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

The ketogenic diet

The ketogenic, or ketonic, or keto diet is one of the well-studied nutritional systems that have proven useful in many experiments and clinical studies.

However, the scheme is complex. Not suitable for everyone and has many pitfalls.

What is the keto diet

This is a low-carb type of food with a high-fat menu. Similar to a regular carb-free diet or the Atkins diet.

A diet in which the amount of carbohydrates is significantly reduced and fat intake is increased results in the body becoming ketosis.

Ketosis is a metabolic condition in which fat is the body's main source of energy. This happens when the intake of carbohydrates, usually the main source of energy, is minimized.

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

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

Format:

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

Ketone bodies are able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and feed brain cells in the absence of glucose.

The constant drop in insulin and sugar levels that occurs with a ketogenic diet has multiple beneficial effects on human health.

How ketosis differs from ketoacidosis

Ketosis that develops on a carbohydrate-free diet is fundamentally different from diabetic ketoacidosis.

Non-diabetic people have normal blood sugar levels. When carbohydrate stores are depleted, the liver starts producing glucose from other sources (pyruvate, glycerol and amino acids).

This allows you to maintain normal blood glucose levels and ensure the concentration of ketone bodies within 8 Mmole / L, which is safe for health.

In type 1 diabetics, the ketone level reaches 20 Mmol / L. And this condition is already life threatening.

How ketosis differs from ketoacidosis

What are keto meals: options

  1. Standard protocol. This means eating plenty of protein and fat and minimizing carbohydrates - no more than 50g per day. The menu includes 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrate.
  2. A high protein keto diet. Like the standard regimen, just more protein. 60% fat, 35% protein, 5% carbohydrate.
  3. Cyclic option. With this diet, 5 days are followed by a standard diet and 2 days are high in carbohydrates. Remember the BUCH diet.
  4. Targeted approach. They eat on a ketogenic pattern and consume carbohydrates before and after training.

All scientific studies carried out have evaluated only the standard version.

The cyclic and targeted approach is used only by athletes, mostly bodybuilders. These eating patterns aren't meant to help you lose weight or improve your health.

How the keto diet affects weight loss

Scientific evidence indicates that this is a highly effective weight loss method that provides more consistent results than traditional low-fat weight loss systems which require strict calorie restriction.

It was shown that those who were losing weight who followed a ketogenic diet lost 2, 2 times more kilograms of excess weight, those volunteers who followed a low-fat diet with strict calorie restriction.

The weight loss mechanisms on a keto diet are as follows.

  1. Significant protein intake, which is necessary for healthy and stable weight loss.
  2. Gluconeogenesis. Proteins and fats are converted into carbohydrates. This process can burn additional calories throughout the day.
  3. Suppress your appetite. Ketogenic nutrition normalizes the levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which are responsible for eating behavior.
  4. Increases insulin sensitivity. Insulin resistance leads to weight gain. Thus, an increase in sensitivity to the hormone accelerates metabolism and promotes the rapid breakdown of fat deposits and a decrease in the rate of formation of new ones.

Treatment and prevention of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes

Metabolic syndrome

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

The signs that a person has metabolic syndrome are:

  • suspended blood pressure;
  • abdominal obesity (large belly);
  • high blood sugar (even if diabetes has not yet been diagnosed);
  • poor lipid profile indicators (rules for cholesterol self-decoding analysis).

All these indicators can be improved without medication by changing the lifestyle and diet, for example by switching to a ketonic diet.

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

What other therapeutic effects does the keto diet have?

  1. Help in the treatment of epilepsy. An updated meta-analysis of 70 clinical trials found that the keto diet reduced the number of seizures by 50% in 46-62% of cases. The exact mechanism of food anticonvulsant action has not been established. Scientists believe that the positive effect may be associated with an increase in the amount of antioxidant glutathione in the mitochondria, an increase in the effect of 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 glucose supply to the brain is impaired. And keto bodies allow you to feed the brain with energy without the participation of glucose, while simultaneously reducing the toxic effects of glutamate.
  3. Support for patients with parkinsonism. According to some studies, a carbohydrate-free diet is beneficial for people with Parkinson's disease, preventing the death of dopaminergic neurons and mitochondrial damage.
  4. Helping children with autism. The keto diet is speculated to improve behavior in children with autism. And it does so more effectively than the Atkins diet, gluten-free and casein-free food. However, there is so little data on this subject so far that it cannot be considered completely reliable.
  5. Cancer treatment. Cancer cells work exclusively on glucose. They can't get energy from ketone bodies. Therefore, the switch to ketogenic nutrition promotes cell death in malignant neoplasms. However, experts point out that the method can only be used in conjunction with chemotherapy treatment and with the permission of a doctor. And don't put too much hope in this approach.
  6. Improves the condition of the skin. In particular, by eliminating acne. Low insulin levels and the elimination of all industrially produced foods from the diet as required by the diet eliminates chronic inflammation affecting the skin.
  7. Treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome. The disease is associated with impaired glucose and androgen metabolism. The ketogenic diet helps restore insulin sensitivity that plagues women with polycystic syndrome.

Do's and Don'ts on the Keto Diet: Food List

What you can't eat on a keto diet
  • Sugar in any form. Obviously, sweet foods (sweets, ice cream) and those that do not look sweet but contain this ingredient in their composition are also classified as prohibited. It could also be store-bought ketchup.
  • Cereals: wheat (including spelled), rye, barley, rice, corn.
  • Vegetable oils that make you fat: soy, corn, sunflower, rapeseed. And also trans fats.
  • Fruit. Except a small amount of berries such as strawberries.
  • Legumes. Beans, peas, lentils, etc. It can be used in green, for example, beans.
  • Tubers and rhizomes. Potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, etc.
  • Any "diet" food, 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.
  • Sauces and sauces, in the preparation of which sugar, starch, flour were used.
  • Alcohol.
  • All finished products produced by the food industry.

