Diet: A Brief Introduction
The keto diet is being widely accepted as one of the finest diets to follow to lead a healthy life. It is a form of diet in which one has to debilitate the carbohydrate intake to a considerable extent. We know that carbohydrates are a great source of energy. Carbohydrates are broken down by the digestive system of our body into simpler forms such as blood sugar and glucose. These simpler components act as the source of energy in the body. When our body lacks carbohydrates, it starts to burn fat as fuel, which speeds up the process of weight loss.
The very goal of the ketogenic diet is to suppress the body from any carbohydrate intake so that the body could use its stored fat for energy. The stored fat in our body is broken down into simpler components in the liver, known as ketones. These ketones are then readily used as the fuel to run the body: a substitute for glucose.
The Ways To Follow The Keto Diet Properly
To generate ketosis in the body, you have to lower the carbohydrates intake in your body as much as you can. On average, an Indian consumes 55%-58% of their everyday calorie from unhealthy carbohydrates. The rule of a ketogenic diet is to constitute a diet with 80%-90% calories from fat, 5%-15% from protein, and only 5%-10% from carbs.
Foods You Should Eat In A Keto Diet
We know that the majority of your calorie intake in a keto diet has to come from fats and proteins, and least from carbohydrates. So, these are some food items you should certainly add to your keto diet.
- Fish: Any fresh fish available in the market could do. Small fishes are rich in manganese and phosphorus.
- Eggs: Eggs are a rich source of healthy proteins and fats.
- Meat: This includes all kinds of meat such as chicken, turkey, bacon, sausage, ham, red meat etc. However, we would recommend being inclined towards leaner meats.
- Butter And Ghee: heavy cream and unsalted butter are great sources of healthy fat.
- Seeds and nuts: Nuts and seeds are a good blend of healthy fats and proteins. It includes pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, peanuts, cashews, etc.
- Cheese: You can add any type of unprocessed cheese to your keto diet such as blue cheese, goat cheese, mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan etc.
- Low carb vegetables: This includes vegetables with extremely low carbohydrates count such as green leafy greens, onions, tomatoes, etc.
- Oils: To add good amounts of fat to your ketogenic diet, use healthy oils such as extra virgin olive oil.
Foods You Must Avoid When Following Keto Diet
The food items with high carbohydrates and sugar content is a big ‘no’ when it comes to following a keto diet. Here are some food items that you must avoid while going through a keto diet for healthy life.
- High-sugar food items: High sugar means that the body can extract glucose and blood sugar from those good items, hampering the process of ketosis completely. Avoid foods such as cakes, ice-creams, smoothies, candies, sweetened coffee, etc.
- High-carb food items: You will have to avoid high-carb foods obviously in a Keto diet. Back-off from food items made from wheat, rice, cereals, etc.
- Fruit: Fruits contains high sugar content, mainly fructose. Fructose is a more complex form of glucose. Hence, fruits must be avoided. However, some of them are good to go, such as different types of berries.
- Legumes and beans: Includes peas, lentils, beans, chickpeas, etc.
- Vegetables that grow under the soil/Tubers: Avoid having potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, radishes, etc., due to their high starch contents.
- Condiments: Includes tomato ketchup, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, sweetened pickles/achar, etc.
- Alcohol: Alcoholic beverages stimulate glucose content in the body and hence stop the process of ketosis. Avoid any drinks with alcohol in them.
Benefits of a Keto Diet
The first thing that comes to our mind when we hear the thing ‘ketogenic diet’, is rapid weight loss. This is true. Through ketosis, the liver breaks down body fat as energy, through the process of ketosis.
The advantageous part of this diet is that without cutting down your daily calorie need, and without hand exercise, you can lose all those extra weights.
To boost weight loss, a ketogenic diet reduces blood sugar, triglycerides, and blood pressure levels.
According to a study done on 50 individuals, after two months, the ones following a Keto diet lost almost 7-8 kg on average more than the ones following a low-fat diet.
- Lowers chances of diabetes
The ketogenic diet does mainly three things to lower any chances of diabetes: increases insulin sensitivity, reduces blood sugar levels, lowers triglyceride levels.
- Other Benefits
There are several other benefits associated with the Keto diet as well. These include improving heart health, reducing chances of cancer, works wonders to lower chances of diseases such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, brain ailments, etc.
Side effects And Risks Linked to Ketogenic Diet
There are some downsides of the Keto diet as well but they are avoidable. These include poor energy levels, increased dizziness, headache, recurring nausea, increased hunger, digestive ailments, etc.
However, these will go away once your body becomes habituated to the low-carb diet. We will start feeling energetic and fresh again. We will recommend you not to jump into a full-fledged keto diet at first. Start with a low-carb diet and gradually grow towards the zero-carb diet.
Final Takeaway
The keto diet for healthy life is suitable for people who are overweight, have diabetes or are in a pre-diabetic stage, looking to enhance their metabolic function. It is may not be suitable for ones who require extra fuels from outside food sources as energy in the form of carbohydrates.
However, this diet is not sustainable for a whole lifespan. When we leave a ketogenic diet after achieving our desired goal, the process of fat accumulation becomes even faster. Hence, we must follow a healthy diet even after the span of ketosis.
Disclaimer
Any changes in the diet and lifestyle should be made carefully and under the advise of respective dietician and medical practitioner taking in account individual’s health and medical conditions.