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The Ketogenic Diet

What Keto is.

Keto, or the ketogenic diet is a diet that is very low on carbs, but high in fat. The diet focuses on speedy weight loss. It is great for people who want to drop some weight quickly, or those who generally want to lose weight. But how? During keto people eat between a set number of macros, which aids the body in entering a state known as “ketosis”. Ketosis is a metabolic state where the liver produces ketones from fat as an alternative fuel source for the body. Thus, the body begins to use fat as a fuel source constantly. That is why being in ketosis helps people lose weight and burn fat rapidly. So, how can one enter a state of ketosis? To be in ketosis one must consume 20G of net carbs or less, between 70-100G of fat and protein, and no sugar (Spritzler). The most important thing to track is carbohydrates, as the daily carb intake determines whether one will remain in ketosis. Carbohydrates can be found in a lot of different places; even vegetables can have plenty of carbs! Which is why planning is so important. Create the diet ahead of time and ensure the keto diet follows the guidelines needed as it will determine success or failure. Planning meals ahead of time can also discourage dining out. This is beneficial when entering or maintaining ketosis as oftentimes restaurants add ingredients that aren’t keto friendly. Cooking and preparing food is the safest bet, however it is possible to have keto options while dining out, if cautious. Furthermore, while transitioning to keto, hunger levels will increase. The reason being of course, that the daily diet intake is different. And the reason for feeling hungry falls on the responsibility of two hormones – ghrelin and leptin. Interestingly, it is possible to control these hormones through intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is a constriction on eating times, where people most commonly would fast for 16 hours and eat for the remaining 8 within the day (Gastroenterol). It is shown that by fasting it is possible for ghrelin levels to adapt to the hours which you choose to eat at. However, water can be consumed while fasting. In fact, it is encouraged as drinking enough water can increase metabolism up to 30% (Berkheiser).

Health benefits of Keto

Clearly, keto is an effective diet when it comes to losing weight and fat in a short amount of time. But there are other benefits that are apparent when on keto. One phenomenon that stands out is the fact that appetite can be regulated while in ketosis. Surprisingly, even though you tend to eat much less while on this diet, being in ketosis helps regulate appetite stimulating hormones like ghrelin and leptin in a few ways. Being in ketosis helps to: maintain normal post-meal blood sugar response, lowers perceived hunger and food intake instead of inducing feelings of deprivation, and the increase in fatty acids in the bloodstream after meals helps to maintain leptin longer (Goldstein).

One other major health benefit of the keto diet is that the reversal of diabetes is possible. More specifically, Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed based on elevated blood sugar. It is also a disease of insulin resistance, and inflammation. Thankfully, a good keto diet can resolve or improve all three (Stein). Additionally, keto can also help with the reversal of prediabetes which is an impaired glucose tolerance. As you can see there are so many different reasons why someone would try the keto diet. Hopefully, some of the more important details have been outlined and can assist you in deciding if keto is the next diet you will attempt.

Adam’s advice for keto

It is evident that drinking water is crucial as well as fasting. But what are the best and most important foods to have when it is time to eat? So long food contains no sugar or an excess amount of carbs, almost anything can be had on keto. However, there are some go to ingredients and foods for those on keto. Coconut oil is arguably one of the most important things to eat, whether one is on the keto diet or not. Coconut oil is dubbed as a superfood as it contributes higher to energy, increased metabolism, and is good for blood sugar preventing diabetes since it battles insulin resistance (O’Connell). There are some a few top choices for fats, the mains ones are mayo and avocados. Furthermore, some popular protein options are eggs, beef, steak or porkchops, and chicken wings or chicken thighs. Even though, chicken is typically seen as a lean protein, it can be used wisely in the keto diet so long it still has the chicken skin intact. Although there is a vast amount of great options, it is hard to be on keto and not experience cravings. Personally, I love Asian food. I was constantly craving stir fry’s, fried rice, and ramen. Luckily for me these can be made keto friendly at home. I substituted zucchini noodles for actual noodles, and I grated cauliflower for my “fried rice” instead of using actual white or brown rice. A big part of a successful diet is dealing with cravings. With keto, it is possible to enjoy delicious food so long they are modified accordingly. The keto diet can be a fantastic alternative to other diets, it has plenty of potential to get creative with its dishes and is something everyone should look forward to before starting it.