Introduction:
Ketogenic diet or keto diet is the general name of low-carb diets that turn the body into a fat burning machine. While ketogenic diets have many benefits in terms of weight loss, health and performance, they can sometimes have side effects in the initial stages.
Ketogenic diets are designed to put the body into ketosis mode. It is possible to reach the necessary and sufficient level of ketones that the body needs to improve physical and mental performance, as well as for health and weight loss. Whatever your goal is, you can find all the details on how to implement ketogenic diets below.
What is ketosis?
The “keto” in the name ketogenic diet comes from the fact that this diet enables the body to produce small energy molecules called “ketones”. Ketones are an alternative energy source used when blood sugar, that is, glucose, is low.
Ketones occur when you consume too few carbohydrates or small amounts of protein. It is produced in the liver using fat. It is then used as an energy source for all organs of the body, including the brain. Although the brain is an organ that uses a large amount of energy every day, it cannot use fat directly. The energy source for the brain can only be glucose or ketones.
When you follow the ketogenic diet, your entire body switches its energy source and starts using almost exclusively fat. Insulin levels drop significantly and fat burning increases greatly. It becomes easier for the body to access fat cells for burning. This is especially an excellent opportunity to lose weight. Ketogenic diets also have less visible benefits; such as making you feel less hungry or providing the body with a stable source of energy.
Benefits of ketogenic diets:
Ketogenic diets have many benefits in addition to those listed above. For example, did you know that low-carb diets normalize blood pressure, promote less acne formation and control migraines?
Ketogenic diets and low-carb diets:
- It relaxes your stomach,
- Balances blood pressure,
- Reduces acne problem,
- Reduces stomach inflammation,
- Reduces migraine attacks,
- Reduces sweet cravings,
- It is good for polycystic ovary syndrome,
- It can be used in the treatment of brain cancer.
Weight loss and appetite control:
This is why the diet is so popular. You are very likely to lose weight, and lose it quickly! Additionally, because your body begins to burn your fat stores in the first few weeks or even months, you may find yourself less likely to reach for a snack or eat extra meals during the day.
More energy and better concentration:
Many people on the diet claim to experience much higher energy levels and better quality of concentration. That’s because ketones are believed to be great brain foods.
More information: Benefits of The Keto Diet
Good blood sugar control:
Losing weight significantly reduces the likelihood that you will develop type 2 diabetes or pre diabetes. This diet will definitely help you do that. Plus, because you’re consuming very small amounts of carbs and sugar for your meals every day, you’re relieving a lot of stress on your body which has to produce insulin to break them down for energy.
If you already have pre diabetes or type 2 diabetes, some studies suggest it can help you significantly control it. One study found that “insulin sensitivity” in subjects on a keto diet dropped by 75%, while in another study 1/3 of participants were able to stop using their diabetes medications completely. .
If you already have type 2 diabetes or are at risk, we strongly recommend that you consult your doctor before following this diet.
Other health benefits:
Other claimed health benefits of the diet include:
- Better seizure management in epileptic children
- Reduced risk of polycystic ovary syndrome
- Acne control
- Slows down cancer growth
How to enter keto Diet:
Here are the different ways to increase your ketosis level, from most effective to least effective:
Restricting carbohydrate intake:
20 grams or less per day is considered a strict low-carb diet. You don’t have to restrict fiber intake to reach ketosis.
Reducing protein intake:
If possible, regulate your protein intake to 1 gram for every 1 kilogram of your body weight. Especially if you are overweight, you can aim for 1 gram per kilo you aim to achieve. The biggest mistake people make when trying to reach the optimal level of ketosis is often taking in more protein than necessary.
Eat enough fat to feel full:
Fat consumption is the biggest difference between ketogenic diets and starvation; Additionally, fat intake is necessary to reach ketosis. Fats are also the main difference that makes ketogenic diets sustainable and distinguishes them from starvation.
Don’t snack when you’re not hungry:
Unnecessary snacks slow down weight loss and reduce ketosis levels.
If necessary, do intermittent fasting:
Intermittent fasting is very effective in increasing ketone levels and accelerates weight loss and recovery from type 2 diabetes.
