If you follow Ruffa Gutierrez and Billy Crawford, or Hollywood celebrities Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Lebron James, or Kobe Bryant, then surely you've heard about the Ketogenic diet.
The Ketogenic diet, or Keto diet, is a low carb and high fat diet that boosts the body's ability to burn fat and stimulates the liver's production of ketones, which are converted into energy.
When a person is on a high carb diet, their body produces glucose and insulin, which becomes the primary source of energy. Because of this, fat is not burned as much and stored up.
With low carbohydrate intake, the process of ketosis, or the breaking down of fats by the liver, is stimulated.
Essentially, a keto diet does not focus on low calorie intake, but on low carbohydrate intake.
The benefits of a Ketogenic diet
Going on a Ketogenic diet has proven more effective for those who want to slim down, as opposed to a low-fat and high carb diet.
Aside from weight loss, it also helps lower blood sugar, which could help prevent or manage diabetes. It has also been found to keep insulin levels at a healthy range.
The Keto diet can help enhance mental focus and performance; it can also boost energy and leave you feeling full longer.
What's more, it can keep cholesterol and high blood pressure at bay by increasing of high density lipoproteins (HDL), which is known as the good cholesterol that helps lower the risk of heart disease.
Going on a Keto diet has been known to help clear up skin problems, like acne, lesions, and skin inflammation.
There are different kinds of Ketogenic diets.
- Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): a very low-carb, moderate-protein and high-fat diet. (usually 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbohydrates)
- Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): includes periods of higher-carb days, like 4 days on ketogenic diet followed by 3 high-carb days.
- Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): this kind of the ketogenic diet lets you add carboydrates according to your workouts.
- High-protein ketogenic diet: very similar to a basic ketogenic diet, but the difference is that it includes more protein, usually 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.
What to eat on a Ketogenic diet
AVOID
Grains – wheat, rice, corn, cereal, etc.
Sugar – honey, maple syrup, etc.
Fruit – apples, oranges, bananas, etc.
Tubers – potato, sweet potato, yams, etc.
EAT
Meats – beef, lamb, fish, poultry, eggs, etc.
Leafy Greens – spinach, romaine lettuce, arugula, kale, etc.
Above-ground vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
High Fat Dairy – hard cheeses, high fat cream, butter, etc.
Nuts and seeds – macadamias, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
Avocado and berries – raspberries, blackberries, and other low glycemic impact berries
Sweeteners – stevia, erythritol, and other low-carb sweeteners
Other fats –high-fat salad dressings like olive oil and avocado oil, saturated fats, like butter and coconut oil, etc.
Though the promised benefits of this diet are truly enticing, it's best to make sure it does not harm your health. Be sure to consult your doctor or dietitian, especially if you have pre-existing conditions that might not benefit from this type of low-carb, high-fat diet.
Remember: Improving our health instead of trimming down our waistline should be our utmost priority!
sources: DietDoctor.com, Healthline.com, Ruled.me
READ: Battling Childhood Obesity: Should parents put their kids on a diet?