The keto diet, or ketogenic diet, has been a popular weight loss solution for years. While it was originally used in the 1920s to treat children with epilepsy, it wasn’t used as a weight loss strategy on a widespread basis until approximately the turn of the 21st century. Seemingly countless fad diets have come and gone over the years, but the keto diet continues to be a popular and effective solution to lose weight and improve health.
What Is a Keto Diet?
The keto diet is appropriately named for ketosis, which is a metabolic state that plays a role in weight loss. This is a high-fat, low-carb diet that is often also used in conjunction with fasting to produce notable results.
How It Works
The body uses the carbohydrates you eat as energy. With the keto diet, you consume very few carbs. Your body then enters ketosis and uses its own fat stores for energy. In addition, your liver turns its fat stores into ketones to provide energy for the brain.
Keto Diet Benefits
Weight loss associated with a ketogenic diet is roughly one pound per week. This diet is recognized for its positive effects on blood sugar level stabilization. As a result, it is beneficial to those living with diabetes. Keto friendly foods also reduce inflammation and improve cholesterol levels. While weight loss diets are often associated with fatigue, many people notice that they have more energy when they are in a state of ketosis.
What Are Keto Friendly Foods?
The key to success on the keto diet is to consume no more than 25 net grams of carbs. In addition, 70% to 75% of your calories should come from healthy fats. The remaining 25% should be from protein. The best keto friendly foods are high in fiber and unprocessed. Think about low-starch vegetables, whole grain foods and high-fat meats and nuts. You also need to stay hydrated for optimal health and better results.
High-Fat Foods
Meats like beef, chicken, veal, turkey and seafood are excellent food choices on the keto diet. In addition, consume dairy foods like sour cream, cream cheese, cheese, milk, yogurt and cottage cheese. Healthy oils to cook with are avocado oil, ghee, coconut oil, butter and others. Nuts and seeds are also healthy, high-fat foods. Some options are almonds, pecans, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts and flax seeds.
Low-Carb Foods
Fruits are rightfully known for being healthy foods, but they have many carbs. Monitor your portions of these foods. Processed foods and many store-bought bread products should be avoided. However, there are keto-friendly products that can help you enjoy many of the foods that you currently enjoy. For example, there are keto friendly bagels and breads. You can also find keto rolls, keto hot dog buns and cereals.
The keto diet has been well-researched over many decades, and it has numerous health benefits that extend beyond weight loss. Given its many health benefits and the wide range of foods that you can enjoy, the keto diet is here to stay.