Of the many diet plans that have become popular in the recent past, the one that has been more or less the talk of the town is definitely the Ketogenic diet! However, let us start with the fun bit first eh?
We understand that there can be some confusion when it comes to the ketogenic diet and about what to include in the diet as a whole, so we are here to clear any and every doubt you might have!
But, before we do get to that, how about we get to know what the whole hype around ketogenic diet is all about? Well, if you have ever googled ‘how to lose weight, the chances are that more than a few pages might have mentioned the use of a keto diet to achieve your goals.
Weight loss, however is not the only benefit that one can get from following the ketogenic diet.
In order to understand everything, there is to know about this wonderful diet and the benefits it provides when compared to a low-fat diet, read on!
What exactly is a ketogenic diet?
A ketogenic diet or simply keto as it is popularly known is essentially a high-fat, low-carb and moderate protein diet which is fashioned in a manner which helps your body reach what is called Ketosis!
Essentially what this metabolic state of ketosis does is that it enables the body to burn fat instead of glucose to help fuel itself.
It is all a game of macros! The basis of the diet lies in the fact that it helps introduce foods and a routine that helps you change the way your body is able to burn fuel for energy.
You ask how this is done?
Well, by consuming close to no carbs and high-quality healthy fats, your body is able to eliminate glucose from the body, which basically is its first choice to produce energy. The next stop for the body to obtain fuel from is the stored glycogen to produce energy post which it heads towards the fat!
Upon the depletion of both these sources of energy, the liver then resorts to converting fatty acids into what are known as ketone bodies and these ketone bodies are the ones that your body will be able to put to use to manufacture energy if needed! Essentially these ketone bodies are the generator.
When this stage is reached, then it is known that your body is in ketosis.
Essentially, thanks to the right kind of diet plan, you should be deriving your calories from 5% carbs, 20% proteins and the remaining 75% from healthy fats! We know that this might be sounding tricky, but when it comes to a good dietician and nutritionist, a diet chart for weight loss can easily be drawn without much hassle.
What can you consume?
Just because you are on a diet does not mean that you will have very little choice when it comes to the kind of foods that you can consume. This brilliant diet plan to lose weight truly has, under its wing a vast variety of foods that you can indulge in.
Right from meats and full-fat dairy products to berries, nuts and seafood as well. However, there is one sphere of this diet plan that could be a little confusing and that is when it comes to vegetables. Of course, there are many low-carb veggies out there like most of the leafy greens available, brocolli and the likes.
However, vegetables like potato, pumpkins and corn also od not make the cut! So, tread carefully.
List of things that you can eat!
Fats/Oils
Seeing as 75% of the keto diet is essentially made up of healthy fats, why don’t we start with this option? Here are a few healthy fats that you can definitely look into including in your diet.
- Butter
- Clarified butter/Ghee
- Heavy cream
- Cheese
- Olive oil
- Avocado oil or avocado
- Greek-yogurt (full fat)
- Coconut oil
- MCT Oil
These are merely some of the many things you can include in your diet when we talk about healthy fats. You nutritionist should definitely know the other options.
Proteins:
Close to 20-25% of your diet will include proteins so it is always good to know what to have and what not to. Protein happens to be a great way to ensure muscle wasting does not take place and helps improve the overall strength as well.
- Fish
- Beef
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Paneer
- Tofu
- Soy
- Tempeh
- Seitan
Fruits:
This might seem counterproductive, but barring some fruits, there are plenty of fruits that you can actually consume even in your keto diet. Fruits that are high in fibre and low in carbs are an ideal solution for this brilliant diet! However, moderation is the key here!
- Peach
- Lemons
- Star fruit
- Tomatoes
- Avocadoes
- Watermelon
- Berries
Low-Carb vegetables:
Including the right kind of vegetables in your diet could miracles in a diet like keto. Check all the vegetables that you can indulge in during this diet!
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
- Mushrooms
- Bell peppers
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Kale
- Celery
- Herbs like basil, dhaniya
- Asparagus
Seeds and nuts
- Chia
- Flax
- Cashew
- Walnuts
- Butters like almond and peanut butter without sugar
- Hazelnuts
- Pistachio
- Almond
- Pine nuts
- Coconut
Dairy
Dairy products make for an essential part of this diet. Have a look at some of the dairy products that you can consume.
- Cheese that has been processed less
- Butter
- Heavy cream
What to drink?
- Water
- Green tea (sugarless)
- Coffee (sugarless)
- Flavoured water
What to stay away from!
There are many things that you should be steering clear of when it comes to following the diet properly. Here is a list of some of them.
- Whole grains – yes, you heard that right! No consumption of direct grains for you in this diet!
- Bread, tortilla, crackers
- Candy, chocolates. Ice cream
- Doughnuts, pastries, cookies
- Sugary drinks like aerated ones, fruit juices, sports drinks
- Pasta
- Corn, peas, pumpkin, potato
- Rice, cereal
- Dips, salad dressings
- Vegetable oil
When will you reach ketosis?
The amount of time taken for your body to reach ketosis depends on how strict you are about the diet in itself. In case you are consuming less than 50gms of carb in a day, then it will merely take your body a few days to reach ketosis.
The time taken will also depends on a few other markers like age, food intake and metabolism. What needs to be taken into account is that every body is different and one rule does not apply to everyone!
Another thing that definitely needs to be kept in mind is that throughout this diet plan, you NEED to stay in CALORIE DEFICIT which essentially means that you ought to be burning more calories than you are consuming! If not, then no amount of diet plans be it keto or others will help you lose weight and get fitter!
SO, remember- 75% fat, 20% protein and a max amount of 5% carbs to be included in your diet per day. The best part? Thanks to the increasing popularity of the Ketogenic Diet, you can easily find plenty of easy to make and delicious keto dishes that you can prepare and indulge in!
