How the keto diet works

We now know that the principle of this diet is to limit carbohydrate intake. Why? If you eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, your body will stop taking energy from them and will rather start drawing it from ketones, which are produced by burning fat. Thus, the body enters a state of ketosis.

Ketosis

We forced the body to receive energy from processed fats, welcome to a state called ketosis. Once you wake up this state, it starts burning faster and the remnants of fat called ketone bodies serve as a source of energy for the body. Other effects of ketosis include lowering blood sugar levels and lowering the amount of insulin produced.

How to achieve ketosis?

The task is clear – to limit carbohydrate intake to 50 grams per day. However, every body reacts differently, so it is likely that your intake will need to be even lower for this diet to take off. In short, the less the better.

How do I know that’s it?

Ketosis carries with it a few symptoms that make it easy to see if we are already in it. If you have noticed that your breath is not as fresh as it used to be, this is probably one of the symptoms, which fortunately disappears quickly. There was also an increased need to urinate, which is related to the feeling of dry mouth. So don’t forget to get enough fluids. The last and on the contrary very desirable effect is a reduced feeling and hunger and a rapid increase in energy.

Another way to find out if you are in ketosis is to buy so-called keto strips to measure ketones in your blood. It can be obtained at a pharmacy under the name Ketophan, but this test is not 100% accurate, as it shows only a certain type of ketone, namely acetoacetate.

Keto flu

It is said that beauty must be suffered, and in this case the condition of ketosis is no exception. Once you get into it, you will most likely get a keto flu. You can recognize it by headaches and muscle aches, increased fatigue, diarrhea or nausea. These ailments can last up to two weeks. We must not forget that the body is undergoing a great change at this moment, so it is not desirable to fight these symptoms. Rest and do not neglect the drinking regime, your body is stronger than you think and will get used to it quickly.

So what to eat?

It is recommended to include seafood and meat (including fish), cheese and cream, eggs (especially egg whites), nuts, avocados, low-carbohydrate vegetables, protein smoothies and cocktails.

What to avoid?

Now we know what we can indulge. Of course, the following is a list of foods that we must remove from our diet. These include sweets of all kinds, pastries, pasta, legumes and also fruit. We must also avoid sugar, which can be replaced by special flavor tablets.

Denial

As is often the case, we have to sacrifice something. It is no big surprise that we can only eat a blanket of low-carb wine a day and the other alcohol should be avoided by the arc. The liver will have its hands full anyway, they don’t need to be overwhelmed yet.

Fortunately, coffee was not eliminated from the drinks, so at least the caffeine ride does not need to be cut off. Of course, we do not sweeten and flavor only with vegetable milk or 10% cream.

Steps before starting the diet

It is important to determine the goal we want to achieve. The idea of ​​the specific weight we desire to get will serve to motivate them in the future. The next step is to examine your health, and if you are not sure if a ketone diet is right for you, talk to your doctor. Don’t forget to choose a reduction plan. There are many e-shops where you can buy customized plans, or simply choose a few recipes, discard the necessary food and enjoy it.

Three months and enough

The keto diet is divided into three phases, but together they should not be kept for more than three months. The length of the phases depends on the number of extra pounds we want to eliminate.

In the first phase, it is recommended to eat five times a day for three hours, for good digestive tract to function, it is necessary to eat up to 500 grams of recommended vegetables, which you can eat at any time during the day. At the same time, you can anticipate the arrival of the aforementioned keto flu. The first part can last a maximum of eight weeks. We must not forget the drinking regime, as the body begins to dehydrate, it is necessary to drink two to three liters a day.

The second phase or reduction phase should not last longer than fourteen weeks. We can slowly start adding movement, try power yoga .

The third phase is used to fix and adhere to the newly set rules.

Weight loss in the first phase comes fast. However, the dreaded yo-yo effect can appear just as quickly.

Everything has its pros and cons

As indicated above, our body is not built up by the absence of carbohydrates. We must be careful, for example, about hyperglycemia, ie lowering blood sugar levels. This can occur due to the absence of fruit or vegetables. Ketone bodies, which produce liver from fats, are acidifying in the absence of carbohydrates. If there are many of them in our body, they acidify the whole, which can lead to joint problems, diabetes or acidosis (pH drops below the physiological limit).

What exactly are carbohydrates?

We can consider them as the driving force of our body, they belong to the fastest and very important sources of energy. They are also known for helping to improve immunity. If you were careful at school, something carbohydrate tells you is sure. We divide them into monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. In this case, we are mainly interested in monosaccharides, which are the simplest sugars, which are characterized by being aldehyde or ketone derivatives. Humans playfully synthesize carbohydrates, especially from amino acids, in addition to vitamin C. A low-carbohydrate or high-carbohydrate diet can lead to nitrogen loss or even metabolic acidosis.

The ketone diet is not for everyone

If you suffer from type 1 diabetes, are pregnant or breast-feeding, have genetically poor digestion, or avoid problems with your liver, kidneys, lymphatic system or pancreas.

(Does) not work

If we look at this diet in the short term, the desired effects will definitely come, the extra pounds will successfully disappear. However, according to scientists, we can achieve this result with another diet.

A long-term opinion offers us nothing nice. Cholesterol and CRP, which indicate the level of inflammation in the body, are a common scarecrow. By limiting vegetables and fruits, we definitely do not help our body, we take away important vitamins, fiber and minerals. Lastly, there is a risk of worsening kidney function.

Ketodiet packages

If you delve into the depths of the Internet, you will see that the business with keto packages has started quite well. You can find packages that will provide you with a keto diet for weeks, there are of course smaller options. So it’s up to you whether you want to cook or choose the easier way.

Food tip

If you do not know what to cook, you can throw yourself into the next dish. If you like mushrooms, try beef on mushrooms with protein pasta. If you don’t like beef, cook lemon chicken on olives, for example.

Recipe for one serving of lemon chicken on olives:
– 100 g chicken (breast)
– broth
– ¼ lemon
– 30 g green olives
– a teaspoon of olive oil
– 1 teaspoon of a mixture of herbs
– fresh parsley

Now all you have to do is fry the chicken breast smeared with oil. Once browned, add the broth, a mixture of herbs, sliced ​​lemon and olives. Stew together for about fifteen minutes, then remove the meat and add chopped parsley to the remaining juice, cook. Serve chicken with sauce and lettuce and arugula salad.

Ancient history

This protein diet seems to be a fabrication of modern times, but it is not. It was 1924, when it was first used by Dr. Russel Wilder at the Mayo Clinic. He used it to treat epilepsy, thus inducing the feeling of hunger that is typical of the beginnings of this process. He found that starvation helped to manage difficult-to-control seizures. The question remains whether it is appropriate to use this slimming method in order to lose some pounds.

Keto anti-cancer diet – myth or fact

Some sources say that following this diet can prevent cancer. Because we do not provide carbohydrates to the body, glycogen is not produced, so there is no evidence of carcinogenic reproduction. Reportedly , a ketone diet can help even if you already suffer from this disease.

Other sources present the opposite view. The researchers say that the ketone diet not only kills cancer cells, but also kills other cells that need carbohydrates to survive. They further state that the ketodiet can cause cancer, not prevent it.

So we really recommend that you consult your doctor before you start losing weight.

Keto as protection

Some researchers are trying to prove that the ketone diet protects our brains from Alzheimer’s disease, and there has also been a reduction in Parkinson’s disease symptoms of up to 43%.

If you do not feel like this diet, you can check out other weight loss tips . We believe that this method is not suitable for everyone, but you will not pay anything for the test if your health allows it. It is first and foremost necessary to listen to your body, it will already know whether this process suits it.