ketogenic diet for weight loss

Today, one of the most modern and common ways to lose weight is to follow a ketogenic diet. It is important to note that if this diet is followed, the person does not starve, but consumes fatty and high-calorie foods. A positive effect is achieved by limiting the amount of carbohydrates consumed and actually reducing their use in food to zero.

ketogenic diet

Research scientists prove that following a ketogenic diet helps with diseases such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, autism, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer.

This diet is one of the variants of a diet low in carbohydrates, when the body does not receive carbohydrates from food, it is forced to consume fat to get energy. In this case, the fat burning process is very efficient. Metabolic changes or ketosis, in which ketone bodies go directly to the brain, are used by the body for energy.

This diet reduces the level of sugar and insulin in the blood, so this diet is also prescribed to diabetics, but only if the patient has type 2 diabetes.

The rules of the ketogenic diet

When following a ketogenic diet, you need to follow some simple rules and recommendations, only then can you achieve a positive result in the shortest possible time.

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

Approved products

After a ketogenic diet you can eat the following foods:

1. Seafood - squid, oysters, crabs, lobsters, shellfish and mussels.
2. Fish - salmon, cod, catfish, sea fish, mackerel, trout, tuna, flounder. You can eat fish in any form - fried, steamed, cooked and baked in the oven.
3. Meat - beef, pork, rabbit, poultry, veal. As in the case of fish, meat can be used in any form - you can cook chops, roasts, steaks, the only thing you need to watch is that the fillet is thicker.
4. Chicken and quail eggs, which can be consumed both fried and cooked.
5. The intestines - liver, stomach, tongue, heart and lungs - are some of the main sources of nutrients.
6. Sausages - bacon, ham, sausage. When buying these products, read the composition carefully so that there are no additives or 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 - all green vegetables, low in starch and carbohydrates, in addition, onions and tomatoes can be eaten.
11. Butter and cream.
12. Strawberry.
13. You can drink green tea, weak black tea, non-carbonated mineral or boiled water.

Prohibited products

The following foods should not be consumed while on a ketogenic diet:

1. Products that contain a large amount of sugar: juices, drinks, sweets, cakes, marmalades, sweet pastries, ice cream, marshmallows.
2. Foods containing cereals and starch: wheat flour pastries, 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 non-fatty products - go through several stages of processing, which is why they may contain excess carbohydrates.
7. Sauces such as ketchup and mayonnaise, because they contain sugar and unhealthy fats.
8. Unhealthy fats, whose main sources are margarine and processed vegetable oil, and even the use of these products should be eliminated from the diet or at least reduced.
9. Alcoholic products. Many alcoholic beverages contain a large amount of carbohydrates, so their use can nullify all dietary measures.
10. Sugar-free diet food. Such products are usually highly processed and filled with harmful chemical elements.

Before you start following a ketogenic diet, you should consult a specialist, because the list of allowed and forbidden foods can vary for each patient, depending on the individual characteristics of the human body.

Ketogenic diet: menu for the week

The approximate weekly menu for people on a ketogenic diet is as follows.

Monday

1. Breakfast. Egg and cheese.
2. Lunch. Curd with cream.
3. Dinner. Chicken breast, cheese and brown rice.
4. afternoon tea. Cheese and some nuts.
5. Dinner. Vegetable salad, fish in any form, decorated with brown rice.

Tuesday

1. Breakfast. Omelet, ½ grapefruit, spinach.
2. Lunch. Fresh cheese.
3. Dinner. Vegetable salad, chicken breast, cheese.
4. afternoon tea. Fresh cheese.
5. Dinner. Steak with brown rice, salad with vegetables.

Wednesday

1. Breakfast. Omelet, homemade yogurt.
2. Lunch. Sir, walnuts.
3. Dinner. Chicken breast with soup, salad.
4. afternoon tea. Kefir, fruit.
5. Dinner. Fish, lettuce, brown rice.

Thursday

1. Breakfast. Cheese, boiled egg, orange.
2. Lunch. Homemade kefir.
3. Dinner. Meat soup, brown rice.
4. afternoon tea. Sir, almonds.
5. Dinner. Fish, broccoli.

Friday

1. Breakfast. Boiled eggs with salsa.
2. Lunch. Bacon or ham.
3. Dinner. Meat pan with vegetables and mushrooms, salad.
4. afternoon tea. Kefir, lettuce.
5. Dinner. Chicken breast, rice

Saturday

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

Sunday

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

Advantages and disadvantages of this diet

Following a ketogenic diet has a number of advantages and disadvantages that you must consider before embarking on such a diet.

Advantages:

1. The diet is quite easy to tolerate, because a person, respecting it, does not starve.
2. A small amount of carbohydrates reduces insulin production, thus preventing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

minuses:

1. Uncontrolled adherence to a ketogenic diet is met with a decrease in blood acidity levels, which in turn 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, because in this case the load on the kidneys is greatly increased, so there is a risk of developing urolithiasis and osteoporosis.
3. It is impossible to follow this diet for a long time, because the person begins to have digestive problems - constipation and nausea from 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 should consult a specialist, weigh the pros and cons and prepare for it. When adhering to the diet, in order to avoid unpleasant consequences, it is necessary to constantly consult your doctor and strictly follow all his recommendations.