The ketogenic diet (or keto diet for short) is a low-carb, high-fat eating plan. The keto diet is believed to have many health benefits. We tell you in more detail what the keto diet gives the body and how effectively you can lose weight on such a diet.
Numerous studies show that the keto diet is guaranteed to help you lose weight and improve your well-being. In addition, the ketogenic diet may be beneficial for diabetes, epilepsy, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to get started on the keto diet and answers to frequently asked questions about it. Be sure to read, understand and discuss with your doctor.
What is a ketogenic diet?
The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat eating plan. In many ways, this is similar to the Atkins diet and the low-carb diet. It's just that keto involves a sharp reduction in carbohydrates and replacing them with fat. This reduction puts the body into a metabolic state called ketosis.
In ketosis, the body begins to efficiently convert fat into energy (ketones) - instead of doing so with carbohydrates. Therefore, a ketogenic diet can lead to lowering of blood sugar levels and normalization of insulin levels.
Different types of ketogenic diets
There are many versions of the keto diet, including:
- Standard Ketogenic Diet: This is a very low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat meal plan. usually contains 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbohydrates;
- cyclic ketogenic diet: This plan includes periods of higher carb intake, such as 5 keto days followed by 2 carb days;
- customized ketogenic diet: allows you to add more carbohydrates to your diet on training days;
- High-Protein Ketogenic Diet: This is similar to the standard ketogenic diet, but includes more protein, usually 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbohydrates.
Otherwise, only standard and high-protein ketogenic diets have been carefully studied and recommended by experts. Cyclic or custom diets are more advanced methods and are mostly used by athletes or bodybuilders.
The ketogenic diet helps you lose weight
The keto diet is an effective way to lose weight and reduce risk factors for certain diseases.
Experiments show that the ketogenic diet is superior in terms of weight loss results compared to a low-fat diet. Moreover, the keto diet allows you not to count calories and not limit the amount of food consumed, unless, of course, we are talking about those included in the list of permitted ones.
One study found that people on a ketogenic diet lost 2. 2 times more weight than those who cut calories and fat. An improvement in blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels was also observed.
Ketogenic diet for diabetes and prediabetes
Diabetes is characterized by metabolic changes, elevated blood sugar levels and impaired insulin function. A keto diet will help you shed excess body fat, a metric closely related to type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
One study showed that a ketogenic diet improved insulin sensitivity by as much as 75%!
In another experiment with participants with type 2 diabetes, it was found that 7 out of 21 people were able to stop taking all their diabetes medications thanks to the keto diet.
Other health benefits of the keto diet
The modern version of the keto diet was invented as a way to treat neurological conditions, such as the aforementioned epilepsy. Some studies have shown that such a meal plan can be beneficial for various diseases.
- Cardiovascular disease: A ketogenic diet can improve risk factors such as fat and cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.
- Cancer: Today, this diet is used to maintain the condition of patients with various types of cancer and to reduce the growth of tumors.
- Alzheimer's disease: The keto diet can reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and slow its progression.
- Epilepsy: Studies have shown that a ketogenic diet can significantly reduce seizures in children.
- Parkinson's disease: Some tests have shown that a high-fat diet can help alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome: A ketogenic diet will help reduce insulin levels, which play a large role in the progression of this diagnosis.
- Brain injuries: An animal study showed that the keto diet can improve post-concussion conditions and help patients recover faster from injuries.
- Acne: Lowering your insulin levels and cutting back on sugar and processed foods will significantly improve your skin.
Foods to avoid on the keto diet
Any food rich in carbohydrates should be avoided. Here is a list of sample foods that should be eliminated from the diet - or significantly reduce their consumption:
- sweet food: soft drinks, fruit juices, smoothies, cakes, ice cream, sweets;
- cereals or starch: products obtained from wheat, rice, pasta, cereals;
- fruit: all fruit, except small portions of berries or one apple per day;
- beans or legumes: peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas;
- root vegetables and tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips;
- Diet or low-fat foods: usually highly processed and high in carbohydrates.
- certain condiments or sauces: primarily those containing sugar and saturated fat;
- saturated fats: limit the intake of refined oils, mayonnaise;
- Alcohol: Due to their high carbohydrate content, many alcoholic beverages should be avoided on a ketogenic diet.
- Sugar-free diet foods: Often high in sugar alcohols, which can affect ketone levels in the body.
Foods to eat on a ketogenic diet
Most of the nutrition during the keto diet should be based on the following foods:
- meat: red meat, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken and turkey;
- fatty fish: salmon, trout, tuna and mackerel;
- eggs;
- butter and cream;
- cheese;
- nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds;
- healthy oils: especially cold-pressed olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil;
- avocado;
- low-carb vegetables: most green vegetables, tomatoes, onions, peppers.
Sample weekly ketogenic meal plan
Monday
Breakfast: bacon, eggs and tomatoes.
Lunch: chicken salad with olive oil, vegetables and feta cheese.
Dinner: salmon with asparagus cooked in butter.
Tuesday
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, spices and goat cheese.
Lunch: if you don't want to eat a lot, you can replace the usual hot dishes with a cocktail of vegetables or cow's milk with peanut butter and herbs.
Dinner: meatballs, cheese and vegetables.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Ketogenic milkshake - You can adjust the basic recipe that we mentioned to your taste.
