Among the many diets that help you lose weight, there is also a ketogenic diet, characterized by a small amount of carbohydrates 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 where the diet contains foods that are low in carbohydrates and fats. In fact, there is a shift of carbohydrates 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 fat burning and energy release 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 ketone diet - popularly simply called keto, it is characterized by a minimization of carbohydrate intake and an increase in fatty foods in the diet. It causes the metabolism to work, aimed at breaking down fats and ketones and not carbohydrates.
What types of ketogenic diets exist
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 fat - 75%, an average amount of protein - 20%.
- Cyclical (CKD): Periodically comes the 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.
- Wrong (NKD): With this option it is allowed to add carbohydrates before and after training.
- High Protein - similar to the standard version, but the BJU layout is as follows: 35% protein, 60% fat and 5% carbohydrate.
Standard and high protein options are most recommended for use. The rest is mainly used by athletes and bodybuilders.
Benefits of the ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet helps 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 who used the ketogenic diet on themselves lost weight many times faster by improving their good cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Note: A big advantage of a ketogenic diet over a low-fat diet is a sufficient protein intake, which is very important for the body. A ketogenic diet promotes greater weight loss than one that focuses on consuming a small amount of fatty foods. And it's important that everything happens without the excruciating feeling of hunger.
How it helps diabetics and predisposed people
With this problem, the metabolism is disturbed, the blood sugar rises, and the functions of insulin in the body are disrupted. The ketogenic diet promotes the burning of excess fat, which is important for diabetics, people with a metabolic disorder. Research scientists have shown that a ketogenic diet improves the body's sensitivity to insulin by 75%.
The experiments conducted with type 2 diabetics gave surprising results: out of 21 patients, 7 people were able to refuse to take diabetes medications. 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 conditions.
It is also recommended for various diseases, such as:
- Pathology of the heart. A 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 the symptoms and inhibits the development of the pathology.
- Epilepsy. Reduces the number of seizures in children.
- Parkinson's disease. Improve the symptoms of this disease.
- Polycystic ovaries. Lowering insulin has a good effect on the development of the syndrome.
- With brain injury. The impact of concussions is reduced, the recovery time is shortened.
- Acne. Low insulin levels and the absence of excessive carbohydrate intake help improve skin condition.
The ketogenic diet is beneficial for many ailments, especially those related to insulin levels, metabolism and neurology.
What to eliminate from your diet
From the menu it is necessary to exclude all products containing carbohydrates in large quantities:
- Containing sugar: carbonated soft drinks, fruit juices and berries, cakes, ice cream and other sweets.
- Cereals and starches - products based on flour, rice, cereals.
- Fruit products: everything except berries, but gradually.
- Legumes - peas, lentils, beans and more.
- Plant Products: Potatoes, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, and more.
- Dietary and fat-free: after processing, they have a lot of carbohydrates.
- Sauces containing 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 must be consumed while maintaining a ketogenic diet:
- Meat products - ham, salami, ham, red meat, chicken, turkey.
- Fatty 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.
- Pure avocado or in salads.
- Low-carb vegetable products: onion, cucumber, tomato and other green vegetables.
- Seasonings in the form of salt, pepper and dried herbs.
It is recommended to consume the products in their pure form, so that recipes for dishes consist of 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 | Boiled eggs with bacon and tomato |
| Dinner | Poultry and feta salad with butter | |
| Dinner | Steamed salmon with asparagus | |
| Tuesday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with tomatoes, goat cheese |
| Dinner | Almond milk, cocoa and stevia smoothie | |
| Dinner | Meatballs, cheese and vegetables | |
| Wednesday | Breakfast | Milkshake |
| Dinner | Shrimp salad with avocado | |
| Dinner | Pork chops, cheese and vegetables | |
| Thursday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with avocado, onion, pepper |
| Dinner | Walnuts, salsa, guacamole | |
| Dinner | Chicken with sauce, cream cheese | |
| Friday | Breakfast | Unsweetened 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 mandatory meals, you can satisfy it with healthy snacks.
For this you can use:
- boiled meat or fatty fish;
- allowed cheese;
- some nuts or seeds;
- a couple of boiled eggs;
- 90% cocoa chocolate;
- milk cocktail with cocoa and butter;
- cocoa yogurt and nut butter;
- strawberries with whipped cream;
- celery with salsa and guacamole sauce.
You can cool off with a small portion of food prepared for the main meal.
What can you eat outside the home
In the catering establishments there are many different dishes based on meat and fish of fatty varieties. You can eliminate excess carbohydrates by ordering more vegetables. Egg dishes are varied: with bacon, cheese, vegetables.
Burgers are best eaten without a sandwich, but eat only the filling. You can add cheese, eggs or bacon. If there is nothing suitable for a ketogenic diet, but you still need to reduce weight, order a mixture of cheese, 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 this diet can lead to a disorder, which is popularly called the "keto flu. "It is characterized by: general malaise due to lack of energy, mental activity disturbances, 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 immediately adjust the low-carbohydrate diet in the first days. These activities contribute to greater weight loss before you need to completely eliminate carbohydrates from the menu.
Important: such nutrition causes a change in the water and mineral balance in the body. Additional servings of salt and mineral supplements may be needed. The body needs an additional 3000mg of sodium, 1000mg of potassium, 300mg of magnesium per day. If you take them, you can avoid nutrient imbalance in the body.
At the 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 won't be that significant.
What questions do people ask
If you read the reviews, you can highlight the frequently asked questions of those who want to lose weight.
- Can you eat carbohydrates afterwards? Yes you can. They must be excluded at first, but after 3-4 months you can enjoy sweets with and without ketones, not forgetting to return to the ketogenic diet.
- Is it possible to lose muscle mass or build it up? With any diet you lose muscle mass, but with this diet a large intake of protein will not make it too obvious. You can also increase it, but not as much as with diets with the use of carbohydrates.
- How Much Protein Can You Eat? Its quantity should be moderate so as not to increase insulin and reduce the number of ketones. 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 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.
- Halitosis, what to do? This happens with the ketogenic diet. You need to drink pure water with various natural additives or use chewing gum to reduce the ketone concentration.
- Is ketosis really dangerous to health? People confuse ketosis with ketoacidosis, but it's really dangerous and occurs with uncontrolled diets.
- I have digestive problems and diarrhea, what should I do? This is a common side effect of the ketone 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 prolonged problems, it is better to refuse it.
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.
Note: for active athletes, as well as for those who want to gain muscle mass, it is less suitable. They have to choose a different type 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, it is necessary to consult a nutritionist or attending physician.