The holidays are upon us, which means “work party weight loss” season starts right now.Everyone who failed to achieve the desired shape by the summer or recovered everything from the Turkish abundance of five-star all-inclusive hotels, has already purchased a membership to a fashionable fitness club and is looking for an effective diet.They should pay attention to the currently popular and well-proven keto diet.
From the total rejection of fats to their uncontrolled consumption
More recently, at the end of the 20th century, fats were singled out and persecuted: everyone who was losing weight completely excluded them from their diet, switching to a relatively balanced low-calorie diet.
After low-calorie diets, overweight people switched to protein diets - Dukan, Atkins.
And in recent years, the high-fat ketogenic diet has begun to gain popularity with its almost complete exclusion of carbohydrates, strict control of proteins and uncontrolled consumption of fats that have recently been disgraced.
What is this?Another fashion trend or a new and effective way to lose weight quickly and keep it under control?Let's try to understand it.
From epilepsy to nutrition
What is the keto diet for weight loss?Ketosis, so popular today, dates back to the 1900s, when doctors were looking for an effective remedy to control epilepsy seizures in young patients who were not helped by medications.
They came to the interesting conclusion that absolute fasting not only reduces the number of seizures, but also improves the condition of patients.The only disadvantage of the new method of treatment was that the fast sooner or later ended and the attacks began again.
Then scientists began to look for a remedy similar in effect to the absence of food, but without its disadvantages.They came to the surprising conclusion that the keto diet, based on foods high in fat and without carbohydrates, triggers the same reactions in the body as complete fasting.
Fat protects a lean body
The essence of the keto diet is to change the body's metabolism: it is redesigned in such a way that the body is rebuilt to feed on ketone bodies.Let's take a closer look at the mechanism.
In the absence of simple, easily accessible carbohydrates in the diet, the human body searches for new sources of energy.They become ketones, products of the breakdown of fat reserves.
At first glance, it may seem that the now fashionable keto diet is one of the varieties of the protein diet, but this is not entirely correct.Protein diets limit not only carbohydrates, but also fats, recommending the consumption of low-fat foods.
Excess fat on a keto diet has already been shown to dramatically reduce blood insulin levels, which helps control hunger and sugar cravings.In this way, the body not only switches to feeding itself with its own fat reserves, but also reduces the overall calorie content of the diet.
The keto diet is a diet with a minimal amount of carbohydrates.But to be honest, you're not completely eliminating carbs from your diet.After all, otherwise your body simply would not be able to adequately tolerate physical and intellectual stress.Minimal carbs are hard.It is very important to remember: once your body gets used to this menu, you will feel very good.
The core of the ketogenic diet
Today, there are dozens of types of ketosis-based diets.Everyone limits their carbohydrate intake in one way or another.General recommendations boil down to the following proportions: the diet should be composed in such a way that it contains 70% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbohydrates.
Other nutritionists suggest monitoring not the percentage of macronutrients, but the amount of carbohydrate-rich food: its total volume should not exceed 50 grams per day.
Also, this volume should not consist of sugars, starch and other easily digestible forms of carbohydrates: preference should be given to water-soluble fiber.
What should you eat to reach a state of ketosis?
The keto diet menu should include the following products:
- All types of meat.The main difference between a ketogenic diet and a protein diet is that on it you can eat any meat product without restrictions, regardless of the fat layer, including lard, lard, bacon, loin or ham.
- All kinds of birds.The keto diet places no restrictions on chicken wings, skin-on thighs, or even goose and duck.
- Fish and seafood, including salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna, hake and other fatty fish.
- Dairy and fermented milk products with any fat content.Unlike protein diets, where only low-fat milk is allowed, the “fatter, better” principle applies to keto diets.This approach, by the way, is approved by nutritionists around the world: it has long been proven that calcium, so necessary for our body, is not absorbed from low-fat foods, since it is a fat-soluble element.
- Egg.If there are no problems with cholesterol levels, egg yolks can also be consumed in unlimited quantities.
- Avocado.This amazing product contains oleic acid, which lowers the level of bad cholesterol in the blood and normalizes appetite.
- All kinds of mushrooms.
- All oils: sunflower, olive, butter, all types of nut oil.But you will have to give up margarine.
- Any type of cheese, from the fattiest to the one containing the lowest percentage of fat.Neither goat, nor young mozzarella, nor blue cheese were banned.
- Green vegetables and all kinds of salads.
- Bean curd tofu.
- Shirataki noodles.
- Nuts and seeds.
In extremely limited quantities, you can include unsweetened green fruits and dark chocolate with a maximum cocoa content in your diet.
