Ketogenic Diet:
The Keto diet also known as the “ketogenic diet” refers to the intake of low carbohydrates, moderate protein, and high fat. The ketogenic diet was introduced in 1920 for epilepsy patients to reduce their epilepsy seizures. In a ketogenic diet, people get fuel and energy from ketone instead of glucose. Ketones are produced when glucose levels fall and the body has access to fat either in the form of stored body fat or dietary fat. When someone’s body uses ketones as fuels, they are in “nutritional ketosis” which is like a “fat-burning mode”.
Calories that you gain from the Keto Diet:
In the keto diet, you can get a specific amount of calories from proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
Fats: 70% calories.
Proteins: 20% calories.
Carbohydrates: 10%calories.
Who prefers the Keto Diet?
The Keto diet is preferred by those people who face the challenges of obesity and epilepsy. The Keto diet has a lot of benefits to maintaining human health as it can prevent heart disease, brain disease, acne, and others etc. if you want to follow a Keto diet plan, you should consult with your dietitian and health care professionals because sometimes it is not safe for especially type 1 diabetes people.
Types of Keto Diet:
There are different types of keto diet that have different benefits and prevent you from health issues.
This is the most common type of Keto diet when you intake a high amount of fat, a moderate amount of protein and a low amount of carbohydrates. This diet helps to maintain weight and protect you from obesity.
Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD):
Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD): In this type of Keto diet, you intake a small amount of carbohydrates. This prefers those people who consistently engage in exercise and regularly do some physical activities.
Cyclical Ketogenic diet (CKD): This type of Keto diet follows the athletes and they take in high amounts of carbohydrates in.
High Protein Ketogenic Diet (HPKD): This type of diet is similar to SKD, but in this, you intake a high amount of proteins that support your muscles to work correctly. Those people who want specific fitness follow this diet.
Restricted Ketogenic Diet (RKD): This restricted Keto diet is used in medical settings for epilepsy patients
Keto Diet Foods:
In the Keto diet, there are a lot of foods to suggest by dietitians and health care professionals. Here are suggested foods for achieving a Keto diet that mentioned as:
- Avocado
- Nuts and seeds
- Berries
- Eggs
- Chicken
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Meat and poultry
- Cheese
- Leafy greens
- Fish and shellfish
Keto Diet Chart plan:
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks | |
| Monday: | Egg, cheese, Mushrooms, Bacon | Tuna salad Lettuce wraps | Cheese and veggie pizza made on a cauliflower crust | Nuts and dark chocolates |
| Tuesday: | Keto granola made with pecans, butter and coconut flakes | Turkey and cheese roll, fish | Two avocados stuffed with beef, lettuce, cheese and sour cream. | Beef jerky |
| Wednesday: | Omelet made with bell pepper, cheese and spinach | BLT lettuce wrap with olive oil | Spinach and seared salmon filet with buttery riced cauliflower | Walnuts, coconut oil and dark chocolates |
| Thursday: | Spinach and a handful of berries | Shrimp avocado salad made with onions, tomatoes, and lime juice | A small amount of chicken | Nuts and seeds |
| Friday: | Egg, cheese and avocado sandwich | Asian chicken lettuce wrap, leafy greens | Yogurt, slice of onions, tomatoes and avocado. | Parmesan cheese crisps |
| Saturday: | Yogurt, a slice of onions, tomatoes and avocado. | Grilled chicken, salad with lettuce, cucumber, tomato and feta cheese | Butter and lemon baked cod with roasted asparagus topped with cheese. | Handful berries and cream |
| Sunday: | Keto pancakes made with coconut flour and almond flour with butter and shredded coconut | Low-carb broccoli and cheese soup | Salad, pieces of onion, tomatoes and | Low carb veggies |
Advantages of Ketogenic Diet:
Keto diet has a lot of benefits on human health that are mentioned:
Weight loss:
Weight loss is one of the benefits of Keto diet. Weight loss occurs when you intake a low amount of carbohydrates and a high amount of fats. The Keto diet promotes weight loss, reducing appetite and boosting metabolism. Keto diet reduces the amount of carbohydrates that you eat burns fat and converts it into fuel to provide energy of your body. Keto diet reduces the blood sugar in your body, and it is very helpful to control the improper hunger level in your body. So, dietitians and health care professionals always suggest that those people who often face the problems of obesity should follow the proper Keto diet.
