Ketogenic diet for weight loss: what you can eat - sample menu

The ketogenic diet, or ketone, or keto, is one of the nutritional systems well studied by scientists, its benefits have been proven by many experiments and clinical studies.

However, this scheme is complex.It is not suitable for everyone and has many pitfalls.

What is the keto diet?

This is a type of low-carb diet with a high fat content in the menu.Just like the regular no-carb diet or the Atkins diet.

A diet that significantly reduces the amount of carbohydrates and increases fat intake causes the body to enter ketosis.

Ketosis is a metabolic state where fat is the body's main source of energy.This happens when the intake of carbohydrates, usually the main source of energy, is reduced to a minimum.

Ketosis occurs during fasting, pregnancy and infancy.It can be artificially induced in adults by switching to a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet.

In a state of ketosis, insulin levels decrease.Fatty acids leave adipose tissue in large quantities and enter the liver, where they are oxidized and converted into ketone bodies, or ketones, which are a source of energy.

Formed:

• beta-hydroxybutyrate, the main ketone body circulating in the blood;
• acetoacetate is the main product of the liver;
• Acetone is a volatile ketone responsible for the formation of certain breath odors.

Ketone bodies are able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and nourish brain cells without the presence of glucose.

The sustained reduction in insulin and sugar levels that occurs with a ketogenic diet has a variety of beneficial effects on human health.

What is the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis?

Ketosis that develops when following a low-carbohydrate diet is fundamentally different from diabetic ketoacidosis.

For people who do not have diabetes, their blood sugar levels remain within normal limits.When carbohydrate stores are depleted, the liver begins to produce glucose from other sources (pyruvate, glycerol and amino acids).

This makes it possible to maintain a normal blood glucose level and ensure the concentration of ketone bodies in the range of 8 mmol/l, which is safe for health.

In patients with type 1 diabetes, ketone levels reach 20 mmol/L.And this situation is life-threatening.

What is the keto diet like: options

1. Standard protocol.It involves consuming a large amount of protein and fat and minimizing carbohydrates - no more than 50 g per day.The menu includes 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates.
2. The keto diet is high in protein.Just like the standard regimen, just more protein.60% - fat, 35% - protein, 5% - carbohydrates.
3. Cycle options.With this nutrition system, 5 days follow a standard pattern, and 2 days are high carb.Reminds me of the BUTCH diet.
4. A targeted approach.They eat a ketogenic diet and consume carbohydrates before and after exercise.

All scientific research conducted evaluates only the standard version.

The cycle and target approach is only used by athletes, especially bodybuilders.This diet plan is not intended to help you lose weight or improve your health.

How does the keto diet affect weight loss?

Scientific evidence shows that it is a highly effective weight loss method that provides more sustainable results than traditional low-fat weight loss systems that require severe calorie restriction.

It has been shown that those who lost weight on a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 times more kilograms of excess body weight than volunteers on a low-fat diet with strict calorie restriction.

The weight loss mechanism on the keto diet is as follows.

1. Significant protein intake, which is essential for sustainable healthy weight loss.
2. Gluconeogenesis.Protein and fat are converted to carbohydrates.This process can burn extra calories throughout the day.
3. Appetite suppression.A ketogenic diet normalizes the levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which are responsible for eating behavior.
4. Increases sensitivity to insulin.Insulin resistance leads to excessive weight gain.Therefore, increasing sensitivity to hormones accelerates metabolism and promotes the rapid breakdown of fat deposits and reduces the rate of new formation.

Treatment and prevention of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes

Metabolic syndrome is a metabolic disorder that significantly increases the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Signs that indicate a person has metabolic syndrome are:

• high blood pressure;
• abdominal obesity (big belly);
• high blood sugar levels (even if diabetes has not been diagnosed);
• poor lipid profile indicator (rules for self-interpreting cholesterol analysis).

All these indicators can be improved without drugs by changing lifestyle and diet, for example, by switching to a ketone diet.

