The ketogenic diet – minimum carbs, maximum fats – was developed about a hundred years ago and was used to fight epilepsy. Over time, the therapeutic protocol has gone mainstream. It became a popular way to lose weight and lower blood sugar, and it also got athletes interested.
Ketogenic Diet- Briefly About the Diet
In a normal diet, a person gets energy from glucose. In the case of keto, the amount of carbohydrates coming with food is drastically reduced. Glucose is not enough, and the body has to look for other fuel. This is fat, or more specifically, ketone bodies.
The state when the body is fed by fats is called ketosis – this is what you need to achieve on a keto diet. Like a live casino, it has a particular strategy according to which you should eat in the following proportions:
- 70% fats.
- 20% proteins.
- 10% carbs.
You will have to say goodbye to pasta, cereals, pastries, sweets, starchy vegetables, fruits, and products with sugar. The basis of the ketodiet is fatty dairy products, meat, eggs, seafood, oils, and nuts.
Pros and Cons of Keto
Switching to keto dieting can be accompanied by unpleasant feelings. One of the phenomena is keto flu: weakness, apathy, gastrointestinal problems, fever, and nausea. Only when adaptation is over (and its duration is individual, from a couple of days to several weeks), the advantages of a low-carb diet will appear. These include:
- Weight loss.
- Improvement of attention and mood.
- Reduction of hunger.
- Lower blood sugar levels.
Another benefit of the ketodiet is an increase in stamina and energy, which is important in physical activity. However, medics are still arguing about the effects of a low-carb style of eating on the body of athletes. Studies about its benefits for runners and cyclists are juxtaposed with data about a possible decrease in bone density and risk of cardiovascular disease.
When studying the ketodiet, it’s important to keep in mind the contraindications. People suffering from liver, pancreatic, and kidney diseases, those taking certain medicines, and those who are pregnant or nursing should not switch to a high-fat diet. Your doctor will tell you more accurately – it’s important to consult with him before you change your diet.
Useful Fats for the Keto Diet
They can be introduced into the diet in different forms – as sauces, salad dressings, pure or as part of a recipe.
Fats are necessary for our body, but if they are not chosen correctly and consumed in large quantities, it can cause us harm.
Let’s take a look at what fats are and what to include in your diet and what to avoid:
- Saturated fats. Usually these fats are in solid form at room temperature, they are butter (regular and ghee), coconut oil, lard, ghee.
- Monounsaturated fats. These are olive oil and avocado oil. Use them to the maximum. Especially olive oil – you can even use it for frying. Read more about it in this article.
- Poly-unsaturated fats. These are found in fatty fish and meats. Especially make sure you consume enough Omega-3, which is found in oily fish and flaxseeds.
- Trans fats. Completely avoid all kinds of trans fats – these are chemically processed oils that have had their melting point and shelf life artificially changed. These oils are bad for our blood vessels.
Useful Proteins for the Keto Diet
The main sources of protein are meat, fish and poultry. If possible, it is better to give preference to grass-fed farm products.
Of meat, it is better to give preference to darker varieties and fattier parts.
Processed foods should be treated with caution. They may have added sugar, glucose, monosodium glutamate, etc., these are all unacceptable on a keto diet and will simply stimulate your appetite at best.
When planning your keto menu, always remember that on a keto diet too much protein can cause an exit from ketosis, so you should always make sure to consume no more than 1.2 grams of pure protein per 1 kg of your weight. For example, at 70 kg, our maximum on the menu is 70*1.4 = 84 grams. Chicken thighs without skin and bones contain about 26g of pure protein, so if we ate thighs alone that day, we could eat no more than 320g of chicken meat.