The Keto Diet: What is it and Who Really Needs It?
The main components of a healthy diet are your nutrients: carbs, fats and proteins. Your body needs these three sources to fuel your body correctly, give you energy and to simply perform every day functions.
There is much debate over what combination of these three nutrients is best. Low carb, versus high protein or even high fat, which we will discuss today. It has been an occurring theme in science that is not about how much of what nutrient you eat in your diet, but the quality of food.
It is known that everyone functions differently, due to our genetics, body type and energy expenditures, each human needs a varying amount of nutrients. One form of diet that has risen in popularity due to its weight loss properties is the ketogenic diet. We will discuss this high fat diet and help you understand if it is right for your weight loss goals and daily life.
What is Keto?
In its simplest form, the ketogenic diet is a high fat, adequate protein and low carb eating style. The goal is to replace the carbs in your body with fat so your body is running solely on fat, putting your body in a state of ketosis.
Ketosis is a natural metabolic state that is shown to improve blood sugar levels and help you run a more energetic live. Unlike the energy you receive from glucose, ketones can enter the brain and give more support for one of your largest organs. Due to these effects many people prefer the way they feel on the ketogenic diet.
To put your body into ketosis, you must eat less than 50 grams of carbs a day. The make up is two to four present of your diet is carbs, 10 to 15 percent is protein and 70 to 80 percent is fat.
So how do we get that much fat in our diet? Here is a list of foods that are high in fat and are great for your health.
- Olive oil
- Fish
- Nuts and seeds
- Avocado
- Dark chocolate
- Chia seeds
- Coconut and coconut oils
You want these to be staples in your every day diet, a d by pairing them with fruits and vegetables that keep you in the low carb area as well as protein sources, you can achieve the state of ketosis.
Where to start
Dave Asprey is the founder of the Bulletproof diet, which starts your day with a high fat coffee and continues on with high amounts of fat to put your body in ketosis. He lost an exceptional amount of weight when he started the ketogenic diet.
“To get the full effect, you want at least a few ketones in your blood most of the time. You can get keto strips to measure your urine, and they should be at least a very light pink. The minimum blood level you want every day is 0.5,” said Asprey.
To find out if you are in ketosis you need to purchase ketone strips that you test your urine with it to see how many ketones are in your body. You want to find that peak level, and how you get there by altering your diet. This may take you some time, but it is worth it for the weight loss and energy benefits.
Benefits of Keto
First, keto is similar to the Atkins diet, that shows when you take high amounts of carbs out of your diet it is easier to portion control. So there is first, the simple restrict and lose it formula. But past that, the ketogenic diet has proven exceptional weight loss as it changes the way your body burns fat.
First, you can lose weight without counting calories because a high intake of fat will leave you full and satisfied with a good amount of natural portion control. One study found people on a ketogenic diet lost an average of two pounds more than people on a low fat diet.
It simply reduces amount of calories you take in, helps you feel fuller and puts a lot of high quality foods in your diet, which all help you effectively lose weight.
The ketogenic diet is also known to decrease chronic inflammation, blood sugar levels and give more energy. This is all due to the fact that you are taking negative carbs out of your diet, which can make you lethargic and put negative sugars in your body.
The ketogenic diet is very effective for many people, they have seen their lives change.
Keto in the Medical Field
Keto is great for many medical ailments, some listed here:
- Heart disease: it improves body fat levels, cholesterol and blood sugar
- Cancer: the keto diet is currently used to treat cancers and tumor growths.
- Alzheimer’s: Keto has been show to slow the effects of this disease. · Epilepsy: the keto diet has been proven to help children with epilepsy have less seizures.
- Acne: lower insulin levels help improve acne.
The ketogenic diet has been great for many medical ailments, and even on a personal level you can see improvements in your day to day health. There is still research being conducted on how a high fat diet really effects humans, but there are already ample amounts of testimonies on how great the keto diet can be.
Is Keto for you?
A ketogenic diet can be great for people who are overweight, have specific diseases or are looking to improve their metabolic health.
It may not be suited for people who extend huge amounts of energy everyday. With any diet, it is important to test it out in a safe and effective environment to see if it is right for you. Keto could be great for your daily routine, so give it a go!