Keto Diet

The ketogenic diet, also called the keto diet, is a trend meal plan nowadays. The keto is very similar to the Atkins and low carb high-fat diet (LCHF), but they have some partial differences. In the 1920s, the keto diet was taken as a treatment for epilepsy and controlling seizures. A keto diet can also help prevent diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's. In the continuation of this article, we will give you a complete guide about the ketogenic diet.

Our body uses two sources of substances to burn and then produces energy for each cell. The first one is sugar and the second is ketones. There are a lot of pathways to generate energy from the foods we eat. While carbohydrates and proteins provide glucose(sugars), ketones come from breaking fats called ketosis. Ketosis is a state of routine metabolism in the body; this is why we call it a keto diet. The keto diet is a Low Carb, High fat diet and leads the liver to breakdown the function of fats. There are different types of keto diet based on the intake percentage of each macronutrient. For instance, Standard Keto Diet (SKD), Targeted Keto Diet (TKD), Cyclic Keto Diet (CKD), and High Protein Ketogenic Diet. For example, in a high protein keto diet, protein is about 35% of total calorie intake. The standard keto diet is very familiar and habitual for losing weight. The targeted keto diet and the high protein keto diet are suitable for people who follow powerful workouts, such as bodybuilders, powerlifters, and fitness enthusiasts.

A large percentage of the keto diet consists of fats, which contradict most of the other diets. The Carbohydrates are cut off from the plate, limiting your options in choosing foods. Carbohydrates exist in most foods, so eliminating them may be hard for those who want to start and continue a keto diet. Decreasing the amount of carbohydrate intake to less than 50 grams per day (20-gram net carbohydrate) means consuming particular foods; for example, a mid-size banana (100 grams) contains around 27-grams carbs, pasta contains 25-gram carbs, or a small potato includes 17 gram of carbs. So you can compare the total intake with these foods to know how much you need to cut off the carbs in your keto diet.

The pathway of producing energy depends on the kinds of food you eat. If you consume more carbohydrates than fats, the body switches to burning carbs and using glucose. So, if the fat intake increases, the body will switch to burning fats, and then the ketosis state works. It should be considered that increasing the percentage of protein intake leads the body to glucose expenditure and prevents ketosis. Therefore, protein intake is moderately limited in the ketogenic diet.
In the first days of keto dieting, the body releases stored glucose from the liver and muscles for the brain and cells until the body starts to decrease the insulin hormone. After that, the liver converts the body fats to ketones for the cells and the fat burning start.

Refined carbohydrates, starch, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and dairy, which are containing carbohydrates, should be eliminated. So, if you want to follow a keto diet, you have to cut off these foods from your keto meal list:
♦ Sugar, agave, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup
♦ Cakes, cookies, sweets, candy and pies, sugar-sweetened drinks and soft drinks
♦ Beer and sugary beverages
♦ Fruits except for low carb fruit list
♦ Grains and Starch wheat, bread, pasta, rice, corn, cereal, potatoes, legumes, beans

Fats and Oils

While we need necessary fat from nutrients, consuming the wrong type of fat can put our health at risk.
Trans fats are the kind of unhealthy fats that should be totally avoided. These fats have a long shelf life due to their hydrogenated process, and they can damage the heart and arteries.
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) were found in the 1960s. They can produce more ketones than other fats.
Fatty fish and egg yolks contain more omega 3s that should be balanced to the omega 6s intake.

You can see the keto-friendly foods to choose from in your keto meals below here:
♦ Virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, MCT oil, walnut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, macadamia oil
♦ Coconut butter
♦ Lard and tallow
♦ Non-hydrogenated animal fat
♦ High-fat dairy such as heavy cream
♦ Full fat low - lactose yogurt
♦ Hard aged cheese, Swiss cheese, feta cheese, cheddar, gouda, parmesan
♦ Butter and ghee
♦ Lactose-free milk, soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk
♦ Nuts
♦ Seafood fatty fish salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, cod, halibut

Vegetables and Fruits

Fruits are the major group for maintaining nutrients needed for each person, but in the keto diet, it should be considered that a little piece of any food may have more than 30-gram net carbs, so fruits are restricted in the keto foods list, and they should be monitored very carefully.

