Do you know what the ketogenic diet is? Have you ever heard of the name ketogenic diet? If you are looking for fast slimming and weight loss, try this diet. But it is better to familiarize yourself with it first. The ketogenic or keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat, and high-protein diet. To learn more about this diet, read the rest of the article.
What is a ketogenic diet?
To better understand the ketogenic diet, consider a dual-fuel car. This car can be started with either gas or gasoline. But this car has always worked with gas; now it runs out of gas in the middle of the road and turns off.
What are you doing? Well, it is clear that you hit the gas button because you can use alternative fuel.
Even with gasoline, your car will run better and faster. Our body is also like this machine. It has two types of fuel: carbohydrates and fats. Now what happens when he runs out of carbs?
It certainly won’t leave you in the middle because you can use ketones instead of carbohydrates. Ketone is a molecule containing fat that is produced in the absence of sugar in the body to be used as fuel for energy.
In this diet, the consumption of carbohydrates is greatly reduced and reaches 5%, while the consumption of fats is very high. It may seem strange to you how a high-fat diet (meaning healthy fats such as coconut oil, olive oil, etc.)
can help you lose weight; While we have heard many times that to lose weight, we should not consume fat, join us to solve this challenge for you.
This regimen was first used to treat epileptic patients, but currently, one of the most popular diets is for weight loss. In the low-carb diet, the consumption of carbohydrates is drastically reduced (about 5%), and fats replace it.
Reducing the consumption of carbohydrates and increasing the consumption of fat puts the body in a state of ketosis.
What exactly is ketosis?
The body’s main fuel for providing energy is carbohydrates (sugar or glucose); but in the ketogenic diet, where there is no carbohydrate, the body turns to fat for fuel.
The scientific name for this change in the state of the body, from glucose burning to fat burning, is ketosis.
What are the types of ketogenic diets?
In general, there are 4 types of ketogenic diets: the standard ketogenic diet, the cyclical or periodic ketogenic diet, the targeted ketogenic diet, and the high protein ketogenic diet, which we will explain below.
In the definition of the types of foods in this diet, you will come across the term macronutrients, which we must explain first. The food that we consume on a daily basis falls into two categories.
Micronutrients and macronutrients Macronutrients include the three main categories of fat, protein, and carbohydrates, and micronutrients include vitamins and minerals.
Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD): Suitable for Beginners
The proportion of macronutrients in this diet is 75% fat, 15-20% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrates.
This type of diet includes 5% carbohydrates, 20% protein, and 75% fat, meaning that its fat content is higher. In the standard ketogenic diet, all main meals and snacks are based on fats such as avocados, butter, healthy oils, fatty fish and meats, olives, and olive oil.
In this daily diet, the amount of fat consumed should be something equivalent to three-quarters of a cup of olive oil.
It is better to use non-starchy vegetables, such as carrots, spinach, broccoli, etc., and low-carb fruits, such as berries and melons. Also, the amount of protein consumption is moderate; that is, about 112 grams of meat, fish, or chicken per serving.
Cyclic Ketogenic Diet (CKD): Suitable for Athletes
The ratio of macronutrients in this diet is: 75% fat, 15-20% protein, and 5-10% carbohydrates on keto or low-carb diet days; 25% fat, 25% protein, and 50% carbohydrates on free days.
A cyclical ketogenic diet is an easier way to add fat to your diet. It makes you have a more balanced diet on free days. One of the types of this periodic diet consists of five days of the standard ketogenic diet and two days of the non-ketogenic diet during the week.
Some people prefer to save their days off for special occasions, such as holidays, birthdays, and weddings.
For best results, we recommend that you consume healthy carbohydrates, such as fruits, starchy vegetables, dairy products, and whole grains (except processed or sugary foods), on days off.
Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD): Suitable for Bodybuilders
The proportion of macronutrients in this diet is: 65-70% fat, 20% protein, and 10-15% carbohydrates. The targeted ketogenic diet is common among athletes and active people who have chosen the keto diet and need more carbohydrates.
