The Ketogenic Diet: A Detailed Beginner’s Guide

Ketogenic Diet: How Does It Work?

THE ketogenic diet (or keto diet for short) is a low-carb, high-fat diet which offers many health benefits.

In fact, many studies show that this type of diet can help you lose weight and improve your health.

The ketogenic diet may even have benefits against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Here is a detailed beginner’s guide to the keto diet.

You will see in this article:

• What is ketogenic diet?
• Different types of ketogenic diets
• What is ketosis?
• Ketogenic Diets Can Help You Lose Weight Yes!
• Ketogenic diet for diabetics
• Other health benefits
• Foods to avoid on the ketogenic diet
• Foods to eat on the ketogenic diet
• ketogenic diet menu
• healthy ketogenic snacks
• How to start the ketogenic diet
• Tips for eating out on a ketogenic diet
• Ketogenic diet side effects and how to minimize them
• Risks of the ketogenic diet
• Supplements for a ketogenic diet
• Frequently asked questions about the ketogenic diet

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What is ketogenic diet?

Basic notions

The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that shares many similarities with the Atkins and low-carb diet.

involves drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake and replace it with fat. This carb reduction puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.

When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can provide energy for the brain.

Ketogenic diets can cause significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels. This, along with the increase in ketones, has some health benefits.

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Different types of ketogenic diets

There are several versions of the ketogenic diet, including:

• Standard ketogenic diet (DCP): This is a very low carb, moderate protein and high fat diet. It normally contains 70% fat, 20% protein and only 10% carbohydrates.
• Cyclic Ketogenic Diet (CCI): This diet involves periods of higher carb refeeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high carb days.
• Targeted ketogenic diet (DCD): This diet allows you to add carbs around your workouts.
• High protein ketogenic diet: it is similar to a standard ketogenic diet but includes more protein. The ratio is usually 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbohydrates.

However, only the standard and high-protein ketogenic diets have been studied extensively. At cyclic or targeted ketogenic diets are more advanced methods and used mainly by bodybuilders or athletes.

The information in this article applies primarily to standard ketogenic diet (DCP)although many of the same principles apply to the other versions as well.

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What is ketosis?

Ketosis is a metabolic state where your body uses fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.

Occurs when you significantly reduces the consumption of carbohydrates, limiting your body’s supply of glucose (sugar), which is the main source of energy for your cells.

Following a ketogenic diet is the most effective way to get into ketosis. This usually involves limiting your carbohydrate intake to about 20 to 50 grams a day and filling up on fats such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts and healthy oils.

It is also important to moderate your protein intake. This is because protein can be converted to glucose if consumed in large amounts, which can delay your transition to ketosis.

Practicing intermittent fasting can also help you get into ketosis faster. There are many different forms of intermittent fasting, but the most common method involves limit food intake to about 8 hours a day and fast for the remaining 16 hours.

Blood and urine tests can help determine whether you’ve entered ketosis by measuring the amount of ketones your body produces.

Certain symptoms can also indicate that you have entered ketosis, including increased thirst, dry mouth, frequent urination, and decreased hunger or appetite.

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Ketogenic Diets Can Help You Lose Weight Yes!

The ketogenic diet is an effective way to lose weight and lower risk factors for disease.

In fact, research shows that the ketogenic diet can be just as effective for weight loss as a low-fat diet.

Plus, the diet is so hearty that you can lose weight without counting calories or tracking your food intake.

A review of 13 studies found that following a very low-carb ketogenic diet was slightly more effective for long-term weight loss than a low-fat diet. People who followed the ketogenic diet lost an average of 0.9 kg more than the group who followed a low-fat diet.

Furthermore, it also led to reductions in diastolic blood pressure and triglyceride levels.

Another study in 34 seniors found that those who followed a ketogenic diet for 8 weeks lost nearly five times more total body fat than those who followed a low-fat diet.

Increased ketones, lower blood sugar levels, and better insulin sensitivity can also play a key role.

