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

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

However, this program is very complicated.It's not suitable for everyone and has many pitfalls.

What is the keto diet?

This is a low-carb diet with high fat content on the menu.Similar to a regular no-carb diet or the Atkins diet.

A diet that significantly reduces carbohydrate intake and increases fat intake will enter a state of ketosis.

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

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 fatty 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.

Formation:

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

Ketone bodies can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and nourish brain cells in the absence of glucose.

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

What is the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis?

The state of ketosis that develops when following a low-carbohydrate diet is fundamentally different from diabetic ketoacidosis.

In people without diabetes, their blood sugar levels remain within normal levels.When carbohydrate stores are depleted, the liver begins to produce glucose from other sources (pyruvate, glycerol and amino acids).

This helps maintain blood sugar levels at normal levels and ensures ketone body concentrations around 8 mmol/l, safe for health.

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

What does keto nutrition look like: options

1. Standard protocol.It involves consuming large amounts 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.Like the standard regimen, only with more protein.60% - fats, 35% - proteins, 5% - carbohydrates.
3. Cyclic options.With this nutrition system, 5 days of the standard regimen and 2 days of high carbohydrate content.Reminds me of the BUTCH diet.
4. Targeted approach.They ate a ketogenic diet and consumed carbohydrates before and after their workouts.

All scientific studies performed evaluate only the standard version.

The cyclical and targeted approach is only used by athletes, mainly bodybuilders.These eating plans are not intended to help you lose weight or improve your health.

How does the keto diet affect weight loss?

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

It was shown that people who lost weight on a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 times more overweight kilograms than volunteers who were on a low-fat diet with strict calorie restrictions.

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

1. Significant amounts of protein, essential for healthy, sustainable weight loss.
2. Gluconeogenesis.Protein and fat are converted into carbohydrates.This process can burn extra calories during the day.
3. Suppress appetite.Ketogenic nutrition normalizes levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which are responsible for eating behavior.
4. Increased insulin sensitivity.Insulin resistance leads to excessive weight gain.Therefore, increasing sensitivity to hormones will accelerate metabolism and promote the rapid breakdown of accumulated fats and reduce the rate of formation of new fats.

Treatment and prevention of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes

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

Signs that a person has metabolic syndrome are:

• increased blood pressure;
• abdominal obesity (big belly);
• elevated blood sugar levels (even if diabetes has not been diagnosed);
• poor lipid profile index (self-decoding cholesterol analysis rules).

All of these indicators can be improved without medication by making lifestyle and dietary changes, such as 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.On the keto diet, insulin sensitivity increases by 75%.Some people with diabetes may even 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. Supports the treatment of epilepsy.A current meta-analysis of 70 clinical studies shows that the keto diet reduces the number of seizures by 50% in 46-62% of cases.The exact mechanism underlying the anticonvulsant effects of the diet has not yet been determined.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. Alzheimer's disease therapy.Several small studies have shown that ketone nutrition improves the condition of patients with mild Alzheimer's disease.In patients with this disease, the flow of glucose into the brain is impaired.And ketone bodies can provide energy to the brain without the participation of glucose, while reducing the toxic effects of glutamate.
3. Support for patients with Parkinson's disease.According to some studies, a low-carb diet is beneficial for people with 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, data on this issue are still so scarce that they cannot be considered completely reliable.
5. Cancer treatment.Tumor cells function exclusively on glucose.They cannot get energy from ketone bodies.Therefore, switching to a ketogenic diet promotes cell death in malignant tumors.However, experts emphasize that this method can only be used in combination with chemotherapy treatment and with the permission of a doctor.And you should not put too much hope in this approach.
6. Improve skin condition.In particular, remove acne.Low insulin levels and the elimination of all processed foods from the diet, as required by the diet, will eliminate chronic inflammation affecting the skin.
7. Treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome.The disease is associated with impaired glucose and androgen metabolism.Keto nutrition helps restore insulin sensitivity, a common condition in women with polycystic syndrome.