Increase energy:
Dark poultry meat and red meat in the Keto diet provide you with energy. These foods contain high amounts of proteins and fats that are an important ingredient in the kite diet. They help to build muscle functions and their growth as well as energy. The Keto diet maintains your blood cells, tissues and organs and provides energy to your heart, stomach, your brain, and boosts your memory. In the Keto diet, your metabolism is converted from burning carbohydrates to burning fat for energy. A Keto diet protects your muscles from damage and it gives strength to your muscles and body. In this way, your body works properly and looks more attractive, healthy, and strong.
Better dental health:
Eating an excessive amount of sugar causes the bacteria in your mouth and makes your dental health critical. A low amount of sugar intake prevents you from tooth decay. Keto diet does not fight germs and bacteria in your mouth, but it helps to reduce bacterial activity. In the Keto diet, after just three months, your gum disease will just disappear. It also controls the PH level in your mouth which helps your teeth from decay. In the Keto diet, leafy greens and fiber are very crucial for maintaining dental conditions. So, better dental health is also a reason for healthy persons. Those people who do not take excess amounts of sugar have better dental health than those who take high amounts of carbohydrate food and sugar-calorie foods.
Mental clarity:
In the Keto diet, it helps to produce a favorable amount of GABA (Gamma amino butyric acid) which is a neurotransmitter. It is made from Glutamate which is the part of the neurotransmitter. Your brain needs a proper and sufficient amount of GABA and Glutamate to perform your body’s functions properly. Keto diet enhances your brain functions as boosts your memory, learning way, and other brain’s capabilities. In the Keto diet, the proper amount of almonds, fish, butter olive oil, etc. makes your brain healthy and strong. Research shows that the Keto diet provides you with better mental health, and a disease-free brain and makes your memory strong.
Heart health:
The Keto diet lowers triglyceride which is a type of fat that causes the reasons of heart diseases, strokes, and pancreatitis. The Keto diet is associated with HDL (High-density Lipoprotein) known as good cholesterol reduces the risk of heart diseases as heart attacks. In the Keto diet, a low intake of carbohydrates is good for health as increases the cholesterol level, decreases blood pressure, and triglyceride effect. A Keto diet is beneficial for weight loss, so, a healthy weight also prevents you from heart issues. A Keto diet also reduces the infections and germs in your body and provides you the strength to fight harmful bacteria and infections that are present in your body. In this way, your heart also becomes strong and disease-free.
Reduction in acne:
High amounts of carbohydrates and sugar increase certain types of hormones in your body as insulin that can cause acne. Research shows that the Keto diet reduces these imbalanced hormones. This diet has been suggested to reduce acne. Keto diet can improve your skin complexion and make your skin bright and beautiful. It helps to regulate hormones as androgen hormones which are also the reason of the development of acne. Some foods such as citrus fruits and leafy greens are the part of Keto diet that helps to maintain your skin and reduces sports skin and acne.
Better sleep:
Keto diet eliminates the abnormal glucose level in your body that has been linked to poor sleep. It improves your blood sugar level which is also a reason for better and healthy sleep. A proper Keto diet improves headache, fatigue, nausea, and tiredness. If you are doing a Keto diet, you should need to sleep at least 6 hours per day to maintain your health. The Keto diet increases the production of various neurotransmitters as serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that promote relaxation and proper sleep. Improper sleep disturbs your body’s functions and makes your body lazy and ill. So, the Keto diet maintains your sleep cycle.
