WHAT IS A KETOGENIC DIET?
The ketogenic diet or keto diet, for short is a low carb, high fat diet that offers many health benefits. It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called Ketosis.
Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body uses fat for fuel instead of carbs. It occurs when you significantly reduce your consumption of carbohydrates, limiting your body’s supply of glucose (sugar), which is the main source of energy for the cells.
When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into Ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain. And yes, Ketogenic diets can cause significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF KETOGENIC DIETS
- Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low carb, moderate protein and high fat diet. It typically contains 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs.
- Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods of higher carb refeeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high carb days.
- Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around workouts. This is primarily used by bodybuilders or athletes.
- High protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet, but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.
Following a ketogenic diet is the most effective way to enter ketosis. Generally, this involves limiting carb consumption to around 20 to 50 grams per day and filling up on fats, such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and healthy oils.
Doing Intermittent Fasting could also help you enter ketosis faster. There are many different forms of intermittent fasting, but the most common method involves limiting food intake to around 8 hours per day and fasting for the remaining 16 hours.
WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING?
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a term used to describe a variety of eating patterns in which no or few calories are consumed for time periods that can range from 12 hours to several days, on a recurring basis. Focus on the physiological responses of major organ systems, including the musculoskeletal system, to the onset of the metabolic switch – the point of negative energy balance at which liver glycogen stores are depleted and fatty acids are mobilized (typically beyond 12 hours after cessation of food intake). The metabolic switch from glucose to fatty acid-derived ketones represents an evolutionarily conserved trigger point that shifts metabolism from lipid/cholesterol synthesis and fat storage to mobilization of fat through fatty acid oxidation and fatty-acid derived ketones, which serve to preserve muscle mass and function.
DO KETOGENIC DIETS CAN HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT?
A ketogenic diet is an effective way to lose weight and lower risk factors for disease. Research shows that the ketogenic diet may be as effective for weight loss as a low fat diet. One review of 13 studies found that following a very low carb, ketogenic diet was slightly more effective for long-term weight loss than a low fat diet. People who followed the Keto Diet lost an average of 2 pounds (0.9 kg) more than the group that followed a low fat diet.
Another study in 34 older adults found that those who followed a Ketogenic Diet for 8 weeks lost nearly five times as much total body fat as those who followed a low fat diet.
To help get you started, here’s a Guide to Keto Diet……..
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