The Keto Diet: Weight Loss and Other Health Benefits
Despite several advances in medical science, obesity and overweight are still significant problems and growing rapidly. Overweight and obesity are caused due to poor lifestyle and an unhealthy diet.
Being overweight can lead to several severe diseases such as cancer, heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, etc. Several techniques are investigated to manage this problem, and numerous diet plans are also introduced.
One of the most effective diet plans for rapid weight loss is the ketogenic diet plan. A diet with limited carbohydrates and high fats and protein is called a keto or ketogenic diet.
The ketogenic diet reduces insulin and glycogen levels in the blood, the primary energy source for body cells. After burning all glucose, your body shifts, burring your body fat and reducing overall body weight (Ting, 2018).
Making others aware of the keto diet plan is mandatory because it has proven more effective for long-term weight loss than low-fat or low-calorie dieting plans. On a ketogenic diet, you can lose two pounds (0.9 kg) more weight than people who adopt the low-calorie diet (SaVanna Shoemaker, 2020).
The Function of the Ketogenic Diet
The Keto diet contains low carbs, moderate proteins, and high fats. If you are consuming 2000 KCL keto food per day, you are taking more than 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates.
Average macronutrients percentage of the ketogenic diet:
Carbohydrates 5-10%
Protein 30-35%
Fats 55-60%
Ketogenic Diet Types
There are four basic types of the keto diet:
1. The standard ketogenic diet (SKD)
This ketogenic diet contains low carbohydrates, a moderate amount of protein, and rich fats (Joshi Shilpa1 and Viswanathan Mohan2, 2018).
Macronutrients percentages:
Carbohydrates 10 %
Protein 20%
Fats 70%
2. High protein ketogenic diet
This ketogenic diet is the same as the slandered keto diet, but it contains an added amount of protein.
Macronutrients percentage high protein keto:
Protein 35%
Fats 60%
Carbs 5%
3. Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD)
In this keto diet, high carbs food is allowed during a workout. Such as protein bars etc.
4. The cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD)
This diet allows you to intake high carbohydrates for a limited time. For example, you can take high carbohydrates two days a week on a ketogenic diet, and other 5 days, you are on a diet.
What is ketosis?
When you start a keto diet, your body goes into a state which is called ketosis. Our body produces ketones. Ketosis is the body's metabolic state using proteins and fats instead of carbohydrates for energy.
Glucose (sugar) is the primary source of energy for your cells. During the keto diet, limited consumption of carbohydrates from (20-50 grams) is allowed every day.
You can enter ketosis by intermitted fasting and following a ketogenic diet plan.
Intermittent fasting is the fastest way to enter ketosis. There are various types of intermitted fasting. The most frequently used method is fasting for around 16 hours. You can consume a limited diet in 8 hours during intermitted fasting (Stephen D. Anton, 2017).
During the keto diet, you must consume a moderate protein amount. If you start consuming a higher amount of protein, it may start converting into glucose, slowing down your ketosis transition (Melkonian, Asuka, & Schury., 2021).
Various tests (such as breathing, blood, and urine tests) are used to measure ketones production in the body. These tests help you confirm if your body enters into ketosis (Masood, Annamaraju, & Uppaluri., 2021).
You can confirm if you have entered ketosis by certain symptoms as well:
1. Frequent urination
2. Dehydration of mouth
3. Appetite
Entering ketosis
When your body is entered ketosis, it starts burning stored glycogen from your muscles and liver. When your body's glycogen is depleted, your body begins consuming its body fat. In many people, dramatic body changes are observed during this period. Most of the alteration during this entering period is because of the percentage of water changes.
Best way to weight loss on keto
The best way to lose weight on keto is to make a proper keto diet plan. Being more conscious of minimum carbs intake can help you easily body transform to the best shape.
Ketogenic food also helps to reduce stubborn belly fat. In some cases, a high-intensity workout is required, along with a well-formulated diet plan to decrease belly fat (18 Reasons Why the Keto Diet Can Help You Lose Weight and Burn Fat, 2022).
Ketogenic bread for weight lose
There are several ketogenic meal options available, and keto bread is one of the safest choices for losing weight. You can add ketogenic bread to your regular diet, which can boost your weight loss process within a few weeks. It stores fats in cells for metabolic processes. It would help if you tried to choose homemade keto bread because they provide the best nutrition value.
Health benefits of the keto diet
A ketogenic diet was primarily originated to treat diseases of the brain such as epilepsy. The Keto diet provides several other health benefits, including diabetes, neurological problems, and metabolism.
Keto food for disease treatment
Cancer: Rapid decrease in blood sugar helps reduce cancer progression and tumor growth. The special ketogenic diet is still being explored for cancer treatment (Daniela D. Weber, 2018).
Cardiac disease: Research shows that a ketogenic diet helps with heart problems and reduces inflammation, and decreases oxidative pressure. A ketogenic diet burns body fat which is the main reason for sudden cardiac attacks.
It decreases blood pressure, blood sugar level, and LDL cholesterol level (Arrigo F. G. Cicero, 2015).
Epilepsy: Research has proved that the keto diet reduces epilepsy seizures in children (Marzena Ułamek-Kozioł, 2019).
Alzheimer’s disease: The latest science has discovered that low-carb and high fat intake can solve mental health problems. The Keto diet helps people with memory loss and reduces Alzheimer’s symptoms, and it also decreases the deadly brain illness in the first place.
Polycystic ovary syndrome: The insulin level is decreased on keto, which helps treat polycystic ovary symptoms.
Parkinson’s disease: Research has proved that the keto diet is helpful in reducing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (Matthew C.L. Phillips, 2018).
