Forget health supplements, forget Skinny tea and the Atkins diet, the next best thing is now here. As one of the most googled terms in the entire world, the ketogenic diet is taking the world by storm.
Here’s what you need to know about the Ketogenic Diet:
What is the Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet is a low-carb eating plan, it encourages the consumption of high fat and low protein food. When someone is sticking to this diet 75%-90% of the calorie intake comes from fat.
The ketogenic diet began as a dietary method of attempting to control seizures. This was before breakthroughs in medical technology allowed for drugs to treat seizures effectively.
Recently the ketogenic diet has been credited with Kim Kardashian’s massive post-baby weight loss. This diet also has quite a lot of celebrity fans including supermodels. Adriana Lima and Megan Fox have credited this diet for their toned figures.
While we may have been trained through media exposure and other means to be scared of fat, this doesn’t have to be the case. Ketones are in fact are very efficient way of providing your body with fuel and nutrients that it needs. This diet has been followed by athletes and others looking to enhance their cognitive performance, due to its effectiveness.
What Happens?
The aim of this diet is to get your body to a point called ketosis. Ketosis is a physiological state wherein the body uses fat as its primary form of energy, rather than carbs.
How Does it work?
Ketosis triggers weight loss because it burns fat quickly. Realistically, the ketogenic diet will leave you hungry at times, at least in the beginning.
However, the ketogenic diet is a proven method of weight loss. Many studies over the past few decades have shown this diet to result in the loss of a substantial amount of weight over a few months.
Does it Produce Results?
The ketogenic weight loss diet is sure to help you drop the pounds quickly, with fast results. However, it’s uncertain whether this particular method is sustainable. Cutting out certain essential food from your diet will definitely leave you lacking certain nutrients. Dieters have often reported feeling hungry, and all the negative aspects that come into this.
In order for a weightloss diet to be successful, it has to be able to be followed for a realistic amount of time to make a difference in a person’s life. Starving yourself is not maintainable. However, for a quick method of dropping a few kilos before a big event, this diet may work well.
The Risks
There are some risks attributed to this diet. Severe ketosis can lead to the body beginning a state called ketoacidosis. Ketoacidosis occurs when your body builds up excess ketones and your blood actually becomes acidic. This condition can lead to seizures and even death. Minor acidosis causes bad breath, headaches, dizziness, muscle cramps and headaches.
How is it Similar to the Atkins Diet?
Compared with the Atkins diet, the ketogenic method is fairly similar. Most carbohydrate restricting diets qualify to be called a ketogenic diet. They will all usually end with the person being in ketosis. However the Atkins diet does differ in that after the induction stage, a person will generally reintroduce larger amounts of carbohydrates while still reducing processed sugar intakes.
The Difference Between Ketogenic Diets and The Atkins Diet
The Atkins diet also suggests a higher intake of proteins, something the ketogenic method doesn’t. Ketogenic diets concentrate on a high intake of fat primarily.
How is it Similar to the Paleo Diet?
The paleo diet has a similar focus point. Fats, Carbohydrates and Protein. However, the paleo diet doesn’t necessarily specify that those on it need to have such a low carb intake.
The Paleo diet is a focus on eating food that are unprocessed and as natural as they can be. While it can be ketogenic if you include the restrictions in it, it’s not specifically made for this purpose. The Ketogenic diet is not paleo because is doesn’t specify that those participating in the diet need to steer clear of processed foods, in fact it may encourage it due to the consumption of so many fats.
The Low-Carb Focus
For the most part, many weight-loss diets will focus around a low-carb concern. Carbohydrates are restricted to reduce caloric intake and keep the body in calorie deficiency, promoting weight loss.
What Should you be Concerned About?
The ketogenic diet is a diet to be used with caution. While the idea of dropping weight fast can be appealing, you need to be sure that you keep your body fulfilled with what it needs. Don’t starve or dehydrate yourself, this can be incredibly harmful to your body in the long term.
What Food Can you Eat?
With the ketogenic diet having a major focus on good, healthy fats the majority of a person’s diet needs to consist of high fat, low carb food. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Salmon
- Avocado
- Eggs
- Natural peanut butter
- Kale
- Cucumber
- Spinach
What Food Should You Avoid
On the Ketogenic diet you should mostly avoid food high in sugar! It’s important to remember that this doesn’t only mean refined sugar. Some fruit and vegetables are also high in carbohydrates so should be restricted while on this eating plan.
So, is the Ketogenic Diet for you?
The ketogenic diet is an effective way to lose weight and appear skinnier because it essentially keeps your metabolism in starvation mode. There have been mentions of the ketogenic diet being successful in appetite suppression and mood improvement, but these are yet to be proven.
The important thing to remember is that ketosis is something your body is either in, or it is not. This is not a diet that allows cheat days. Those following the ketogenic diet need to stick to their plan or else their body will not be burning fat. It’s not a diet that allows for that “just one sweet or slice of bread” moment.
Diet trends come and go, but your body lasts with you forever. Take care of yourself, know your limits and eat the best food you can.