Pay attention to the carbohydrate content of these fruits, and be careful that you do not consume more than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day in your keto diet.

Which Vegetables Are in the List of Keto Foods?

If you have begun the keto diet, you have to avoid starchy veggies; however, you can eat leafy, dark green vegetables in a moderate amount.

Sweeteners on a Keto Diet

Since the sweet foods are cut off from the keto list, it may be unpleasant to follow a strict and tasteless keto diet for always, so there are some sugar-free sweeteners, including Stevia, Allulose, Inulin, Erythritol, Sucralose, Monk fruit that can flavor foods and drinks. They are low in GI (Glycemic Index) and don’t affect the blood sugar. Still, if you are on some specific medications, you should pay attention to the issue that they may interact with some drugs.

If you aim to lose weight by sticking to a keto diet, you should tie your shoelaces to have a big deal.
When the body switches on fat-burning functions by following the keto diet, losing weight may become so more comfortable and faster than other diets, and also, the kind of foods you take prevents hunger.
In the first stages, you lose weight due to your water weight loss because glycogen is bonded to 3 or 4 grams of water, and the rapid depletion of glycogen affects the weight by means of losing water.
After a few weeks of sticking to a keto diet, the ketosis stage and fat burning starts and can last six months and more.
Consuming many calories, low and sedentary activity, Insufficient sleep, medical issues, and stress can impair weight loss.

If you plan to start a keto diet, you should find and make a list of the right foods and the right portion of foods and prepare yourself against keto flu. Keto diet has these effects on the body: less acne, less heartburn, fewer sugar cravings, fewer migraine attacks, control on epilepsy, a calmer stomach, treating PCOs, normalizing blood sugar, controlling diabetes type 2, constant energy and mental performance. A keto diet is a long-term lifestyle to make significant changes for having a healthy life.

There are many ketosis booster pills in the markets that people tend to use during their keto diet. Exogenous ketones, also known as keto pills, alter the cholesterol levels and improve energy production by reducing lactate accumulation. Controlling appetite is another role they can have. These pills are trendier and common among athletes. They also have some disadvantages like mild side effects such as fatigue, hunger, and repeated urination.
Generally, you should not expect some medications as an easy way of losing weight.

Diabetic people who follow the keto diet should calculate carbohydrate intake and ketone levels in their body because a high level of ketones leads to ketoacidosis and DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis) happens. If patients don’t use insulin regularly along with their meal schedule, they can suffer from ketosis. This ketoacidosis is more common in type 1 diabetes than type 2 and can take place so fast, maybe less than 24 hours and will poison the patient.
Keto diet can be a successful way of controlling blood sugar and insulin levels and also decreases the use of medications.

For more information about the diabetic diet click here.

Using a keto diet will manage the levels of sugar blood and limit the fuel needed for tumor cells' growth. Studies have shown that the keto diet reduces cell growth speed, and it will help the weight loss of tumors. Keto diet can not cure cancer alone, and it should be done alongside medication and chemotherapy and other necessary actions. Keto diet using for cancer patients includes 80 percent of calories from fats. There are 3 to 4 grams of fat per 1 gram of protein and carbohydrates. The big issue for cancer patients is hypoglycemia that should be considered.

Side effects of a short-term keto diet are hypoglycemia, nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, dizziness, insomnia, difficulty in exercise tolerance, and constipation which are sometimes referred to as keto flu.
This strict keto diet may lead to kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies (e.g., vitamins in fruits and vegetables), low BP, and also due using a lot of uncontrolled fats and oils will increase the risk of heart diseases.
Patients with pancreatitis, liver failure, thyroid disease, gallbladder, fat metabolism disorders, primary carnitine deficiency, carnitine palmitoyltransferase deficiency, carnitine translocase deficiency, porphyrias, or pyruvate kinase deficiency should not use keto diet, and this is contraindicated for them.