Facts About The Ketone Diet You Need To Know

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Before you try keto diet, you should know that it is low in carbohydrates but high in fat.

Remember the recommended low fat diets? In 1990, we were told that replacing standard cookies and chips with those labeled "low fat" would be our ticket to easy weight loss and better health. Today we have the complete opposite - low carb, high fat - a diet called ketone diet or keto diet for short. Holly Berry, Kim Kardashian and Megan Fox are her fans.

More than 7 million Instagram posts are marked as #keto. More than 1 million people are searching keto diet on Google every month.

Despite its popularity, the ketone diet has its opponents. As early as May, Gillian Michaels defined the keto diet as a fad that did not work for most people. There are also some side effects associated with this regimen that need to be considered, including a condition called keto flu.

What is a ketone diet?

The diet of the average person contains about 55% carbohydrates, 30% fat and 15% protein. During the keto diet, you eat a lot more fat as well as much less carbohydrates: 80% of food consists of fat, 15% is protein, and only 5% of calories come from carbohydrates. For someone who needs to eat 1,500 calories a day, that means they will eat 19 grams of carbs a day, which is less than an average-sized apple.

Why is the restriction of carbohydrates?

Well, your body's favorite fuel is carbohydrates, so it will always turn to them first. If you eat less carbohydrates, your body will burn fat faster. When this happens, the body goes into a state of ketosis.

Is the keto diet effective for weight loss?

What Becky Kirkenbush, a clinical nutritionist at the Watertown Regional Medical Center, says, carbohydrates contain more water than protein or fat, so when you stop eating them, your body no longer retains much water. As a result, the scale may weigh a few pounds less and you may look a little thinner.

But what does science say?

The results are different. In a Spanish study of 20 overweight adults, participants were subjected to a low-calorie keto diet and lost an average of 18 pounds in four months. Another small experiment has a similar result. Within a six-month study, 83 obese adults underwent keto diet. They lost an average of 12 pounds and had lowering their bad cholesterol (LDL) levels and raising their good (HDL) cholesterol.

But all this research over time is very small, and not all research on the keto diet is so promising. A study by the American Society of Clinical Nutrition on 20 participants found that those on a keto diet did not lose more weight than those on a non-keto diet. But those who have been on the keto diet have more mood swings and higher levels of inflammation, which are associated with a variety of conditions, including heart disease and cancer.

Heather Wharton, a 35-year-old business relationship manager from Tampa, Florida, lost 95 pounds after starting the keto diet in January 2016. I plan to stay on the keto diet for the rest of my life, Wharton said. A typical eating day for Wharton includes coffee with a protein supplement, a glass of unsweetened cashew milk, cauliflower with turkey and liquid amino acids (carbohydrates without soy sauce substitutes), spinach, six slices of turkey bacon, six eggs and a little salsa.

Others believe keto diet for a short-term weight loss solution. Tyler Drew, a 34-year-old real estate agent from Los Angeles, used the keto diet to lose 38 pounds in six months before returning to the traditional diet. Drew's cholesterol levels improved significantly during the keto diet.

But for some people, the keto diet doesn't work

For some, ketosis can cause more negative than positive effects. Dorina Road, a 52-year-old author and lecturer from California, has been on the keto diet for a month and often has palpitations and dizziness. Unlike Drew Road, she said her cholesterol rose from 192 to 250 mg / dL after she put more fat into her diet.

How to start a keto diet

Fans of the ketone diet eat mainly meat, healthy fats and non-starchy vegetables such as green leafy vegetables. And that's about it.

Although fat is at the heart of any keto food, says Kristen Mancinelli, author of The Ketogenic Diet, it's a huge misconception that you just put meat on your plate and add more fat on top. You also don't have to rely on fatty meats to get your fat, she adds.

List of the best keto foods

Fat: Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, avocado;

Proteins: beef, poultry, eggs, fish;

Starch-free vegetables: leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers).

Keto foods for moderate consumption

Dairy: Whole milk, cheese, yoghurt;

Medium starchy vegetables: carrots, beets, parsnips, peas, artichokes, potatoes;

Legumes: beans, chickpeas, lentils, peanuts;

Nuts and seeds: Almonds, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds;

Fruits: bananas, melons.

Keto foods that are desirable to avoid

Sweet: All types of sugar, including honey, agave syrup, maple syrup;

Cereals: wheat, oats, all kinds of rice, corn

All foods made with flour: bread, pasta

Processed foods: All packaged foods

Despite the many limitations of ketone diet Nutritionists say that with careful planning you can get all the vital vitamins and minerals for your body. However, to be as safe as possible, you need to work with a nutritionist to work out a well-thought-out keto diet plan.

Side effects of the keto diet that you need to know about

Carbohydrate reduction can really upset your body. Here's what can happen:

Increased thirst

Carbohydrates retain fluids in your body, so when you reduce your intake of these substances, extra water is excreted in the urine. So it is vital for those who are on a keto diet to stay hydrated.

Increased risk of kidney stones

This is due to dehydration and acidity of the urine, which is high in calcium.

Fatigue

You may find that you get tired faster or that your exercise seems more difficult than normal, says Halti, a nutritionist at the Seattle Nutrition Academy.

Cholesterol

Depending on how you choose your fats, the keto diet may contain an abundance of saturated fats, which increase levels of dangerous cholesterol and cause atherosclerosis, fat accumulation and cholesterol in the arteries. If you decide to start a keto regimen, monitor your cholesterol levels periodically.

Keto flu

A group of symptoms called keto flu usually starts one or two days after starting the keto diet, while your body is dehydrated.

Symptoms of keto flu

- Bad breath;

- Weakness or fatigue;

- Headache;

- Nausea;

- Muscle cramps;

- Diarrhea or constipation;

- Skin rashes;

- Mood swings.

Keep in mind that the long-term effects of the keto diet are unclear.

Experts are divided on whether the keto diet is a good idea. On the one hand, Lori Chang, a registered nutritionist and head of the Center for a Healthy Lifestyle in Los Angeles, says that using a cleaner energy source, ketones, rather than burning carbohydrates quickly, can improve mood and energy. When you eat refined carbohydrates or just too many carbohydrates in general, the blood is flooded with excess insulin. This can lead to a blood sugar carousel, which has a negative effect on energy and mood. However, when you are in a state of ketosis, ketone bodies do not need insulin to cross the blood-brain barrier, which releases negative blood sugar levels.

Other experts say that long-term accumulation of ketones can be harmful. These ketones are a source of emergency fuel, and we're not designed to rely on them in the long run, says Kristen Kasser, a registered nutritionist at Methodist Hospital in Houston. Ketones are negatively charged molecules, which means that they are acidic. When you build ketone bodies in your system, you build acids. One way the body builds buffers against acids is by depleting calcium from your bones. Also keto diet it is not very balanced and includes a very high intake of animal products, which are generally prone to cancer, diabetes and other diseases. If you still go on a diet and are not under medical supervision, Kasser says it's important to check your urine with keto urine strips to make sure the ketone levels don't become dangerously high. Test strips are also used by people with diabetes to determine if they are at risk for ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition that occurs when a person does not have enough insulin in their body (healthy ketosis is considered to be 0.5 to 3.0 mM). blood ketones).

Finally, consult your doctor again to make sure that the keto diet you plan to take is safe for you.