People make the resolution to lose weight every year without actually following through. This is because we impose a highly restrictive diet on ourselves, which might prove too difficult to follow at the end of the day. If we are to observe from a statistical point of view, it is no surprise that obesity is on the rise during processed food. The truth people failed to notice is that processed food is high in calories, contains little nutrients, and increases the chances of obesity and many diseases that can otherwise be avoided.
When attempting to get in shape, some difficulties go along. The idea of having a substantial or colossal supper late around evening time may come. In like manner, taking little bits of unappetizing or bare nourishment for supper can also be enticing. Be that as it may, is this the correct arrangement or even the most ideal weight reduction routine? Shockingly, it ought not to be done that way. Why? This longing for weight loss is a journey that requires flavorful enough, tasty yet, healthy nourishments. As it would turn out, there are numerous alternatives to browse.
There is no need to undergo a strict dieting regimen for those struggling with weight loss when you can quickly lose weight via the Keto diet. This article will discuss the keto diet at large, what it is, how it works, and how you can get the best out of your keto diet concerning weight reduction.
Let’s dive right in!!
What is Keto Diet?
The keto diet is a weight loss regimen that capitalizes on fat-burning by relying on ketone bodies as a source of fuel instead of the usual glucose (sugar). A keto diet’s fundamental goal is to swiftly shed some pounds (weight loss) while simultaneously reducing the rate at which you feel hungry and crave for food. Also, the keto diet aims at improving your mood, focus, and energy. When you reduce your carb consumption level and increase your level of fat consumption, your body gradually begins to break down dietary and stored body fat into substances called ketones. This state of the body is called ketosis. Your body system now depends on energy gotten from fats instead of glucose (sugar).
The ketogenic diet originated during the times of the old therapeutic ketogenic diet. Furthermore, clinically, the ketogenic diet is employed in neurologic medicine, mostly to impeded hard-to-control seizures in children. Also, it has been discovered that a keto diet can help treat certain brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
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How Does Keto Diet Work?
Here are a few tips to help you get started on a ketogenic diet:
- The first step in getting started on keto is getting to know about carbs and familiarizing yourself with high-end fats.
- Before embarking on your keto journey, try out some natural low-carb veggies, and educate yourself about hidden sugar sources like coleslaw.
- Your desire for sugar will not disappear because you are getting started on keto. Therefore, stock up some keto-friendly desserts like chocolate with nut butter.
- During the first week of carb withdrawal, side effects such as muscle aches, headaches, fatigue, mental fogginess, and hunger are inevitable. Therefore, it is advisable to feed on high-fat snacks such as cucumber with avocado or bacon.
After the second and third weeks, you begin to feel a little progress as your body will start adapting to the low-carb, high-fat diet system. At this point, your diet will seem natural and gradually transition into your daily habit. At the end of the fourth week, you can be optimistic about a weight loss, especially if you have coupled the keto diet with active physical exercises over the past few weeks.
Furthermore, it will become easier for you to select the perfect food for yourself as you get accustomed to the keto diet system. You begin to focus on skin-on poultry instead of lean meats, and you want to consume chicken thighs, rib-eye steaks, grass-fed ground beef, fish like salmon, pork shoulder, and bacon. We just mentioned these foods are very rich in healthy fats, which is what you need during ketosis. Furthermore, if you want to indulge leafy greens or a keto vegetarian, you can consume greens such as broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, spinach cucumbers.
Avocado, olive, flaxseed, palm, canola, and mayonnaise are excellent oils that will add flavor to your salad while fattening them up. During ketosis, it is vital to get your day started with a nut butter-boosted latte, coffee, or tea, and you can also have bacon and eggs for breakfast and make sure you only consume whole-fat milk. Then avoid sugar and other artificial sweeteners.
During this period, your daily diet should comprise about 70 to 74% fat. Proteins, on the other hand, round out the meal plans, making a total of one fifth to one quarter of your breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Carbs are kept on a low level between 15 to 21 net carbs per day. It is important to note that the proportion of carbs, proteins, and fats vary from diet to diet, and it all depends on the creator of your diet plan.
