Ketogenic Diet and Weight Loss

A lot of people around the world suffer from different chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes, and this is usually caused by the kind of food they eat. For instance, there is a large amount of carbohydrates and protein in a typical American diet, which is detrimental to your health because it leads to leptin and insulin resistance. This eventually leads to excess weight gain, inflammation and cellular damage. Thus, you need a change in your diet to avoid this problem, and the best way of doing this is to embrace the ketogenic diet.

In this article, you will know everything there is about the ketogenic diet and its benefits as well as tips on ketogenic diet and weight loss.

A ketogenic diet is a dietary system that centers on the consumption of an adequate amount of protein, little carbohydrates and a high amount of healthy fat.  There are several reasons why you should consider this particular diet. It is of immense benefit to people with chronic conditions as well as to those who desire a healthier lifestyle. For example, a ketogenic diet can help you in the following ways:

v  Weight loss

Do you want to lose weight? One of the best ways of doing so is through a ketogenic diet. It is particularly recommended for obese people because it helps them shed their body fat in a healthy way.

v  Inflammation prevention

Although both sugar and fat serve as fuel in the human body, fat makes a much better fuel because it is healthier due to the fact that it gives out less reactive oxygen species and secondary free radicals than sugar. The absence of sugar in the ketogenic diet implies a lower risk of having chronic inflammation in your body.

v  Cancer risk reduction

It is interesting to know that the ketogenic diet helps to prevent cancer. The reason for this is that cancer cells cannot thrive on a ketogenic diet because they cannot make use of ketones (i.e. fat) as energy.

v  Muscle growth

The ketogenic diet can help you build your muscles. This is because the structures of ketones are similar to that of branched-chain amino acids which are useful for muscle growth. Thus, the presence of ketones and amino acids in the ketogenic diet ensures an increase in muscle mass.

v  Reduction in appetite

In the process of eating too much, you take in more calories than your body needs and this eventually results in weight gain. The interesting thing is that this problem can avoided through the ketogenic diet because a reduction in the intake of carbohydrate can lower your appetite.

v  Reduction in insulin levels

After consuming carbs, they break down into sugars in your body, and this eventually increases your blood sugar levels which results in an increase in your insulin. In the long run, it may lead to insulin resistance, which gradually results in type 2 diabetes. Thus, the risk of developing type 2

diabetes can be reduced by adopting the ketogenic diet.

                                    Types of ketogenic diets

There are various types of ketogenic diets as given below:

(i)     Standard Ketogenic Diet

This particular type of ketogenic diet is often recommended for most people due to the fact that it is very effective. It is comprised of a high amount of healthy fats (about 70% of your diet), a moderate amount of protein (25% of your diet) and a very small amount of carbohydrates (5% of your diet). However, there is no fixed limit for fat as energy requirements differ with people based on their everyday physical activities. For a standard ketogenic diet, most of your calories should come from fats and you have to limit your intake of protein and carbohydrates.

(ii)   Targeted Ketogenic Diet

This type is generally suitable for people who are fitness inclined. Here, you are advised to consume all your daily allocated carbohydrates in one meal at about 30 to 60 minutes before going for a workout. The reason for doing this is to ensure that the energy from the carbohydrates are completely used up to avoid disrupting your diet. However, if you intend to follow this procedure, it is advisable that you take carbohydrates with a high glycemic index for easy digestion so as not to upset your stomach. After exercising, make sure you increase your protein consumption to aid your muscle recovery. Then afterwards, you should continue taking fats.

(iii) Cyclic Ketogenic Diet

While Target Ketogenic Diet is for people who are fitness inclined, Cyclic Ketogenic Diet is recommended for bodybuilders and athletes.  The Cyclic Ketogenic Diet implies that you move between a normal ketogenic diet and a high carbohydrate diet. The idea behind this is to make up for the glycogen lost from your muscles with carbohydrates while working out. It is usually comprised of five days of standard ketogenic diet and two days of high carbohydrate diet.

(iv) High Protein Ketogenic Diet

This type of ketogenic diet is slightly different from the standard ketogenic diet in the sense that protein consumption increases by 10% and fat consumption reduces by 10%. It is recommended for obese people at the initial stage before adopting the standard ketogenic diet.

(v)   Restricted Ketogenic Diet

The restricted ketogenic diet is about restricting your carbohydrate and calorie consumption, and it helps in preventing cancer.

Now, let’s move on to how you can begin a ketogenic diet.  Below are some tips on ketogenic diet for beginners:

(a)   Stop taking sugars

To begin with, you have to eliminate sugars, processed foods and starches from your diet because they are not good for your health.

(b)   No milk

You have to stop drinking milk because it is a source of the carbohydrate called galactose. By avoiding milk, people allergic to lactose can easily adopt the ketogenic diet.

(c)    Avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils

You should completely avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower and the likes. In addition, soy products, peanut butter and sodas should not be included in your diet because they can cause damage to your health.

(d)   Take C8 medium-chain triglyceride oil

It is advisable that you add this oil to your food because it easily converts into fats. Start with one teaspoon every day, and increase it gradually to two or three teaspoons. If the oil causes upset on your stomach, then use the powder. You can also use coconut oil and olive oil but endeavor to check if the olive oil is third-party certified as most of them are diluted with vegetable oils.

Other foods that you can take include:

·         Meat, seafood and poultry

·         Butter, cheese and cream

·         Avocados, salads and organic pastured eggs

·         Raw cocoa butter

·         Raw nuts such as almonds, macadamia and pecans

·         Seeds such as sesame and pumpkin.

·         Spinach, broccoli, zucchini and Brussels sprouts

·         Water and organic black coffee with no sweeteners

There are a lot of unique benefits associated with the ketogenic diet and weight loss, especially for people who desire a perfect physique. However, it is important you adhere to the guidelines governing the implementation of this diet if you need results.