As medicine progresses, it becomes easier to understand our bodies. Realizing how things that we consume impact our health becomes easier, too.
It became clear that when combined with regular physical activity, a proper diet plays a significant role in enabling us to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Additionally, balanced and nutritious meals can help reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases, certain forms of cancer, and metabolic disorders.
The problem is how to choose the right nutrition plan.
As it turns out, there is a new diet hype every few years. Moreover, each diet is promoted as a health boost miracle. With so many options, it is not surprising that people get confused. This Keto diet guide aims to clear things up for you.
What is Ketogenic Diet?
You must have heard about Keto diet by now. After all, tons of celebrities, like Halle Berry and Lebron James, are strong proponents of the diet plan.
Ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate protein, and low-carb nutrition plan that has been around for decades. It initially became popular in the 20s and 30s of the last century medicine.
The diet has been used to help with the treatment of more complicated cases of epilepsy in children. It proved to be successful but was set aside after the discovery of anti-convulsant drugs.
However, when it was found that keto diet results were more significant than those of medication, it became popular again. As of recently, experts are becoming increasingly aware that this type of food plan has enormous benefits for the overall health.
How Does Keto Diet Work
When you are on this food plan, you are replacing carbs with fat. Because of this, your body goes into a metabolic state known as ketosis.
Usually, the body burns sugar to produce energy. But with such a low intake of carbohydrates, the level of sugar in the body isn’t sufficient. The body begins to burn fat to get the energy it needs.
There are four different types of ketogenic diet:
- Standard (SKD) is a typical keto diet for beginners. With this, your carbohydrate intake is about 5%, 75% is fat and 20% protein.
- High protein is similar to standard keto diet but includes more protein. You will still be consuming only 5% carbs, but the fat-protein ratio changes. Now, it is 60% fat and 35% protein.
- Cyclical plan (CKD) is different than the previous two because it includes two higher carb days. It means that you will be on a ketogenic diet for five days, followed by two days when you eat more carbohydrates.
- Targeted plan (TKD) enables you to add carbs when working out.
What to Eat
When you are starting a new food plan, it is necessary to make sure you have all the information on what to eat and what to avoid. Therefore, we present here a keto food list, so you know what needs to be on your plate.
- Meat: beef, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, wild game, lamb, goat, organ meats (heart, liver, kidney)
- Fatty fish: mackerel, tuna, salmon, trout, etc.
- Shellfish: oyster, mussels, clams, lobster, etc.
- Nuts: almonds, macadamia.
- Eggs
- Vegetables like leafy greens, lettuces, cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini, mushroom, asparagus, etc.
- Cheeses, sour cream, yogurt, and kefir, whipping cream, etc
- Avocados and organic berries
- Butter and ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil
It is equally important to know what to avoid when you are following a keto diet. Make sure to skip the following:
- Grains, pasta, rice, oats, barley, quinoa, rye
- Beans and legumes
- High sugar fruits
- Starchy vegetables
- Sugar
- Alcohol
When you are starting new projects, like a keto diet, it might be overwhelming when you see all the stuff you cannot eat. There are plenty of keto recipes that can help in understanding how to prepare delicious meals while going towards desired results.
See Also: Essential Tips for People Who Want to Enjoy Ketogenic Diet-Friendly Fast Food
Benefits of Keto Diet
It is time to look at some of the benefits of a keto diet and understand why everybody is so crazy about it.
- Weight loss is maybe the main reason why everybody is talking about it. It is a magic trick for losing weight. People are also using keto weight loss pills to speed up the process.
It proved to prevent metabolic disorders, such as diabetes type 2,
because it regulates blood sugar and insulin levels
- Improves symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Helps combat epilepsy seizures which is why it was created
- Improves heart because it helps control HDL and LDL, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels
- Enhances brain health because ketosis brings neuroprotective benefits. Studies show that people on the keto diet have lower risks of developing Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Also, it seems to be beneficial for people who already have this condition.
- Enhances endurance
- Alleviates the symptoms of PMS
See Also: 10 Habits That Can Prevent Heart Disease
Conclusion
People often confuse the keto diet with Paleo and Atkins, thinking it’s all the same. However, these food plans differ a lot.
All three are indeed low carb diets, but they serve different purposes. If your primary goal is to lose weight, then the ketogenic diet is the best choice for you. Apart from its potential health benefits, it can also improve your health and make you satisfied. It seems challenging to follow this plan, but once you get used to it, it will become more of a lifestyle than a diet.
Have you heard about the ketogenic food plan before? Or tried following it? What are your ideas or experiences?
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Author: Joe Labonte
J_Bonte is a freelance journalist with a dream to travel around the world. Since childhood, he was struggling with obesity. During college years, J_Bonte became determined to find a solution, so he began exploring healthy lifestyle options and found a ketogenic food plan to be a perfect solution for his problem. Check him out in Keto Supplement Reviewed.