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Ketogenic diet for diabetics

Diabetes is characterized by changes in metabolism, high blood sugar and impaired insulin function.

The ketogenic diet can help you lose excess fat, which is closely linked to type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

An older study found that the ketogenic diet improved insulin sensitivity by 75%.

A small study in women with type 2 diabetes also found that following a ketogenic diet for 90 days significantly reduced hemoglobin A1C levelswhich is a measure of long-term blood sugar control.

Another study in 349 people with type 2 diabetes found that those who followed a ketogenic diet lost an average of 11.9 kg over a 2-year period. This is an important benefit when considering the link between weight and type 2 diabetes.

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Other health benefits

The ketogenic diet originated as a tool for the treatment of neurological diseases such as epilepsy.

Studies have already shown that the diet can have benefits for a wide variety of different health conditions:

• Heart disease. The ketogenic diet can help improve risk factors such as body fat, HDL (good) cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood sugar.
• Cancer. Currently, the diet is being explored as an additional treatment for cancer because it can help slow tumor growth.
• Alzheimer’s disease. The ketogenic diet may help reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and slow its progression.
• Epilepsy. Research has shown that the ketogenic diet can cause significant reductions in seizures in epileptic children.
• Parkinson’s disease. While more research is needed, one study found that the diet helped improve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome. The ketogenic diet can help reduce insulin levels, which can play a key role in polycystic ovary syndrome.
• Brain injuries. Some research suggests that diet may improve outcomes for traumatic brain injuries.

However, keep in mind that research in many of these areas is far from conclusive.

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Foods to avoid on the ketogenic diet

Any carbohydrate-rich food should be limited.

Here is a list of foods that need to be reduced or eliminated on a ketogenic diet:

• sugary foods: soft drinks, fruit juices, smoothies, cakes, ice cream, candy, etc.
• grains or starches: products based on wheat, rice, pasta, cereals, etc.
• fruits: all fruit except small portions of fruit such as strawberries
• beans or legumes: peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
• tubers: potato, sweet potato, carrot, turnip, etc.
• Low-fat or diet products: low-fat mayonnaise, salad dressings, and condiments
• some condiments or sauces: BBQ sauce, honey mustard, teriyaki sauce, ketchup, etc.
• unhealthy fats: processed vegetable oils, mayonnaise, etc.
• alcohol: beer, wine, liquor, mixed drinks
• sugar-free diet foods: sugar-free sweets, syrups, puddings, sweeteners, desserts, etc.

Foods to eat on the ketogenic diet

You should base most of your meals around these foods:

• meat: red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken and turkey
• fatty fish: salmon, trout, tuna and mackerel
• eggs: Whole Grass Eggs or Omega-3
• butter and cream: grass-fed butter and sour cream
• cheese: unprocessed cheeses like cheddar, goat, cream, blue, or mozzarella
• Nuts and Seeds: almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.
• healthy oils: extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil
• avocados: whole avocados or freshly made guacamole
• Low-carb vegetables: green vegetables, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.
• Spice: salt, pepper, herbs and spices

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ketogenic diet menu

To help you get started, here is an example of ketogenic diet menu for one week:

Monday

Breakfast: vegetable and egg muffins with tomato

lunch: chicken salad with olive oil, feta cheese, olives and a side salad

dinner: Salmon with Asparagus Cooked in Butter

Tuesday

Breakfast: Egg, Tomato, Basil and Spinach Omelet

lunch: almond milk, peanut butter, spinach, cocoa powder and stevia milkshake with sliced ​​strawberries

dinner: cheese rind tacos with salsa

Wednesday

Breakfast: chia pudding with nut milk topped with coconut and blackberries

lunch: avocado and shrimp salad

dinner: pork chops with parmesan cheese, broccoli and salad

Thursday

Breakfast: omelet with avocado, parsley, peppers, onion and spices

lunch: a handful of walnuts and celery with guacamole and salsa

dinner: chicken stuffed with…