Among the many diets that help to lose weight, there is also a ketogenic diet, characterized by a small amount of carbohydrates eaten and an abundance of fatty foods. Research scientists have shown that this version of the ketogenic diet helps to improve a person's condition with diabetes, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and even oncology.
ketogenic diet- This is a diet in which the diet contains both low-carbohydrate and fatty foods. In reality, there is a displacement of carbohydrate substances by fats. These menu changes bring the body to 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 a lot of energy to the brain. The ketogenic diet helps lower blood glucose and insulin levels. So what is a ketone diet - popularly called simply keto, it is characterized by a reduction in carbohydrate intake to a minimum and an increase in fatty foods in the diet. It provokes the work of metabolism, 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 proteins - 20%.
- Cyclical (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, and then a high-carbohydrate 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 substances.
Standard and high protein options are more recommended for use. The rest are 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 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 several times faster, while improving levels of good cholesterol and triglyceride.
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 a metabolic disorder. Research scientists have proven that a ketogenic diet improves the body's sensitivity to insulin by 75%.
Conducted experiments with type 2 diabetics gave amazing results - out of 21 patients, 7 people were able to refuse to take drugs for diabetes. 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:
- 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. 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 brain injury. The impact of concussions is reduced, the recovery time is reduced.
- Acne. Low insulin levels and the absence of excess carbohydrate intake contribute to improved skin condition.
The ketogenic diet is beneficial for many ailments, 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 containing carbohydrates in large quantities:
- Containing sugar - soda, fruit and berry juices, cakes, ice cream and other sweets.
- Cereals and starch-containing - flour products, 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 - 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 maintaining a ketogenic diet:
- Meat products - ham, sausage products, ham, red meat, chicken, turkey.
- Fatty 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.
- Avocado in its pure form or in a salad.
- Low-carb vegetable products - onion, cucumber, tomato and other green vegetables.
- Seasonings in the form of salt, pepper and dried herbs.
It is recommended that the products be eaten in their pure form, so that the recipes for dishes consist of one component.
Sample menu for the week
For clarity, a menu of a ketogenic diet for a week is provided:
| days | meal | Menu |
| Monday | Breakfast | Boiled eggs with bacon and tomato |
| Dinner | Salad of poultry and feta cheese with butter | |
| Dinner | Steamed salmon with asparagus | |
| Tuesday | Breakfast | Fried eggs with tomatoes, goat cheese |
| Dinner | Almond milk, cocoa and stevia 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 | Unsweetened yogurt with coconut oil and cocoa |
| Dinner | Veal steak and vegetables | |
| Dinner | Burger 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 required 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 this you can use:
- boiled meat or fatty fish;
- permitted cheese;
- some nuts or seeds;
- a couple of hard-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 carbohydrates by ordering more vegetables. Egg dishes are varied - with bacon, cheese, vegetables.
Burgers are best consumed without a 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 reduce weight, then order cheese mixture, meat of any kind, 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 adaptation to this diet can lead to an ailment, which is popularly called "keto flu". It is characterized by: general malaise due to lack of energy, disturbances in mental activity, insomnia, bestial hunger, nausea and discomfort in the stomach. 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 days. These activities contribute to greater weight loss before you need to completely eliminate carbohydrates from the menu.
Important: Such nutrition provokes 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, 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 satiety, do not reduce the consumption of high-calorie foods. Weight loss occurs without calorie restriction. If you follow all the rules, then the side effects of the ketogenic diet will not be so 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 later? Yes, you can. They need to be excluded at the beginning, 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 up? With any diet, muscle mass is lost, but with this diet, a large intake of protein will not make it too noticeable. You can also increase it, but not as much as with diets with the use of carbohydrates.
- 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 the calories eaten, 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 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 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 is 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 protracted 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 are able to maintain this diet for a long time.
Please note: For active athletes, as well as 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-carbohydrate diet promotes weight loss and improves health. Before switching to the proposed diet, you should consult with a nutritionist or treating doctor.