What does "keto" mean?
The ketogenic diet, or keto for short, is a way of eating that substantially reduces your carbohydrate (carb), intake and replaces these carbs with fats. This puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. Ketosis means that you have elevated levels of ketone bodies in the blood. Ketone bodies, or ketones, are one of the products of fat burning in your body. This happens when your body is unable to use sugar (glucose) for energy and your body breaks down its own fat and protein instead. Ketones are always found in the blood, but become elevated when blood glucose reserves are low and your body starts to use fat as energy. This happens when we fast, exercise for long periods of time or restrict carbohydrates. The keto diet greatly restricts carbohydrates in all meals.
The theory behind it...
It is believed that eating a low carb, high fat diet helps with weight loss. There are many reasons for this. Eating a low carb diet automatically decreases the amount of calories you intake. Common carbs such as breads, pastas, rice, etc. are usually high in calories. When you start reducing your carbs, you also reduce your calories.
Eating a high carb diet full of breads, pastas, rice, corn, etc. changes the way we store fat. Our health and risk of disease if affected by
where we store our fat. There are two main types of fat, one is stored under your skin while the other increases in your abdominal cavity, the latter is also know as visceral fat or "belly fat." This belly fat is stored around your organs and an excess of this causes negative impacts to your body. Low-carb diets, like the Keto diet, reduce this type of detrimental belly fat.
While reducing your carbs in this diet, you increase your fat intake. Contrary to popular belief, fats are good for you and your body. "Consuming fat, such as the saturated fat of butter, animal flesh and organs does not make us fat and cause diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, but
grains do" (William Davis, MD, FACC, 2017). Dr. Davis goes on to say that that a protein in wheat has the ability to bind to morphine receptors in the brain, which not only cause a state of euphoria in some people, but increase our appetites (about every ninety minutes) and cause addiction-like behaviors to wheat products. Decreasing these products, therefore decreases appetite. Replacing these products with fats, helps us to stay satisfied for longer periods of time without feeling like you are starving in between meals.
In addition to these proteins that increase appetite, wheat also increases blood sugar more than table sugar, rice or candy bars. Steady increases to your blood sugar when you eat carbs, especially wheat, is not good for your health. It leads to an increase of belly fat, diabetes, along with cataracts, arthritis, dementia and heart disease.
The keto diet also lowers blood triglycerides (fat molecules). Higher triglycerides increase your risk of heart disease. Additionally, this type of diet reduces your "bad" LDL cholesterol levels. More specifically, there are different sizes of these particles in your blood, big and small LDL particles. Smaller LDL particles are linked to heart disease, while larger particles are linked to the opposite. The keto diet increases the size and reduces the total LDL particles in your blood. Along with this, the Keto diet lowers blood pressure. Thinking this way, links diets, like the Keto diet, to a decrease in heart disease.
Studies have shown that another benefit of the Keto diet is that reducing your intake of carbs, dramatically lowers blood sugar and insulin levels. For people with diabetes, this is especially helpful. This means the Keto diet can treat, and possibly even reverse Type 2 diabetes.
Moreover, the Keto diet can be beneficial to brain disorders. A large part of your brain can burn ketones. This diet has been used to treat, and in some cases cure, epilepsy in children who do not respond to medication.
There are different types of ketogenic diets, as outlined on
healthline.com,
- Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low-carb, moderate-protein and high-fat diet. It typically contains 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbs
- Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods of higher-carb refeeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high-carb days.
- Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around workouts.
- High-protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet, but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.
In general, the Keto diet states that your total intake of carbs should stay under 20 grams per day.
Some great apps to help count carbs are as follows, Carb Manager, My Fitness Pal, My Keto: Ketogenic Diet Log, AtkinsⓇ Carb Counter and Meal Tracker, among others.
What not to eat.
Grains - wheat, corn, rice, any bread, any pasta, oats rye, barley, etc.
Vegetables that grow under ground - carrot, onion, parsnip, beetroot, rutabaga, potatoes, sweet potatoes, celeriac
Low Fat Dairy Products - anything made with skim or reduced fat milk
Nuts - cashews (22 grams of carbs per serving)
Fruit - other than low carb berries - check carb count- blueberries, orange, peach, watermelon, cherries, plum, pineapple, mango, apple, kiwi, pear, grapes, banana For more information for fruits visit
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/fruits
Legumes - beans, peas, lentils, peanuts,
Sweet treats - cakes, cookies, donuts, candy, candy bars, etc.
Any added sugars or sweeteners
What not to drink.
Fruit juices, beer, soda, wine coolers, sweetened cocktails
What to eat.
Meat - unprocessed meats, organic, grass-fed meat
Fish and Seafood - best is wild caught
Eggs
Other Natural Fat - butter, olive oil, coconut oil
Vegetables that grow above ground - spinach, avocado, lettuces, asparagus, olives, cucumber, zucchini, eggplant, tomato, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, green beans, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, artichoke
High Fat Dairy - butter, whole milk cheese, heavy cream, unsweetened plain greek yogurt, whole milk cottage cheese, whole milk ricotta cheese
Nuts - Pecan, Brazil nuts, Macadamia nuts (less than 5 carbs per serving), hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts (less than 10 carbs per serving) For more information on carb counts for nuts visit
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/nuts
Fruit - berries in moderation - raspberry, blackberry, strawberry (6 carbs or less per serving), lemon, lime, coconut meat (6 carbs per serving)
What to drink.
Water, coffee or tea without sugar, diet soda, bone broth, dry red and white wine, plain spirits like vodka, gin, whisky
For more information on Keto drinks visit
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/drinks or
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/alcohol to learn more about Keto alcohol
*This information is preliminary and supports the basic, current research as of June 2021. There are many other factors that affect weight, cholesterol, heart disease, etc. Please consult your health care provider before starting or stopping any "diet plan."*
