Today, one of the most modern and common ways to lose weight is to follow a ketogenic diet. It is noteworthy that if this diet is followed, a person does not starve, but rather consumes fatty and high-calorie foods. The positive effect is achieved by limiting the amount of carbohydrates consumed and actually reducing their use in food to zero.
ketogenic diet
Researchers have shown that following a ketogenic diet helps with diseases such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, autism, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.
This diet is one of the varieties of low-carb diets, when the body does not get carbohydrates from food, it is forced to expend fat to get energy. In this case, the process of burning fat is very effective. Metabolic changes or ketosis, in which ketone bodies go directly to the brain, the body uses for energy.
With this diet, the level of sugar and insulin in the blood decreases, so this diet is also prescribed to diabetics, but only if the patient has type 2 diabetes.
Rules for the ketogenic diet
When following a ketogenic diet, you need to follow some simple rules and recommendations, only in this case you can achieve a positive result in the shortest possible time.
- One of the main principles of the ketogenic diet is to drink plenty of fluids a day - at least 3-4 liters.
- All snacks during the day, except the main meals, should be excluded.
- Active exercise is recommended when following a ketogenic diet.
- The amount of protein ingested should be gradually reduced to 1. 5 g per 1 kg of body weight.
- The level of carbohydrates consumed per day should also be gradually reduced, and ultimately the amount should be no more than 20 g per day.
- The main source of energy in the keto diet is fat, so do not worry about eating them.
Approved products
Following a ketogenic diet, you can eat the following foods:
- Seafood - squid, oysters, crabs, lobsters, mussels and mussels.
- Fish - salmon, cod, catfish, flounder, mackerel, trout, tuna, flounder. You can eat fish in any form - fried, steamed, boiled and baked in the oven.
- Meat - beef, pork, rabbit, poultry, beef. As in the case of fish, the meat can be used in any form - you can cook steaks, roasts, steaks, and the only thing you need to observe is that the fillet is thicker.
- Chicken and quail eggs that can be eaten both fried and boiled.
- Offal - the liver, stomach, tongue, heart and lungs are some of the main sources of nutrients.
- Sausages - bacon, ham, sausage. When buying these products, you should carefully read the composition so that there are no additives and sugar.
- Raw cheeses - goat, cream, mozzarella, cheddar.
- Healthy oils are natural olive and coconut oils. You can also eat avocado oil.
- Nuts - peanuts, walnuts and pine nuts, cashews, almonds, pumpkin and flax seeds, hazelnuts.
- Vegetables - all green vegetables, low in starch and carbohydrates, in addition, you can eat onions and tomatoes.
- Butter and cream.
- Berry.
- From the drinks you can drink green tea, weak black tea, non-carbonated mineral or boiled water.
Prohibited products
The following foods should not be consumed while on a ketogenic diet:
- Products that contain large amounts of sugar: juices, beverages, pastries, cakes, marmalades, pastries, ice cream, marshmallows.
- Foods containing cereals and starches: wheat flour cakes, bread, cereals, rice and pasta.
- All kinds of fruits.
- All varieties of legumes.
- Tubers and root crops: parsnips, carrots, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes.
- Dietary and low-fat products - go through several stages of processing, as a result of which they may contain excess carbohydrates.
- Sauces like ketchup and mayonnaise because they contain sugar and unhealthy fats.
- Unhealthy fats, the main sources of which are margarine and processed vegetable oils, so the use of these products should also be eliminated from the diet or at least reduced.
- Alcoholic products. Many alcoholic beverages contain large amounts of carbohydrates and therefore their use can cancel all dietary measures.
- Dietary foods without sugar. Such products are usually highly processed and full of harmful chemical elements.
Before starting a ketogenic diet, you should consult a specialist, as the list of permitted and prohibited foods may vary for each patient, based on the individual characteristics of the human body.
Ketogenic diet: menu for the week
The approximate weekly menu for people on a ketogenic diet is as follows.
Monday
- Breakfast. Egg and cheese.
- Lunch. Cottage cheese with cream.
- Dinner. Chicken breast, cheese and brown rice.
- afternoon tea. Cheese and some nuts.
- Dinner. Vegetable salad, fish in any form, garnished with brown rice.
Tuesday
- Breakfast. Omelet, ½ grapefruit, spinach.
- Lunch. Cottage cheese.
- Dinner. Vegetable salad, chicken breast, cheese.
- afternoon tea. Cottage cheese.
- Dinner. Steak with brown rice, salad with vegetables.
Wednesday
- Breakfast. Omelet, homemade yogurt.
- Lunch. Cheese, nuts.
- Dinner. Chicken breast with broth, salad.
- afternoon tea. Kefir, fruits.
- Dinner. Fish, lettuce, brown rice.
Thursday
- Breakfast. Cheese, boiled eggs, orange.
- Lunch. Homemade kefir.
- Dinner. Meat broth, brown rice.
- afternoon tea. Cheese, almonds.
- Dinner. Fish, broccoli.
Friday
- Breakfast. Boiled eggs with salsa.
- Lunch. Bacon or ham.
- Dinner. Casserole with meat with vegetables and mushrooms, salad.
- afternoon tea. Kefir, lettuce.
- Dinner. Chicken breast, rice
Saturday
- Breakfast. Omelet, salad.
- Lunch. Cheese sandwich.
- Dinner. Offal soup, fish.
- afternoon tea. Cheese, hazelnuts.
- Dinner. Pork steak, toast.
Sunday
- Breakfast. Fried egg, oatmeal or millet.
- Lunch. Kefir and fruits.
- Dinner. Vegetable soup with meat, chicken breast.
- afternoon tea. Kefir and boiled beef.
- Dinner. Fish, lettuce, brown rice, cheese.
Pros and cons of this diet
Following a ketogenic diet has a number of pros and cons that must be considered before embarking on such a diet.
advantages:
- The diet is quite easy to tolerate, because a person, following it, does not starve.
- A small amount of carbohydrates consumed reduces insulin production, thus preventing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
cons:
- Uncontrolled adherence to the ketogenic diet is accompanied by a decrease in the level of acidity in the blood, which in turn can lead to the development of ketoacidosis, which in most cases ends in the death of the patient. However, this phenomenon is quite rare, especially in people with diabetes.
- The state of ketosis is dangerous to human health, because in this case the load on the kidneys increases significantly and therefore there is a risk of developing urolithiasis and osteoporosis.
- It is impossible to follow this diet for a long time, as a person begins to have digestive problems - constipation and nausea from the constant use of fatty foods.
Contraindications
It is impossible to follow a ketogenic diet in such disorders as: pathologies of the cardiovascular system, liver and kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus, metabolic disorders, progressive encephalopathy.
Before you start following a ketogenic diet, you should consult a specialist, weigh the pros and cons and prepare for it. When following a diet, in order to avoid unpleasant consequences, it is necessary to constantly consult with your doctor and strictly follow all his recommendations.