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According to nutritionists, the diet has proven its effectiveness, and the result is stable due to the absence of a stressful abrupt transition from fasting to regular nutrition. The menu for the week and recommendations will help you to follow the diet correctly.
Pros and cons of the keto diet
Initially, the keto diet appeared to treat certain diseases, but then it found its place in nutrition.
*BAA. NOT A DRUG
The principle of the diet is as follows: the body uses carbohydrates as the main “fuel” for the brain. With a sharp reduction in carbohydrates in the diet below 20 grams per day, the amount of glucose is critically reduced – and there is not enough energy for normal functioning and fat oxidation.
To nourish the brain, the body starts the process of obtaining alternative energy – ketosis. This is the process of breaking down fat in the body, resulting in the formation of ketone bodies, which are used as alternative energy.
In the normal state, the concentration of ketone bodies in the blood is very low, since they are replaced by glucose and the body does not need additional energy. During ketosis, the concentration of ketone bodies rises sharply.
A state of ketosis can also be achieved by a complete fast for several days, but this is an extremely harmful way.
The keto diet is an alternative to complete starvation that allows you to cause less damage to the body. Together with nutrition, we continue to receive all the necessary substances and do not experience hunger, excluding only carbohydrates and forcing the body to start the process of splitting fats.
One of the disadvantages of such a diet is a poor understanding of the process. People find it difficult to understand how you can eat and lose weight at the same time, and they are also afraid that without glucose, the brain will have nothing to eat. The mechanism of ketosis described above will help you understand the principle of the keto diet.
The real downside is the unbalanced diet. All carbohydrates are excluded, a process is artificially launched, which usually does not take place so actively, and the load on the liver increases. It’s pretty unhealthy. Keto diet is prohibited for diabetics, pregnant and lactating women, people with chronic diseases.
With ketosis, the smell of acetone from the mouth, from the body and urine is possible. This is an individual phenomenon and for some it is completely imperceptible. To minimize odor, you should drink more than 2 liters of water per day so that acetone is excreted more actively.
Lack of vegetables can cause digestive problems.
What can you eat on a keto diet
The list of allowed products can be divided into those that can be unconditionally and those that can be consumed in limited quantities.
So what can you do:
- meat, poultry, offal;
- tofu and tempeh (especially for vegetarians);
- Fish and seafood;
- eggs;
- cheese ;
- dairy products: Greek yogurt, kefir, cream, sour cream, butter (preferably ghee);
- non-starchy vegetables: cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, broccoli, avocados, zucchini, spinach, asparagus, asparagus green beans;
- mushrooms;
- vegetable oil.
What you can, but in small quantities:
- fruits and berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, watermelon, cherries, cherries, lemons, limes;
- nuts: walnuts, macadamia, pecans, hazelnuts, pine nuts, cashews, pistachios;
- pumpkin seeds, sunflower sesame, chia, flax.
What Not to Do on a Keto Diet
- bread;
- pasta;
- rice;
- potatoes;
- beans;
- cereals and cereals;
- fruit juices;
- sugary foods (from sweets and pastries to sugary yogurts and carbonated drinks);
- bananas, mangoes, grapes and other high sugar fruits;
- honey.
Beer is “liquid bread”, beer contains a lot of carbohydrates quickly absorbed by the body and is absolutely not suitable for a keto diet.
Fruits contain a lot of sugar and are not suitable for eating on a ketogenic diet, treat fruits as negatively as candies.
Margarine is a commercially produced imitation butter that is very high in omega-6 fat. We advise you to avoid margarine on a keto diet, it has no obvious health benefits.
A high content of omega-6 can cause asthma, allergies, inflammatory diseases (scientific study).
Good sources of protein include eggs, dairy, tempeh, natto, miso, nuts, and seeds (which are also great sources of fat).
Whether you are a vegan or a vegetarian, the following fats are ideal for you: olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, MCT oil, macadamia oil, olives, avocados, cocoa butter, and organic full-fat dairy products.
Avoid pre-packaged vegan meals, as many of them contain fillers and soy.
Also try tofu, but in moderation. This type of cheese contains xenoestrogens and phytoestrogens, which can cause your body to stop producing its own estrogen.
