Are you interested in knowing all the details of the ketogenic dietalso known as keto, if you are thinking of losing weight. Although we already told you that there is healthier options that you could ask your doctor before taking the step.
It is a diet that consists, although it may sound paradoxical, of increasing fat intake and reducing carbohydrate intake. So that? very simple, for lose more body fat. And the truth is that it works, that seems to be proven, although before launching to do it you should know that a nutritionist maybe I would not recommend it to you for being too unbalanced (some people miss more fruits and vegetables) and, to make matters worse, it would entail health risks to practice it for too long.
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On the other hand, one of the great attractions of this diet for those who are considering losing weight is that it is highly effective and, above all, that those who practice it you don’t have to go hungry, something that sounds Chinese to most people who have gone through diets throughout their lives. Let’s get into the matter!
ketosis based diet
As we mentioned at the beginning, the keto diet It consists of eating low carbohydrates, a moderate intake of protein and, you read correctly, an increased consumption of fat. The purpose of all this is to put the body in operation: the reduction of carbohydrates in meals puts the body into a metabolic state which is known as ketosis. During this phase, the body consumes the ingested fat for energy.
And so that there are no doubts, the RAE gives a more precise definition of ketosis: “pathological alteration due to excess ketones in the blood”. Which, put another way, comes to say that ketosis is a state in which the body uses fats and ketones (instead of glucose) to get that energy we were talking about before.
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That said, and without getting too technical, it should be noted that glucose is stored in the liver and is released depending on energy needs of the body. Therefore, when we reduce the consumption of carbohydrates, glucose stores are reduced. And this, folks, is where ketosis as an energy source comes into play. During this phase, ketone bodies are created in the liver from the fat ingested or accumulated in the body, seeking the required energy.
In fact the liver is constantly in the process of producing ketones, even when following a common and varied diet. Of course, at night our liver produces ketones in smaller quantities. However, when the body decreases the amount of glucose or insulin, the body creates more ketones to provide energy to our brain.
Who can do the ketogenic diet?
We stop getting intense to go into detail who can benefit from this particular type of diet. From the outset, we have already commented that it is not a balanced pattern to lose weight. In fact, originally was specifically designed to treat diseases such as refractory epilepsy or rare metabolic diseases. In these cases, it should be noted that the ketogenic diet is part of the treatment and, obviously, requires medical control and supplementation.
However, it is also true that it is very effective for burning fat. The ketogenic diet has been shown to cause objective fat loss and increased muscle mass, hence it may be recommended for weight loss in very specific situations:
When someone he’s on a diet but he’s stuck in weight loss: In these cases it may be effective to resort to this type of regimen for a short period of time (between two weeks and a month). Needless to say that it doesn’t work for everyone, but it can be a shock to lose weight (although you should never do it for more than a month in a row). Of course, we always take it for granted that it is something that is supervised by a nutritionist.
When our end is change eating habits and leave behind pastries, sweets or ultra-processed foods that, as you well know, are very rich in unhealthy carbohydrates. In these situations, a slightly more ketogenic pattern could be beneficial, but always, we insist, for a limited period of time. How many? The right one to adopt better habits when sitting at the table.
Foods yes and foods no
Here we show you the most suitable foods for your keto diet to be successful as effective as possible. We will start with those of animal origin, to continue with vegetables and we will end with fatty foods.
The animal source foods They are fully recommended. Both meat and fish or eggs are high-protein foods, and let’s not forget that the goal of the diet is to reduce carbohydrates while adding protein and fat. So these products are ideal, although it is worth bearing in mind that the cooking technique to be used, since battered and fried They contain high percentages of carbohydrates. Hence, the best and most recommended way to prepare these products is grilled.
speaking of vegetables it is necessary to make it clear that its consumption contributes very small amounts of carbohydratestherefore they are highly recommended. But, as always, there is an exception: tubers and their excessive consumption. So we would have to focus mainly on vegetables and greens (peppers, tomatoes, onions, etc.). And of course, fruit is omitted because its high levels of fructose could break the ketosis process. We only give the avocado a thumbs up (yes, it’s a fruit).
And finally, within fatty foods, such as vegetable oils or nuts, the following would be included. within the meats, special mention to the red one, the steak, the sausages, the ham, the bacon and the chicken. If we plan to eat fatty fish, there would be salmon, trout, mackerel or tuna. When it comes to enjoying unprocessed cheeseswe also have to choose between cheddar, goat, creamy, blue,… And we leave those for last nuts and seeds how much play they give when one is on a diet. Some examples would be walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
And with this we believe that you would already have everything you need to get down to work. Well, all but one thing. Remember that, before starting a diet, it is essential to make a visit to the endocrinologist because changes in diet must always be supervised by a professional and regulated based on our body. Once he has given you the OK, his thing is to get a good arsenal of recipes to lose weight with the ketogenic diet. Courage, brave!
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