Ketogenic Weight Loss Diet: What You Can Eat - Menu Examples

The ketogenic diet is one of the nutritional systems that scientists have studied intensively, and its benefits have been proven by many experimental and clinical studies.

However, the scheme is complex.It's not for everyone and has many pitfalls.

what is keto diet

This is a low-carb diet with a high fat content in the menu.Similar to a regular no-carb diet or the Atkins diet.

A diet that significantly reduces carbohydrate content and increases fat intake can put the body into ketosis.

Ketosis is a metabolic state in which fat is the body's primary source of energy.This occurs when the intake of carbohydrates, usually the main source of energy, is reduced to a minimum.

Ketosis occurs during fasting, pregnancy, and infancy.The condition can be artificially induced in adults by switching to a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.

In the state of ketosis, insulin levels decrease.Fatty acids leave fatty tissue in large quantities and enter the liver, where they are oxidized and converted into ketone bodies, or ketones, which are a source of energy.

Formation:

• Beta-hydroxybutyrate, the main ketone body circulating in the blood;
• Acetoacetate is the major product of the liver;
• Acetone is a volatile ketone that contributes to a specific breath odor.

Ketone bodies are able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and nourish brain cells in the absence of glucose.

The ketogenic diet results in sustained reductions in insulin and blood sugar levels, which have a variety of beneficial effects on human health.

What is the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis?

The ketosis that occurs when following a low-carbohydrate diet is fundamentally different from diabetic ketoacidosis.

For people who do not have diabetes, their blood sugar levels remain within the normal range.When carbohydrate stores are depleted, the liver begins to produce glucose from other sources (pyruvate, glycerol, and amino acids).

This can maintain normal blood sugar levels and ensure that the ketone body concentration is within 8mmol/l, which is safe for health.

People with type 1 diabetes have ketone levels up to 20 mmol/L.And this situation has become life-threatening.

What Keto Nutrition Looks Like: The Choices

1. Standard protocol.It involves consuming large amounts of protein and fat and minimizing carbohydrate intake - no more than 50 grams per day.The menu consists of 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates.
2. The keto diet is rich in protein.Same as the standard regimen, just with more protein.60% - fat, 35% - protein, 5% - carbohydrates.
3. Loop options.In this nutritional system, 5 days follow a standard pattern and 2 days are high carb.Reminds me of the BUTCH diet.
4. Targeted approach.They eat a ketogenic diet and consume carbs before and after working out.

All scientific studies conducted evaluated only the standard version.

Periodized and targeted methods are used only by athletes (mainly bodybuilders).These diet plans are not designed to help you lose weight or improve your health.

How does the ketogenic diet affect weight loss?

Scientific evidence shows that this is a highly effective weight loss method that provides more sustainable results than traditional low-fat weight loss systems that require severe calorie restriction.

Research shows that dieters on a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 kilograms more excess weight than volunteers on a low-fat diet with strict calorie restriction.

The mechanism of weight loss on the keto diet is as follows.

1. Consume plenty of protein, which is essential for sustainable and healthy weight loss.
2. Gluconeogenesis.Protein and fat are converted into carbohydrates.This process can burn extra calories throughout the day.
3. Suppresses appetite.Ketogenic nutrition normalizes levels of leptin and ghrelin, the two hormones responsible for eating behavior.
4. Increased sensitivity to insulin.Insulin resistance can lead to excessive weight gain.Therefore, increased sensitivity to hormones speeds up metabolism, promotes the rapid breakdown of fat deposits, and reduces the rate at which new fat deposits are formed.

Treatment and prevention of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes

Metabolic syndrome is a metabolic disorder that significantly increases the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Signs that a person has metabolic syndrome are:

• increased blood pressure;
• abdominal obesity (big belly);
• Increased blood sugar levels (even if diabetes has not yet been diagnosed);
• Poor blood lipids (self-deciphering the rules of cholesterol analysis).

All of these indicators can be improved without medications through lifestyle and dietary changes, such as switching to a keto diet.

