A ketogenic diet is a low carbohydrate diet that forces the body to burn fat for energy instead of glucose. People who support the diet say that it is the best way to get rid of fat and stay or become slim. The diet is also used in medical settings.
Nutrition experts are concerned that this diet may be too restrictive for most people to maintain. Before making the decision to commit to a keto diet, research the pros and cons to see if it is the right fit for you. You should talk to your doctor before going on this diet, especially if you have a medical condition.
What Experts Say
“The ketogenic diet severely limits carbohydrate to force the body to burn fat. However, carbohydrates are limited so much on this diet that veggies and fruit are restricted, which experts agree limits fiber and nutrients. Plus, restriction often promotes long-term weight gain.”
— Willow Jarosh, MS, RD
What is a ketogenic Diet?
A ketogenic diet forces your body to burn ketones for energy instead of sugars from carbohydrates. Ketones are a type of acid that is formed when your body starts to burn stored fat or fat from your diet for fuel instead of carbs. They’re actually a very efficient fuel for your body. The most significant ketone is called beta-hydroxybutyrate or BHB.
On a typical American diet, your body is constantly converting sugar from carbohydrates into energy. If you change to a high-fat diet and restrict your net carbs, your body will start producing ketones for energy. 1. When you go on a low carb diet, your body starts to burn fat for energy.
The goal of a keto diet is to switch your body from running on sugar to running on fat.
How It Works
One way to restrict carbs is to go on a ketogenic diet. However, not all low-carbohydrate diets are ketogenic. Each of the three approaches to low-carb eating has different restrictions on carb intake. The true keto diet is the only one of the three that requires such a low intake of carbs that the body has to relied on ketones for energy.
On a ketogenic diet, your body enters a state of ketosis in which it breaks down fat for energy. The production of ketones is what gives these diets their “keto” name.
The majority of your caloric intake on a ketogenic diet should come from fat. The other 90-95% of your calories come from fat.
Some variation exists in the diet’s structure. Some sources say to consume no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, while others cite up to 50 grams, and many recommend no more than 5% of calories from carbs.
Most meals are focused on foods that are high in fat, such as fatty fish, meat, nuts, cheese, and oils. The keto diet recommends eating certain types of fat. Many authors advise avoiding oils that are high in polyunsaturated omega-6 fats (soy, corn, cottonseed, safflower) because they are considered to be less healthy.
Some other versions of the diet stress the importance of fats that are high in medium-chain triglycerides, such as coconut oil and MCT oil. These particular fats are easily converted into ketones by the body.
On a ketogenic diet, people typically eat a lot of foods that are high in monounsaturated and saturated fats, such as olive oil, butter (from grass-fed cows is recommended), avocado, and cheese. High oleic types of safflower and sunflower oils are often recommended as they contain high levels of monounsaturated fats and low levels of polyunsaturated fats.
You can eat whatever you want as long as it doesn’t have carbohydrates.
Pros and Cons
Since ketosis has been used by the medical community for a long time, there is a lot of research that discusses how it works and why it is effective, especially for treating diseases. It is also helpful for weight loss, although to a lesser degree. If you want to lose weight using the keto diet, you’re likely to see results quickly. This is because cutting out high-carbohydrate foods can lower your overall calorie intake and also help get rid of water weight.
However, there can be negative symptoms while your body is adjusting to ketosis including fatigue, weakness, light-headedness, headaches, mild irritability. Additionally, this way of eating eliminates or severely restricts foods that are high in fiber and other nutrients, which can lead to health problems such as constipation and vitamin or mineral deficiencies.
The final point to make is that diets such as the ketogenic diet are often only adopted for a short period of time. This is because people who don’t have a medical condition may not be willing to give up foods they enjoy or are accustomed to consuming. If you severely restrict your calories or the types of food you eat, you’re likely to see the number on the scale go up instead of down. The long-term effects of ketogenic diets are not well studied, and there is not enough evidence to support their use. Long-term safety and efficacy of the keto diet is still not well understood and more research is needed.
Do You Really Need Carbs?
The dictionary defines carbohydrates as substances that provide the body with energy, such as sugar or starch.
Refined flour and added sugar rapidly convert to blood sugar (glucose). Complex carbohydrates, such as grains and beans, take a longer time to be converted. No matter what, all carbohydrates turn into sugar in the body – and when you eat a lot of carbs, you’ll gain weight.
Throughout your life, you have been told that you need carbohydrates to provide energy, or that your brain can only function properly when glucose is produced from carbs. There is evidence that disproves the myths about low-sugar or low-carbohydrate diets being unhealthy. There are many people who are happy and healthy while following these diets. Instead of running your body on glucose, you can burn fat for fuel. This process produces ketones, which can be used by your body for energy. Your body does not need carbs to produce glucose. It can produce all the glucose it needs from fat or protein.