1. Increasing the sensitivity of body cells to the hormone insulin plays an important role in the treatment and prevention of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.With the keto diet, insulin sensitivity increases by 75%.Some people with diabetes may stop taking their medication.
2. Lipid profile indicators improved.Positive changes affect both cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
3. Additional support for the body is provided by the formation of ketone bodies, which themselves have beneficial properties.

What other therapeutic effects does the keto diet have?

1. Helps in the treatment of epilepsy.A current meta-analysis of 70 clinical studies found that the keto diet reduced the number of seizures by 50% in 46-62% of cases.The exact mechanism of the anticonvulsant effect of the diet has not been established.Scientists believe that the positive effect may be due to an increase in the amount of antioxidant glutathione in the mitochondria, an increase in the influence of the inhibitory neurotransmitters GABA and adenosine, etc.
2. Therapy for Alzheimer's disease.A few small studies have shown that a ketone diet improves the condition of patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.In patients with this disease, the flow of glucose into the brain is disrupted.And ketone bodies make it possible to feed the brain with energy without the participation of glucose, while at the same time reducing the toxic effects of glutamate.
3. Support for parkinsonism patients.According to several studies, a low-carb diet is beneficial for people suffering from Parkinson's disease, as it prevents the death of dopaminergic neurons and damage to mitochondria.
4. Help for autistic children.There is some suggestion that the keto diet improves behavior in children with autism.And it does this more effectively than the Atkins diet, the gluten-free diet and the casein-free diet.However, the data on this issue is still so limited that it cannot be considered completely reliable.
5. Cancer treatment.Tumor cells operate exclusively on glucose.They cannot get energy from ketone bodies.Thus, switching to a ketogenic diet promotes cell death in malignant tumors.However, experts insist that the method can only be used in conjunction with chemotherapy treatment and with the doctor's permission.And you shouldn't put too much hope on this approach.
6. Skin condition improves.In particular, it removes acne.Low insulin levels and the removal of all processed foods from the diet, as required by the diet, eliminate chronic inflammation that affects the skin.
7. Treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome.This disease is associated with impaired metabolism of glucose and androgens.The keto diet helps restore insulin sensitivity, which suffers in women with polycystic syndrome.

What not to eat on the keto diet: food list

• Sugar in any form.Prohibited foods include foods that are clearly sweet (candy, ice cream) and foods that do not appear sweet, but contain this substance in their composition.It can also be store-bought ketchup.
• Cereal crops: wheat (including spelt), rye, barley, rice, corn.
• Vegetable oils that make you fat - soybean, corn, sunflower, mustard seed.And also trans fats.
• fruits.Except for a small number of berries, such as strawberries.
• Beans.Beans, peas, lentils, etc.Can be used in green form, for example, nuts.
• Tubers and rhizomes.Potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, etc.
• Any "dietary" food product, for example, low-fat cottage cheese (in such products, fat is replaced by sugar).
• Products with sweeteners in the form of sugar alcohols (xylitol, erythritol) have a negative effect on ketone bodies.
• Gravy and sauce, in the preparation of sugar, starch, and flour are used.
• Alcohol.
• All finished products produced by the food industry.

Ketogenic diet: what you can and should eat

• All types of meat: beef, pork, chicken, lamb, etc.
• Fish and seafood.
• Eggs.
• Vegetables.Preferably green.Others are also allowed (tomato, eggplant, onion, sweet pepper) - the main thing is that there is a lot of fiber and almost no easily digestible carbohydrates.
• Fatty dairy products - cream, butter, cheese.
• Nuts and seeds.
• mushrooms.
• The right vegetable oil: olive, coconut oil, avocado.
• Fermented foods: natural yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, etc.
• Spices and seasonings.

