What is the keto diet? Mechanism and list of permitted products. What can not be eaten with this diet? Examples of menus and results.
Advantages and disadvantages of the keto diet
As we wrote above, the keto diet, when used correctly, gives very good results, which are expressed not only in weight loss, but also in improved health.
Let's take a closer look at the main "pros" of this diet:
- Diabetes prevention and treatment … The mechanics of the diet are such that they are excellent at lowering blood sugar levels. There has already been a lot of research on ketosis showing that this diet is better than other low-carb diets in lowering blood sugar. Also, this diet is the number one low-carb diet for normalizing cholesterol and blood pressure.
- Beneficial effects on brain activity … Contrary to popular belief that when glucose is limited, the brain begins to think poorly, nutritionists argue that the keto diet, on the contrary, stimulates brain activity. Ketones are an excellent source of energy for gray matter. The real improvements in brain function in ketosis, recorded in scientific experiments, are achieved by increasing the level of fatty acids.
- Epilepsy therapy … At the beginning of the 20th century, the ketogenic diet began to be used very successfully for the treatment of epileptic seizures, and, it should be noted, for children with an uncontrolled form of the disease, it is still used today. A special diet allows you to reduce the amount of consumed special drugs without reducing the effectiveness of therapy.
- Skin improvement … With ketosis, there is a real chance to heal your skin. This is due to the fact that the amount of carbohydrates and dairy products decreases, which, according to a number of studies, negatively affect the condition of the skin.
With all these positive aspects, it is worth noting that there is one big "cons" to ketration. This "but" is due to one psychological point, which is very typical for those who are too concerned about losing weight. People who are fixated on the fight with kilograms often go over the minimum necessary limits for the use of carbohydrates and proteins, which can cause irreparable harm to the body. In addition, it should be noted separately that a special diet is laid only for healthy people, if you have certain diseases, a preliminary consultation with a doctor is required. Chronic hypertensive patients and diabetics who take drugs of a certain nature should be especially careful. Also, the diet should be stopped if one or another side effect occurs, among the most common of them are convulsions, constipation, arrhythmia, a feeling of weakness.
Finally, it is necessary to say separately about the contraindications of the keto diet for women - this diet is incompatible with breastfeeding.
List of allowed foods on the keto diet
The selection of products permitted on the keto diet requires a scrupulous selection. In this case, when assessing the advisability of using a particular product, it is important to take into account all its characteristics - the content of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
In general, the diet must be built around red meat and meat products (pork, beef, veal, lard, bacon), poultry (chicken, turkey, duck), sea fish (salmon, pink salmon, herring, tuna, eel), seafood (mussels, squid, shrimp), egg whites and vegetable oils (sunflower, linseed).
However, the diet can also be diluted with high-fat dairy products (butter, hard cheese), green vegetables with a high dietary fiber content (broccoli, various cabbage, celery, lettuce), some types of nuts and seeds (walnuts, peanuts, flax seeds), as well as mushrooms.
As for drinks, there is little choice - water, unsweetened tea and coffee. Sometimes you can afford to add a little cream to the latter. With regard to alcohol, a glass of red wine is allowed occasionally.
What shouldn't be eaten on a keto diet?
The list of prohibited foods includes, first of all, sugar and all the products in which it is included, and we are talking not only about harmful sweets, such as baked goods, candies, ice cream, etc., but also the most innocent - dried fruits, for example.
But what can I say, ordinary fruits are prohibited, as well as any sugary drinks, including substitutes - sorbitol and fructose. It is worth saying that a keto diet for those with a sweet tooth can turn into real torture. And since nerves are the most precious thing, it may be better to choose a different diet for weight loss if you have an irresistible weakness for sweets.
All cereals (especially rice, semolina, pearl barley, millet), pasta, a number of vegetables (especially potatoes, carrots, radishes, turnips, beets) and bread are also included in the "black list".
Alcohol, with the exception of the aforementioned red wine, is prohibited, especially cider, various liqueurs and beer are dangerous.
Weekly Keto Diet Menu
So, you probably already have a rough picture of nutrition. On a keto diet, meat / poultry / fish are most often on your plate, accompanied by permitted vegetables. Boring? In fact, it may seem boring only at first, gradually switching to a new diet, you can cook very interesting dishes. For example, turkey in a creamy mushroom sauce or original keto bread (you can find a lot of similar recipes on the Internet), which can be eaten even with butter and cheese. The main thing is to keep a given proportion of BJU and a set calorie value, which is determined based on the goal of the diet - weight loss, drying, etc.
Let's take an example. Let's say you have determined that in order to achieve your goal you need to consume 1500 kcal per day, and your weight is 60 kg.
