There are plenty of diets in the world. Most of them focus on losing weight. However, there are also diets that not only help you lose weight but also improve your overall health and wellbeing. The well-known keto diet is one of them.
The Keto diet is increasingly becoming popular but still many of us are not aware as to what exactly it is. So, this article tells you in brief about what the keto diet is, its benefits as well its risks.
What Exactly Is Keto Diet?
The keto diet is a high-fat, moderate protein, and low-carb diet. As such, it includes foods like eggs, meat, full-fat dairy products, avocadoes, most vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthy oils. So, if you like these foods but still want to lose weight, you should definitely try this diet.
What makes this diet stand out from the rest is the fact that it doesn’t restrict types of food, i.e. foods derived from animals in veganism. In fact, it allows eating the foods that are high in fat, low in carbs, and rich in proteins.
Reducing carbs leads to a change in your metabolism. When the body doesn't get carbs, the liver produces ketones using fat as its fuel source. In simple words, the body gets its energy by burning fat rather than sugar. In the initial 2 weeks, you are allowed to consume only 20 to 50 g of carbohydrates in a day. By eating just 20 g of carbs in a day, the body gets into ketosis within 48 hours. Thus, the body moves away from glucose (from carbs) and run on ketones (byproducts of burning fat for energy)
For Vegetarians/Vegans
It's true that the keto diet comprises mainly of nonvegetarian food but there are enough options as well as diet charts for vegetarians as well as vegan people too.
Source Of Fibre
- The only difference from most of the diets is that it restricts the intake of fruits, except berries and avocado. It’ because they are rich in natural sugar, hence high in carbs. When people first hear that most fruits are off-limit, they wonder where do they get fibre from.
- It’s simple, they get it from the other keto-friendly products, such as avocado, chia seeds, pecans, almonds, flaxseed, leafy greens, cauliflower, raw coconut, and pumpkin seeds.
Desserts
Which diet allows you to have desserts? Well, the keto diet does! Cakes, cookies, shakes, pies, icecreams, donuts, etc are no more a No in the Keto diet. The big assortment of products, including tasty desserts, such as a keto strawberry shake, makes the keto diet pretty easy to follow. That’s one of the reasons why it has so many followers.
Health Benefits
The keto diet is known for its numerous health benefits. Namely, it can help with weight loss, lowering blood pressure, increasing good cholesterol, and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, among the other. It’s also a great way if you want to detox your body.
And, if the above health benefits aren’t enough reason to try the keto diet, here are 6 other.
- If You Want To Lose Weight
Weight loss is the primary reason for starting a diet. The keto diet not only helps you lose weight but also helps you lose weight QUICKLY. Yes, that's right. This diet can shed pounds of your body in a short period of time. So, if you are looking for a quick way to lose weight, the keto diet is for you. But, keep in mind that this diet is a short-term weight-loss solution, so you can’t use if for a long time. - If Your Body Stores Fat
It’s a fact that some body-types are prone to store carbs in the form of fat. If, for example, you have a big-boned body type, you should definitely consider trying this diet. It’s because this type of body tends to hold on to carbs and store them as fat. So, if you have this problem, the keto diet is the right choice for you. - If You Have Inflammation If you have some inflammation, the keto diet can help reduce it. It’s because it limits the intake of sugar (carbs), which is pretty inflammatory. Plus, the body uses fat, instead of carbs, in ketosis, so there aren’t enough carbs to cause inflammation. Additionally, this diet can end the sudden increase of insulin by regulating sugar levels. Namely, unregulated sugar levels raise blood sugar levels, thus creating inflammation in the body.
- If You Have Type 2 Diabetes Insulin resistance is a common characteristic of type 2 diabetes. This means that the body can’t use carbs effectively anymore, so it needs an alternative energy source to function properly and lower the markers of diabetes. Since the keto diet provides the body with fat as fuel instead of carbs, it’s the perfect choice for those with type 2 diabetes.
- If You Have A Constant Heartburn Heartburns are unpleasant and make us feel bad. They are even more unpleasant when accompanied by a bitter taste in the mouth and/or pain in the upper abdomen. Therefore, if you want to reduce these symptoms and treat your heartburns, you should give the keto diet a try.
- If You Like The Foods Consumed On The Keto Diet The keto diet is a high-fat low-carb diet. As such, it includes foods like eggs, meat, full-fat dairy products, avocadoes, and healthy oils. So, if you like these foods but still want to lose weight, you should definitely try this diet.
How To Stay Healthy On The Keto Diet?
Although the keto diet is one of the healthiest diets in the world, you still need to know certain things if you want to stay healthy while dieting, such as:
- Protein intake
Just because you can enjoy eggs, meat, butter, and other protein-rich products, it doesn't mean you should over-do it. It’s because consuming too much protein can stop the ketosis.
So, instead of eating products that are high in proteins, focus on products that contain healthy fat, such as avocados, nuts and seeds, and fish, as well as whole foods.
- The keto and low-sodium diet don’t go together
If you are following a low-sodium diet, out of any reason, you shouldn’t start the keto diet. This is because the keto diet leads to losing salt and water. So, you need to consume a bit more salt to compensate for those loses. And, that doesn't fit well within the low-sodium diet.
- Pay attention to your body
Your body can tell you a lot about your health. If you notice that something isn't right, e.g. you feel exhausted even after the keto-flu passes, or you have nausea, you should stop your diet and consult with a nutritionist or a doctor. Your body knows the best, so you should pay attention to it.
- If you have an eating disorder history
If you have an eating disorder history, don’t start the keto diet
People who have a history of an eating disorder shouldn't start the keto diet, nor any other diet for that matter. This is because diets are food-restrictive and may lead to an eating disorder people who have already had that problem. In fact, dieting can intersect with predisposing factors, such as genetics, to trigger an eating disorder.
Takeaway
So, if you want to lose weight or want to improve your overall health, you should try the keto diet. However, you should always consult with your doctor or a nutritionist before starting the keto diet.
Also, you need to understand fully the cons and pros of following a keto diet. You should have full knowledge as to what foods to consume in keto diet. Along with this, you should be aware of the risks associated with keto diet so that you can take due precautions to avoid these.
Disclaimer: This post is just information about the keto diet. It neither advocates nor suppresses you to have a keto diet.
Let's Connect
f you have like this info about the keto diet then do share your views in the comment section below. Your feedback fuels my enthusiasm to post more good content.
Let’s connect on Facebook Pinterest Instagram(#samirasrecipediary) too.
This is a guest post featured by Elsie Doss blogging at https://konsciousketo.com/pages/keto-shake-gc
Copyright: Pixabay / author: zuzyusa / I License: CC0 Public Domain
