Are You Right For The Keto Diet?

These days, everyone seems to be talking about the ketogenic diet (in short, keto) - the low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet that turns your body into a fat-burning machine. Hollywood stars and professional athletes have publicly touted the benefits of this diet, including weight loss, lowering blood sugar, fighting inflammation, lowering cancer risks, increasing energy and slowing aging. So is keto something you should consider doing? The following will explain what this diet is about, the pros and cons, as well as the issues to look out for. Here is the link to it

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Managing Weight Loss

What is keto?

Normally, the body uses glucose as its main fuel source for energy. When you follow a keto diet and you eat very few carbohydrates with only moderate amounts of protein (excess protein can be converted into carbohydrates), your body converts its fuel supply to act mostly on fats. The liver produces ketones (a type of fatty acid) from fats. These ketones become a source of fuel for the body, especially the brain, which consumes a lot of energy and can either work on glucose or ketones.

When the body produces ketones, it enters a metabolic state called ketosis. Fasting is the easiest way to achieve ketosis. When you fast or eat less carbohydrates and moderate amounts of protein, your body switches to burning stored fats for energy. This is why people tend to lose more weight on the keto diet.

Benefits of the keto diet

The keto diet isn't new. Its use began in the 1920s as a medical treatment for epilepsy in children, but when antiepileptic drugs appeared on the market, the diet remained a mystery until recently. As the diet succeeds in reducing the number of seizures in patients with epilepsy, more and more research is being done on the ability of the diet to treat a range of neurological disorders and other types of chronic diseases.

Compare standard American diets, paleo, and keto

(As a percentage of your total calories intake)

__________________________C carbohydrates_ protein_fats

Standard American Diet _____ 40-60% _________ 15-30% _________ 15-40%

Paleo Diet _________________ 20-40% _________ 20-35% _________ 25-50%

Q Diet ________________________________ 5-10% __________ 10-15% _________ 70-80%

The main difference between the keto diet and the American diet or the standard paleo diet is that it contains much fewer carbs and fats. It results in the ketogenic diet with circulating ketones in the range of 0.5-5.0 mmol. This can be measured with an at-home blood ketone monitor combined with ketone test strips. (Please be aware that the urine ketone test is not accurate.)

How to formulate the keto diet

1. Carbohydrates

For most people, to achieve ketones (increasing ketones above 0.5 mm) requires them to restrict carbohydrates to somewhere between 20-50 grams (g) / day. The actual amount of carbohydrates varies from person to person. In general, the more insulin resistance a person has, the more ketosis will be. Some athletes with insulin sensitivity who exercise vigorously can consume more than 50 g / day and remain in ketosis, while individuals with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance may need to be closer to 20-30 g / day.

When counting carbohydrates, a person is allowed to use net carbs, that is, total carbohydrates minus fiber and sugar alcohols. The concept of net carbs is to combine only blood sugar and insulin carbohydrates. Fiber has no metabolic or hormonal effect, and so does most sugar alcohols. The exception is maltitol, which can have a mild effect on blood sugar and insulin. Therefore, if maltitol is on the ingredient list, sugar alcohols should not be deducted from total carbohydrates.

The level of carbohydrates one can consume and remain in ketosis may also change over time depending on keto adjustment, weight loss, exercise habits, medications, etc. Therefore, one must measure their ketone levels on a routine basis.

In terms of the general diet, foods rich in carbohydrates such as pasta, grains, potatoes, rice, beans, sugary desserts, soft drinks, juices, and beer are not suitable.

Most dairy products contain carbohydrates in the form of lactose (milk sugar). However, some contain less carbohydrates and can be used regularly. These include hard cheeses (parmesan, cheddar), high-fat soft cheeses (brie), full-fat cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, and sour cream.

A carbohydrate level below 50 g / day is generally divided into the following:

Most people need at least a half gallon of total fluid per day. The best sources are filtered water, coffee, organic tea (regular, caffeine-free, and unsweetened), almond milk, and unsweetened coconut. It is best to avoid diet sodas and soft drinks because they contain artificial sweeteners. If you drink red or white wine, limit yourself to two or two glasses, dryer works best. If you drink spirits, avoid mixed sweetened drinks.

