Ketogenic diet-What it is, how it works, benefits and menu
What is it?
The ketogenic diet is a type of diet rich in lipids, with low carbohydrate content and moderate amounts of protein. In this diet, 80% of the energy the body gets comes from lipids.
From this diet, dietary fat and body fat (fat tissue) is broken in the liver producing fatty acids and ketone bodies to be used as a source of energy, a process known as ketosis.
The ketosis process occurs when there are no more reserves of hepatic and muscle glycogen to generate energy for the body precisely because of the low amount of carbohydrates in the diet and in situations of prolonged fasting.
The ketogenic diet was created by Dr. Wilder in 1921 at the Mayo Clinic in the United States to treat children suffering from epilepsy. It is characterized by having:
55 to 65% fat
less than 20% carbohydrate or 100g per day
25 to 35% protein.
What is it for?
The ketogenic diet has been used to promote weight loss (total weight loss and body fat) due to the low carbohydrate intake, since these are the nutrients that favor weight gain, because when excess in the body, they are transformed into the fat reserve (adipose tissue).Another strong proven use of the ketogenic diet through studies is its use for the treatment of diseases, among them epilepsy, diabetes, obesity, and others.
Benefits:
- Weight reduction and body fat
As we have seen, one of the great benefits of the ketogenic diet is the possibility of weight loss, especially fat mass. This is due to the use of dietary lipids and adipose tissue as a source of fat due to the low intake of carbohydrates that end up not being in minimal quantities in the body and, therefore, are not able to supply energy to the body through classical ATP pathway, the molecule that stores energy produced.
The organism then prepares to enter into ketosis state with the production of fatty acids and ketone bodies to generate energy so that the body can utilize that energy and continue in normal operation. Thus, it is possible to have weight loss, especially fat, with preservation of muscle mass.
Even with low carbohydrate intake, it is possible to avoid what is called hypoglycemia, a condition caused by a lack of glucose in the blood that can cause dizziness and fainting, and in severe cases even coma. Blood glucose is maintained with the low amount of carbohydrates consumed plus the synthesis of glucose in the body, a process known as gluconeogenesis, which occurs in the liver, through compounds such as amino acids, glycerol, and lactate.
When food is low in carbohydrates, it can cause some symptoms like apathy, weakness, cramps, headaches, among others, as carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body.
However, according to ketogenic diet advocates, low carbohydrate intake is supported by the consumption of other foods such as vegetables and legumes, liquids and supplements, making the symptoms of low carbohydrate intake reduced.
In addition, there are some strands that indicate that a high-fat diet has more effects on weight loss than a high carbohydrate diet.
Preservation of muscle mass
The ketogenic diet spares the use of muscle tissue as a source of energy due to the good supply of protein that this diet offers. With this, there is no need for the body to break down muscle proteins into amino acids to produce energy.Control appetite
The ketogenic diet also helps to control appetite because of the high contraction of dietary lipids and because of the good amount of protein. These nutrients ensure satiety to the body by keeping the appetite more controlled, reducing the food intake.Treatment and prevention of diseases
As we have seen, the ketogenic diet has been important in the treatment of diseases, especially epilepsy and diabetes.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by the occurrence of electrical activities, better known as attacks, with short or long duration, sometimes almost imperceptible or intense agitation. Epilepsy may be of genetic origin, acquired or unknown.
Early in the discovery of this diet as a treatment for epilepsy crises, it was widely used. However, with the appearance of antiepileptic drugs, the ketogenic diet began to be forgotten and resurfaced again as an alternative treatment for epileptic patients.
Many studies have proven that the ketogenic diet is quite effective as an alternative non-drug treatment for epilepsy, especially in patients who do not respond to drug treatment.
The ketogenic diet, specifically the ketone bodies derived from fat metabolism, is effective in controlling epileptic seizures because it acts directly on the oxidative stress installed in these seizures, thus reducing this condition.
Another disease that can be stabilized with the help of the ketogenic diet is diabetes. This is because of low carbohydrate intake as it provides up to 20% carbohydrates daily, as opposed to a normal diet whose carbohydrate content is 55–60%.
Also, in type 1 diabetes, this diet avoids hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and type 2 diabetes reduces insulin resistance.
As for the prevention of diseases, the ketogenic diet exerts benefits to the organism as the increase of the antioxidant capacity and the prevention of mitochondrial DNA mutations and of cell death avoiding the appearance of diseases, mainly the degenerative ones, and until the premature aging.
Indications
This diet is indicated only by doctors and nutritionists for people with problems of excess weight, including obesity, and for the treatment and control of diseases, especially epilepsy and metabolic syndrome.
Contraindications
This diet is contraindicated in some situations, such as for the elderly, patients who have had or have had a renal or hepatic impairment, patients with cardiovascular diseases, and patients on cortisone-based medications.
How to do it
Although it is a diet that promotes weight loss, it is necessary to know that a high-fat content provides many calories. Therefore, your diet should be balanced so that the caloric intake is less than the expenditure, otherwise, you will not use the fat of the diet and body reserves as a source of energy and you will continue with the same weight or even increase in weight.
The ketogenic diet should be started following at least 5 consecutive days. After this period, it is allowed to consume carbohydrate food for 2 days as bread, rice, pasta, except for sugary foods, and then return to follow the ketogenic diet to the letter. This diet is done cyclically.
This diet is a type of diet that should not be done in the long term because of the restriction of some nutrients such as carbohydrates. It is introduced gradually to the patient for adaptation, since what has been observed in many patients is the non-acceptance of diet.
For treatment of diseases, the doctor and the nutritionist can give the guidelines and follow up individually, depending on the severity or otherwise of each case.
Menu
What to avoid
You should avoid consuming the following foods/products:
Pasta
Bread and biscuits;
Cereals such as rice, wheat, corn, oats, etc.
Legumes such as beans, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, and peas;
Honey;
Milk;
Fruit juices;
High sugar fruits such as watermelon, mango, banana, grape, and pineapple;
Vegetables with high sugar content such as carrots and beets;
Tubers such as potatoes;
Roots such as cassava and sweet potatoes;
Sweet food;
Sugars in general;
Processed foods;
Fast food;
Alcoholic beverage;
Supplements, medications, and toothpaste with sugar in its composition.
What to consume
You can consume the following foods:
Red meat
Pig meat
eggs
Birds
Fish
Cheese
Oilseeds: walnuts, nuts, almonds, peanuts, macadamia, hazelnuts, and pistachios
Extra virgin olive oil
butter
Sausages: sausage, sausage, ham, salami
Milk products: cream, cream, yogurt without sugar
Seeds like chia, sunflower sesame
Low-sugar vegetables
Hardwood Vegetables
Low-sugar fruits
High-fat fruits like avocado
Liquids: water, coffee, and teas (sweetened with a natural sweetener like stevia)