1. Improving the sensitivity of the body's cells to the hormone insulin plays an important role in the treatment and prevention of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.Insulin sensitivity increases by 75% with the ketogenic diet.Some people with diabetes may even stop taking their medications.
2. Blood lipid indicators improved.Positive changes can affect cholesterol levels and triglycerides.
3. The formation of ketone bodies provides the body with additional support, and ketone bodies themselves have beneficial properties.

What other therapeutic benefits does the ketogenic diet have?

1. Helps treat epilepsy.A current meta-analysis of 70 clinical studies found that the ketogenic diet reduced the number of seizures by 50% in 46-62% of cases.The exact mechanism of dietary anticonvulsant effects has not been determined.Scientists believe that this positive effect may be due to an increase in the amount of the antioxidant glutathione in the mitochondria and an increased influence of the inhibitory neurotransmitters GABA and adenosine.
2. Treatment of Alzheimer's disease.Several small studies have shown that keto nutrition can improve conditions in people with mild Alzheimer's disease.In patients with this disease, the flow of glucose into the brain is impaired.Ketone bodies can provide energy to the brain without the involvement of glucose while reducing the toxic effects of glutamate.
3. Support for people with Parkinson's disease.According to some studies, a low-carbohydrate diet is beneficial for people with Parkinson's disease because it prevents dopaminergic neuron death and mitochondrial damage.
4. Provide support for children with autism.Some believe the ketogenic diet can improve behavior in children with autism.It is more effective than the Atkins diet, gluten-free diet, and casein-free diet.However, data on this issue are still very sparse and cannot be considered completely reliable.
5. Cancer treatment.Tumor cells rely solely on glucose to function.They cannot get energy from ketone bodies.Therefore, switching to a ketogenic diet promotes malignant tumor cell death.However, experts stress that this method can only be used in conjunction with chemotherapy and requires a doctor's permission.You shouldn't put too much hope into this approach.
6. Improve skin condition.Especially for getting rid of acne.Low insulin levels and dietary requirements to eliminate all processed foods from your diet can eliminate chronic inflammation that affects your skin.
7. Treating polycystic ovary syndrome.The disease is associated with impaired glucose and androgen metabolism.Ketogenic nutrition can help restore insulin sensitivity suffered by women with PCOS.

What Not to Eat on the Ketogenic Diet: Food List

• Sugar in any form.Prohibited foods include overtly sweet foods (candy, ice cream) and foods that do not appear to be sweet but contain such ingredients in their ingredients.It can even be store-bought ketchup.
• Food crops: wheat (including spelt), rye, barley, rice, corn.
• Fatty vegetable oils - soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil.There are also trans fats.
• fruit.Exceptions include a few berries, such as strawberries.
• Legumes.Beans, peas, lentils, etc.Available in green form such as pods.
• Tubers and rhizomes.Potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, etc.
• Any "dietary" food, such as low-fat cheese (in which fat is replaced by sugar).
• Products containing sweeteners in the form of sugar alcohols (xylitol, erythritol) have a negative impact on ketones.
• Gravy and sauces, sugar, starch and flour are used in their preparation.
• Alcohol.
• All finished products produced by the food industry.

Ketogenic Diet: What You Can and Should Eat

• All types of meat: beef, pork, poultry, lamb, etc.
• Fish and seafood.
• egg.
• vegetable.Preferably green.Others will work (tomatoes, eggplants, onions, bell peppers) - the main thing is that they contain a lot of fiber and almost no easily digestible carbohydrates.
• Fatty dairy products - cream, butter, cheese.
• Nuts and seeds.
• mushroom.
• The right vegetable oils: olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil.
• Fermented foods: natural yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, etc.
• Spices and seasonings.