2. Protein

The keto diet is not a protein-rich diet. The reason is that protein increases insulin and can be converted into glucose through a process called glycogenesis, thus inhibiting ketosis. However, the keto diet should not be too low in protein as it can lead to loss of muscle tissue and function.

The average adult needs about 0.8-1.5 grams per kilogram of lean body mass per day. It is important to make the calculation based on lean body mass, not total body weight. The reason is that fat mass does not require protein to maintain, just lean muscle mass.

For example, if an individual weighs 150 pounds (or 150 / 2.2 = 68.18 kg) and has a body fat content of 20% (or 80% lean body mass = 68.18 kg x 0.8 = 54.55 kg), the protein requirement might range from 44 (= 54.55 x 0.8) to 82 (= 54.55 x 1.5) g / day.

Those who are resistant to insulin or follow the keto diet for therapeutic reasons (cancer, epilepsy, etc.) should aim to get close to the minimum protein intake. The upper limit for those who are very active or athletic. For anyone else using the keto diet for weight loss or other health benefits, your daily protein intake could be somewhere in between.

The best sources of high-quality protein include:

3. Fats

After knowing the exact amounts of carbohydrates and proteins to eat, the remainder of the diet will come from fats. The keto diet is necessarily high in fat. If enough fat is consumed, the body weight is maintained. If weight loss is required, one should consume less dietary fat and rely on stored body fats for energy consumption instead.

(As a percentage of your total calories intake)

________________________________ Maintain weight ________ weight

Carbohydrates ____________________ 5-10% ________________ 5-10%

Protein __________________ 10-15% _______________ 10-15%

Fat from diet _____________ 70-80% _______________ 35-40%

Fat from stored body fat ___ 0% ___________________ 35-40%

For individuals who consume 2,000 calories per day to maintain their weight, daily fat intake ranges from around 156 to 178 grams / day. For very large or active individuals who require high energy and who maintain their weight, fat intake may exceed 300 g / day.

Most people can tolerate large amounts of fat, but some conditions such as cholecystectomy may affect the amount of fat that can be consumed in one meal. In this case, eating more frequent meals or using bile salts or pancreatic enzymes rich in lipase may be helpful.

Avoid eating unwanted fats such as polyunsaturated fats and highly purified polyunsaturated vegetable oils, as well as high amounts of polyunsaturated omega-6 fats.

The best foods to get high-quality fats include:

MCT is a specific type of fat that is metabolized differently from regular long chain fatty acids. The liver can use MCTs to produce energy quickly, even before glucose, which allows for increased production of ketones.

Concentrated sources of MCT oil are available as supplements. Many people use it to help achieve ketosis. The only food that is high in MCTs is coconut oil. About two-thirds of coconut fat is derived from MCT.

Who should be careful with the keto diet?

For most people, the keto diet is very safe. However, there are some individuals who need special care and discuss with their doctors before following this diet.

Common concerns with the keto diet

Is keto safe in the long term?

This is an area of some controversy. Although there are no studies indicating any long-term adverse effects of following the keto diet, many experts now believe that the body may develop "resistance" to the benefits of ketosis unless a person gets in and out of it regularly. Additionally, long-term intake of a high-fat diet may not be appropriate for all body types.

The keto diet

Once you are able to produce more than 0.5 mmoliters of ketones in the blood on a consistent basis, it is time to start reintroducing carbohydrates into the diet. Instead of eating just 20-50 grams of carbohydrates per day, you may want to increase it to 100-150 grams on your carbohydrate eating days. Usually, it suffices 2-3 times a week. Ideally, this is also done on strength training days when you actually increase your protein intake.

This approach to cycling may make the diet plan more acceptable for some people who are reluctant to permanently eliminate some of their favorite foods. However, it may also reduce resolve and adherence to the keto diet or lead to binge eating episodes in susceptible individuals. Here is the link to it