Keto Diet, and everything you needed to know about it
Keto diet has become one of the prime diet plans for your ever-desired fit body lately. Nowadays, people have started to become more conscious about their figure. A top reason for that is the chronologically increasing obesity problems that have already spread in most of the communities. Especially in America, Obesity has become a huge problem these days. Keto diet helps you to be fit with a low-carb diet plan, that can make you feel lighter and fitter.
In this article, we are going to talk about the Keto Diet and everything you need to know about it.
What is the Ketogenic diet?
Ketogenic is the term used for a low-carbohydrate diet plan, just like the Atkins diet. The primary idea of the ketogenic diet is to get the much-needed calories in our body from the protein and fat elements in our food more, and less from that of the carbohydrate elements. You on a keto diet have to cut back on carbs which are easy to digest, such as sugar, pastries, and white bread.
So now we know what a Keto diet is, we are moving forward to the diet plan of this diet.
What should be the diet plan for the keto diet and what are the things you can eat while on a keto diet.
Whenever you hear conversations about excess weight loss, you will find that the ketogenic diet will always arrive at some point in time in that conversation. The ketogenic diet has helped us a lot in making our figure just what we have always desired. Here in this part of the article where, we are going to discuss what to eat, and what to avoid while on a ketogenic diet.
The very first rule of a ketogenic diet is you have to cut back in your carbohydrate intake. While following a ketogenic diet, your daily carb intake should be reduced to 50 grams a day. However, there are stricter, and the looser version of the keto diet exists.
In the ketogenic diet, when you are cutting down the carbohydrate intake in one hand, you will replace that decreased amount of carbohydrate with an increased amount of fat in the other hand. Fats in the ketogenic diet is going to contribute to delivering approx. — 75 % of your total calories. Protein will take 20% of the rest, leaving only 5% for carbohydrate foods. Thus, you should be keeping this in mind while making a diet plan for you.
Ketogenic Diet Meal Plan
Switching on a ketogenic diet may feel satisfying as well as an overwhelming feeling. However, always remember that it is tough to maintain a diet plan. A lot of people quit this just because they cannot support it. So, here is a list of keto-friendly foods for your keto diet.
At first, there will be foods that will help your keto-friendly diet.
- Pastured, and completely organic whole eggs can be an excellent start to the list. These eggs are the best choice on a ketogenic diet.
- Chicken and turkey are the other poultry products other than eggs that you can eat on a ketogenic diet.
- Fatty fishes such as wild-caught salmon, herring, and also mackerel are great choices.
- Meats will be one of the essential things you should have in your diet plans. Grass-fed beef, pork, venison, and organ meats can be the best choices.
- Full-fat Dairy products like Yoghurt, cream, and butter are other great food items.
- Full-fat cheese like cheddar, brie, goat cheese, mozzarella, and cream cheese are the full-fat cheese items you can try on a keto diet.
There are other food items such as Macadamia nuts, walnuts, natural peanut butter, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados and other different food items you should try have when on a ketogenic diet.
Foods that you should avoid
- Bread and other baked goods
- Sweets and other sugary foods
- Sweetened Beverages
- Pasta, Grains, and grains products
- Beans and legumes
- Different fruits, and high carbohydrate sauces
You should also avoid unhealthy fats, processed foods, and diet foods.
So, the list of the foods given above is the foods you can take while you are on a keto diet. We have also included things you should avoid while being on a keto diet plan.
Also Read: GM Diet Plan: How to Lose Weight in 7 Days
The process of ketosis:
The method of ketosis is straightforward to understand. Ketosis is basically when our body starts acting just like the way we want to.
Our body usually burns carbohydrates for our daily dose of energy in our collection. This happens because of our diet plans. We have maintained a carbohydrate-rich diet plan growing up. So, our body starts burning these carbohydrates to provide us with energy because it is easier for the body to break carbs down in a better way. This is how carbohydrates burn and fats are stored in our body. Although we have a high carb and low-fat intake in our dietary plans, however, the low fat keeps storing in our body day by day and making us the victims of obese.
