Not sure how to start a keto diet? Here is a Ketogenic Diet for Beginners. You’ll learn how it works, where to start, how to follow it correctly, and whether the keto diet is right for you.
The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. The main thing in it is to include in the diet a lot of fats and as few carbohydrates as possible. The lack of carbohydrates causes a decrease in insulin levels in the blood and the depletion of glucose stores, forcing the body to look for another energy source. In the process of searching, he discovers fat reserves and gradually moves to them. When fat is burned in the liver, ketones are released.
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Ketogenic Diet for Beginners: How does it work?
Due to ketosis (carbohydrate starvation of cells), ketone bodies are formed in the liver during the breakdown of fatty acids. Ketones supply the brain with energy, which allows them to continue to function. There are three types of ketones that result from ketosis and are the breakdown product of fatty acids. These are acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and acetone. Acetoacetate breaks down into beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetone. Acetone is excreted from the body during breathing. As an energy source, mainly beta-hydroxybutyrate is used. Therefore, in terms of energy value, it is he who is the most important ketone.
The Health Benefits of the Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet has many health benefits. Here is what it is:
- Helps to lose weight quickly
- Allows you to build muscle mass faster
- Normalizes appetite
- Lowers insulin levels
Helps to lose weight quickly
This is perhaps the most common reason why people strive for ketosis – the desire to quickly lose excess weight. Since you eat almost no carbohydrates on a ketogenic diet, blood insulin levels drop and glucose stores are depleted. This forces the body to look for another source of energy. As a result, he detects fats and begins to burn them gradually. This automatically leads to the expenditure of more fat than with a normal diet.
Allows you to build muscle mass faster
In a state of ketosis, the body conserves protein and prefers to use carbohydrates rather than glucose as an energy source. As a result, muscle cells get more protein to repair and grow.
Normalizes appetite
In a state of ketosis, a person experiences less hunger. Following a ketogenic diet, he consumes a lot of fat, each gram of which provides 9 calories. This means that with the same calorie intake, the body needs less food. The volume of food by weight decreases, because each gram of it allows you to get more calories. The feeling of hunger decreases, all thanks to the rejection of carbohydrates. A decrease in appetite with any diet is welcome.
Lowers insulin levels
If you do not consume carbohydrates in a state of ketosis, blood sugar levels remain low. The pancreas begins to produce less insulin. This improves lipolysis, i.e., in other words, stimulates fat burning.
In addition, numerous studies show that consistent adherence to a ketogenic diet can stabilize blood sugar levels and, in some cases, prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.
Side effects of the keto diet
In the early stages of following a keto diet, most people experience side effects, some of which can be uncomfortable. Here are the most common ones:
Bad breath
Many of those who embark on a keto diet complain of bad fruity breath. The reason for its appearance is an increase in the release of acetone, the smallest ketone body that is naturally present in the human body. Acetone is produced during ketosis and can cause bad breath. This is a fairly common side effect. To get rid of it, you need to drink more water, brush your teeth more often and use sugar-free gum. As a rule, bad breath disappears after a while.
short-term insomnia
The first time after switching to a ketogenic diet, some people may experience insomnia. This is not surprising, since you have been using high-carbohydrate foods as your main source of energy for many years, and possibly decades. Now your body needs to adjust to the new metabolic system. It will take time and effort for him to adapt to a ketogenic lifestyle.
Muscle cramps and rapid growth of muscle tissue
When entering ketosis, muscle cramps can occur. There is nothing to worry about, it’s just that your body gets used to the new way of feeding the muscles. This phenomenon is usually caused by a temporary deficiency of potassium and/or magnesium. In fact, most people experience increased muscle strength and energy while in ketosis.
What is a ketogenic diet?
The Keto Food Pyramid:
The keto diet is characterized by eating foods that are high in fat. While a typical diet is approximately 45-65% carbs, 10-35% protein, and 20-30% fat, a ketogenic diet is 70-75% fat, 20-25% protein, and 5% carbohydrate. Due to the low content of carbohydrates, the level of insulin in the blood decreases, and glucose reserves are actively consumed. This forces the body to look for new sources of energy. He turns to fats and begins to gradually burn them. When fat is burned in the liver, ketones are released.
7 days keto diet plan
Here is the 7 days ketogenic diet Plan for beginners
Day 1
| Breakfast: | fried eggs with bacon, coffee |
| Lunch: | celery soup, Chicken steak, cucumber, tomato, and cabbage salad |
| Afternoon snack | 50 g nuts or seeds |
| Dinner: | boiled chicken fillet, sauerkraut |
Day 2
| Breakfast: | cheesecakes, tea |
| Lunch: | borscht with sour cream, baked veal ribs, stewed cabbage |
| Snacks: | hard cheese, 3-5 olives |
| Dinner: | stewed turkey fillet, boiled broccoli, tea |
Day 3
| Breakfast | sausage, fried zucchini, coffee |
| Lunch: | cream soup of green vegetables with melted cheese, pork chop |
| Snack: | boiled egg, cucumber |
| Dinner: | baked fish on an onion pillow, salad with cheese and tomato, tea |
Day 4
| Breakfast: | omelet with ham and sweet pepper, tea |
| Lunch: | chicken soup, beef chop, cucumber |
| Afternoon snack: | battered cauliflower |
| Dinner: | fried cod, Chinese cabbage salad, tea |
Day 5
| Breakfast: | cottage cheese casserole, tea |
| Lunch: | borsch with beef, fried eggplant, tomato |
| Afternoon snack: | yogurt |
| Dinner: | julienne with mushrooms and chicken, cucumber, tea |
Day 6
| Breakfast: | scrambled eggs with sausage, a slice of cheese, tea |
| Lunch: | fish soup, veal roast beef, green salad, avocado, cheese |
| Afternoon snack: | kiwi nuts |
| Dinner: | stewed pork ribs with vegetables, tea. |
Day 7
| Breakfast: | two sausages with squash caviar, coffee |
| Lunch: | hodgepodge, baked pork, salad of arugula and cucumbers |
| Afternoon snack | ayran |
| Dinner: | fried fish in batter, salad with seafood, tea |
Is Exercise on Keto Diet a Must for Keto Success?
Results
The exclusion of carbohydrates from the diet does not allow the body to use substances as usual: fats are stored “in reserve”, and carbohydrates are used as the main energy. Thus, the body switches to using fat for energy, starting the process of ketosis. High-calorie food satiates and helps to avoid breakdowns. There is no severe hunger, as there are no sharp jumps in blood sugar.
The main advantage of such a diet is that the lost weight will not return, since there is no drastic change in nutrition and artificial calorie reduction. However, due to a large number of proteins and fats in the diet, it takes a few kilograms per week
