Keto Diet- Best way to reduce fat!

Keto Diet- Best way to reduce fat!

 

According a report of the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2014 around 422 million people worldwide were suffering from diabetes, every 1 in 3 adult was found to be overweight and more than 2 in 3 adults were considered to be overweight or have obesity (Ref.- NIDDK, NIH).

Diabetes and obesity are the major problems which people face today because of their lifestyle. Diabetes, which is caused by the increased level of glucose in the blood and obesity (generally calculated on the basis of BMI), is caused mainly because of excess deposition of fats in our body. So, if looked at from a broader perspective, ultimately both the diseases have the same cure, i.e. by reducing the carbohydrate intake and making our body consume most fats while metabolism. What generally happens is when we eat something which contains both carbohydrates and fats, the carbohydrates are broken down first to produce energy since their metabolism is easy, whereas fats are stored as such.

Keto diet, also called as Ketogenic diet, low carb diet etc.,  is found to be an effective way to control diabetes, obesity and other health related issues. It is a very low carbohydrate diet, which helps in turning the body into a fat burning machine. The ‘Keto’ word comes from the fact that with the metabolism of fats, ketone bodies are produced which are used as a fuel molecule. Ketone acts as an alternative fuel to body and is used for performing various functions in absence of glucose, because glucose acts as the primary fuel source of body, which is derived from carbohydrates. Ketones will only be produced in the body when the body has very few of carbohydrate molecules to get reduced into glucose and also has a very few to moderate amount of protein. While on a keto diet, Insulin level becomes very low and the burning of fat increases. 

This process of formation of Ketones is termed as Ketosis , which normally occurs during fasting. When the body is in state of Ketosis, the liver produces ketones which become the major fuel source for the body. Ketones are produced from the breakdown of fat molecules. You must have heard saying- ‘You can go weeks without food but not a couple of days without water’. This is actually because our body starts breaking the fat, which is present to convert it into a fuel source in absence of  glucose.

What to eat on Keto diet?

Keto diet is mainly to reduce the carbohydrate intake so that the body can shift to the alternate fuel. So for that purpose, one must lower the carbohydrate intake to about 15gm per day. The fewer the carbohydrate in your diet, the more effective it will be. In this one should avoid foods like- sugary food, grains and starches, fruits (all except small portions of berries and strawberries), beans and legumes, root vegetables and tubers, low fat diet products, some condiments or sauces, unhealthy fat , alcohol , sugar free diet foods.

While on the keto diet one must eat foods like- meat, fatty fish, eggs, butter and cream, cheese, nuts and seeds, healthy oils avocados, low crab veggies and condiments (healthy herbs and spices).

Keto Macros

It is very important to know the macros when on a keto diet for getting the full advantage of the keto diet.

Now, what are macros?

They are basically the main source of calories in our diet, i.e., carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Since keto diet is mainly a fat diet, majority of our calories will come from fat metabolism. So the content of fat must be high in the diet and the content of carbohydrates must be lowest.

  Are there any side effects of keto diet?

The answer is yes, keto diet may cause some problems like ‘Ketoacidosis’, Keto flu, Constipation, Heart palpitations, reduced physical performance etc.

These side effects occur because our body goes on a transition from using carbohydrates as a fuel to breaking fats and using ketone as a fuel.