Hence, ketosis came to existence, to help our body to burn fats and provide us with a fit figure and a healthy lifestyle. Ketosis is a low carb diet plan that almost stops delivering carbs in our body. Our body then will be getting a high-fat delivery. Then it starts burning fat for our daily dose of calories. This is how the stored fats are burnt, leaving ketones to provide us with energy. In this way, our body enters ketosis due to the keto diet.
Ketones in our bodies can make our brains work faster. So as long as you are in ketosis, your body will be providing ketones in your brain. As our brain functions with ketones, during ketosis, it will get more of it and a thorough, and uninterrupted delivery of it. This is how ketosis will also help to boost your brain cells and make your brain function better.
Precautions:
The keto diet is a very good plan for a short-term weight loss solution. However, there are some precautions you should take before you start ketosis. Because we are compatible with the high carb diet plan since birth. Now, if you have to change your plan suddenly into a low carb diet plan, you should check if your body is ready for that or not.
So, here is a list of precautions you should take before you are starting to jump into a ketogenic diet plan.
- First things first, make sure your relationship with fat, and we mean really fat foods is good. You don’t have issues with fatty foods. Because, while on ketosis, you cannot try those high carb processed foods. So, we suggest making small changes at first. Having a burger on lettuce leaves can be a good start.
- Bulletproof coffee can be your ultimate solution before you are jumping into ketosis. You might be wondering what bulletproof coffee is, well, just add coconut oil and butter into your coffee. This amazing thing can help you with control your appetite, while you can plan other meals. However, if you have the chance to fall under an increased heart disease, you may want to avoid the coconut oil as that one can increase the LDL level in your body.
- You should know what to expect and should have a very clear idea about it. In this article, we will tell you all the pros and cons of the keto diet lately. However, in this stage, the keto flu is the most common minor side effect while you are on ketosis. However, you should know all the side effects better before kick-starting your weight loss campaign.
- Our kidney excrete water as well as electrolytes from our body, so, when jumping into ketosis, you should make sure that you have taken care of the sodium, and the potassium intake of your body. Keep up your electrolytes. That will help you to prevent the unpleasant side effects of ketosis. Always have an after the plan. Because ketosis isn’t meant for long-term weight loss solution, it will reduce your weight for sure, but to maintain it, you have to make the urge visible too.
- Experts suggest you should not start with the standard diet yet again. That will deduct the heard-earned health benefits from the keto diet. You will be more likely to increase body weight yet again. So, consult your physician and make a better diet plan maybe.
Okay, we got it. Keto diet this, keto diet that. But what are the benefits of this diet program?
Well, there are loads of benefits to being on a ketogenic diet plan. Here are some:
It promotes weight loss
The first and foremost reason for being on a keto diet is, this diet plan promotes weight loss. It takes a lot to turn fat into energy. A ketogenic diet thus promotes weight loss. The high protein diet doesn’t leave you hungry like the other diets, and it also helps in boosting your brain.
Reduces acne
Well, many of us didn’t know that a keto diet helps in reducing acne scars. We have carbohydrates high diet plan every day will increase the number of gut bacteria. This may have bad effects on our skin health. Reducing the carb intake on a daily diet will help in fixing this problem.
May have great effects on reducing cancer:
The ketogenic diet can have great effects in preventing or reducing certain cancers. Some studies found ketogenic diets being a great treatment of chemotherapy.
Improves heart health:
When a ketogenic diet is followed properly, it will improve your heart health. There is some evidence that says a healthy diet can reduce LDL and increase HDL levels in our body. This can help in keeping our hearts healthy.
May boost brain functioning:
There is still room for more research on the keto diet and its effects on our brain. However, some of the studies suggest that there may be some neuroprotective benefits. Keto diet may have great effects on conditions such as Parkinson’s, sleep disorders, and even Alzheimer’s. Our brain functions on ketones. Thus, it may boost brain functioning too.
