“The keto diet burns fat, but still maintains excellent calorie intake, which allows you to maintain good muscle mass and metabolic rate. Not necessarily more and more people are choosing a keto diet. This is not just the principle of nutrition, this is a biohacking tool ”- these words can be read today on the social network of keto dieters. Really? Let us look at this question objectively and weigh the pros and cons
The essence of a ketogenic diet is to eliminate as many carbohydrates as possible (and this includes not only baked goods, pasta, sugar and its substitutes, but also honey, fruits, root vegetables, cereals and rice in any form). In the diet, a 5% carbohydrate quota is allowed due to berries, herbs and some vegetables.
For comparison: in the standard food pyramid, which is regulated by the World Health Organization as the basis of a balanced diet, the share of carbohydrates can reach up to 60%.
As you know, do not adopt a protein diet, but where do you get your energy from? The answer is in fat. You do not have to be afraid of them; the horror of cholesterol, which frightened people throughout the twentieth century, in the XXI was considered the intrigue of interested pharmaceutical companies. Important to make a correction: we are talking about the right fat, rich in double unsaturated fatty acids, and not about juicy kebabs, margarine and trans fats, which are harmful to health.
WHAT IS A KETOSIS? HOW DOES THIS DIET WORK?
Diet Principles
The body uses carbohydrates as the main fuel of the brain. With a sharp drop in carbohydrates in the diet below 20 grams a day, the amount of glucose is critically reduced - and there is not enough energy for normal functioning and fat oxidation. To nourish the brain, the body begins the process of obtaining an alternative energy - ketosis. This is a condition that develops as a result of cell starvation carbohydrates, when the body begins to break down fat for energy to form a large number of ketone bodies. Under normal circumstances, the concentration of ketones in the blood is very low, as it is replaced by glucose and the body does not need extra energy. During ketosis, ketone body concentrations increase dramatically.
Ketosis can also be achieved by fasting for a few days, but this is very dangerous. The keto diet is an alternative to complete fasting which can cause less damage to the body. Along with nutrition, we continue to receive all the necessary nutrients and do not experience hunger, except carbohydrates only and force the body to begin the process of breaking down fat.
The keto diet has a pretty solid scientific foundation; he showed excellent results in children and adults with epilepsy - up to the disappearance of seizure syndrome on the background of anticonvulsant withdrawal. It is effective for people suffering from certain autoimmune diseases and Alzheimer's disease, as well as for people suffering from cancer. The fact is that tumor cells "eat" glucose, and according to studies, switch to a low-carbohydrate, but high-fat diet causes a regression of the tumor process.
Observations of patients following this nutritional model show that, strangely, a person begins to feel a surge of energy, increased brain activity, and improved mood. The secret lies in the biochemical process: the body switches to a new source of energy - ketones, formed during the breakdown of fats.
The first popular keto diet is biohackers who want to live a healthy and active life until old age.
Hollywood stars joined them, and then the keto diet craze hit the world. Getting rid of excess fat by eating fat may be a challenge.
However, only an experienced dietitian can prescribe a keto diet. Not a diet consultant, not an Insta-food blogger, not a nutritionist or ketoadept. There are certain contraindications to this food system, for example, diabetes, chronic pancreatitis, cholecystitis, familial hyperlipidemia, and so on. In addition, at the beginning of the diet, when switching to other energy sources, complex body adjustments are common.
PYRAMID FOOD DIET KETO
The main disadvantages of the keto diet:
- This is an unbalanced diet. When you completely eliminate carbohydrates, you will lose a large amount of nutrients for the body.
- Constipation tends to occur. For the organs of the digestive tract, such a diet is completely useless.
- Acetone odor from the body, urine and mouth may occur. To reduce odor, you should drink more than 2 liters of water daily to remove more acetone.
- All carbohydrates are excluded, processes that are usually less active are triggered artificially, the load on the liver increases. This is a bit unhealthy.
Key Benefits of the Keto Diet:
- Rapid weight loss. Excluding carbohydrates from the diet does not allow the body to use nutrients normally: store fat "in storage", and use carbohydrates as the main energy.
- There is no constant hunger like other diets. This means that there is no sharp spike in blood sugar (the role of glucose is played by the ketone body).
- High calorie foods are full and help prevent spoilage.
- Fat is burned in the body, and muscle mass is preserved.
For whom this type of diet is contraindicated:
- pregnant;
- sufferers of gastrointestinal tract diseases;
- people with type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus;
- people with endocrine pathology;
- breastfeed
Is it possible to lose weight during a keto diet?
The keto diet promotes weight loss, energizes and allows a person to stay full longer. The secret to increasing satiety and energy lies in the fact that most of the calories enter the body with fat, which is very nutritious and slow to digest. As a result, people on a keto diet consume fewer calories as they do not experience hunger strikes longer. They no longer need to eat or scrap.
The main goal is to keep a person in a state of natural ketosis. It usually takes about four to eight weeks for a complete keto adjustment. After this time, the level of glycogen (glucose stored in your muscles and liver) will decrease, excess water will be removed from the body, muscle endurance will increase, and the person will feel a strong burst of energy. When you first start eating low-carb foods in a ketogenic diet, you need to monitor your ketosis. This way you will know exactly what you are doing right and what is wrong, and whether you need to make changes to your diet. The simplest test is a ketone breath test. After a few days, you will experience the taste of fruit, slightly sour or metallic in your mouth. Why? While in ketosis, your body synthesizes ketone bodies: acetone, acetate acetate, and beta-hydroxibutyrate. Acetone is excreted in urine and respiration, which is the cause of "ketone respiration". Usually, the taste and bad breath decreases after a few weeks.
Side Effects of Diet
Reducing the level of carbohydrates causes a decrease in the level of insulin in the blood, as a result, the kidneys receive signals to release excess sodium. Between reducing sodium intake and eliminating excess sodium deposits, your body releases more baking soda than usual, causing sodium and other electrolyte levels to drop. When this happens, you may experience fatigue, headache, cough, runny nose, irritability, and nausea. This condition is called ketoplash. It is important to understand that it is not caused by the flu virus. Such colds are harmless and not contagious. The name in this case only describes the similarity of symptoms. When signs of discomfort appear, many people feel scared, think that the keto diet has adversely affected their health, and start eating carbohydrates again. In fact, cold keto is a sign that your body is finally clearing sugar, carbohydrates and food industries and rebuilding itself to use fat as a source of energy. Usually it only lasts for a few days, this is the time it takes to adjust. You can alleviate the situation by including more sodium and electrolytes in food, drinking more water.
However, before going on a diet, you should consult your doctor and monitor your condition: blood biochemistry, blood pressure, the state of the cardiovascular system and the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.
It is important to emphasize the main thing: everyone is different - with a special body structure, genetically inherited constitution, stress factors, level of physical activity and acquired eating habits, which have a profound effect on health.
Thus, a ketogenic diet is a high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet plan designed to put the body into a condition called "ketosis" and burn stored fat. Designed for children with epilepsy, the celebrity keto diet has soared in popularity in recent years.
However, a year ago, most media questioned the benefits and safety of this weight correction method. A ketogenic diet is not a weight loss magic wand. Avoiding carbohydrates leads to an unbalanced diet (you lack essential nutrients), headaches, weakness, and chills. And the keto diet can also cause lipotoxic conditions, and as a consequence, cause inflammation of the liver, gallbladder and invaders. In the long run, it can increase the risk of atherosclerosis and insulin stroke.
Listen and learn your body. And if you want to, you can lose weight fast by choosing the best weight correction method for yourself.