ketogenic diet for weight loss

One of the hottest and most common ways to lose weight today is to follow a ketogenic diet. It is worth noting that if this diet is observed, a person does not starve, but rather eats fatty and high-calorie foods. The positive effect is achieved by limiting the amount of carbohydrates consumed and reducing their use in food to zero.

ketogenic diet

Scientific researchers prove that following a ketogenic diet helps fight diseases such as: epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, autism, Alzheimer's disease, cancer.

This diet is one of the varieties of low carbohydrate diets, when the body does not receive carbohydrates with food, it is forced to expend fat for energy. In this case, the fat burning process is very effective. Metabolic changes or ketosis, in which ketone bodies go directly to the brain, which the body uses for energy.

With this diet, the level of sugar and insulin in the blood decreases, therefore this diet is also prescribed for diabetics, but only if the patient has type 2 diabetes.

Rules of the ketogenic diet

When following a ketogenic diet, you should follow a few simple rules and recommendations. Only in this case can you achieve a positive result in the shortest possible time.

1. One of the main principles of the ketogenic diet is to drink plenty of fluids a day - at least 3-4 liters.
2. Any snacks during the day, except for the main meals, should be excluded.
3. Active exercise is recommended while following a ketogenic diet.
4. The amount of protein taken should be gradually reduced and brought to 1. 5 g per 1 kg of weight.
5. The level of carbohydrates consumed per day should also be gradually reduced, ultimately their amount should not exceed 20 g per day.
6. The main source of energy on the keto diet is fat, so don't worry about eating it.

Approved products

Following the ketogenic diet, you can eat the following foods:

1. Seafood - squid, oysters, crabs, lobsters, clams and mussels.
2. Fish - salmon, cod, catfish, halibut, mackerel, trout, tuna, flounder. You can eat fish in any form - fried, steamed, boiled and baked.
3. Meat - beef, pork, rabbit, poultry, veal. As in the case of fish, meat can be used in any form - you can cook cutlets, roasts, steaks, the only thing to follow is that the fillet is denser.
4. Chicken and quail eggs, which can be eaten fried and boiled.
5. Organ meats - liver, stomach, tongue, heart and lungs are some of the main sources of nutrients.
6. Sausages - bacon, ham, sausage. When buying such products, you should carefully read the composition so that there are no additives and sugar.
7. Raw cheeses - goat, cream, mozzarella, cheddar.
8. Healthy oils are natural olive and coconut oils. You can also eat avocado oil.
9. Nuts - peanuts, walnuts and pine nuts, cashews, almonds, pumpkin and flax seeds, hazelnuts.
10. Vegetables - any green vegetables, low in starch and carbohydrates, in addition, onions and tomatoes can be eaten.
11. Butter and cream.
12. Strawberry.
13. Of the drinks you can drink green tea, weak black tea, still or boiled mineral water.

Prohibited products

The following foods should not be eaten on a ketogenic diet:

1. Products containing a large amount of sugar: juices, drinks, candies, cakes, jams, sweet pastries, ice cream, marshmallows.
2. Foods containing cereals and starchy foods: Viennese pastries made from wheat flour, bread, cereals, rice and pasta.
3. All kinds of fruit.
4. All varieties of legumes.
5. Tubers and root crops: parsnips, carrots, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes.
6. Dietary and low-fat products - they go through several stages of processing, after which they may contain an excessive amount of carbohydrates.
7. Sauces such as ketchup and mayonnaise, as they contain sugar and unhealthy fats.
8. Unhealthy fats, the main sources of which are margarine and processed vegetable oil, so the use of these products should also be eliminated from the diet or at least reduced.
9. Alcoholic products. Many alcoholic beverages contain a large amount of carbohydrates, and therefore their consumption can override all dietary measures.
10. Diet food without sugar. These products are usually heavily processed and filled with harmful chemicals.

Before starting a ketogenic diet, you should consult with a specialist, since the list of permitted and prohibited foods may vary for each patient, depending on the individual characteristics of the human body.

Ketogenic diet: menu of the week

An approximate weekly menu for people following a ketogenic diet is as follows.

Monday

1. Breakfast. Egg and cheese.
2. Lunch. Curd with cream.
3. Having dinner. Chicken breast, cheese and brown rice.
4. afternoon tea. Cheese and some nuts.
5. Having dinner. Vegetable salad, fish in all its forms, topped with brown rice.

Tuesday

1. Breakfast. Omelet, ½ grapefruit, spinach.
2. Lunch. Cottage cheese.
3. Having dinner. Vegetable salad, chicken breast, cheese.
4. afternoon tea. Cottage cheese.
5. Having dinner. Steak with brown rice, vegetable salad.

Wednesday

1. Breakfast. Omelette, homemade yogurt.
2. Lunch. Cheese, nuts.
3. Having dinner. Chicken breast in broth, salad.
4. afternoon tea. Kefir, fruit.
5. Having dinner. Fish, lettuce, brown rice.

Thursday

1. Breakfast. Cheese, boiled eggs, orange.
2. Lunch. Homemade kefir.
3. Having dinner. Meat broth, brown rice.
4. afternoon tea. Cheese, almonds.
5. Having dinner. Fish, broccoli.

Friday

1. Breakfast. Hard-boiled eggs with salsa.
2. Lunch. Bacon or ham.
3. Having dinner. Meat casserole with vegetables and mushrooms, salad.
4. afternoon tea. Kefir, lettuce.
5. Having dinner. Chicken breast, rice

Saturday

1. Breakfast. Omelet, salad.
2. Lunch. A cheese sandwich.
3. Having dinner. Offal soup, fish.
4. afternoon tea. Cheese, hazelnuts.
5. Having dinner. Pork steak, toast.

Sunday

1. Breakfast. Fried egg, oatmeal or millet porridge.
2. Lunch. Kefir and fruit.
3. Having dinner. Vegetable soup with meat, chicken breast.
4. afternoon tea. Kefir and boiled beef.
5. Having dinner. Fish, lettuce, brown rice, cheese.

Advantages and disadvantages of this diet

Following a ketogenic diet has a number of pros and cons that should be considered before embarking on such a diet.

Benefits :

1. The diet is tolerated quite easily, since a person, observing it, does not starve.
2. A small amount of carbohydrates consumed reduces the production of insulin, thereby preventing the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Less :

1. Uncontrolled adherence to the ketogenic diet leads to a decrease in the level of acidity in the blood, which can lead to the development of ketoacidosis, which in most cases ends in the death of the patient. However, this phenomenon develops quite rarely, mainly in people with diabetes.
2. The state of ketosis is dangerous for human health, since in this case the load on the kidneys increases significantly, and therefore there is a risk of developing urolithiasis and osteoporosis.
3. It is impossible to follow this diet for a long time, because a person begins to have digestive problems - constipation and nausea from the constant use of fatty foods.

Contraindications

It is impossible to follow a ketogenic diet for such disorders as: pathologies of the cardiovascular system, liver and kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus, metabolic disorders, progressive encephalopathy.

Before you start following a ketogenic diet, you need to consult a specialist, weigh the pros and cons and prepare for it. When dieting, in order to avoid unpleasant consequences, it is necessary to constantly consult with your doctor and strictly follow all his recommendations.