Disadvantages of the Keto Diet:
Keto diet has not only advantages but also disadvantages. Here are the bad impacts of the Keto diet on human health.
Kidney issue:
The ketogenic diet has both side effects positive as well as negative. The Ketogenic diet relies on fats for producing energy and when the body breaks down fats, it produces waste products. Excreting and processing ketones apply stress to the kidneys. During the Keto diet, water is excreted, so, many nutrients are also lost during water as sodium, potassium, zinc, and phosphorus. When you frequently follow the Keto diet chart plan, there is a possible chance of the formation of stones in your kidney. In the Keto diet, you consume moderate amounts of proteins that are very risky for the health of the kidney. Dietitians and health care professionals always suggest that those people who have kidney issues, should not follow the Keto diet because the Keto diet is not suitable for them.
Increases the risk of bone fractures:
When you follow strictly the Keto diet schedule plan, so, you face lots of health problems as Osteoporosis which is a bone disease. In the Keto diet, you intake a low amount of calcium, so, the deficiency of calcium occurs and it has a bad effect on teeth and bones. Reduction of calcium increases the risk of fractures. Proper and favorable amounts of fiber, antioxidants, and some other important nutrients play a vital role in the healthy development of bones. But in the Keto diet, you intake low amounts of these nutrients that cause bad effects on human health. Dietitians and health care professionals suggest those people who face the challenges of bone fractures should not follow the Keto Diet.
Loss of Muscle mass:
Those people who frequently follow the Keto diet chat plan, face muscle problems as their muscles become weak and unhealthy. When your muscles become weak in this way, you not only face the problems of arthritis, muscles but also the risk of overweight and diabetes problems. In this way, your blood circulation level is also affected. You intake a low amount of carbohydrates in the Keto diet, so, your body makes glucose from non-carbohydrate sources that have bad effects on human health. You intake low amounts of protein in the Keto diet which causes muscle issues. Dietitians and health care professionals suggest that those people who have joint issues should not follow the Keto diet.
Hormonal Changes:
Reduction of carbohydrates and high amounts of fats disturb your hormones. Leptin is a hormone that maintains an energy level and appetite. Research shows that the Keto diet affects hormones such as Leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone known as the “hunger hormone” because it stimulates appetite. The Keto diet reduces the level of ghrelin that affects on appetite. It also affects on Thyroid hormones that play a vital role in the human body as they maintain the metabolism process. Growth hormones become disturbed and imbalanced due to the Keto diet. It also affects sex hormones, particularly in women. The Keto diet causes the reason of stress in the human body which makes a person weak, unhealthy, and fatigued. You should not always follow the Keto diet and maintain your hormones. Balance hormones maintain your body’s functions and make you strong, healthy, and disease.
Hydration issue:
In the Keto diet, the body excretes water that causes the reason of dehydration. The Keto diet depletes the level of glycogen that is stored in the muscles and the liver. In every glycogen, the body stores 3 to 4 grams of water. In the Keto diet, the level of glycogen reduces, so, the amount of stored water also reduces, which causes the reason of dehydration. When the proper amount of water depletes, so, the proper amount of nutrients such as sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, and others will also reduce. Dehydration causes symptoms of health issues such as heart disease, disturbing sugar levels, making your body weak, fatigue, bone disease such as osteoporosis, and an increase in the risk of arthritis issue. Research shows that those people who drink the proper amount of water per day are healthier than those who do not take the proper amount of water.
The main goal of the Keto diet is to place the body in a state called “Ketosis” where the body burns fats instead of carbohydrates for fuel. Those persons who face the challenges of weight, heart, inflammation, acne, and others as above mentioned should follow the Keto diet. The Keto diet maintains your body’s functions and it becomes one of the reasons for the formation of white and red blood cells that are very crucial to fighting bacteria in your body. However, in some medical conditions, the Keto diet should not be adopted. If you want to start the Kito diet, firstly, you should consult with your dietitian and health care professionals.