take diabetes medication. Weight loss is much more significant 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:
- Heart pathology. A positive effect on these factors: fat, cholesterol, blood sugar, pressure.
- Oncology. It has a beneficial effect in reducing the growth of cancer cells.
- Alzheimer's disease. It improves symptoms and inhibits the development of pathology.
- Epilepsy. Reduces the number of seizures in children.
- Parkinson's disease. It improves the symptoms of this disease.
- Polycystic ovary. Insulin reduction has a good effect on the development of the syndrome.
- With brain damage. The impact of concussions is reduced, recovery time is reduced.
- Acne. Low insulin levels and the absence of excessive carbohydrate intake contribute to improving the condition of the skin.
The ketogenic diet is beneficial for many diseases, especially those related to insulin levels, metabolism, and neurology.
What to cut out of your diet
From the menu it is necessary to exclude all products that contain carbohydrates in large quantities:
- Containing sugar - soft drinks, fruit and berry juices, cakes, ice cream and other sweets.
- Cereals and 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 have a lot of carbohydrates.
- Sauces containing sugar and unhealthy fat. Vegetable oil, mayonnaise.
- Alcoholic drinks - are saturated with carbohydrates.
Highly processed, sugar-free dietary foods are bad for a ketogenic diet.
These foods must be eaten
And these products should be consumed while maintaining a ketogenic diet:
- Meat products - ham, sausage products, ham, red meat, chicken, turkey.
- Fat fish.
- Chicken eggs.
- Cow butter and 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 that the products be consumed in their pure form, so that the recipes of the dishes are composed of one component.
Sample menu of the week
For clarity, a menu of a ketogenic diet for one week is provided:
| days | snack | Menu |
| Monday | Breakfast | Boiled eggs with bacon and tomato |
| Dinner | Poultry salad and feta cheese with butter | |
| Dinner | Steamed Salmon with Asparagus | |
| Tuesday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with tomato, goat cheese |
| Dinner | Almond, Cocoa and Stevia Milk Smoothie | |
| Dinner | Meat balls, cheese and vegetables | |
| Wednesday | Breakfast | Milk shake |
| Dinner | Shrimp Salad With Avocado | |
| Dinner | Pork chops, cheese and vegetables | |
| Thursday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with avocado, onion, pepper |
| Dinner | Nuts, salsa, guacamole | |
| Dinner | Chicken with sauce, cream cheese | |
| Friday | Breakfast | Sugar-free yogurt with coconut oil and cocoa |
| Dinner | Veal steak and vegetables | |
| Dinner | Hamburger with egg and cheese | |
| Saturday | Breakfast | Eggs with cheese, vegetables and ham |
| Dinner | Ham, cheese and nuts | |
| Dinner | White variety of fish, eggs with spinach | |
| Sunday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with lard and mushrooms |
| Dinner | Sandwich, salsa, guacamole | |
| 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 obligatory meals, you can satisfy it with healthy snacks.
For that you can use:
- boiled meat or fatty fish;
- cheese allowed;
- some nuts or seeds;
- two boiled eggs;
- chocolate with 90% cocoa;
- milk cocktail with cocoa and butter;
- yogurt with cocoa butter and nuts;
- strawberries with whipped cream;
- celery with salsa sauce and guacamole.
You can refresh yourself with a small portion of food prepared for the main meal.
What can you eat outside
In catering establishments there are many different dishes of 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.
Hamburgers are best eaten without the bun, but eat only the stuffing. You can add cheese, eggs or bacon to it. If there is nothing suitable for a ketogenic diet, but you still need to reduce weight, order cheese mixture, meat of any kind, fish, eggs, and lots of vegetables at restaurants and cafes.
How to improve the adaptation period
The ketogenic diet is considered safe for almost everyone, but adapting to such a diet can lead to an illness, which is popularly called "keto flu". It is characterized by: general malaise from lack of energy, disturbances in mental activity, insomnia, bestial hunger, nausea and stomach discomfort. This condition lasts for several days and then disappears without a trace. To eliminate such symptoms, it is necessary to adjust the low-carb diet immediately in the first few days. These activities contribute to greater weight loss before you need to completely eliminate carbs from the menu.
Important: This nutrition causes a change in the water and mineral balance of 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, 300 mg of magnesium per day. If you take them, you can prevent nutrient imbalance in the body.
At the beginning of the ketogenic diet, you can eat until satiety, do not reduce the consumption of high-calorie foods. Weight loss occurs without caloric restriction. If you follow all the rules, the side effects of the ketogenic diet will not be that significant.
What questions do people ask
If you read reviews, you can highlight frequently asked questions from those who want to lose weight.
- Can you eat carbs afterwards? Yes you can. They need to 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 large protein intake will not make it very noticeable. You can also increase it, but not as much as with a carb diet.
- How much protein can you eat? Its amount should be moderate so as not to increase insulin and reduce the number of ketones. Of all calories ingested, 35% should come from protein foods, the rest from ketones.
- What should I do if I feel constant weakness? This could be due to incomplete immersion in a state of ketosis, as well as poor fat and ketone burning. It is necessary to reduce the consumption of carbohydrates and once 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 need to drink plain 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 is very dangerous and occurs with uncontrolled diets.
- I have digestive problems and diarrhea, 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 pass quickly, but with lingering problems 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 manage to maintain this diet for a long time.
Attention: For active athletes, as well as for those who want to gain muscle mass, it is less suitable. They need to choose a different kind of diet. The remaining contraindications are in the characteristics of human health.
A low-carb diet promotes weight loss and improves health. Before switching to the proposed diet, you should consult a nutritionist or attending physician.