Sample menu for a week for women and men on a ketogenic diet

Monday	Tuesday
Breakfast: omelette with bacon and tomato. Lunch: cauliflower and broccoli soup in chicken broth, stewed chicken with sautéed eggplant and bell pepper. Dinner: a piece of red fish baked in sour cream with vegetable salad.	Breakfast: unsweetened or flavored full-fat plain yogurt with nuts and/or seeds. Lunch: bone broth (preferably beef) with a boiled egg, a piece of boiled beef with sauerkraut (no potatoes). Dinner: boiled chicken with zucchini.
Wednesday	Thursday
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with bell pepper. Lunch: fish soup (no potatoes), pork cutlet with steamed green beans. Dinner: chicken breast baked in the oven with sour cream, cucumber and tomato.	Breakfast: cottage cheese of normal fat content without sugar and seasonings. Lunch: mushroom soup (without potatoes and noodles), minced steak with egg salad and vegetables. Dinner: fish baked under a cheese crust with vegetables.
Friday	Saturday
Breakfast: soft-boiled eggs with a piece of cheese. Lunch: sour cabbage soup (without potatoes), stewed chicken liver with sour cream and fried onions, with shirataki noodles. Dinner: salad with fish and/or seafood (no potatoes and rice), but with green vegetables, tomatoes, etc.	Breakfast: cottage cheese with herbs. Lunch: bone soup with meatballs (no flour or bread), beef azu with boiled cabbage (fresh or sour). Dinner: boiled chicken with carrot and cucumber salad.
Sunday	Let's move on to next week
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese. Lunch: light vegetable soup with cauliflower and broccoli (no potatoes), whole chicken baked in the oven, with cucumber and tomato salad. Dinner: stewed mushrooms with sour cream, with vegetable salad.	We repeated the first week, trying to add maximum variety to the menu.There are a large number of recipes in the world that meet the keto diet.

Rules to follow

1. You can and should eat whole foods regardless of calories.
2. You can eat only the right fats.This means you can only cook with oil that can withstand heat treatment.Salads can only be topped with the right nutritional dressing.
3. There should be a lot of fat in the diet.You can't focus on protein.
4. Tea, coffee, instant chicory and many other drinks are allowed.The main selection criteria is the absence of sugar and sweeteners in the drink.
5. You should try to put a large amount of spices in your food.

The right snacks when losing weight with a ketogenic diet

Since the ketogenic diet does not require calorie counting, snacking is not only allowed, but encouraged.But they must be right.

Allowed:

• boiled eggs;
• meat chips;
• cheese;
• nuts, seeds, and various pastes and oils prepared from them;
• berries, for example, strawberries with cream (however, you should not get carried away with berries);
• natural yogurt and other natural fermented milk products;
• all vegetables allowed by the diet and light salads made from them.

All dairy products, whether cheese or yogurt, should contain normal fat content.

What is the "keto flu": symptoms

The first few days of switching to a low-carb diet can be difficult.Often unpleasant symptoms are observed, the so-called "keto flu".

Can be observed:

• constant hunger, especially the desire for sweets;
• tiredness;
• insomnia;
• discomfort in the abdominal area, abdominal pain;
• nausea and vomiting;
constipation or diarrhea;
• problems with concentration;
• headache and dizziness;
• muscle aches and cramps;
• irritable, tearful.

How long does the keto flu last?

From a few days to a few weeks.Associated with the reorganization of the body to use fat as the main source of fuel.While adaptation is taking place, energy may not be enough, which leads to the symptoms listed, which are unpleasant.But they do not pose any danger.

Ketone bodies are always present in the blood in small quantities.After the first 2-3 days of a strict carbohydrate-free diet, the liver begins to produce ketones and their level in the blood increases to 2-3 mM.

Adaptation is complete when cells are placed under carbohydrate starvation conditions reducing the absorption of ketone bodies from the blood, increasing their concentration to 8 mM.At this point, effective transport of ketones across the blood-brain barrier begins.

Why some people easily adapt to the keto diet, while others find it difficult, has not been established precisely.It is assumed that one's eating habits are important.The more digestible carbohydrates he eats, the harder the transition.Genetic predisposition plays a certain role.