Brain injuries: The latest studies revealed that a ketogenic diet recovers traumatic brain injury (Mayumi L Prins 1, 2014).
Foods to Avoid During Keto
As we know, during keto, the food high in carbs is restricted.
Here is the list of food that should be avoided on keto:
- Sugary food: Smoothies, ice creams, fruit juices, soda, candies, etc.
- Drinks: Liquor, wine, beer, and alcohol.
- Fruits: Fruits of all kinds except berries, e.g., strawberries.
- Legumes and beans: lentils, kidney beans, peas, and chickpeas.
- Root vegetable and tuber: carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, etc.
- Sauces or Condiments: Honey mustard, barbecue sauce, ketchup, teriyaki sauce, etc.
- Starches and Grains: Pasta, wheat-based products, cereal, rice, etc.
- Sugar-free products: Desserts, sweeteners, syrups, puddings, and sugar-free candies.
- Unhealthy fats: mayonnaise and some vegetable oils.
Foods to Eat on keto
Doctors mostly recommend single-ingredient-based whole food.
It would help if you stuck to something like:
- Avocados: Freshly made guacamole and whole avocados.
- Condiments: pepper, salts, spices, and herbs.
- Eggs: omega-3 eggs and pastured.
- Fatty fish: Trout, salmon, tuna, mackerel, etc.
- Healthy creams and butter: heavy cream and grass-fed butter.
- Healthy oils: Avocado oils and olive oils.
- Low carb vegetables: Onions, tomatoes, peppers, and green vegetables.
- Meats: Steaks, bacon, chicken, red meat, ham, turkey, and sausage.
- Seeds and Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, and chia seeds.
Healthy keto snacks
If you feel hungry between meals, there are keto-friendly snacks that you should eat:
- A handful of seeds and nuts
- Bell peppers
- Cheese
- Dark chocolate (90% pure chocolate)
- Fish and fatty meals
- Greek yogurt with pure fats
- Small amount of your leftover keto meal
- Plain cottage cheese along with strawberries
- One or more deviled eggs ( hard-boiled)
- Olives
- Ketogenic protein bars
- Jerky beef
- Guacamole and salsa glary
Ketogenic tips and tricks
Shifting to a ketogenic diet is not an easier task for everyone, and there are some guidelines and tricks for you to make it easier.
· First of all, be familiar with food labels. Check the number of carbohydrates, protein, and fats and see how your favorite ketogenic food can be the best fit into your diet.
· Make proper planning of your meals for a week, and it can help you achieve your diet goals and save time.
· You can make your custom-based menu by selecting specific meals. There are hundreds of pages on social media that can guide you to prepare keto-friendly recopies. You can also use apps, books for cooking, and blog posts to seek a keto guide.
· Several companies are offering keto-friendly meal services, which is a quick and healthy way to have more convenient food at home.
· If you are busy and do not have much time to cook fresh keto meals, you can use frozen ketogenic meals.
· You should stick to your keto diet, and even if you are going to family or friends' gatherings, you can take your own food to stick to a healthy diet.
Risks of the keto diet
· Keto diet is the safest and healthiest alternative to other fat dieting types, but you may have some side effects. You don't need to develop all side effects, but some people can have initial side effects if you are a beginner.
· According to some anecdotal studies, you can have keto flu. But researchers prove that these symptoms are ended in a few days (Emmanuelle C. S. Bostock, 2020).
· Keto flu indications include vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation.
There are some symptoms that you can experience rarely:
-
Digestive discomfort
-
Energy Deprivation
-
Decreased performance during workouts
-
Increased hunger
-
Mental illness
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Nausea
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Sleep issues
Tips to minimize these risk factors
· To minimize these keto side effects, you should regularly take a low amount of sugar for a few weeks. Minimizing carbs all at once can be unsuitable initially. Taking carbs for the first few weeks will help your body burn more fats before total carbohydrates elimination.
· While you start a keto diet, your mineral and water balance may fluctuate, leading to weakness. You can add some extra salt to your keto diet to avoid this problem.
· Taking mineral supplements with a keto diet can help meet your body's mineral needs. Before taking supplements, you should consult your doctor.
· Also, if you are a beginner, you should eat properly until you are full. Too much restriction on calories can lead you complications. If you want to lose weight, there is no need for calories restriction on keto because it already has low carbs for weight loss.
Long term Ketogenic Diet Risk factors
Sticking to ketogenic food for the long term can cause negative effects on your health. Risk factors are:
- The decreased protein level in the blood
- Extra fats in the liver
- Kidney stones
- Deficiencies of micronutrients
Caution: Intake of sodium-glucose cotransporter (type 2 diabetes inhibitor) while having a ketogenic diet can cause acidity of the blood. It can also increase the chances of diabetic ketoacidosis.
Key Fact
- 39% world population is overweight
- According to the survey of 2020, more than two billion adults are overweight (BMI > 25).
- According to the world health organization (Who), there are 650 million people who are obese (BMI > 30) in the world.
- Since 1975, the rate of obesity has increased three times more.
- More than half of the European population is overweight.
- The mortality rate of overweight and obese patients is 2.8 million per year.
Conclusion
Unlike calories restriction diets, ketogenic meal helps you decrease your body weight by putting your body into ketoses. In the lack of glucose and carbs, your body starts producing ketones in your liver. Ketones are made from fats obtained from your food or stored in your body. Therefore, ketones (fats) are used as the primary energy source during keto.
Ketogenic food also protects from several diseases such as heart problems, diabetes, neurological issues, or cancer. You can experience several risk factors during the keto diet, and these can be solved using several strategies.