In this diet, people are allowed to consume 20–30% carbohydrates before and after exercise in order to increase the intensity of their exercise (the amount of carbohydrates consumed throughout the day is 70–80 grams).
Ketogenic diet with high protein: suitable for people with intense physical activity
The ratio of macronutrients in this diet is 60–65% fat, 30% protein, and 5–10% carbohydrates.
In this type of keto diet, it is necessary to consume 120 grams of protein, or four servings of 115 grams of red meat, fish, or chicken, and about 130 grams of fat.
Carbohydrates are still limited and account for less than 10% of daily calories. Many people prefer this diet because they can consume more protein and less fat than on the standard keto diet.
Of course, this type of diet may not lead to ketosis because protein, just like carbohydrates, can be converted into glucose and used as fuel. However, in general, this type of ketogenic diet also leads to weight loss.
What are the benefits of the ketogenic diet?
The ketogenic diet has many benefits. It helps you to:
- Feel less hungry.
- Improve the function of your hormones.
- Have more beautiful skin.
- Burn more fat.
- Maintain your muscle tissue.
- Make your mind more alert and focused.
Fatty liver and the ketogenic diet have a good relationship. Add the following options to these benefits:
1: Helping you lose weight
The keto diet is an effective way to lose weight. In this way, without counting calories, it is easy to lose weight. One study showed that people who followed a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 times more weight than those who followed a low-fat, low-calorie diet.
2: Reducing the feeling of hunger
Ketosis is also a good option for reducing appetite. If you eat a standard (high-carb) diet, you will experience extreme fluctuations in blood sugar. This increases the feeling of hunger.
When you enter ketosis, you use fat for energy. Your blood sugar stays at a low and healthy level. Healthy fat is converted into ketones by the liver. This process will eliminate your hunger.
3: Increase metabolism
Ketosis naturally boosts metabolism, so don’t be afraid of fat calories. By doing this, you convert healthy fats into useful ketones for the brain and heart and use them as fuel.
According to calculations made in ketosis, men burn 450 calories and women burn 150 more per day.
4: Prevention of diabetes
One of the benefits of the keto diet is that you can lose excess body fat. Considering that these extra fats are closely related to type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes, we can conclude that this diet is good for diabetics.
Metabolic syndrome is a set of risk factors such as high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess fat around the abdomen, and elevated blood lipids that occur together and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
The important point here is that this diet is not recommended for type 1 diabetics, and type 2 diabetics should also use this diet with caution and under the supervision of a doctor.
5: Preventing the development of cancer
One of the characteristics of cancer cells is that they feed on carbohydrates, or blood sugar, for their growth. When you follow a keto or low-carb diet, your blood sugar will also decrease due to the reduction in carbohydrates.
This state is called cancer cell starvation. When cancer cells are not fed or starved, the possibility of tumor development is minimized.
6: Treatment of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
One of the causes of polycystic ovary syndrome is increased insulin levels. When insulin levels rise, the ovary becomes larger than normal, and cysts form around it.
The ketogenic diet causes a decrease in the level of insulin in the body (due to a decrease in carbohydrate consumption and thus a decrease in blood sugar level); therefore, it plays an important role in the treatment of this disease.
Side effects of the ketogenic diet
This diet may help you lose weight at first, but it also has risks that could endanger your health. Because the main fuel of the brain and the nervous system is glucose, when carbohydrates are limited, the efficiency of the nervous system decreases significantly, and boredom, lack of concentration, and aggression bother the person and the people around them. The ketogenic diet has the following side effects:
1: Serious muscle loss is one of the side effects of keto
There is muscle loss in the ketogenic diet. Studies show that people who follow this diet lose muscle even if they do resistance training. This may be related to the fact that for muscle building after resistance exercises, the effect of protein alone is less than the effect of protein and carbohydrates together.
Also, according to a study, people who follow a keto diet for three months lose the same amount of weight and lose muscle mass as compared to people who follow other slimming diets. With the difference that ketogenic people lose more leg muscle volume.
Losing muscle mass with age has serious consequences. Muscle weakness is the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the elderly.
