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Know what the ketogenic diet is and who can follow it
For some years now, a diet known as "keto" has gained remarkable splendor and in view of its health benefits, many people have been interested in knowing what it is about.
Therefore, in this post, we want to emphasize what the ketogenic diet is, what its greatest advantages are, who can follow it and much more about it.
All this will help those who want to change their lifestyle and improve their health in different ways.
What is a keto diet, and what are its main characteristics?
Being the adaptation of "ketogenic diet", the ketogenic diet is a term that refers to an eating model whose main objective is the creation of ketone bodies.
Which, mainly, are metabolic compounds generated in the body in response to the deficit of energy reserves.
In other words, a keto diet consists of a low-carb, high-fat meal plan. Therefore, it is recommended to be able to lose weight quickly, since it consists of minimizing carbohydrate intake, in order to allow the body to burn more fat.
In this way, the ketogenic diet is responsible for producing a change in the human body that is based on transforming the energy source from sugar to fat.
With this, the body is able to access fat deposits to preserve its energy levels in a stabilized way and thus, it can significantly burn fat.
Now, among its main characteristics, we find that the foods allowed on a keto diet are the following :
Healthy fats : Like avocado, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, butter, nuts, seeds, etc.
Protein with a great contribution in healthy fats : For example, white fish, salmon, sardines, tuna, organic meat, rabbit, etc.
Low-carbohydrate vegetables : Be it broccoli, lettuce, spinach, chard, zucchini, celery, cauliflower, cucumber, envy, etc.
Also, to understand its operation a little more, it is essential to take into account the following three steps :
Generally, the human body uses glucose for energy and in most cases, it is obtained from carbohydrates.
However, by ingesting few carbohydrates, the body finds it necessary to use other sources of nutrients to acquire the required energy.
With this, necessarily, the body has to use fat as the main source of energy and thus, manages to burn it very quickly.
Why a keto diet can help you lose weight
Beyond discerning that the ketogenic diet has the ability to burn fat quickly, it is worth knowing why in scientific terms.
Thus, scientific evidence confirms that a keto diet can ideally help in weight loss regimes based on three premises:
Inherently, the body has to turn to fat for energy, but the process of ketosis is not as efficient as when it uses glucose.
It requires more fatty acids to obtain less energy and thus, a higher energy expenditure motivates a higher weight loss.
Because this type of diet restricts or suppresses carbohydrates, they do not have the potential to accumulate and thus prevent them from being concentrated as fat.
With this, it demolishes the possibility of being overweight or obese, this being a condition that is supported by excess sugars or carbohydrates in the diet.
In view of the food intake it generates, it significantly reduces appetite and increases satiety.
In other words, the keto diet is able to control hunger because it allows people to feel fuller and for much longer than usual.
The main benefits of following a ketogenic diet
We already know that the keto diet reduces appetite, increases satiety, prevents overweight and ultimately motivates people to lose weight.
However, it is necessary to know exactly what are each one of the benefits that the "ketogenic diet" guarantees :
Greater weight loss
As one of the main premises of this diet lies in minimizing carbohydrate intake, it is automatically effective for weight loss.
According to proven studies, a keto diet produces three times greater weight loss than a low-fat diet. As if that were not enough, this weight loss is maintained for longer than traditional.
Optimal appetite control
As we mentioned in the previous part, another of the main points in favor of a ketogenic diet lies in the satiety it produces. Since, as you reduce carbohydrates, you take more fat and more protein to reduce your appetite significantly.
Best of all, there are no risks of having the bad mood characteristic of low-fat diets.
Great fat loss (especially visceral fat)
The body has two types of fat: subcutaneous fat and visceral fat.
The first one refers to the one that moves like a flan when you jump in front of the mirror, that is, it can be pinched.
Whereas, visceral fat is the most dangerous of all because it tends to generate metabolic syndrome.
Luckily, keto diets have the ability to shed the greatest amount of visceral fat (also known as abdominal cavity fat), beyond losing a greater proportion of the weight of fat. Therefore, it is so ideal.
Treat mental illness efficiently
Despite the fact that in the field of nutrition there are still many things to be verified, the truth is that the ketogenic diet has revealed optimal benefits in the treatment of mental illnesses.
Thanks to its effectiveness, it has already been applied in the treatment of childhood epilepsy. As well as, to improve diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, because ketone bodies have extensive neuroprotective effects.
Other benefits...
Increase physical performance.
Reduces inflammation levels.
Maintains muscle mass.
It acts positively against cancer.
Improved insulin sensitivity and reversal of diabetes.
It reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Who can safely follow a keto diet?
In view of the fact that a ketogenic diet leads the body to enter a state of ketosis that, by nature, forces the body to act in an exceptional emergency situation; It is a lifestyle that is not recommended for any type of person and sometimes cannot adapt to certain circumstances or conditions.
Therefore, a strict ketogenic diet only has to be used with specific objectives and in specific situations that can be supervised by a professional in the field. Whether to lose fat, lose weight, define muscles, etc. Since, the brain cannot obtain its regular fuel which is glucose and will have to resort to ketone bodies in an exceptional way.
Indeed, this type of diet is only recommended for those people who do not suffer from metabolic diseases, diabetic problems, liver, kidney or pancreas disorders or thyroid disease.
Otherwise, it could cause a rebound effect, resulting in micronutrient and fiber malnutrition, creating poor eating habits, or consuming excess calories.
These are the types of the ketogenic diet
Finally, it is appropriate to know what are the 4 types of ketos diets that can be followed, and then we mention each one:
Standard Ketogenic Diet (DCE) : Defined as a very low carbohydrate eating plan that suggests moderate protein and high fat intake. Generally, it is distributed as 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates.
Cyclical ketogenic diet (DCC) : It corresponds to a type of keto diet that involves periods of higher carbohydrate recharges. For example, you can have 2 days a week of normal consumption has moderate of the same and 5 days with total restriction.
Adapted Ketogenic Diet (DCA) : Specifically, it is defined as a ketogenic diet that supports the incorporation of carbohydrates during training days, exclusively. Therefore, it is vital for high performance athletes.
High protein ketogenic diet : Basically, it works similar to the standard diet. But, its distinction is observed in the distribution of the percentages, which, in general, is: 60% fat (decrease), 35% protein (increase) and 5% carbohydrates.
We hope that with this guide you can learn more about what a keto diet consists of and thus decide if you should transform your lifestyle based on its premises.
