What is the keto diet, how does it affect weight loss and well-being, and what foods can you eat?
Thousands of people around the world eat fatty and high-calorie foods and literally melt before our eyes.At the forefront of global weight loss is the keto diet.A new-fangled way of eating in which you can eat only proteins and fats, excluding all carbohydrate foods.
It would seem that it is impossible for a modern, active person to live without carbohydrates, because it is glucose from cereals, fruits and sweets that provides fuel for the body.But the keto diet has proven the opposite: you can get energy from fat and still lose weight and be healthy.
Ketogenic diet, keto diet (eng. Ketogenic diet) is a low-carbohydrate diet with a high fat content and moderate protein content.
The first keto diet was developed in 1921 at the Mayo Clinic by Dr. Wilder to treat epilepsy in children: carbohydrates often caused seizures, but ketones did not.And in the 1970s, Robert Atkins developed the ketogenic weight loss diet, which has gained massive popularity in recent years due to its effectiveness and benefits.
Ketones are healthier than glucose
Why, when we have no strength, do we want chocolate?Because chocolate is a carbohydrate that is converted into glucose, which in turn gives the body energy.It turned out that if you limit the body from carbohydrates and glucose, the liver begins to convert fat into ketone bodies.They enter the brain and become a complete source of energy instead of glucose.The fewer carbohydrates you eat, the more ketones your body will produce.
Ketones have many advantages over regular glucose fuel.They enrich the body with oxygen, increase energy, and support the brain and heart.Ketones combine the properties of both fats and carbohydrates, which is why you feel energized and full on the keto diet.This helps to combine the keto diet with intermittent fasting, since there is no feeling of hunger and you can get by with two meals.By the way, on a keto diet you don’t need to force yourself to eat as usual: breakfast, lunch and dinner.Listen to your body and eat when you really want to.
The process of breaking down fat and converting it into ketones is called ketosis.According to nutritionists, it has a lot of advantages.It helps lower insulin, remove liver fat, improve cognitive performance and mood, lower blood pressure, increase energy, and reduce inflammation.And most importantly, belly fat goes away and the skin clears up!You become healthier, more beautiful and thinner.
Keto diet: possible complications and disadvantages
- Constipation.Therefore, you definitely need to eat a lot of greens and vegetables.
- Possible kidney stonescaused by oxalates (salts and esters of oxalic acid.).Therefore, you need to eat spinach with caution.Better drink more water with lemon.
- Insomnia and irritabilityfrom a lack of macronutrients.
- Rashdue to a lack of vitamin B2.
- Smell of acetonefrom the body, urine and mouth due to a sharp increase in ketones.To minimize this, you need to drink more clean water.
- Ketoacidosis- when, due to a large number of ketones, the body is oxidized.
It will take time for the body to adapt to a new nutritional system.At the initial stage, lethargy, intestinal problems and decreased attention are possible.Also, when the body enters a state of ketosis, weight decreases sharply in the first week: excess water and fat are lost.Starting from the second week, you will continue to lose weight, but not so rapidly.
Diabetics, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems need to be careful with the keto diet.Also, fans of active sports should not get carried away with the keto diet - you may not be able to calculate your strength and will not be able to train.
Keto Diet: Key Foods
The basis of the ketogenic diet diet per day:
- 75% - fats,
- 20% - proteins,
- 5% no more than 25 grams) - carbohydrates.
You can mix any of the listed products and create dishes that suit your tastes and preferences.
What can you eat on a keto diet:
- Oils(coconut, olive, ghee, butter, avocado oil).
- Meat(poultry, pork, beef, bacon, liver and offal).Can be eaten with skin and fat.
- Fish and seafood(salmon, trout, pink salmon, chum salmon, caviar, shrimp, mussels, squid, cod liver).The fattier the fish, the better.
- Eggs(chicken and quail).
- Green vegetables(cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, zucchini, green beans)and greenscan be eaten in unlimited quantities.Exclude potatoes, beets and carrots, dose onions and garlic.
- Unsweetened fruits, berries and citrus fruits.
- Avocado, coconut.
- Mushrooms
- Coconut or almondmilk without sugar
- Full fat dairy products(sour cream, cheeses, cream, cottage cheese).Milk - rarely, can be added to coffee.
- Flour(coconut, almond, flaxseed).
- Spices and salt, balsamic sauce.
- Nuts and peanut butterwithout sugar (30-50 g per day, no more).
- Seeds (chia, flax, sesame, pumpkin seeds) and sprouts- beneficial phytonutrients.
- Herbal teas, coffee.
- Protein shakesand bars without sugar and glucose.
All cereals, soybeans, legumes, sweets and flour are prohibited!
Keto diet: menu for the week (options)
Breakfast:
- Lard with herbs and egg whites
- Eggs with avocado and salmon
- Omelette with mushrooms and vegetables
- Scrambled eggs with cheese and tomatoes
- Cottage cheese with nuts, seeds and berries
- Egg casserole with bacon, spinach and cheese
- Almond flour and coconut milk pancakes
Dinner:
- Steamed broccoli and 200 g of any meat
- Casserole made with minced pork, cheese and eggs
- Cauliflower puree and chicken fritters
- Stuffed mushrooms (peppers) with sour cream
- Chicken soup with celery and melted cheese
- Quiche with salmon and broccoli (with almond or flaxseed flour, and psyllium) + you can fill the quiche with any meat, liver, with the addition of cream and cheese.
- Beef chop with vegetables
Dinner:
- Cheesecakes with coconut and nuts
- Chicken wings with stewed mushrooms in coconut cream (or any other)
- Steamed salmon (chum salmon, pink salmon, trout), green beans and broccoli
- Stewed zucchini with peppers and turkey hedgehogs
- Eggs, cod liver and homemade mayonnaise
- Chicken fillet with cheese and spices
- Zucchini pasta with ground beef, pepper and cheese, fried in vegetable oil.
The keto diet is a good way to lose extra pounds and improve your body health.But for a long-term eating pattern, choose a balanced diet of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.Then you will always be in shape and in a good mood!