How to quickly enter ketosis on the keto diet

1. Proper water regime.When carbohydrates are removed from the diet, glycogen reserves in the body decrease.Because glycogen accumulates water around it, when its amount decreases, dehydration may develop, leading to fatigue and muscle pain.
2. Just light physical activity.During the adaptation period, only light exercise is allowed: walking, yoga, slow cycling.All types of strenuous fitness should be abandoned.
3. Recommended mineral supplements:
   • sodium - 3-4 grams per day;
   • potassium - 1 g;
   • magnesium - 0.3g.

Supplements with creatine monohydrate and caffeine are also indicated.

Ketobreathing and specific urine odor

The transition to a low-carb diet with a lot of fat is often accompanied by the appearance of a certain smell from the mouth.The person himself often feels it as a metallic taste in the mouth.People around you usually think of it as the smell of nail polish remover.Some people think it smells like fruit.Urine has the same smell.

This phenomenon is caused by the formation of volatile acetone ketones, which are often found in nail polish removers.

The appearance of odor should not be considered a side effect.It simply indicates that the body switches to working on fat and forming ketone bodies.It is not dangerous to health.But it can be unpleasant for the person himself and the people around him, especially when it comes to breathing.

To reduce the severity of symptoms, you need to:

• drink more fluids;
• eat less protein;
• use peppermint gum;
• slightly increase the amount of carbohydrates (only if you eat less than 50 g per day).

After 1-2 weeks, the smell will disappear by itself.

Long-term side effects of the keto diet

Besides the keto flu, which goes away in a few weeks, this diet regimen can cause delayed side effects.likely:

• problems with the digestive system caused by excessive fat intake and disruption of the functioning of the intestinal microflora;
• gradual increase in cholesterol levels;
• increased load on the kidneys, which can increase the likelihood of kidney failure and cause urolithiasis;
• bone density decreases.

Possible Nutrient Deficiencies on a Long-Term Ketogenic Diet

Since the diet cannot be called balanced, staying in this diet for a long time can lead to a lack of some important components.

1. Calcium.Leaves with urine.Because with excess fat, the urine becomes too acidic, and the body has to alkalize it with calcium.In addition, the lack of carbohydrates affects the absorption of these microelements.
2. Magnesium.According to assumptions, the gradual development of deficiency is associated with the removal from the diet of foods rich in this microelement - grains and fruits.
3. ironThe amount of fat in food affects the absorption of iron.
4. Sodium and potassium.Due to the decrease in insulin levels, the loss through the kidneys increases.However, unlike other microelements, such as calcium or magnesium, their deficiency becomes noticeable over time, potassium and sodium disappear quickly.And their lack is largely due to keto flu symptoms, which gradually disappear.
5. Selenium.Deficiency may be caused by a lack of this trace element in foods rich in fat.An exception is Brazil nuts, a piece of which provides the body with 100% of the daily requirement of selenium.
6. Carnitine.This deficiency is attributed to the compound being used up too quickly on a fatty diet.

When living on a keto diet for a long time, you should always check the levels of all those substances, deficiencies that may develop over time.It is advisable to take supplements with nutrients located in the "risk zone".

Who should not switch to a keto diet: contraindications

1. Children, pregnant and lactating women, diabetics and cancer patients, switching to a keto diet is only allowed as prescribed by the attending physician and under his supervision.
2. The diet is contraindicated for people with ApoE3 and ApoE4 genotypes, as it can lead to life-threatening increases in cholesterol levels.
3. Epilepsy patients with KCNJ11 and BAD genes should not be followed.
4. Serious liver and/or kidney disease is a contraindication to following this diet regimen.

Conclusion

The keto diet is a fairly strict nutritional system that requires an almost complete rejection of carbohydrates and the introduction of a large amount of fat into the diet.

The transition to a ketogenic diet is often difficult to bear.

A large number of serious scientific studies have been devoted to the diet regimen, most of which prove its benefits for losing weight, treating type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, normalizing lipid profiles and eliminating metabolic syndrome.

However, there are not many studies that will evaluate the long-term health effects of the diet (more than a year).And, according to some assumptions, constant exposure to such a diet can be harmful to health.