2: Keto causes the possibility of kidney stones by putting pressure on the kidneys.
Kidney stones are a possible side effect of the ketogenic diet. The study, published in the Journal of Pediatric Neurology, showed that among children who had a keto diet as a treatment for epilepsy, out of 195 patients, 13 developed kidney stones. If you have a history of stones, consult your doctor.
3: Keto is dangerous for diabetics.
Carbohydrates help control blood sugar levels. For this reason, it is especially important for people with diabetes. A study published in May 2018 in the Journal of Diabetes Medicine suggests that the keto diet may help control hba1c levels (the two- to three-month average of blood sugar). It may also cause hypoglycemic episodes, which increases the risk of hypoglycemia.
The same thing happens to people with type 2 diabetes. Some early research suggests that the keto diet may be safe and effective for some people with type 2 diabetes, but there is still a risk of low blood sugar, especially for people who take insulin.
In some food groups, the keto diet is not known to benefit people with type 2 diabetes or harm them. For example, a study published in September 2016 in the journal Nutrients highlights the importance of whole grains in helping with weight control as well as controlling high blood sugar.
Whole grains are limited in this diet. The best course of action is to consult a medical professional before starting.
4: A ketogenic diet can lead to dehydration and loss of electrolytes.
Cutting carbs suddenly prepares your body for a variety of complications. The brain’s favorite fuel is glucose, which is easily made from carbohydrates.
In low-carb diets, the brain has to use ketones from digested fats for energy. To help with this, your kidneys release more electrolytes as insulin levels drop.
As a result, what is known as keto flu occurs. Keto flu can cause constipation, nausea, headache, fatigue, irritability, cramps, and other symptoms. Of course, many of these symptoms are short-term and only last a few weeks or so.
To help the body deal with these symptoms, be sure to drink a lot of water. Call your doctor if symptoms persist, especially nausea.
5: It causes muscle cramps.
Muscle cramps, especially leg cramps, are one of the most common side effects of the ketogenic diet. This cramp happens mostly in the early morning or at night.
Generally, this is a very minor issue. Cramped muscles indicate a lack of minerals, especially magnesium, in the body. Drink enough fluids and add salt to your food. This will increase magnesium, and this problem will be solved.
6- It causes skin rashes.
This diet causes itching and skin rashes in some people. To solve this problem, it is better to wear more suitable clothes and sweat.
It is also good to take a bath after sweating. It is better to eat more carbohydrates or change your physical activities.
7: Bone minerals are lost
When the bicarbonate, the extracellular fluid, and then the pH of the blood decrease, the blood becomes acidified, or in “acidosis”.
In this case, the bones of the body begin to lose their minerals, and therefore the amount of calcium excreted in the urine increases.
Not allowed foods in the keto diet
In the ketogenic diet, consumption of a series of foods and fruits is not allowed. These foods have a high percentage of carbohydrates. Below is a list of these foods:
- Sweet foods: all kinds of cakes and ice creams, candies, etc.
- starch: wheat, rice, pasta, cereals, etc.
- Legumes: peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
- Diet or low-fat foods: These are processed foods that are high in carbohydrates.
- Condiments: These foods contain sugar and unhealthy fats.
- Unhealthy fats: processed vegetable oils
- Most fruits, except some berries,
Not allowed drinks in the keto diet
Not allowed drinks in the ketogenic diet are drinks that are high in carbohydrates. like the:
- Soft drinks
- Fruit juice
- Energy drinks
- smoothie
- milkshake
- Beer
- soy milk
- Coconut milk
Allowed food in the keto diet
- Red meat, steak, ham, sausage, chicken, and turkey
- Salmon, tuna, and mackerel
- All kinds of eggs
- Butter and cream
- Unprocessed cheese
- Linseed
- MCT oils (MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides), which are easier to digest than long-chain fatty acids. This oil is popular among athletes. Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil
- salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric, curry powder, ginger powder, cinnamon, and mint
- Low-carb vegetables, green vegetables, tomatoes, onions, and peppers
Allowed drinks in the keto diet
- Water
- Tea
- Coffee
- Diet soda
Allowed snacks in the keto diet
For a snack, you can also use low-carb foods, such as eggs, cheese, and avocado. Of course, be sure not to use processed cheese.
