What is keto diet ?If you are reading this, you belong to either of these two groups of people; you are either well informed when it comes to ketogenic diet or you need keto diet explained as this is your first time encountering the term, whichever group you belong to, this article is very right for you.Why?
Well, as a matter of fact, you could have been misinformed if you had heard about it before as the ketogenic diet plan is probably the most popular plan in the nutrition world, especially when it comes to weight loss, so there is a lot right and wrong information there.
Also, if you are new to it, this is the best place to get all the right information you need. So, shall we?
So, What Is Keto Diet
A keto diet is a diet characterized by a high-fat and then adequate-protein but very low carbohydrate. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather thanĀ carbohydrates by providing little carbohydrate in the daily diet intake. We all know that the human body burns carbohydrate for energy but ketogenic diet provides the body with more fat and less carbohydrate so the liver is tasked with converting the fats into ketone bodies and also fatty acids, the ketone bodies then moves to the brain and thereby successfully replaces glucose as an energy source.
When this successfully happens, then the body is in a state of ketosis and after some days to about few weeks, the body and brain gets quite efficient at converting ketones and fats into energy instead of carbohydrates as it has been.
The facts could go on and on but letās stop here and answer the question thatās probably in your mind already.
āDoes ketogenic diet work?ā
And the answer is yes!
Keto diet works for most people, you just might need to first understand that it is different from other diet plans and do not confuse it for other common diet plans like Low carb diet and others that are similar.
When it comes to keto diet and the percentage of calories to be consumed daily, the carbohydrate should be about 5 ā 8%, while the fats and protein can be about 60 ā 80% and 12 ā 30% respectively.
There could be some level of flexibility here because it is already a very restrictive diet plan, there is a little room to get your meal to your usual taste and liking, although it still does not make a huge difference but it might help a little.
What Is Keto Diet
Since this is probably your first time of hearing about keto diet, it will be right to take time to explain properly what ketosis is.If we go back a bit to our definition of Ketogenic diet, we will discover that we referred to the body burning fats instead of carbohydrate, ketosis is simply the process of how the body converts ketone bodies to energy, at this state the blood is full of ketones.
Ketosis is a state of which there are raised levels of ketone bodies in the body tissues, which is typically pathological in conditions such as diabetes or maybe the result of a diet that is extremely low in carbohydrates.
Keto Diet Vs Low Carb Diet
There is a lot of controversies when it comes to this as many people are confused about what separates a keto diet from a low carb diet but the difference is very clear.
For instance, we know that a low carb diet is a type of diet plan that involves the reduction on the daily intake of carbohydrates mainly from grains, bread, legumes, fruits, pasta, starchy vegetables, nuts etc., and focuses on proteins.
This infers that the major similarity between a keto diet and low carb diet is how they try to expel the consumption of carbohydrate in the daily food intake but this is also a major difference that they have.
| Keto diet | Low carb diet |
| Restricted to fewer than 50 grams of daily carbohydrate intake | The range is between 50 ā 150 grams of carbohydrate per day |
| Protein intake should be very moderate | Here, protein intake can be high |
| More extreme adaptation phase than low carb | Less extreme adaptation phase than keto |
| Increase in the daily intake of saturated fats/monounsaturated fats. | Does not involve a high-fat diet |
| More restrictive than low carb | Less restrictive than keto |
Basic Steps To Take
Do you like the diet plan so far, do you think it is right for you?
Here is what is expected of you;
- Seek consultation from a health care provider: It is best to seek consultation from your health care provider to reduce the possible risk of complications. There are major and minor differences in each body systems, the health care provider is in the best position to tell you which diet plan will suit you the most and will be your go-to person in the case of any complication.
- Have a knowledge base of what to consume or not: Do a proper search for what to take or just follow what your health care provider says. Although dietitianĀ Kristen Mancinelli, RD, the author ofThe Ketogenic Diet: A Scientifically Proven Approach to Fast, Healthy Weight Loss says it is best to start with between 20 and 30 grams (g) of carbohydrates per day.
What Is Keto Diet
Basically, avoid foods with high carbs like fruits, sweets, pasta, rice, to mention but a few and focus on meats, butter, oily fish, whole eggs, oils etc.
- Talk about it: This is something worth discussing with those close to you especially those you share a meal with, it could be family, spouse or roommates. This clears the air as they are well informed that your diet and eating pattern might have to change, also add that it might be for a short period as the keto diet plan was not designed for a long term, it is quite important to inform the people that matter because they could also help you stay on track in the long run.
- Home-cooked meals: Since this is a special diet plan, you will not always find the right combination, you might need to learn some basic meal recipes for a true keto diet so you can cook your meals at home. You will always need to focus on low carb and high fat intake, of course, protein is not left out but it must be moderate, as Ginger Hultin,Ā a Seattle-based registered dietitian, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition said: āthis is not a diet where you watch carbs only ā you also have to keep your protein intake moderateā.
- Always consult your health care provider: You might think this is repetition but it is not, it is a gentle reminder. There is quite an enormous volume of information on the internet and many people make mistakes by relying totally on this, please do not do that.
Okay, with the above information, you are almost if not fully ready to begin your keto diet plan, so, happy weight losing!
*Download Free E book Ketogenic Diet 101