The best option is to completely avoid sugary foods so that you lose your taste and habit.
If you haven’t already, or if you’re using sweeteners in your recipe, follow these tips:
- Use low glycemic sweeteners as they do not affect blood sugar or carbohydrate intake.
- Try to stay away from sweeteners that contain the sugar alcohol maltitol, dextrose, or maltodextrin. This applies even to low-calorie sweeteners.
Menu for the week for the keto diet
Carbohydrates are excluded from food completely. And this means that you can not do anything sweet, cereals, fruits, pastries, starchy or sweet vegetables (like beets, carrots, potatoes). You can only green vegetables, but when they are eaten, the amount of carbohydrates should not exceed 20-50 grams per day. If you sometimes break down and eat some carbohydrates, sharp jumps in blood sugar will continue and there will be no smooth transition of the body to alternative energy and the start of the ketosis process, since the body will still wait for the usual carbohydrates.
Day 1
Breakfast: fried eggs with bacon, coffee
Lunch: celery soup, pork steak, cucumber, tomato and cabbage salad
Afternoon snack: 50 g nuts or seeds
Dinner: boiled chicken fillet, sauerkraut
Day 2
Breakfast: syrniki, tea
Dinner: borsch with sour cream, baked veal ribs, stewed cabbage
Afternoon snack: hard cheese, 3-5 olives
Dinner: stewed turkey fillet, boiled broccoli, tea
Day 3
Breakfast: sausage, fried zucchini, coffee
Dinner: green vegetable cream soup with melted cheese, pork chop
Afternoon snack: boiled egg, cucumber
Dinner: baked fish on a pillow of onions, salad with cheese and tomato, tea
Day 4
Breakfast: omelet with ham and sweet pepper, tea
Dinner: chicken soup, beef chop, cucumber
Afternoon snack: cauliflower in batter
Dinner: fried cod, Chinese cabbage salad, tea
Day 5
Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole, tea
Dinner: borscht with beef, fried eggplant, tomato
Afternoon snack: yogurt
Dinner: julienne with mushrooms and chicken, cucumber, tea
Day 6
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with sausage, a slice of cheese, tea
Dinner: fish soup, veal roast beef, green salad, avocado, cheese
Afternoon snack: kiwi nuts
Dinner: stewed pork ribs with vegetables, tea.
Day 7
Breakfast: two sausages with marrow caviar, coffee
Dinner: solyanka, baked pork, arugula and cucumber salad
Afternoon snack: buttermilk
Dinner: fried fish in batter, seafood salad, tea
Council
Fats and proteins are consumed in a ratio of 1 to 2. You can eat a lot of meat, cheese, eggs, fish, oils. It is forbidden to drink a lot of milk, as it contains lactose – milk sugar, sour-milk, on the contrary, are allowed.
The results
The exclusion of carbohydrates from the diet does not allow the body to use substances as usual: fats are stored “in reserve”, and carbohydrates are used as the main energy. Thus, the body switches to using fat for energy, starting the process of ketosis. High-calorie food satiates and helps to avoid breakdowns. There is no severe hunger, as there are no sharp jumps in blood sugar.
The main advantage of such a diet is that the lost weight will not return, since there is no drastic change in nutrition and artificial calorie reduction. However, due to the large amount of proteins and fats in the diet, it takes a little kilograms per week.
Dietitian Reviews
– The keto diet is even indicated in some cases. It is effective fast action, this is its plus. But the keto diet is not shown to everyone in a row, it cannot be prescribed without the advice of a doctor. It is completely contraindicated in patients with type 1 diabetes, children, pregnant women, people with anemia and a number of other problems. With illiterate use and the presence of contraindications, the keto diet can lead to serious violations – complications in the heart, kidneys and other consequences, up to coma. With the complete rejection of carbohydrates, the blood sugar level drops, acidosis occurs (a life-threatening condition in which the acid-base balance in the body is disturbed), said nutritionist Irina Yablonskaya. – Keto diet in its purest form, I believe, can only be used in a hospital under the supervision of a doctor. Therefore, for example, I play it safe and use it in a version that I call “a la keto diet” – I include quite a bit of carbohydrates. I do not recommend getting involved in the keto diet on your own, not knowing what it can turn out for you.