Carbohydrate taboo
But the following list of foods in the keto diet is strictly prohibited, so if you find it difficult to give up something from this list, you should think about other, gentler diet options.
- All types of sources of fast carbohydrates: include all types of baked goods, candies, sweets, all types of sugar, honey, juices and soda.
- Slow carbohydrates were also banned: all types of bread, pasta, cereals, starch-containing products.
- Sweet fruit and dried fruit.
- Margarine and all kinds of sauces.
- Low-fat foods.
All types of alcohol containing sugar should also be avoided.But sometimes you can treat yourself to cider, light beer or dry wine.
Water is a source of health
All nutritionists in the world give special instructions regarding liquids.Drinking about two liters of clean water a day is considered normal.It is human nature to confuse thirst with hunger and therefore exaggerate with the daily calorie intake.
Insufficient consumption of clean water gives the body a signal about special conditions, and the body begins to store fluid.This is where swelling and sagging skin occurs.Normalizing your water diet has a beneficial effect on fat burning.
The problem of insufficient consumption of all types of protein and keto diets is especially urgent.The lack of fiber in the menu creates some problems with stool and can lead to constipation.Increasing your fluid intake can alleviate this problem to some extent.
On a keto diet, an increase in water consumption (up to 4 liters) is especially important because a person losing weight needs to control the level of ketone bodies, which are excreted in the urine.An improper drinking regime can lead to serious disorders in the body, cause irreversible changes in organs and even cause coma.
Ketoacidosis: a real threat or horror stories from diet opponents?
The keto diet menu is a completely unbalanced diet, and therefore many opponents of this eating style warn about the possibility of developing such a terrible phenomenon as ketoacidosis.What is this?
Nutritionists distinguish three phases in the transition to the consumption of ketone bodies.The first is called the adaptation process, when the body redesigns all its systems for a new diet and learns to extract energy from alternative sources.The second is ketosis itself.The third is diabetic ketoacidosis.
The first two are completely safe for healthy people.Moreover, according to American scientists, they are a forgotten mechanism for organizing human metabolism.An echo of those times when people were hunters and the main source of food was meat, eggs, roots, herbs and rare herbs, fruits, vegetables and berries.
The third condition is pathological, but can develop only in people with type 1 diabetes. According to the same scientists, people whose bodies are able to synthesize insulin are not at risk of ketoacidosis, and the new diet will not cause harm.
However, before starting to practice this type of diet, you must consult a doctor and undergo all the necessary tests.The keto diet is strictly contraindicated for people with bile duct diseases, cholelithiasis, liver, kidney and gastrointestinal tract diseases, and diabetes mellitus.
Fats are the basis of women's health
The keto diet for women has become particularly attractive.It is known that a strong restriction of fats in the diet leads to serious disruptions in the menstrual cycle.Losing weight on a keto diet is considered completely safe for a woman's reproductive health.
Women who have tried this diet write in keto diet reviews that in addition to rapid weight loss, the benefit of this diet is the improvement of the condition of the skin and hair.There is a general rejuvenation of the body.
Quitting the keto diet
Despite the fact that supporters of ketosis strongly insist on the naturalness and safety of the diet with the motto "less carbohydrates - more fats", demanding that such a diet become a dietary style for the rest of life, doctors warn people against such serious experiments.
Eating ketone bodies is not entirely normal for the body and it is unclear what consequences it might lead to in the future.Once you reach your desired weight, nutritionists recommend switching to a more natural and healthy diet with a certain percentage of slow carbohydrates in your diet.
Exiting the keto diet should be consistent, thoughtful, and careful.When you add carbohydrates to your diet, the body will immediately begin to store fat, water, glycogen and everything else that it has been missing for so long.
Before abandoning the keto diet, it is recommended to calculate the amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in your diet.It's quite simple to do: you just need to record everything you eat for several days in one of the calorie tracking programs and then view the average values \u200b\u200bof macronutrient consumption.
In the second phase of exiting the keto diet, you should begin adding 50 grams of complex carbohydrates to your diet weekly, while simultaneously reducing the amount of fat to stay within the limits of your calorie intake.Week after week, weight losers must replace fat with carbohydrates until their BJU percentage reaches the generally accepted norm of 30/20/50.
With this gradual approach, coming off the keto diet will take about 4-5 weeks, but your body will be able to adapt to the new eating style and will not gain weight.
From the Paleolithic to the 21st century
The Mercola Keto diet, also known as the Paleolithic diet, is a variation of the ketogenic diet developed by Optimal Wellness owner Joseph Mercola.
