The ketogenic diet, also known as the keto diet, has been making headlines for a while now and for a good reason. This high-fat, low-carb diet has claimed to help millions of people burn fat and quickly shed pounds.
But what is this ketogenic diet? What are its benefits and side effects? This article will provide you with in-depth answers and we will give you access to free ketogenic diet food list pdf file to download and use for your convenience.
What is the Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet that helps you lose weight by eating fat. The famous Atkins diet, another low-carb diet, is also a modified version of the keto diet. The ketogenic diet includes drastically decreasing the carbohydrate intake and gradually replacing with healthy fats like olive oil, avocado oil, nuts and seeds.
This means that you have to say goodbye to all starchy vegetables, added sugars, and every other food high in carbs and instead focus on keto recipes that are high in fats.
Now you may be wondering how eating fats can actually help you lose weight. This occurs by the induction of a metabolic state called ketosis.
Once you enter ketosis, your body starts burning fat more efficiently leading to a slimmer and leaner you.
The Science Behind the Ketogenic Diet
A ketogenic diet focuses on weight loss by reducing your net carbs. By reducing the carb counts and promoting healthy fat consumption, this diet forces you to stay in ketosis for longer durations of time.
Ketosis refers to a metabolic state where your body stops burning carbohydrates for fuel and switch to fat-burning. As it burns down fats, the body releases certain chemical agents known as the ketones. These ketones are then used to derive energy and carry out all the functions in the body.
When you eat a food rich in carbs, your body responds by secreting two types of chemicals i.e. insulin and glucose.
Glucose is the main source of fuel for your body and your body naturally tends to prefer it over any other source. Insulin, on the other hand, is a hormone that is used to process this glucose in your body.
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Under normal circumstances, your body is using glucose to derive energy and hence, does not need fat. So whatever fat you eat gets stored leading to obesity. But when you switch to a ketogenic diet, your body gets deprived of glucose and starts searching for other sources of fuel. It finally settles on fats and starts burning it rapidly leading to weight loss.
The human body is extremely adaptive to what you put in it. When you overload it with fats while cutting off the carbs, it will start burning ketones as the primary energy source. This helps provide you with various like weight loss, improved mental performance, and better physical endurance.
Different Types of Ketogenic Diet
The ketogenic diet is of four different types with slight differences. Let’s take a look at these types one by one.
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Standard Ketogenic Diet
The macronutrient ratio for this type of ketogenic diet includes 75 percent of fats, almost 15 to 20 percent of proteins and 5 to 10 percent of carbs.
On a standard ketogenic diet, every meal plan of yours must include foods like butter, avocado, fatty fish, ghee, olive oil, and olives. You will have to get around 150 grams of fat every day (present in a ¾ cup of olive oil) for shifting your metabolism so that it burns more fat.
At the same time, you also need to reduce your carb intake to around 300 grams per day to no more than 50.
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Cyclical Ketogenic Diet
The macronutrient ratio for this type of ketogenic diet includes 75 percent of fat, 15 to 20 percent of protein and 5 to 10 percent of carbs on the keto days. On the off days, consume around 25 percent of both fat and protein both and almost 50 percent of carbs.
The cyclical ketogenic diet is a way to get in and out of ketosis while enjoying your food on the off days. This approach includes the following 5 days of the conventional keto diet with two non-keto days on a weekly basis.
Sometimes, people choose to save their days for special occasions like birthdays and weddings. During the cyclical ketogenic diet, it is important to eat wholesome carb-rich foods on the off days such as fruits, dairy products, starchy veggies, and whole grains.
Targeted Ketogenic Diet
The macronutrient ratio for the targeted ketogenic diet includes 65 to 70 percent of fat, 20 percent of protein and around 10 to 15 percent of carbs.
The targeted keto diet is particularly famous among the athletes and physically active individuals who are following the ketogenic diet but require more carbs. This type of keto diet provides an additional 20 to 30 grams of carbs before and after the workouts to improve the recovery. The total carb count has to be around 70 to 80 grams per day.
The keto food list for this type of diet must include fruits, grain-based foods, and dairy.
High-Protein Ketogenic Diet
The macronutrient ratio for this type of ketogenic diet includes 60 to 65 percent of fat, 30 percent of protein and around 5 to 10 percent of carbs.
This type of diet includes eating around 120 grams of protein and approximately 130 grams of fat every single day. Carbohydrates are restricted to lesser than 10 percent of the daily calories.
A lot of people tend to find this type of ketogenic diet as more convenient and easier to follow. This is because it focuses more on protein and lesser on the fat. Some people argue that this approach may not help you get into ketosis. However, the high-protein keto diet will definitely lead to weight loss.
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Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet
In addition to helping you lose weight, the ketogenic diet can provide the following benefits to you.
- Heart Diseases
The ketogenic diet can improveheart health by altering the HDL cholesterol levels, blood pressure, total body fat, and blood sugar.
- Cancer
The ketogenic diet is currently being utilized to manage different types of cancer and slow down the progression of the tumor.
- Alzheimer’s Disease
The keto diet has also been known to reduce the progression and the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Epilepsy
Research has indicated that using a ketogenic diet can lead to a reduction in seizures in children suffering from epilepsy.
- Parkinson’s Disease
The ketogenic diet has also been known to improve the signs and symptoms of Parkinsonism, according to a study.
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
The ketogenic diet can also decrease the insulin levels which, in turn, reduces the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Brain Injuries
One study has found that diet can decrease the concussions and support the recovery after getting a brain injury.
- Acne
Lower levels of insulin together with a reduction in the consumption of processed or sugary foods can reduce acne.
Who Should NOT try the Ketogenic Diet
While the ketogenic diet is extremely beneficial for the mind and body, it is not suitable for all types of people.
- Pregnant Women
Staying in ketosis for a long duration can cause problems for the growing baby. This affects the development of the brain and increases the risk of neural tube defects like spina bifida. Because it is very risky to protect the baby from the harms of ketosis, it is not recommended to follow the ketogenic diet during pregnancy.
- Lactating Women
Not enough studies have been conducted to test the safety of a keto diet while breastfeeding. So it is normally recommended to maintain an optimal carb intake as long as you are breastfeeding your baby.
- People on Medications
People suffering from other conditions and taking medications to manage them must consult a doctor before following the ketogenic diet. This is because certain medications increase the risk of side effects when taken on keto. Some of these medications include glinides, sulphonylureas, and insulin
Keto Diet Side Effects
The ketogenic diet is said to be safe for healthy people. However, there still may be some side effects while the body is adapting to it. This condition is referred to as the keto flu.
The symptoms of the keto flu include a poor mental function, reduced poor energy, increased hunger, nausea, digestive discomfort, sleep issues, and bad exercise performance.
To make sure you prevent this side effect, try opting for a low-carb diet for a few weeks. This helps teach your body to burn more fat before you totally eliminate the carbs from your body.
A keto diet may also change the mineral and water balance of your body. So it is also important to add extra salts to your daily meals.
Conclusion
The ketogenic diet is a proven high-fat, low-carb diet that can help you lose weight within weeks. This diet plan has four different types and you are free to choose any one of them according to your feasibility. In addition to helping you lose weight fast, it can also provide a myriad of other benefits. Despite having preventable side effects, the ketogenic diet is definitely worth a try.
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