What you need to Know About the Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that switches your metabolism from burning sugar to burning fat, it is highly popular nowadays because it allows you to lose stubborn weight that you may have been holding on to for years.

What to eat during the ketogenic diet?

During the ketogenic diet, you should stick to low-carb, high-fat foods and avoid sugar free artificial sweeteners. The standard ketogenic diet should include 75% of fat, 20% of protein and 5% of carbohydrates only. For a 2000 calories diet: 165 g of fat, 75 g of protein and 40g of carbohydrates.

Fat intake:

Some kinds of fat can fuel oxidative stress while others can be beneficial and may boost the heart health, the following foods should be included as staples in your daily meals:

-Olive oil

-Avocado oil

-Coconut oil

-Grass-fed butter

-Seed and nut oil such as peanut oil

-Nuts

-Flaxseeds

-Chia seeds

-Poppy seeds

Protein intake:

The following foods are important to be included in each week’s menu plan:

-Eggs

-Lean meat and non-processed-meat

-Chicken

-Salmon

-Sardines

-Mackerel

-Turkey

-Non-processed cheese

Carbohydrates intake:

A common misunderstanding for all the ketogenic diet followers is that veggies and fruits should be limited because they are rich in carbohydrates , in fact, eating vegetables during this diet will prevent the loss of potassium, magnesium and vitamins. Plus, there are lots of veggies and fruits that have a low carbohydrate content, for example:

-Avocado (rich in potassium)

-Spinach(rich in potassium)

-Swiss chard (rich in magnesium)

Anti-inflammatory drinks:

Green tea, ginger infusion and curcuma infusion should be included everyday in order to avoid inflammation.

What to avoid on a ketogenic diet?

The following foods are loaded with antibiotics and hormones and should be avoided:

-Processed meat

-Bacon

-Processed cheese

The following foods are rich in saturated fats and trans fats that can cause lots of health problems:

-Margarines

-Creamers

Plus, sugar-free artificial sweeteners like aspartame , sucralose that can be found in light soft drinks can trigger lots of health problems , as well as sugary treats such as cakes ,ice creams, candies, cookies, cereals pasta, rice , high sugar condiments.

How to tell if you’re in a ketogenic state?

Some signs that indicate that your body have reached ketosis are: bad breath, lack of appetite, heightened focus, increased energy, constipation and trouble in sleeping at the start of the diet.

To sum up, positive results can be obtained after following this diet; not only in weight management, but also studies have shown that this diet may improve symptoms associated with heart diseases, polycystic ovary syndrome, epilepsy, Alzheimer disease…