We determine the number of proteins: recall the coefficient of 1.5-2 grams per kilogram, we will adhere to the minimum coefficient, that is, we will be given 90 grams of proteins per day. We also set the carbohydrate limit to a minimum of 30 grams.
Now let's calculate what calorie content such an amount of proteins and carbohydrates gives us. It is known that 1 gram of protein and carbohydrate equals 4 kcal, so it turns out that from 90 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbohydrates, we get 360 + 120 = 480 kcal.
The remaining 1020 kcal must be taken from fats. 1 gram of fat equals 9 kcal, that is, we should have about 114 grams of fat in our diet.
Having received these figures: 90 grams of proteins, 114 - fats and 30 - carbohydrates, you can draw up a nutrition plan. You will need a detailed table of KBZhU of permitted products, a little patience and a calculator, but you will get your own personal meal plan, which will be a pleasure to eat.
By the way, initially, for the calculation, you can divide the numbers obtained by the number of meals, then you will roughly understand what approximate boundaries to keep when planning one meal. So, for our case, if we take into account breakfast, lunch, dinner, we get the following ratio of BJU: 23/18/6.
The advantage of an independent plan is a transparent picture of nutrition and a clear awareness of where you can afford, let's say, "personal weakness" without consequences. But he also has disadvantages - it takes a lot of calculations. If you are not very friendly with mathematics or you are simply lazy, you will have to use a ready-made plan, it is easier, but often more boring, since it will be impossible to deviate from it.
We give you one of the options for a sample menu for a week. Immediately, we note that the option of heat treatment in the keto diet is practically not important, the specific one will be indicated in the table, but you can change it at your discretion.
| Day of week | Breakfast | Dinner | Dinner |
| Monday | 2 boiled eggs, 30 g of hard cheese | 150 g baked chicken, 100 g salad from any permitted vegetables | 150 g salmon fillet from the oven, 1 large fresh cucumber |
| Tuesday | three-egg omelet, 20 g lettuce | 150 g stewed beef, 100 g steamed or boiled broccoli | 150 g baked tuna fillet, 50 g steamed asparagus |
| Wednesday | 150 g baked salmon fillet, avocado salad (half), boiled egg (1 pc.) And cucumber (1 pc.) | 170 g turkey baked in the oven with cheese (30 g) | seafood salad (200 g), lettuce (30 g) |
| Thursday | two egg omelet with ham (50 g) and cheese (30 g) | 200 g rabbit meat from the oven, 150 g salad from allowed vegetables | 200 g boiled shrimp, 100 g spinach salad and hard cheese |
| Friday | fried eggs (2 pcs.) with mushrooms (30 g) and cheese (30 g) | 170 g grilled pork steak, 100 g steamed courgettes | 200 g of boiled flounder, salad of permitted vegetables (100 g) |
| Saturday | omelet of three eggs with cheese (30 g), 1 medium-sized cucumber, 20 g of lettuce | 170 g of stewed beef, 150 g of boiled broccoli inflorescences | 150 g grilled salmon steak, 100 g spinach and avocado salad (half) |
| Sunday | 2 boiled eggs, 30 g of hard cheese | 200 g baked pork, 100 g braised zucchini | 200 g seafood salad and permitted vegetables |
As for drinks, we remind you that you need to drink a lot of water, after eating you can drink green or black tea, as well as coffee.
Note! If you are used to eating 5 meals a day, simply redistribute the amount of food you should have for the day. For example, on Saturday you can have breakfast with an omelette, have a snack with a salad of cucumber and lettuce leaves, leave lunch unchanged, eat an avocado and spinach salad for an afternoon snack, and dine with a salmon steak. As you can see, even the finished plan does not seem too boring at first glance. And in general, the keto diet allows a lot, and you can transfer it completely calmly, if, of course, you are not a sweet tooth.
Results of the keto diet for women
And, finally, about the most important thing - for the sake of what all this is. That is, what specific results can be expected while on the considered low-carb diet. In fact, this diet, if properly followed, can meet the most daring expectations. Already at the end of the first week, you can expect to lose 2-3 kilograms. And this, mind you, without exhausting fasting - look again at the nutrition table, you must admit that it does not seem at all that you will have to starve. Further, as they say, more. Weight in the coming weeks will go away more actively, as we already talked about at the beginning of the article. So after, say, 3 weeks, it is quite possible to lose 10 or more kilograms. Minus 2-3 sizes per month - quite real results of adherents of the keto diet.
How to eat on a keto diet - watch the video:
The keto diet is the most effective way to lose weight and improve your health without fasting. However, here, as with any diet, a smart approach is needed to avoid possible harm. In addition, contraindications should be taken into account and the diet should be discontinued if side effects occur. If the keto diet is right for you and you can stick to it for at least a couple of weeks, you will see impressive results!
