With busy and stressful lives, comes the fluctuating numbers on the weighing scale. More often than not, people are looking for easier solutions to get rid of the weight, but unless you have a sustainable approach towards weight loss, it boomerangs right back. If you’re looking for a long-term solution instead of just getting rid of the water weight, the ketogenic diet plan is just for you. A diet, no matter how effective, only works well when it’s balanced out with workout and a change of lifestyle.
All You Need To Know About The Ketogenic Diet
The Dos And Don’ts For The Beginners Of The Ketogenic Diet Plan
Here’s A List Of Foods You Can Consume While On A Ketogenic Diet
Here’s A List Of Foods To Avoid While On A Ketogenic Diet
Ketogenic Diet Plan For Beginners: FAQs
All You Need To Know About The Ketogenic Diet
The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet with a list of health benefits. Because of the low-carb, moderate protein, higher-fat ratio, the ketogenic diet helps you burn fat more effectively. Besides benefits weight loss, it also has many health benefits.
In a ketogenic diet, you eat far fewer carbohydrates, but maintain moderate levels of protein intake and increase your intake of fat. When you reduce the carb intake, your body goes into a metabolic state called ketosis, where your body fat and the consumed fat from your diet is burned for energy. When your carb intake is low, the liver produces ketones from fat, which work as a source of fuel throughout the body. On a ketogenic diet, your body’s fuel system run mostly on fat. When insulin levels become very low, fat burning can increase, it becomes easier to access your stored fats and to burn them off. Even though it is one of the most effective diets, people with blood sugar, blood pressure and other medical conditions should not try it.
The Dos And Don’ts For The Beginners Of The Ketogenic Diet Plan
Avoid eating too many carbs when you’re on ketosis. Keep your carb intake under 50 grams per day of net carbs. The lower your carb intake, the more effective it will be to reach ketosis and lose weight. If you’re a beginner, calculate your carbs, and create a set meal plan so that you are aware of your carb intake. Once you’re used to the process, it will be easier for you to create ketogenic meals.
Here’s A List Of Foods You Can Consume While On A Ketogenic Diet
Dairy (high fat): Ketogenic diet allows you to enjoy your indulgence food as it is the part of the process. Butter is right for you in this case; different types of cheese can also be consumed in moderation. Heavy cream can be used while making a ketogenic dish. Avoid drinking milk, but you can add a little of it in your coffee. Keep the intake minimum, even in your coffee, do not consume cappuccinos and lattes that have excessive milk quantity. You can also bid the store-bought yoghurts adieu, as the sugar content in it is not keto-friendly.
Nuts: Another source of good fat, that can be consumed in moderation. But be careful when using it as a snack, as it’s very easy to overeat. Avoid cashew nuts, as they are high in carb, instead opt for macadamia, pecan nuts, and almonds. Limit the nut intake to less than 1/2 cup per day, to avoid overconsumption, which can hinder the process of your weight loss.
Unprocessed meat, eggs and seas food: Meat, eggs and seafood will provide you with the required amount of protein you need in your ketogenic diet. Although, it’s important to remember that a ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet, so the protein intake should be limited. Avoid processed, cold cut meat as it has preservatives and can increase the carb intake.
Berries: A decent serving of berries are considered to be good in a ketogenic diet. Keep the intake limited so that you don’t spike the sugar level, but berries are considered to be antioxidants. Therefore it can be eaten in a ketogenic diet plan. You can indulge a little bit more by having whipped cream as dessert.
Vegetables: Pick vegetables that are grown above the ground. Vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, avocado, broccoli and zucchini are the hero ingredients of a ketogenic diet. Vegetables are a yummy source to eat good fat on keto. You can fry them in butter, make a salad with a dash of olive oil.
Vegetables add an interesting flavour to your diet and help you have a variety of dishes under the ketogenic diet. For those who don’t consume meat, vegetables are also the source of fat in their respective diet.
Here’s A List Of Foods To Avoid While On A Ketogenic Diet
Aerated drinks: Avoid consuming aerated and other fizzy drinks while you’re on a ketogenic diet. Besides being unhealthy, these drinks have an optimum amount of sugar which will put you off ketosis.
Chips, biscuits and crackers: The typical food you consumed as snack needs to be avoided when you’re on a ketogenic diet.
Starchy vegetables: While you can consume vegetables like zucchini, cauliflower and avocado, but you need to avoid vegetables like potato, corn and peas that are high in starch.
Alcohol: Any form of alcohol is also suggested to be avoided during a ketogenic diet.
Beans and legumes: Black beans, chickpeas, lentils and kidney beans also need to be cut out of your diet.
Fruit: Citrus, grapes, bananas and pineapples cannot be consumed during the ketogenic diet; it can be replaced with berries.
High-carb sauces: Barbecue sauce, sugary salad dressings and dipping sauces need to be swapped with low-calorie sauces and dressings.
Sweets and sugary foods: Sugar, ice cream, candy and any other form of refined sugar needs to be taken out of your diet.
Bread and baked goods: White bread, whole-wheat bread, crackers, cookies, doughnuts and other flour-based products also need to be avoided during a ketogenic diet plan.
Ketogenic Diet Plan For Beginners: FAQs
Q. What is a ketogenic diet?
A. The ketogenic diet is a high-fat diet that turns your body into a fat-burning engine. The keto diet alters the way your body converts food into energy. In a normal situation, your body turns carbohydrates into glucose for energy. Still, in a ketogenic diet, your body consumes energy from stored fat and the fat you eat through your diet. A high-fat diet, with very few carbs, puts you in ketosis, a metabolic state where your body burns fat instead of carbs for fuel.
Q. Benefits of a ketogenic diet?
A. It burns body fat, and when you’re on keto, your body converts stored body fat and fat from your diet as fuel, resulting in weight loss. Reduced appetite, which makes it easier to go for more extended periods without eating, forcing the body to use the stored fat for energy. When your brain uses ketones for fuel, your body doesn’t feel the same dip in energy as it does when you consume too much carb. Ketosis also helps the brain create more mitochondria, which helps in generating more energy to do stuff that you can’t don’t regularly do when you’re on a normal diet. When you start eating more fat and cut out carbs (think sugar, bread and pasta), you have lesser blood sugar spike and your cravings are curbed. When your body runs on ketones for fuel, it has a constant supply of energy received from the body fat.