Sample menu for a week for women and men on the ketogenic diet

Monday	Tuesday
Breakfast: Omelet with bacon and tomatoes. Lunch: Cauliflower and broccoli chicken soup, poached chicken with sautéed eggplant and green peppers. Dinner: A piece of grilled red fish with sour cream and a green salad.	Breakfast: Full-fat, natural yogurt with no sweeteners or nut and/or seed flavors. Lunch: Bone broth (preferably beef) with a boiled egg, a piece of boiled beef with sauerkraut (no potatoes). Dinner: Zucchini and chicken stew.
Wednesday	Thursday
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with green pepper. Lunch: fish soup (no potatoes), pork chop and steamed green beans. Dinner: Oven-roasted chicken breast with sour cream, cucumbers and tomatoes.	Breakfast: Cheese with normal fat content, no sugar and no flavourings. Lunch: Mushroom soup (without potatoes and noodles), minced steak with eggs and green salad. Dinner: Grilled fish and vegetables in a cheese crust.
Friday	Saturday
Breakfast: soft-boiled eggs with a piece of cheese. Lunch: Sour cabbage soup (without potatoes), fried onions and chicken livers in sour cream, served with shirataki noodles. Dinner: Salad with fish and/or seafood (without potatoes and rice), but with green vegetables, tomatoes, etc.	Breakfast: cheese and herbs. Lunch: Bone broth with meatballs (no flour or bread), beef with stewed cabbage (fresh or sour). Dinner: Boiled chicken with radish and cucumber salad.
Sunday	Let's move on to next week
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese. Lunch: Light vegetable soup with cauliflower and broccoli (no potatoes), oven-roasted whole chicken, with cucumber and tomato salad. Dinner: Mushrooms stewed in sour cream, served with a green salad.	We repeat the first week, trying to add maximum variety to the menu.There are tons of recipes out there that cater to the ketogenic diet.

rules to follow

1. You can and should eat to fullness without counting calories.
2. You can only eat the right fats.This means you can only cook with oils that can withstand heat treatment.Dress salads only with the correct meal dressing.
3. The diet should contain plenty of fat.You can't focus on protein.
4. Tea, coffee, instant chicory and many other beverages are allowed.The main selection criterion is the absence of sugar and sweeteners in the drink.
5. You should try adding lots of spices to your food.

Appropriate snacks for weight loss on the ketogenic diet

Because the ketogenic diet doesn't require counting calories, snacking is not only allowed, but encouraged.But they must be right.

allow:

• boiled eggs;
• slices of meat;
• cheese;
• Nuts, seeds and various pastes and oils made from them;
• berries, such as strawberries in cream (however, you shouldn't indulge in berries);
• Natural yogurt and other naturally fermented dairy products;
• All vegetables permitted by the diet and light salads made from them.

All dairy products, whether cheese or yogurt, should have a normal fat content.

What is the “Keto Flu”: Symptoms

The first few days of switching to a low-carb diet can be difficult.There are often unpleasant symptoms called "keto flu."

It can be noted:

• Persistent hunger, especially cravings for sweet foods;
• fatigue;
• Insomnia;
• Abdominal discomfort, stomach pain;
• nausea and vomiting;
constipation or diarrhea;
• problems with concentration;
• headache and dizziness;
• muscle pain and cramps;
• Irritability and tearfulness.

How long does keto flu last?

This can vary from a few days to a few weeks.Related to the reorganization of the body using fat as its primary source of fuel.During the adaptation process, there may not be enough energy, leading to the unpleasant symptoms listed.But they pose no danger.

Ketone bodies are always present in the blood in small amounts.After the first 2-3 days of a strict carbohydrate-free diet, the liver begins to produce ketones, and their levels in the blood rise to 2-3 mM.

Adaptation is complete when cells are exposed to carbohydrate starvation conditions, reducing the uptake of ketone bodies in the blood and increasing their concentration to 8 mM.At this point, ketone bodies begin to be efficiently transported across the blood-brain barrier.

Why some people adapt easily to the keto diet while others have difficulty adapting is not yet clear.A person's eating habits are considered important.The more easily digested carbohydrates he consumes, the harder the transition will be.Genetic predisposition plays a role.