Exercise:
Engaging in any physical activity while on a low-carb diet also increases ketone levels.
More Information: How to Start a Ketogenic Diet
Why ketogenic diet?
The benefits of the ketogenic diet are similar to the benefits of any low-carb diet. However, since protein is more limited in ketogenic diets, its effect is greater. While decreasing protein intake increases ketone production, it also decreases insulin, a fat-storing hormone.
Weight loss effect:
Since ketogenic diets turn your body into a fat burning machine, they are of course very effective in losing weight. While on a ketogenic diet, insulin levels drop significantly and fat burning accelerates. This creates ideal conditions for you to lose weight without feeling hungry.
The results of more than 20 scientific studies show that ketogenic diets are more effective than other diets in losing weight.
Type 2 diabetes:
Since ketogenic diets eliminate the negative effects of high insulin levels, they are also very effective in fighting type 2 diabetes.
Metabolic syndrome:
There are many studies showing that low-carb diets improve metabolic syndrome indicators. We can list these indicators as blood lipids, insulin level, HDL, LDL particle size and fasting sugar. It has been observed that these effects are even greater when you are in ketosis by eating low carbohydrates and low protein regularly.
Increased ability to focus:
In the state of ketosis, there is a regular flow of ketones, or energy, to the brain. In ketogenic diets, large fluctuations in blood sugar are also eliminated. This often results in increased ability to focus and concentration. This effect of ketosis is the main reason why many people follow a ketogenic diet.
According to popular belief, it is necessary to consume carbohydrates for the brain to function properly. However, this is only true in a scenario where ketones are absent. Once your body gets used to the ketogenic diet the body and brain can now benefit from ketones without any effort. Thus, your energy and concentration increases.
Physical performance increase:
Ketogenic diets greatly increase your physical endurance because they provide unlimited access to energy produced in your body’s fat stores. While the body’s stores of carbohydrates in the form of glycogen only last a few hours or so during exercise, your fat stores can last for weeks or even months.
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When the body is used to burning primarily carbohydrates, your fat stores are not as easily accessible and therefore cannot fuel your brain as a source of energy. This causes you to have to constantly eat before, during and after long workouts. Most of the time, you have to eat constantly just to prevent hunger and produce the energy necessary for your daily activities.
Epilepsy:
The ketogenic diet is a proven medical therapy for epilepsy that has been used since the 1920s. It is generally used for children in cases of epilepsy that cannot be controlled despite treatment.
Ketogenic diets have recently been tested in adults with epilepsy and positive effects have been observed. Many controlled experiments on the subject have shown how effective ketogenic diets are in reducing epilepsy attacks.
Ketogenic diet in the treatment of epilepsy allows patients to take less anti-epilepsy medication and reduces crises. It has also been found that with the ketogenic diet, crises completely disappear without the use of medication. Since all anti-crisis treatments have side effects such as drowsiness, poor concentration, personality changes and IQ decrease, it is important to reduce drug use.
How do you measure ketosis?
There are three different ways to measure ketosis, that is, the ketones in your body:
- urine sticks
- Breath ketone analysis
- blood ketone scale
Urine sticks:
The easiest and most affordable way to measure ketosis; especially for beginners. To perform the test, dip the stick into your urine and wait about 15 seconds. The color change that occurs afterwards will be indicative of the presence of ketones.
You can find urine dipsticks in pharmacies at affordable prices. However, urine dipsticks can be misleading depending on your fluid intake. While these tests do not clearly show the level of ketones in your body, they can also be unreliable as the body getting used to keto takes back ketones from your urine. Finally, when you have been in ketosis for a long time, there is a possibility that the tests will come back negative.
Breath ketone analysis:
Another effortless way to measure ketone levels. Although more expensive than urine dipsticks, it is cheaper than blood tests in the long run and can be reused. While these tests do not give you a clear ketone level like urine tests, they show a code color that helps you understand your general level. However, breath analysis may not always give reliable results.
