“Keto” is an abbreviation for “ketosis” and refers to a completely natural metabolic state that the body achieves when it begins to use stored fats instead of energy, not glucose (sugar). How to start a keto diet?
What is the difference between the keto diet
On a typical high-carbohydrate diet – excess sugars from sweets, high-sugar fruits, pasta and high-starch foods (such as bread and grains) break down into glucose. The body converts this glucose into energy. The ketogenic diet consists of strictly limiting carbohydrates in meals, increasing the amount of fat, and relatively low protein intake. The diet should contain a maximum of 3 meals with preferably a constant amount of macronutrients
The source of carbohydrates on a ketogenic diet should be vegetables and fruits with the lowest content of carbohydrates. Products to avoid are dried fruit, fruit preserves, pulses, potatoes, cereal products, confectionery, fruit drinks, honey, jellies, ice cream, etc. The source of protein should be meat, poultry, fish, good-quality cold cuts, eggs, dairy products. However, milk and skim milk products are not recommended. The source of fats should be olive oil, butter, lard, fatty dairy products and some vegetable oils.
Products acceptable on a ketogenic diet
- Meat – put first and foremost on good quality meat instead of choosing ready and processed products.
- Natural fats – butter, oil, olive oil. Vegetable fats that contain polyunsaturated fatty acids are particularly preferred.
- Fish and seafood – primarily fatty fish, containing a lot of beneficial fatty acids.
- Dairy, including the greasy – You can eat cream, cheese or mayonnaise, i.e. products that are forbidden on others
- Eggs – They are rich in valuable nutrients. You can eat them in any form, also fried in bacon.
- Fruit and vegetables – only those that have low carbohydrate levels, but a high fat content, e.g. avocados.
Adaptation
Adaptation to the ketogenic diet is the adaptation of the body to use ketone bodies as the primary source of energy (in people consuming large amounts of carbohydrates, glucose is such a fuel). The duration of this period depends on many individual characteristics, the quality of food consumed or lifestyle. Most often it is said about 30 days, but this period can last from 2 weeks up to several months. After the adaptation period, well-being should improve, physical energy and mental performance should increase, and the feeling of hunger and desire for sweets should disappear.
During the adaptation to the ketogenic diet, the proportions between macronutrients – proteins, fats and carbohydrates – play an important role. Most often it is: 25-30% carbohydrates, 40% protein, 35% fat. After that, you can reduce carbohydrates by 5%. The maximum supply of carbohydrates is about 50g per day. Remember that every diet should be started by calculating the caloric demand. It is an obligatory step before starting a ketogenic diet.