You only need carbs from vegetables for the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber they supply. You don’t need carbs for good health. In fact, the opposite is true. Refined carbohydrates can have a negative impact on your health by reducing your nutrient levels. Carbs can also turn into fat in your body, which can make it harder to burn fat. The reason you cannot lose weight on a high-carb diet is because of the 3 factors mentioned.
Ketosis Simplified
Your body is in a state of ketosis when it is converting fat into energy. Diets that are referred to as “ketogenic” use a combination of specific foods that put your body into ketosis, a process called ketogenesis.
The goal of the ketogenic diet is to promote ketosis in the body. Your body creates ketones, a type of fuel that is more efficient for your body to use, when you are in ketosis. This fuel is also better for your brain.
The foods that will stop you from being in ketosis are excessive carbs, sugar and high protein. So too will frequent eating.
This is what it’s like to get your body into ketosis: it’s like flipping a switch from using energy from carbs to using energy from fat. You will burn fat automatically throughout the day.
No Counting Calories On The Keto Diet
Most diets are based on calorie counting. It is often said that the key to weight loss is eating fewer calories than you burn, no matter where those calories come from. This is not only wrong but it’s unhealthy.
When you look at the definition of food in the dictionary, you’ll see why:
Food refers to anything that people eat to sustain themselves. It provides energy and promotes growth and repair of tissues. The word “food” comes from an old English word “foda,” which meant nourishment.
It’s not just about getting calories from food, it’s about getting nutrients from those calories. Healthy Keto is all about getting the nutrition you need from the foods you eat.
Different types of calories can have different effects on your hormones. Calories from carbs trigger the most fat-making and fat-storing hormones, while calories from fat trigger those same hormones the least.
In other words, in order to lose fat, you need to eat fat that is approved for the keto diet.
Healthy Keto® Diet Guidelines
When you keep in mind that food is intended to provide nourishment not only calories, there are two principles that form the foundation of a healthy ketogenic diet:
- Eat low carb, high-fat foods that cause you to use your own fat reserves when you’re in ketosis.
- Eat foods that provide all the nutrients your body requires for health.
Don’t Eat Sugar at All
To achieve and maintain ketosis, avoid all forms of sugar and anything that is rapidly converted to sugar such as wheat, corn, rice, cereal, most fruits, etc.
Sugar prevents your body from burning fat as fuel, which is necessary for healthy weight loss.
You need to be aware of what is in all the food and drinks you consume. When checking the nutrition label of a product, be sure to look for sugars or ingredients that turn into sugars.
What to Eat Overview
On the Healthy Ketogenic plan, we recommend the following breakdown of the types of calories you eat:
Fat – 70%
Protein – 20%
Clean Carbs – 5%
Other Carbs – 5%
How It Compares
If you are wondering if the ketogenic diet is for you, it may be helpful to compare it to other diets that are used for medical, athletic, or weight loss purposes.
Atkins
- Allows for higher consumption of fat during Phase 1 of the program
- Limits carbohydrate intake
- Includes some keto-friendly foods in the food plan
- Encourages higher consumption of low-glycemic carbohydrates in later phases of the diet
Low-carbohydrate diets
- All variations restrict carbohydrate intake, although generally not as much as the ketogenic diet. Most low-carb diets recommend an intake of at least 20–30% of your calories from carbs—much higher than that of a keto diet.
- Meals are often built around vegetables and fat intake is usually not restricted.
Scarsdale diet
- This diet was also developed in a medical setting, popular in the 1970s, often compared to Atkins, and promised quick weight loss
- The eating program was highly restrictive, limiting both calories and carbohydrates. However, those who consumed this diet ate more foods high in protein.
- The Scarsdale diet is no longer as popular as it once was due, in part, to the criticism it received from nutrition experts.
Department of Agriculture (USDA). The ketogenic diet is wildly different from what the USDA recommends. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 20% to 35% of an adult’s calories should come from fat, with an emphasis on healthy fat, according to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The recommendation for carbohydrate intake is 45-65% of calories, and 10-35% for protein.
The USDA recommends that people consume 22-34 grams of dietary fiber each day. It would be hard for people on a ketogenic diet to eat enough fiber, because it is a carbohydrate.
Keto Meal Plans Simplified
If you want to stick to a healthy keto diet, it is much easier to do so when you plan your meals in advance.
If you have never cooked multiple meals at one time, think about how you can plan your meals in advance. This can help you save time and money in the long run. The salmon from Monday night can be part of your lunch on Tuesday. You can have steamed broccoli or Brussels sprouts with your steak tonight and put them on your salad tomorrow. Add olive oil to your vegetables for a healthy, low carb meal.
You don’t need to follow a long list of recipe ingredients. You can use quick and easy recipes for busy weeknights.
You will save time by not eating as often. When your body is in ketosis, you will experience a decrease in appetite and will naturally eat fewer times per day. When you do not eat for specific periods of time, it is called intermittent fasting. This will help you save money. Most people keeping to a keto diet or intermittent fasting are eating two meals a day, some even just one. This is called OMAD (one-meal-a-day).
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