According to the doctor, cereals and all their derivatives have recently appeared in the human diet and are not a natural food for humans.This is confirmed by numerous allergies, for example to gluten and starch.In this regard, he developed a special three-phase weight loss system that has a beneficial effect on the body, heals and rejuvenates it.
According to his theory, you can eat natural milk and fermented milk products based on it, coconut oil, fresh vegetables, vegetable oil, salmon, raw eggs, beef, nuts and ostrich meat.
The first phase of the diet lasts three days, during which rest and the complete exclusion of foods containing carbohydrates are recommended.In the second phase, physical activity and psychologists working in the medical team are involved.Once a person reaches their desired weight, they move into the third phase of weight maintenance, where they remain for the rest of their life.
According to reviews, the Mercola keto diet is very effective and allows you to quickly lose excess weight, but it is quite difficult to tolerate due to the limited diet.From the point of view of other nutritionists, the doctor's methods are very questionable, since raw eggs and unprocessed milk can pose a threat to the body, and permanent rejection of carbohydrates is fraught with disorders in the gastrointestinal tract.
Keto diet: menu of the week
For meat eaters who don't suffer too much from a lack of fruits and grains, a ketogenic diet can be a great choice and weight loss solution.
In the keto diet, the weekly menu looks like this:
Monday
- Breakfast: soft-boiled eggs, avocado.
- Lunch: Chicken soup with broccoli.
- Dinner: mushrooms with asparagus and chicken legs.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with sour cream.
- Lunch: salmon with lettuce.
- Dinner: Ricotta casserole.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: omelette with bacon.
- Lunch: creamy soup, mushrooms and chicken.
- Dinner: fish chops.
Thursday
- Breakfast: Boiled brisket with avocado.
- Lunch: Stewed chicken with cheese, Chinese cabbage salad.
- Dinner: cottage cheese with fermented cooked milk and apple.
Friday
- Breakfast: hard-boiled eggs with cucumber and avocado.
- Lunch: grilled salmon and fresh vegetable salad.
- Dinner: omelette with broccoli and mushrooms.
Saturday
- Breakfast: baked apple with ricotta.
- Lunch: stewed cabbage and pork chop.
- Dinner: yogurt.
Sunday
- Breakfast: omelette with cheese.
- Lunch: chicken legs cooked in cream.
- Dinner: Cottage cheese with sour cream.
Due to the metabolic nature of the ketogenic diet, snacks and in-between meals are usually not necessary, as the feeling of hunger does not occur due to reduced insulin.
Despite some limitations in the food set, the recipes of the keto diet are quite varied and interesting.Among them are all kinds of nut muffins, creamy soups with bacon and cheese, pizza and lasagna made from zucchini, all kinds of grilled and baked vegetables and meats, cutlets and salads.
Dangers and side effects of the diet
Despite rave reviews about the results of the keto diet, most doctors warn against using it long-term.Doctors agree that the keto diet can be followed without harm to health for about two weeks, after which it is necessary to start the diet with the gradual addition of carbohydrates.Extreme bodybuilders use keto for several months, but it's hard to say how this affects their health.
Side effects of the keto diet include:
- The smell of acetone from the mouth, urine and simply from the body.Acetone is a byproduct of the breakdown of fatty tissue in the body.Increasing the water volume to 3-3.5 liters per day will help remove this odor.
- Constipation or diarrhea.
- Dizziness and weakness during the first week in the phase of adaptation of the body and adaptation to ketosis.
- Insomnia and other sleep disorders.
- Frequent urination: carbohydrates retain water;as soon as the body stops receiving them, all the excess liquids and with them the salts necessary for our body are expelled.
- Muscle cramps can result from a severe loss of mineral salts.
- Increased heart rate.
- Loss of appetite.
- Keto flu.Its symptoms are similar to those of the real flu: weakness, muscle pain, malaise.Observed 2-3 days after switching to a carbohydrate-free diet.
Use of the ketogenic diet in medicine
In addition to the centuries-old proven treatment of epilepsy, the effect of the keto diet on the course of multiple sclerosis, autism, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease is currently being studied, as well as in the treatment of some types of cancer.
Scientists have found that some forms of cancer are unable to use ketones as energy, which allows the keto diet to be used as an adjuvant method in cancer treatment.According to data from 2018, this technique has shown the best results in the treatment of glioblastoma.
Research is currently underway on the use of the diet for type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.No publications have yet been presented that confirm or refute the effectiveness of the diet for these diseases.
The ketogenic diet has proven to be an effective method for losing weight without the annoying feeling of hunger and is successfully used by bodybuilders on the eve of the competitive season.