How to get into ketosis quickly with a ketogenic diet

1. Correct water regime.When carbohydrates are removed from the diet, glycogen stores in the body are reduced.Because glycogen traps water around itself, when its numbers decrease, dehydration can occur, leading to fatigue and muscle pain.
2. Only engage in light physical activity.During the adaptation period, only light exercise is allowed: walking, yoga, slow cycling.All types of exhausting fitness should be abandoned.
3. Recommended mineral supplements:
   • Sodium – 3-4 grams per day;
   • Potassium - 1 gram;
   • Magnesium – 0.3 g.

Dietary supplements containing creatine monohydrate and caffeine are also presented.

The distinctive smell of ketone breath and urine

The transition to a low-carbohydrate diet containing high amounts of fat is often accompanied by a specific odor in the mouth.People themselves often feel a metallic taste in their mouth.People around you often think it's the smell of nail polish remover.Some people think it smells like fruit.Urine has the same smell.

This phenomenon is caused by the formation of volatile ketone acetone, which is commonly found in nail polish removers.

The appearance of odor cannot be considered a side effect.It simply indicates that the body switches to processing fat and forming ketone bodies.It does not harm health.But this can be unpleasant both for him and those around him, especially when it comes to breathing.

To reduce the severity of your symptoms, you need to:

• drink plenty of water;
• Eat less protein;
• Use peppermint gum;
• Slightly increase the amount of carbohydrates (only if eating less than 50 grams per day).

The odor will disappear on its own after 1-2 weeks.

Long-term side effects of the keto diet

In addition to the keto flu that goes away within a few weeks, this diet may cause delayed side effects.possible:

• Digestive problems caused by excessive fat intake and intestinal flora dysfunction;
• Cholesterol levels gradually increase;
• Increased load on the kidneys, which can increase the likelihood of kidney failure and lead to urolithiasis;
• Decreased bone density.

Long-term ketogenic diet may be nutritionally deficient

Since this diet cannot be called balanced, long-term adherence to it may lead to deficiencies in certain important components.

1. calcium.The leaves are stained with urine.Because of the excess fat, urine becomes too acidic and the body is forced to alkalize it with calcium.In addition, a lack of carbohydrates impairs the absorption of this trace element.
2. magnesium.It is hypothesized that the gradual development of the deficiency is associated with the removal from the diet of foods rich in this trace element (cereals and fruits).
3. iron.Too much fat in food can impair iron absorption.
4. sodium and potassium.As insulin levels drop, losses through the kidneys increase.However, deficiencies in potassium and sodium disappear quickly, unlike other trace minerals such as calcium or magnesium, which become apparent over time.And their lack is largely due to the gradual disappearance of keto flu symptoms.
5. selenium.The deficiency may be caused by a lack of this trace element in fat-rich foods.One exception is Brazil nuts, with one Brazil nut providing 100% of your daily selenium requirement.
6. Carnitine.This deficiency is related to the compound being depleted too quickly on a fatty diet.

When following a ketogenic diet long-term, you should check your levels of all of these substances regularly, as deficiencies may develop over time.It is recommended to take supplements containing nutrients from the "risk zone".

Who should not switch to a ketogenic diet: contraindications

1. Children, pregnant and lactating women, diabetics and cancer patients may switch to keto nutrition only under the guidance of their attending physician and under his supervision.
2. This diet is contraindicated in people with the ApoE3 and ApoE4 genotypes because it may lead to life-threatening increases in cholesterol levels.
3. People with epilepsy who carry the KCNJ11 and BAD genes should not be traced.
4. Severe liver and/or kidney disease are contraindications to following this dietary regimen.

in conclusion

The ketogenic diet is a fairly strict nutritional system that requires an almost complete elimination of carbohydrates and the introduction of large amounts of fat into the diet.

The transition to a ketogenic diet is often difficult to tolerate.

A large amount of serious scientific research has been devoted to dietary therapy, many of which demonstrate its benefits for weight loss, treating type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, normalizing blood lipids, and eliminating metabolic syndrome.

However, there are not many studies evaluating the health effects of long-term (more than a year) dieting.And, according to some hypotheses, continued adoption of this diet may be detrimental to health.