Lunch: Seafood salad with olive oil and avocado.
Dinner: pork chops with cheese, broccoli and salad.
Thursday
Breakfast: tortilla with avocado, pepper, onion, spices and sour cream sauce.
Lunch: a handful of nuts and celery sticks with guacamole and salsa.
Dinner: Chicken stuffed with pesto and cream cheese, decorated with vegetables.
Friday
Breakfast: unsweetened yogurt with peanut butter, cocoa powder and stevia.
Lunch: stewed veal with vegetables.
Dinner: Bacon, egg, and cheese burger with a low-carb almond flour bun.
Saturday
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese and ham with vegetables.
Lunch: a few slices of ham and cheese with walnuts.
Dinner: white fish, eggs and spinach cooked in olive oil.
Sunday
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with bacon and mushrooms.
Lunch: hamburger with sauce, cheese and guacamole.
Dinner: steaks with eggs and salad.
As you can see, the ketogenic diet can be very diverse and insanely nutritious.
Keto Snacks
If you're feeling hungry between meals, here are some examples of healthy keto snacks:
- fatty meat or fish;
- cheese;
- a handful of nuts or seeds;
- cheese with olives;
- 1 or 2 hard-boiled eggs;
- dark chocolate with 90% cocoa;
- low-carb milkshake with almond milk, cocoa powder and peanut butter;
- full-fat yogurt with nut butter and cocoa powder;
- strawberries with cream;
- celery with sauce and guacamole.
How to follow a keto diet if you have to eat out
Nowadays, it's not that hard to find a restaurant with a keto menu or diet-friendly seating. Most establishments offer a large number of meat and fish items, and you can take vegetables as a side dish.
Egg dishes are also great options for the keto diet, like scrambled eggs or bacon with eggs.
Another ideal dish is a burger, but it is better to remove half of the bun. Replace the fries with vegetables, and ask for more cheese, sauce or a piece of avocado in the filling.
In restaurants, it is better to refuse dessert in the usual sense of the word. But you can order a cheese plate, berries and cream or panna cotta.
Keto Diet Side Effects and How to Minimize Them
While the ketogenic diet is safe for healthy people, you may notice some side effects at first as your body adjusts to the new eating plan. For example, in the first few days many people experience the so-called ketogenic flu.
Ketoflu is a condition in which you feel increased hunger, decreased energy, and you may also have problems sleeping, nausea and indigestion.
To reduce this problem, you can try a standard low-carb diet for the first week and then add more fat to your diet. This will prepare the body to burn more fat before the carbohydrates in the diet become much lower.
Supplements on the ketogenic diet
While it's not necessary to take supplements, these supplements can be especially helpful while on keto:
- flax, olive and any other vegetable oil - feel free to add to meals or drink in the morning on an empty stomach to increase the level of ketones in the body;
- caffeine will help maintain energy and accelerate fat burning;
- creatine - improves performance and is especially recommended for intensive training while on a keto diet;
- Whey protein: Add half a scoop of whey protein to a smoothie or yogurt to increase your daily protein intake.
Frequently asked questions about the keto diet
1. Can I go back to my normal carb intake?
If you go on a keto diet and then suddenly put carbs back into your life, your weight loss results will go down the drain. It is best to eat less carbohydrates after completing the ketogenic diet than you could afford before. What's more, you'll have less cravings for carb-rich foods!
2. Will I lose muscle mass on the keto diet?
On any diet there is a risk of losing muscle mass. However, high protein intake and controlled ketone levels will help minimize muscle loss - especially if you're doing strength training.
3. Can I build muscle on a ketogenic diet?
Yes, but it won't be as easy as on a moderate carb diet.
4. Should I sometimes have carb days?
No, but it can help to include a few days with more calories than usual in your eating plan.
5. How much protein can I eat?
Protein intake should be moderate, as high levels of protein can cause spikes in insulin levels and a drop in ketones. The upper limit for protein intake is 35% of total caloric intake.
6. What should I do if I constantly feel tired and weak?
You may not be following the ketogenic diet properly, or your body may not be using fats and ketones properly. To reduce discomfort, try eating even fewer carbs and continue to follow the tips we've given you to safely enter ketosis.
7. Why did the smell of urine change - become more pronounced?
Don't worry, it's just a result of ketosis.
8. What should I do if I have bad breath?
This is a very common side effect of the keto diet. Try drinking more water or chewing sugar-free gum.
9. Is it true that ketosis is very dangerous?
People often confuse ketosis with ketoacidosis. The first condition is a natural process of fat processing, and the second occurs only in uncontrolled diabetes.
Ketoacidosis is dangerous, but the ketosis that occurs while on a ketogenic diet is completely normal and even healthy.
10. What should I do if I have digestive problems, constipation or diarrhea?
This side effect usually disappears 3-4 weeks after starting the keto diet. If this continues, try eating more fiber-rich vegetables. Magnesium supplements can also help with constipation.
The ketogenic diet is good, but it's not for everyone
The ketogenic diet can be beneficial for people who are overweight, have diabetes, or want to improve their metabolic health. But if you are interested in gaining muscle mass, it is better to look at other diet options.
Also, like any diet, a ketogenic meal plan will only work if you follow it diligently. The results will appear in the long term - it is better not to wait for rapid weight loss.