If you’re new to the keto diet, it can be hard to know where to start. First, it’s important to consult with a doctor before starting the diet.
If you’re on any type of medication, you may need to take extra care to make sure that the keto diet will not interfere with your health.
This diet basically focuses on consuming fat and avoiding carbs. Carbohydrates provide the body with the energy it needs to perform daily tasks. The ketogenic diet swaps these glucose calories with fat to fuel the body.
A typical keto diet nutrition plan revolves around fatty foods, which comprise 60 to 80% of your daily calories. A moderate amount of protein and low amounts of carbohydrates make up the remaining daily calories.
Here is a beginner’s guide to starting a keto diet.
1 What Is A Ketogenic Diet?
A ketogenic diet is a diet high in fats and low in carbohydrates. By restricting the number of carbohydrates in the diet, the body is forced to burn fats to produce energy. In this way, the body is able to use up its stored fats.
It has a number of benefits, including weight loss and disease management. It is also used to manage type II diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Moreover, it may also decrease water weight.
During the diet, you should consume fats that are rich in medium-chain triglycerides. This type of fat is easily converted by the body into ketones. A ketogenic diet usually involves the intake of fats such as butter, olive oil, avocados, and cheese.
2 What Is Ketosis?
Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body produces more ketones than glucose. When your body enters ketosis, it uses fats to generate energy instead of carbs.
Ketones are metabolites produced by the liver when the body lacks glucose for energy. This causes the body to burn fat instead of glucose, a process known as ketosis.
The benefits of ketosis are many – they can help with weight loss, inflammation, and quitting carbohydrate addiction. You can enter ketosis by restricting carbohydrates or fasting. However, you should know that this will cause uncomfortable side effects that are usually temporary.
If you’re not comfortable going completely keto, you can start by eating about 50 grams of net carbs each day. Eventually, you can reduce your carb intake to twenty to thirty grams.
3 Types of Ketogenic Diets
If you want to lose weight, you may want to know more about the different types of ketogenic diets available. Each type has its own set of benefits and risks, so you should choose the type that is right for you.
1. Standard Ketogenic Diet
The Standard Ketogenic Diet was originally designed to treat epilepsy patients. Because it’s very restrictive, this diet includes very low carbohydrates and a moderate amount of protein. This diet contains 10% carbs, 20% protein, and 70% fats. Most of the calorie intake should come from fat, and carbohydrates should be only a small part of the total diet. Some people may find this diet too restrictive.
2. High Protein Ketogenic Diet
The High Protein Ketogenic Diet has higher protein and lower carbohydrates than the Standard Ketogenic Diet. It contains about 35% protein, 60% fat, and 5% carbs. The most basic difference between the two diets is the amount of protein they contain. The high-protein ketogenic diet is similar to the regular ketogenic diet but has more protein.
3. Targeted Ketogenic Diet
Targeted keto dieting involves consuming very few carbohydrates and a higher percentage of fat and protein. However, you can add carbs to your diet around workouts. It should be used in conjunction with moderate-intensity exercise. One advantage of the targeted keto diet is that it is perfect for people who want to keep their energy levels high. It is similar to the cyclical keto diet but also allows athletes to time their carb intake around their workouts.
4. Cyclical Ketogenic Diet
This type of keto diet involves keto days and non-keto days. For example, you can follow a keto diet for 5 days followed by 2 non-keto diet days where you can eat carbs. Cyclical ketogenic diets are not clinically proven. However, some research suggests that they can be beneficial for some people. These studies show that cyclical ketosis has a link to an increase in lean body mass and athletic performance. However, the main goal of the cyclical ketogenic diet is to get the body into a state of ketosis.
4 Health Benefits of the Keto Diet
If you are considering a ketogenic diet, you may be wondering about the health benefits. There are many. Here are a few.
1. Weight Loss
Ketogenic diets help you lose weight by reducing the intake of foods high in carbohydrates. The main purpose of the ketogenic diet is to force your body into a state of ketosis. It is a metabolic state where fats are used for energy instead of carbohydrates.
2. Heart Disease
Studies show that a ketogenic diet may help reduce cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. However, the long-term effects of this diet are not yet clear.
3. Alzheimer’s Disease
One of the many benefits of the Keto diet is its potential to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The diet can prevent cognitive decline by eliminating sugar, which increases inflammation in the body.
4. Cancer
A recent study has linked a ketogenic diet to the suppression of glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer. However, this diet has not proven to be effective against other forms of brain cancer.
5. Parkinson’s Disease
The ketogenic diet has several health benefits, including improved cognitive performance in patients with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological diseases.
6. Epilepsy
The ketogenic diet may be able to help individuals with epilepsy reduce seizures and improve their quality of life.
7. Brain Injuries
Researchers have found that a ketogenic diet can improve the cognitive ability of patients who have suffered brain injuries.