The blood test:
You to measure the ketone level in your blood instantly and numerically. Blood tests, which are the most accurate way to measure ketones in your body, are unfortunately quite expensive compared to other options. On the other hand, in order to perform the test, you need to take blood from your finger.
Advice on the ketogenic diet:
There are many methods to make ketogenic diets easy and enjoyable. So how do you make keto breakfasts you love? How can you consume more fat? And what should you pay attention to when dining out?
Breakfast:
Breakfast is the perfect meal for your ketogenic diet. Because almost all of us love eating eggs. Another option is to drink just one cup of coffee for breakfast. Since your feeling of hunger will decrease while following the low-carb and high-fat keto diet, you may not need to eat breakfast most of the time.
Food:
So what to do for lunch and dinner? You can consume it with meat, fish or chicken, with a sauce rich in saturated fat and plenty of greens.
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While eating out:
How can you eat keto at a buffet, a friend’s house or a restaurant? The main point; Staying away from starchy foods like bread or pasta, and filling your plate with natural fats like butter or olive oil.
bread consumption:
If you have a hard time not eating bread, you can try low-carb bread recipes you can find in different sources.
Foods to eat on a keto diet:
Your meals should be based on the majority of these foods:
- meats: beef, pork, chicken and turkey
- oily fish: salmon, trout, sardines, tuna and mackerel
- seafood: they are quite expensive but very nutritious, shrimp, mussels, oysters…
- eggs
- butter and cream
- cheeses and natural yogurt
- nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, pine nuts, etc.
- healthy oils: extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil
- lawyer
- low-carb vegetables: green vegetables, tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers etc.
- fruits in moderation and only those with a low glycemic index: red fruits, apple, tomato, etc.
Who should not follow a ketogenic diet?
While ketogenic diets are a safe eating plan for many people, they may require caution in some special cases:
- In diabetic patients who require the use of insulin or medication,
- People being treated for high blood pressure
- In people who are breastfeeding.
Do not eat:
We can summarize the things you should not eat on ketogenic diets as foods rich in starch and sugar and starchy foods (such as bread, pasta, rice or potatoes). Because these foods are rich in carbohydrates. The numbers in the table show the amount of net (digestible) carbohydrates per 100 grams.
When you look at the table, you can see that you should completely avoid starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, as well as sugary foods. In ketogenic diets, although the basic rules of low-carb diets apply, your diet should be rich in fat, not protein. You can structure your diet so that your body’s energy sources are below 10% carbohydrates (the less, the better), 15-25% protein (the less, the better) and 70% fats.
Side effects of ketosis:
When you suddenly stop taking sugar or starch, you may experience some side effects until your body gets used to this situation. Although the side effects of the ketogenic diet are generally mild and severe problems that last a few days, it is also possible to reduce these effects.
To reduce the side effects of ketosis, your first option may be to slowly reduce your carbohydrate intake day by day. However, it is often more effective to quit at once. Removing sugar and starch from your life makes a visible difference in your weight even within a few days. Although the initial weight loss is usually edema, it is a good source of motivation to start with.
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keto flu:
By far the most common side effect in people following the ketogenic diet is the initial symptoms, also called keto flu. The most common keto flu symptoms:
- Headache
- Tiredness
- dizziness
- Nausea
- Tension
While the effects of these symptoms decrease as your body gets used to the new diet, the effects usually disappear completely within a week. At this stage, fat burning also accelerates.
The main reason for keto flu is that foods rich in carbohydrates increase edema in the body. When you stop consuming high-carbohydrate foods, you will need to go to the toilet more than usual as large amounts of water and salt are excreted from your kidneys along with edema. This situation, which is felt especially in the first week, is the main reason for the things we have mentioned above.
You can minimize the effects of keto flu by drinking more fluids and salt.
Less common side effects:
- Gout
- Gallbladder problems
- Temporary hair loss
- high cholesterol
- Decrease in alcohol tolerance
- Itching
Conclusion:
while the keto diet may offer benefits for weight loss and certain health conditions, it’s essential to approach it with caution and consider its potential drawbacks. A balanced, individualized approach to nutrition, incorporating a variety of whole foods, remains key for long-term health and well-being.
