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.The keto diet is at the forefront of global weight loss.A new way of eating, in which you can only eat proteins and fats, excluding all carbohydrate-containing foods.
It seems that a modern, active person cannot live without carbohydrates, because glucose from grains, fruits and sweets provides the 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 by Dr. Wilder at the Mayo Clinic in 1921 to treat epilepsy in children: carbohydrates often caused seizures, but ketones did not.And in the 1970s, Robert Atkins developed the ketogenic diet, which has gained enormous popularity in recent years due to its effectiveness and benefits.
Ketones are healthier than glucose
Why do we want chocolate when we have no energy?Because chocolate is a carbohydrate that turns into glucose, which in turn gives the body energy.It turns out that if you restrict 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 less carbohydrates you eat, the more ketones your body produces.
Ketones have several advantages over the traditional glucose fuel.They enrich the body with oxygen, increase energy, and support the brain and heart.Ketones combine the properties of 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 as there is no hunger pangs and you can get by with two meals.By the way, during the keto diet, you don't have to force yourself to eat the usual meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner.Listen to your body and eat when you really want.
The process of breaking down fat and turning it into ketones is called ketosis.According to nutritionists, it has many benefits.It helps lower insulin levels, remove liver fat, improve cognitive performance and mood, lower blood pressure, increase energy, and reduce inflammation.And most importantly: the belly fat disappears and the skin clears up!You will become healthier, more beautiful and thinner.
Keto diet: possible complications and disadvantages
- Constipation.Therefore, you must definitely eat a lot of greens and vegetables.
- Possible kidney stonecaused by oxalates (salts and esters of oxalic acid).Therefore, you should eat spinach with caution.Drink more water with lemon.
- Insomnia and irritabilityfrom the lack of macronutrients.
- RashDue to lack of vitamin B2.
- Acetone smelldue to a sharp increase in ketones from the body, urine and mouth.To minimize this, you need to drink more clean water.
- Ketoacidosis- when the body oxidizes due to the many ketones.
It takes time for the body to adapt to the new nutritional system.At the initial stage, lethargy, intestinal problems and reduced attention are possible.Also, when the body enters a state of ketosis, the weight drops sharply in the first week: excess water and fat are lost.From the second week, you will continue to lose weight, but not as fast.
Diabetics, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems should be careful with the keto diet.In addition, active sports fans should not be carried away by 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 daily ketogenic diet diet:
- 75% - fats,
- 20% - proteins,
- 5% up to 25 grams) - carbohydrates.
You can mix any of the listed products and prepare dishes according to your taste 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).It can be eaten with skin and fat.
- Fish and seafood(salmon, trout, pink salmon, chum salmon, caviar, shrimp, mussels, squid, cod liver).The fatter the fish, the better.
- Egg(chicken and quail).
- Green vegetables(cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, zucchini, green beans)and they are greencan be consumed in unlimited quantities.Exclude potatoes, beets and carrots, add onions and garlic.
- Unsweetened fruits, berries and citrus fruits.
- Avocado, coconut.
- Mushroom
- Coconut or almondsmilk 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) and sprouts- beneficial phytonutrients.
- Herbal teas, coffee.
- Protein shakeand bars without sugar and glucose.
All grains, soybeans, legumes, sweets and flour are prohibited!
Keto diet: weekly menu (options)
Morning:
- Fat with herbs and egg white
- Eggs with avocado and salmon
- Omelet with mushrooms and vegetables
- Scrambled eggs with cheese and tomatoes
- Cottage cheese with nuts, seeds and berries
- Egg casserole with bacon, spinach and cheese
- Pancakes with almond flour and coconut milk
Lunch:
- Steamed broccoli and 200 g of any meat
- Casserole made of minced pork, cheese and eggs
- Cauliflower puree and fried chicken
- Stuffed mushrooms (peppers) with sour cream
- Chicken soup with celery and melted cheese
- Quiche with salmon and broccoli (with almond or linseed flour and psyllium) + you can fill the quiche with any meat or liver, adding cream and cheese.
- Beef steak with vegetables
Dinner:
- Coconut and walnut cheesecake
- Chicken wings with steamed mushrooms in coconut cream (or any other)
- Steamed salmon (chum salmon, pink salmon, trout), green beans and broccoli
- Steamed zucchini with peppers and turkey
- Egg, cod liver and homemade mayonnaise
- Chicken fillet with cheese and spices
- Zucchini pasta with minced beef, pepper and cheese, fried in vegetable oil.
The keto diet is a good way to lose extra pounds and improve your body's 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!