What not to eat on the keto diet: food list

• Sugar in any form.Explicitly prohibited foods include sweet foods (candy, ice cream) and foods that appear not to be sweet but contain this ingredient in their composition.It could even be store-bought ketchup.
• Cereal crops: wheat (including spelt), rye, barley, rice, corn.
• Vegetable oils make you fat - soybean, corn, sunflower, rapeseed.And also trans fats.
• Fruit.Except for a few berries like strawberries.
• Legumes.Beans, peas, lentils, etc.Can be used in green form, for example as bean pods.
• Tubers and rhizomes.Potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, etc.
• Any "diet" food product, for example low-fat 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.
• Marinades and sauces are used to prepare sugar, starch and flour.
• Ale.
• All finished products are produced by the food industry.

Ketogenic diet: what you can and should eat

• All types of meat: beef, pork, poultry, lamb, etc.
• Fish and seafood.
• Egg.
• Vegetable.Green is best.Others are also allowed (tomatoes, eggplants, onions, sweet peppers) - 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.
• Mushroom.
• Suitable vegetable oils: olive, coconut oil, avocado.
• Fermented foods: natural yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, etc.
• Spices and spices.

One-week sample menu for women and men on a ketogenic diet

Monday	Tuesday
Breakfast: omelet with bacon and tomatoes. Lunch: cauliflower soup and broccoli in chicken broth, boiled chicken with sauteed eggplant and bell peppers. Dinner: a piece of grilled red fish with sour cream with vegetable salad.	Breakfast: full-fat natural yogurt without sweeteners or flavors from nuts and/or seeds. Lunch: bone broth (preferably beef) with a hard-boiled egg, a piece of boiled beef with sauerkraut (no potatoes). Dinner: chicken stew with zucchini.
Wednesday	Thursday
Breakfast: omelette with bell peppers. Lunch: fish soup (no potatoes), pork ribs with steamed green beans. Dinner: oven-baked chicken breast with sour cream, cucumbers and tomatoes.	Breakfast: fresh cheese with normal fat content, no sugar and flavorings. Lunch: mushroom soup (without potatoes and noodles), minced steak with egg salad and vegetables. Dinner: grilled fish under a cheese crust with vegetables.
Friday	Saturday
Breakfast: soft boiled eggs with a piece of cheese. Lunch: sour cabbage soup (no potatoes), chicken liver stewed with sour cream and fried onions, served with shirataki noodles. Dinner: salad with fish and/or seafood (no potatoes and rice), but with greens, tomatoes, etc.	Breakfast: cheese with herbs. Lunch: bone broth with meatballs (no flour or bread), azu beef with stewed cabbage (fresh or pickled). Dinner: boiled chicken with radish 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 grilled in the oven, with cucumber and tomato salad. Dinner: stewed mushrooms with sour cream, vegetable salad.	We repeat the first week, trying to add maximum variety to the menu.There are many recipes around the world that satisfy the keto diet.

Rules to follow

1. You can and should eat your fill without counting calories.
2. You can only eat the right fats.This means you can only cook with oils that can withstand heat treatment.Salads should only be topped with suitable dietary dressings.
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 criterion is a drink without sugar and sweeteners.
5. You should try to add more spices to your food.

Snack appropriately when losing weight on a ketogenic diet

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

Allowed:

• boiled eggs;
• meat chips;
• cheese;
• nuts, as well as various pastes and oils prepared from them;
• berries, such as strawberries with cream (don't go too crazy with berries, though);
• natural yogurt and other naturally fermented milk products;
• all vegetables allowed by the diet and light salads made from them.

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

What is “keto flu”: symptoms

The first days of switching to a low-carb diet can be difficult.There are often unpleasant symptoms known as “keto flu”.

It may be noted:

• constant feeling of hunger, especially craving sweets;
• Tired;
• insomnia;
• abdominal discomfort, stomach pain;
• nausea and vomiting;
constipation or diarrhea;
• problems with concentration;
• headache and dizziness;
• muscle pain and cramps;
• irritable, tearful.

How long does keto flu last?

From a few days to a few weeks.Associated with restructuring the body to use fat as its primary fuel source.While the adaptation process is taking place, there may not be enough energy, leading to the listed unpleasant symptoms.But they pose no 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 concentration in the blood increases to 2-3 mM.

The adaptation process is completed when cells are placed in carbohydrate-deficient conditions that reduce the uptake of ketone bodies from the blood, increasing their concentration to 8 mM.At this point, effective ketone transport across the blood-brain barrier begins.

