With more people striving to lead a healthy lifestyle by adopting a working diet, dietitians are beginning to focus their research on finding the perfect diet. One of the diet plans that has recently gained popularity for actually living up to what it promises is the Keto diet known simply as the Keto diet or the low-carb high-fat diet. In this article you will learn more about the Keto diet and how to start the Keto Diet.
What is a Keto Diet?
A Keto diet utilizes the simple principle of low-carb, moderate proteins and high-fat diet. This works by reducing the consumption of carbohydrates and substituting it with fat. Reduction of carbohydrates in the body triggers a metabolic state known as ketosis, which turns the body into a fat burning machine.
This process, in turn, helps to produce ketones in your liver, which are later use as energy. The Ketogenic diet has continually proved to be of significant health benefits. It is known to curb the development of such diseases as cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and a myriad of other conditions.
Benefits of a Keto Diet
Aside from the few health benefits mentioned above, a strict adherence to a Keto diet has a number of other advantages. Below are some of them:
- Weight Loss – During Ketogenesis, your body fat is used to produce energy, which significantly helps to cut weight.
- Control Blood Sugar- A Ketogenic diet plan encourages the consumption of food that has low sugar levels
- More Energy- Fat, which is at the epicenter of Keto, is a more reliable energy source than carbohydrates
- Increased mental performance – Ketosis produces ketones that are a primary source of fuel for the brain. This helps increase mental focus and concentration
How to start the Keto Diet
When you are just beginning on the Keto diet, it can be frustrating to comprehend the gist of it all. There are many tutorials that promise to show you how to start the Keto diet only to end up being incomprehensible and unrealistic.
For a beginner, the first thing you need to understand is how the Keto diet works. This will help set you on the right path and shed light on what exactly you are supposed to do. To guide you on how to start a Keto diet the right way, it is vital that you understand the kind of foods that should be included in the diet and which ones should be avoided.
What to eat on the Keto Diet
If you understand the guiding principle of a Keto diet, knowing what to eat should not be a problem. Basically, your diet should consist of low carbohydrates, moderate proteins and high fats. A recommended caloric breakdown is 5% carbs, 20% protein and 75% fats. If you keep that in mind, you will be a Keto diet pro in no time.
It is, therefore, important that you keep these proportions in mind while preparing your Keto Diet plan. Avoiding too many carbohydrates will help your body to quickly achieve ketosis. Ideally, you should consume less than 20 grams of carbs per day for more satisfying results.
What to avoid
If you hope to benefit from the Keto diet, you should avoid foods rich in excess sugar and starch. Think along the lines of potatoes, rice, pasta and bread.
Come up with a diet plan
Knowing what to eat or what to avoid without a proper Ketogenic diet plan is pointless. If you are not up to the task of creating your own plan, you can always consult a reputable dietitian or copy one of the numerous recommendations that you can find online.
Coming up with a working diet plan will not only help you stay true to the Keto diet but also breaks the monotony of sticking with one type of foods for too long. Make sure your diet plan is comprehensive, including all the important foods that form the backbone of a Ketogenic diet.
The bottom line is that the real hustle is not with starting the Keto diet plan, but actually being consistent with it. The temptation to go back to your high sugar and high starch diet can be overwhelming. The best bit is that working with a trusted dietitian can help ease the process to a point where you no longer have issues following the plan.