The Keto diet gets its name from “Ketogenic”, which is a process that allows the body to produce small fuel molecules called “ketones”. Ketones are necessary as they work as an alternative fuel source for the body, used when glucose is in short supply.
The reason why the Keto diet is more beneficial is because when your body is on this diet, it runs on fat instead of blood sugar which means that it is burning fat 24/7. When the blood sugar level is low, fat burning can increase drastically as it becomes a lot easier to access the fat stored in your body and to burn it off. This process of when the body produces ketones and starts breaking down fats is actually a metabolic state called ketosis.
Now how does our body switch to Ketosis? The simplest way would be by fasting, but thats not advised at all so the next best option is a Ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet which resembles the Atkins diet. Having food items with carbs fewer than 5% are what will help you enter the state of Ketosis. A few examples of such food items would be butter, meat, fish, eggs and cheese.
You must avoid food items rich in carbohydrates such as rice, bread, potatoes, etc.
Sugar and starch are a big no no when on a Keto diet, so stay away from donuts and cakes. You can find alternatives to sugar such as sweeteners like Stevia. But it is advised to stay as far away from sugar as possible. This inherently means no soft drinks either. You can have your caffeine fix, but remember not to add sugar or whole milk.
The benefits of a Keto Diet include first and foremost, weight loss. Followed by weight loss, appetite control and then of-course blood sugar control are other benefits. All three of these benefits sound very tempting and extremely necessary for a healthy lifestyle. And lastly, lets not forget that lower insulin levels and eating less sugar or processed foods helps get rid of acne.
However, there are a few critics out there of the Ketogenic diet who claim that keto is only short-term and can be extremely unhealthy for our body. Another thing to keep in mind according to the critics is that you will lose weight, but it might actually be a lot of muscle and because muscle burns more calories than fat, that will affect your metabolism. They also claim that is most cases, when you go off the keto diet, you will gain back the lost weight.
Lastly, if you plan on starting the Ketogenic diet be sure to consult your dietician or doctor first. Laying off carbs entirely can have some risks especially, if you overdo the intake of fats and proteins.
