The Keto Diet Explained: For Weight Loss, Diabetes, and Increased Energy
Did you know that this high-fat low-carb diet was originally used to treat epilepsy in children? It’s clear that we’ve come a long way since then as the keto diet is one of the most wide-searched nutrition topics these days.
Keto Diet and its Advantages
This diet works on the ketogenic principle. Here, you reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your body but drastically increase the amount of fat in response. This reduction in carbs leads to a metabolic state called ketosis. In this state, your body becomes exceptionally efficient at burning fat instead of glucose for energy. This diet also turns fat into ketones, which helps supply energy to the brain and reduce blood sugar and insulin levels.
This way, you get to burn fat and lose weight without counting calories or keeping a keen eye on your food intake. One study even found that people on a keto diet lose 2.2x more weight as compared to people on a calorie-restricted diet. Thus, it can reduce your overall food consumption, burn fat, keep you energetic, and increase concentration all without you feeling hungry!
Another important factor is that keto diet can lead to major health benefits for people with diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, linked to excess fat in the body, is directly impacted, with one study finding that 1 out of 3 people with Type 2 diabetes stopped using all diabetes medication. Another study found that the keto diet increases insulin sensitivity in the body by 75%!
What to Eat?
Always remember, in a keto diet, you should not consume more than 50 grams of carbs per day. You can heartily consume the following foods:
- Low-Carb Vegetables — cauliflower, zucchini, kale, broccoli, and brussels sprouts
- Seafood — fish, shellfish, salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, and trout
- Cheese — especially cheddar and ricotta
- Meat and Poultry — chicken, red meat, steak, sausage, bacon, turkey, and ham
- Avocados
- Eggs
- Olive Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Cottage Cheese or Paneer
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Nuts and Seeds — cashews, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, chia seeds, brazil nuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, and sesame seeds
- Berries — strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries
- Butter
- Cream
- Ghee
- Olives
- Dark Chocolate
- Unsweetened Black Coffee and Tea
What Not to Eat?
You cannot eat the following foods during a keto diet:
- Sugar and Processed Foods — eg. ice cream, cookies, candies
- Baked Goods — eg. white bread, whole wheat bread, rolls
- Starchy Foods — eg. pasta, cereal
- Sweetened Beverages — eg. sports drinks, iced tea, sodas
- Fruits — eg. bananas, pineapples, grapes, citrus fruits
- Root Vegetables and Beans — eg. kidney beans, carrots, potatoes, peas, chickpeas
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Vegetable Oils
- Mayonnaise
While this may seem like a sudden change, your body will quickly adapt to this new routine and you will notice an uptick in your energy levels. Additionally, it will aid your weight loss journey and burn up all your fat, leaving behind only lean muscle!
So, this National Nutrition Month, vow to take care of your health and start your fitness journey from your kitchen!
However, since the keto diet is extremely restrictive with a strict concentration of 75% fat, 20% protein, and less than 5% of carbs, it’s advised that you seek the opinion of a Clinical Dietitian or Nutritionist for a customized diet plan.
To find one best suited for your needs, please click here — https://spark.live/dietician-nutritionist-consultation/
Originally published at https://spark.live on September 7, 2020.