Potentially reduces epileptic seizures:
It is supposed that the combination of protein, fat, and carbs can alter the pathway of our body using energy, this results in ketosis. This is an elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood. But can reduce the seizures in people with epilepsy too.
These are the huge list of benefits of having a keto diet. A keto diet can help us get the best out of our body. It helps us to be fit and sound. It makes us feel much healthier.
Some tips you should maintain while on a ketogenic diet
Here are some tips you should be following when under ketosis. Check out the list below.
Minimize your carb consumption
Well, we have been telling you this since we started this article. If you are willing to enter ketosis, you have to be on a low carb diet. Our body usually burns carbs for energy, but ketosis promotes high fat and low protein diet. Therefore, you have to cut back on your daily carbohydrate consumption.
Include Coconut oil in your diet
As mentioned, Coconut oil can help your body to get into ketosis. Ketosis is a state of our body, and coconut oils are such foods that can help you achieve that state faster. These coconut oils are medium-chain triglycerides. These medium-chain triglycerides directly absorbed by the liver; they then immediately burnt down to energy.
Ramp Up your physical activities
A lot of studies have revealed that a keto diet can help the athletes big time, especially with the endurance exercises. Ketosis if achieved once, can boost your energy level big time. Glycogen stores in our body when we train or have a tiring physical activity. It makes us tired. However, on a keto diet, the lower carb intake helps to lower the rate of storing glycogens.
Increase your healthy fat intake
Consuming more healthy fats can help you in boosting ketone levels in our blood and helps us to reach ketosis faster. Ketogenic diets for weight loss, metabolic health usually provide 60-80% calories from that. However, the classic ketogenic diet that is used for epilepsy is even higher in fat.
Maintain adequate protein intake
Maintaining adequate protein intake is another very important tip when you are in a ketogenic diet. This diet with low carb, high fat and adequate protein can also be proven beneficial for cancer patients too.
Important points before going on a keto diet:
There might still be some questions in your mind about keto diets. Therefore, here are your answers. Here are some more points about the keto diet that you should know about.
The difference between net carbs and real carbs:
Net carbs are the number of carbohydrates that are present even after the dietary fiber, sugar alcohol is subtracted from the carb count. Many keto dieters do not count the fiber in their total carbohydrate allotment of a day. This is because, these fibers come with keto-compliant foods such as avocados and broccoli, and also berries. The carb in these fibers is unusable for the body to produce energy.
Your goals will decide your ‘low-carb’ diet chart:
On a keto diet, you will have fewer carbs even than someone having a low car diet. Your carb intake will be decided depending on your age, gender, level of activity, and most importantly, on your specific goals.
Will you feel hungry?
Well, on a keto diet, your appetites will be suppressed. On a keto diet, you will not feel very hungry. That is okay, and you don’t need to worry about that fact.
How severe is keto flu?
Carbohydrates are the normal source of energy in our body. On a low carb keto diet, your body will move to the second option to provide you energy. Now, in the initial days, your body will face symptoms of keto flu. However, this one not a very severe disease. And it will eventually go away.
Now, as we know, almost all the aspects of a keto diet, here are the pros and cons of a keto diet.
Starting with the pros of the keto diet:
- Losing excessive weight is the most basic benefit of having a keto diet.
- It may help in preventing cancer.
- It may help in boosting our brain functioning.
- It promotes heart health.
- It promotes skin health.
- This diet plan can reduce epileptic seizures.
- It may boost your energy level.
The cons of the keto diet are:
- May develop concerns related to a kidney stone.
- Keto flu is the most common side effect of this diet.
- You will not get enough sugar for your body sometimes.
- Fewer carbs is not a good thing always.
So, these were the pros and cons of being on a keto diet.
Here in this article, we have talked about almost all the aspects of the ketogenic diet and ketosis.
Check this article, and you will get the answer to all your questions here.