How Much Does Keto Diet Cost
The expenses of a keto-friendly diet largely depend on your choice of protein source and quality. Some meats like grass-fed selections and fresh veggies are more expensive than processed or fast foods. The choice is yours. You can decide to cut your expenses by going for leaner cuts of meat and fatten them up with avocado or olive oils and the likes.
Click here to get an eight-week meal plan created based on the expertise of certified nutritionists, personal trainers, and chefs.
How Much Should You Exercise on Keto Diet
It is advisable to stay physically active during keto diet, which enables you to maximize the benefits of a keto diet. However, during the early ketosis period, it is best to keep the physical exercises light and more comfortable, especially when you start feeling tired or weak. Physical activities, as simple as walking, running, aerobics, kettlebells, weight lifting, will boost your energy and, as a result, enhance the keto effect on your body.
Evolution of Keto Diet
The fundamental idea behind the ketogenic diet is its ability to limit your carbohydrate intake and increase fat consumption. This process puts your body in a “fast” state where your body starts to burn ketones instead of glucose. The keto diet has been a precedent for fasting many years, the actual term “ketogenic diet” only emanated in the 20th century.
During the early years, Greek physicians were the first to advocate for diet restriction in treating epilepsy and other health problems since fasting was considered very important to a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, the act of fasting was considered a standard procedure across the globe for about two thousand years. In recent times, the act of fasting used to as a treatment procedure against epilepsy has gradually turned into a weight loss regimen called the ketogenic diet.
However, fasting was only meant to be temporary, as many epileptic patients often return to their epileptic state as soon as they continue with their regular diet. In other to maintain this state of fast, a process was created to mimic the metabolism that fasting produces, and that process gave rise to the ketogenic diet. During this process, scientists discovered that it was possible to keep patients in their fasted state as long as they reduce their carb intake, and their body begins to utilize fats as the source of fuel instead of glucose.
Practicing the keto diet puts your body in a position where it acts as if it was starving, even though you take sufficient calories and nutrition.
Some historically acceptable foods for the ketogenic diet
- Full Fat Dairy: milk, yogurt, cheese products
- Protein: beef, pork, poultry, soybeans, eggs, shellfish
- Nuts and Seeds: walnuts, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds
- Non-starchy vegetables: cabbage, cauliflower, peppers, and onions
- Fats: animal and plant-based
- Fruits: berries, avocado, and coconut
It is important to note that a ketogenic diet should not give you more than 20 to 50 grams of carbs daily. Limiting yourself to 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day can be so challenging. However, numerous foods can easily fit into this lifestyle of dieting.
Here are a few healthy foods that you can incorporate into your keto diet:
Cheese
Cheese is a very nutritious and delicious food. They are very low in carbs and contain a high level of fat, making them an excellent fit for a keto diet. Furthermore, Cheese’s regular consumption will help you reduce the loss of your muscle mass and strength that often occur as a result of aging. Also, Cheese contains linoleic acid, a fat responsible for weight loss, and enhancement of body composition.
Eggs
Eggs are a popularly demanded and consumed food in the world today. One egg contains less than 1 gram of carbs and fewer than 6 grams of protein, making eggs an ideal meal for a ketogenic lifestyle. Furthermore, with the consumption of eggs, your body can increase your feelings of fullness and keep your blood sugar at an optimal level, resulting in the low-calorie intake. I know you must be asking yourself if it is safe to consume egg since it contains a high cholesterol level. Yes, it is. Even though the egg is rich in cholesterol, it doesn’t raise blood cholesterol levels. Instead, it reduces the risk of heart disease.
Meat and Poultry
This is often regarded as staple foods on a keto diet. Fresh meat and poultry contain no carbs and are extremely rich in B vitamins and some essential minerals such as potassium, selenium, and zinc. Also, meat and poultry are an excellent way to preserve your muscle mass during ketosis. We highly recommend that you consume grass-fed beef. Grass-fed animals often produce meat with high amounts of omega-3 fats, conjugated linoleic acids, and antioxidants than meats made from grain-fed animals.
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