What is the keto diet, how does it affect weight loss and health, and what foods can you eat?
Thousands of people around the world eat fatty and high-calorie foods that literally melt before our eyes.At the forefront of global weight loss is the keto diet.A new way of eating in which you can eat only proteins and fats, excluding all carbohydrate foods.
It seems that a modern, active person cannot 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 (English. Ketogenic diet) is a low-carbohydrate diet with high fat content and moderate protein content.
The first keto diet was developed by Dr. Wilder in 1921 at the Mayo Clinic to treat epilepsy in children: carbohydrates often cause seizures, but ketones do not.And in the 1970s, Robert Atkins developed the ketogenic weight loss diet, which has become widely popular in recent years due to its effectiveness and benefits.
Ketones are healthier than glucose
Why do we want chocolate when we have no strength left?Because chocolate is a type of carbohydrate that is converted into glucose, thereby providing energy to the body.It turns out that if you limit the body's consumption of carbohydrates and glucose, the liver will begin 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 will produce.
Ketones have many advantages over conventional 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 combine the keto diet with intermittent fasting, as there is no hunger pangs and you can survive two meals.By the way, on the keto diet you do not 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 fats and converting them into ketones is called ketosis.According to nutrition experts, it has many benefits.It helps reduce insulin, eliminate liver fat, improve cognitive performance and mood, lower blood pressure, increase energy and reduce inflammation.And most importantly, belly fat disappears and skin brightens!You become healthier, more beautiful and slimmer.
Keto diet: possible complications and disadvantages
- Constipation.So you definitely need to eat a lot of green vegetables.
- May have kidney stonescaused by oxalates (salts and esters of oxalic acid.).Therefore, you need to eat spinach with caution.Better to drink lots of water with lemon.
- Insomnia and irritabilityfrom a lack of macronutrients.
- Rashdue to vitamin B2 deficiency.
- Smell of acetoneout of the body, urine and mouth due to a sharp increase in ketones.To minimize this, you need to drink more clean water.
- ketoacidosis- when the body is oxidized due to large amounts of ketones.
It will take time for the body to adapt to the new nutritional system.In the early stages, there may be lethargy, intestinal problems and decreased attention.In addition, when the body falls into a state of ketosis, weight will decrease sharply in the first week: excess water and fat will be lost.Starting from week two, you will continue to lose weight but not too fast.
People with diabetes, pregnant women, and people with weak immune systems need to be careful with the keto diet.In addition, fans of active sports should not go too far on the keto diet - you may not be able to calculate your strength and not be able to train.
Keto Diet: Key Foods
Basis of the daily ketogenic diet:
- 75% - fat,
- 20% - protein,
- 5% not more than 25 grams) - carbohydrates.
You can combine any of the listed products and create dishes that suit your tastes and preferences.
What you can eat on the keto diet:
- Oil(coconut, olive, ghee, butter, avocado oil).
- Meat(poultry, pork, beef, bacon, liver and offal).Can eat both skin and fat.
- Fish and seafood(salmon, salmon, 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 green vegetablescan be eaten in unlimited quantities.Exclude potatoes, beets and carrots, add onions and garlic.
- Unsweetened fruits, berries and citrus fruits.
- Avocado, coconut.
- mushroom
- Coconut or almondunsweetened milk
- Full-fat dairy products(sour cream, cheese, cream, cheese).Milk - rarely, can be added to coffee.
- flour(coconut, almond, flaxseed).
- Spices and salt, balsamic sauce.
- Nuts and peanut buttersugar-free (30-50 g per day, no more).
- Seeds (chia, flax, sesame, pumpkin seeds) and bean sprouts- beneficial phytonutrients.
- Herbal tea, coffee.
- Protein shakesand the bar is sugar and glucose free.
All grains, soy, legumes, sweets and flour are prohibited!
Keto diet: menu for the week (optional)
Breakfast:
- Lard with herbs and egg whites
- Eggs with avocado and salmon
- Omelet with mushrooms and vegetables
- Scrambled eggs with cheese and tomatoes
- Cheese with nuts, seeds and berries
- Egg stew with bacon, spinach and cheese
- Coconut milk and almond flour pancakes
Lunch:
- Steamed broccoli and 200g of any meat
- Casserole made from minced pork, cheese and eggs
- Pureed cauliflower and fried chicken
- Stuffed mushrooms (chili) with sour cream
- Chicken soup with celery and melted cheese
- Quiche with salmon and broccoli (with almond flour or flaxseed and psyllium) + you can fill the quiche with any meat, liver, and add cream and cheese.
- Beef ribs with vegetables
Dinner:
- Cheesecake with coconut and nuts
- Mushroom chicken wings stewed in coconut milk (or other)
- Steamed salmon (chum salmon, pink salmon, salmon), green beans and broccoli
- Braised zucchini with chili and turkey hedgehog
- Eggs, cod liver and homemade mayonnaise
- Chicken fillet with cheese and spices
- Zucchini noodles 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 diet, choose a balanced diet of protein, fat, and carbohydrates.Then you will always be in good shape and in a happy mood!