Nuts are a good option for a snack, but almost none of them are low-carb. Therefore, you should be careful not to overuse them.
An example of a ketogenic diet
- Breakfast: vegetable omelette: egg + 3 tablespoons chopped tomato + 1 tablespoon chopped onion + 2 tablespoons + chopped spinach + butter
- Lunch: chicken + butter + 77 grams of olives + cheese + olive oil + 2 tablespoons of pesto sauce (Pesto sauce: half a glass of chopped basil + 1 tablespoon of olive oil + 37 ounces of Parmesan cheese + 1 clove of garlic + 2 walnuts)
- Dinner: salmon—the fatter it is, the better. + mayonnaise + 67 grams of spinach + olive oil + half a lemon
What supplements should we take on the ketogenic diet?
A low-carb or ketogenic diet restricts or eliminates many foods. In order not to suffer from nutrient deficiency, you have to take supplements.
Of course, some of these supplements also reduce the symptoms of ketosis and improve people’s performance during exercise.
These supplements include magnesium, MCT oil, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, digestive enzymes, and sports performance-enhancing supplements.
MCTs are medium-chain triglycerides that are broken down by the liver and enter the bloodstream very quickly. There, they can be used as a source of energy for the brain and muscles.
Although some of these supplements are not necessary, they help strengthen the body’s immune system and improve sports performance.
Celebrities in favor of the keto diet or low-carb diet
The keto diet has also attracted some celebrities and has many fans among them. Some pro-keto celebrities, such as Halle Berry, Kourtney Kardashian, Vanessa Hudgens, Kim Kardashian, Jenna Jameson, and Al Rocker, believe that contrary to popular misconceptions about fats, the keto diet is great.
Jenna Jameson had gained a lot of weight after the birth of her daughter, but she was able to lose 40 kilos with the keto diet.
Celebrities against the keto diet
This diet is not liked by all celebrities; for example, Kelly Ripa (an actress and presenter from the United States) believes that we should not limit ourselves to any particular food.
Kelly believes that we should eat whatever we like, but let’s not forget sports. Jillian Michaels is so opposed to this diet that she calls it an unhealthy diet and says, “I don’t recommend this diet at all.”
Now that you know what the ketogenic diet is, if you are interested in it for weight loss and have decided to use this low-carb diet to lose weight, you must know that it is true that the ketogenic diet has attracted many fans and celebrities these days.
So normal people are looking for this diet, but remember that following this diet is only allowed for a short period of time, and the only way to keep the weight stable after the period is over is to follow the weight stabilization diet.
On the other hand, our body needs all food groups, even carbohydrates. However, if you are still interested in trying this diet, you can try Dr. Kermani’s ketogenic diet.
Frequently asked questions about the ketogenic diet
1. How long can the ketogenic diet continue?
Since this diet restricts many foods and this restriction causes damage to the body over time, it cannot be continued for a long time. It is suggested to use this diet only for 1 to 3 months.
2. What should we do after losing weight with the ketogenic diet so that we don’t regain weight?
After the ketogenic diet, you need to go on the weight stabilization diet to keep your weight stable. In the weight-stabilization diet after the keto diet, you may gain a few kilos, which is not a concern at all, and soon your weight will decrease and remain stable.
3. What is the amount of weight loss on the keto diet?
Most people who follow a ketogenic diet lose half to 2.5 kilos in the first week. However, keep in mind that this weight loss is mostly from water stored in your body and not fat.
4: Am I allowed to drink coffee on the keto diet?
If you drink coffee plain and without sugar, there is no problem with drinking it on the keto diet.
5—Can rice and bread be consumed in the keto diet?
Since this diet is a low-carb diet, it is better to avoid rice and bread and use low-fat meat or healthy fats (such as olive oil, coconut oil, etc.).