Why some people adapt easily to the keto diet, while others find it difficult, has not been precisely determined.It is believed that a person's eating habits are important.The more digestible carbohydrates you consume, the more difficult the transition becomes.Genetic predisposition plays a certain role.

How to quickly achieve ketosis using the keto diet

1. Reasonable water regime.When carbohydrates are eliminated from the diet, the amount of glycogen stored in the body is reduced.Because glycogen accumulates water around it, when glycogen levels decrease, dehydration can occur, leading to fatigue and muscle pain.
2. Only light physical activity.During the body's adaptation period, only light exercise is allowed: walking, yoga, slow cycling.All types of tiring exercise should be abandoned.
3. Recommendations for mineral supplementation:
   • sodium – 3-4 grams per day;
   • potassium – 1g;
   • magnesium – 0.3g.

Supplements with creatine monohydrate and caffeine are also shown.

Ketobreathing and the characteristic odor of urine

The transition to a low-carbohydrate and high-fat diet is often accompanied by the appearance of a characteristic odor from the mouth.Patients themselves often feel a metallic taste in their mouth.People around you often perceive it as the smell of nail polish remover.Some people say it smells like fruit.Urine has a similar odor.

This phenomenon occurs due to the formation of the volatile ketone acetone, commonly found in nail polish removers.

The appearance of odor cannot be considered a side effect.It simply indicates that the body switches to fat-based activity and forms ketone bodies.It is not dangerous for health.But it can cause discomfort for both the person himself and those around him, especially in terms of breathing.

To reduce the severity of your symptoms, you need to:

• drink more water;
• eat less protein;
• Use mint gum;
• Slightly increase carbohydrate intake (only if you eat less than 50 g per day).

After 1-2 weeks the odor will disappear on its own.

Long-term side effects of the keto diet

In addition to the keto flu that clears up within a few weeks, this diet can cause delayed side effects.Maybe:

• problems with the digestive system due to eating too much fat and disrupting the activity of intestinal microflora;
• cholesterol levels gradually increase;
• increased load on the kidneys, which can increase the likelihood of developing kidney failure and causing urinary stones;
• bone density decreases.

Nutrient deficiencies are possible on a long-term ketogenic diet

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

1. Calcium.Leaves contain urine.Because with excess fat, urine becomes too acidic and the body is forced to alkalinize it with calcium.In addition, the lack of carbohydrates reduces the ability to absorb this trace element.
2. Magnesium.According to assumptions, the gradual development of deficiency is associated with the elimination from the diet of foods rich in this trace element - cereals and fruits.
3. Iron.Abundant amounts of fat in foods reduce iron absorption.
4. Sodium and potassium.As insulin levels decrease, the amount of insulin lost through the kidneys increases.However, unlike other trace elements, such as calcium or magnesium, the deficiency of which becomes apparent over time, potassium and sodium disappear quickly.And their deficiency is largely due to the fact that the symptoms of keto flu gradually disappear.
5. Selenium.Deficiency can result from a lack of this trace element in fatty foods.An exception are Brazil nuts, one piece of which provides the body with 100% of the daily selenium requirement.
6. Carnitine.The deficiency is related to this compound being used up too quickly in a high-fat diet.

When following the keto diet for a long period of time, you should regularly check the levels of all those substances, deficiencies of which can develop over time.It is recommended to supplement nutrients in the "risk zone".

Who should not switch to the keto diet: contraindications

1. Children, pregnant and lactating women, diabetics and cancer patients are allowed to switch to a keto diet only as prescribed by the treating doctor and under his supervision.
2. This diet is contraindicated for people with the ApoE3 and ApoE4 genotypes because it can lead to a life-threatening increase in cholesterol levels.
3. Epilepsy patients with KCNJ11 and BAD genes should not be monitored.
4. Severe liver and/or kidney disease are contraindications to this diet.

Conclude

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

Switching to a ketogenic diet is often difficult.

A large number of serious scientific studies have been devoted to the diet, many of which demonstrate its benefits in weight loss, treatment of type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, normalization of lipid profile and elimination of metabolic syndrome.

However, there have not been many studies evaluating the health effects of long-term dieting (more than a year).And, according to some assumptions, regular exposure to such a diet can be harmful to health.