The ketogenic diet: what you can and should eat

  • All types of meat: beef, pork, poultry, lamb, etc.
  • Fish and seafood.
  • Eggs.
  • Vegetables. Preferably green. Others are allowed (tomatoes, eggplants, onions, peppers): the main thing is that there is a lot of fiber, and easily digestible carbohydrates are practically absent.
  • Fatty dairy products - cream, butter, cheese.
  • Nuts and seeds.
  • Mushrooms.
  • The right vegetable oils: olive, coconut oil, avocado.
  • Fermented foods: natural yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, etc.
  • Spices and herbs.

Example of a weekly menu for women and men ketogenic diet

Monday Tuesday

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with bacon and tomatoes.

Lunch: cauliflower and broccoli soup in chicken broth, boiled chicken with eggplant and sautéed pepper.

Dinner: a piece of red fish cooked in sour cream with vegetable salad.

Breakfast: natural fat yogurt without sweeteners or flavors with nuts and / or seeds.

Lunch: bone broth (preferably beef) with a hard egg, a piece of boiled beef with sauerkraut (without potatoes).

Dinner: Chicken stew with zucchini.

Wednesday Thursday

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with pepper.

Lunch: fish soup (without potatoes), pork chop with stewed green beans.

Dinner: Baked chicken breast with sour cream, cucumbers and tomatoes.

Breakfast: normal fat ricotta without sugar and flavorings.

Lunch: Mushroom soup (without potatoes and noodles), minced meat steak with eggs and vegetable salad.

Dinner: fish cooked under a cheese crust with vegetables.

Friday Saturday

Breakfast: soft-boiled eggs with a slice of cheese.

Lunch: Cabbage soup (without potatoes), chicken liver stewed with sour cream and fried onions, with shirataki noodles.

Dinner: fish and / or seafood salad (no potatoes and rice), but with vegetables, tomatoes, etc.

Breakfast: ricotta with herbs.

Lunch: Bone broth with meatballs (without flour or bread), beef azu with stewed cabbage (fresh or sour).

Dinner: boiled chicken with radish and cucumber salad.

Sunday Move on to next week

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with feta cheese.

Lunch: Light vegetable soup with cauliflower and broccoli (no potatoes), whole baked chicken, with cucumber and tomato salad.

Dinner: mushrooms, stewed with sour cream, with vegetable salad.

Repeat the first week, trying to add maximum variety to the menu. There are many recipes in the world to 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 that cooking is only allowed with oil that can withstand heat treatment. Salads should only be lubricated with the correct 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 the absence of sugar and sweeteners in the drink.
  5. You should try to put lots of spices in your food.

Healthy snacks while losing weight on a ketogenic diet

Since the ketogenic diet does not require calorie counting, snacks are not only allowed, but also encouraged. But they must be correct.

Allowed:

  • hard-boiled eggs;
  • meat chips;
  • cheeses;
  • nuts, seeds, as well as various pastes and oils prepared from them;
  • berries, for example, strawberries with cream (however, you shouldn't get carried away with berries);
  • natural yogurt and other natural fermented milk products;
  • all vegetables allowed by the diet, and light salads from them.

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

What is "keto flu": symptoms

The first few days of switching to a low carb diet can be difficult. Unpleasant symptoms, called "keto flu", are often observed.

Can be tagged:

  • Constant hunger, especially sugar cravings;
  • fatigue;
  • insomnia;
  • discomfort in the abdominal region, stomach pain;
  • nausea and vomiting;
  • constipation or diarrhea;
  • problems with concentration;
  • headache and dizziness;
  • muscle aches and cramps;
  • irritability, crying.

How long does ketoflu last

From several days to several weeks. It is associated with the restructuring of the body to use fat as the primary source of fuel. During the adaptation, energy may not be enough, which leads to the listed symptoms, which are unpleasant. 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 blood level rises to 2-3 mM.

The adaptation is completed when the cells, placed in conditions of carbohydrate deficiency, reduce the absorption of ketone bodies from the blood, increasing their concentration to 8 mM. At this point, the effective transport of ketones through the blood-brain barrier begins.

Why some people easily adapt to the ketogenic diet, while others are difficult, has not been precisely established. A person's food addictions are assumed to be important. The more easily digestible carbohydrates you consume, the more difficult it is to transition. Genetic predisposition is of some importance.

How to get into ketosis quickly on a keto diet

Proper water regime
  1. Correct water regime. When carbohydrates are removed from the diet, glycogen stores are reduced in the body. As glycogen accumulates water around itself, with a decrease in its amount, dehydration can develop, which leads to fatigue and muscle pain.
  2. Light physical activity only. During the period of body adaptation only light exercises are allowed: walking, yoga, slow cycling. All types of grueling fitness must be abandoned.
  3. Recommended intake of mineral supplements:
    • sodium - 3-4 grams per day;
    • potassium - 1 g;
    • magnesium - 0, 3 g.

Creatine monohydrate and caffeine supplements are also shown.

Ketogenic respiration and specific urine odor

Switching to a high-carbohydrate diet with plenty of fat is often accompanied by the appearance of a specific smell from the mouth. The person himself often feels it as a metallic taste in the mouth. People around you usually perceive it as the smell of nail polish remover. Some people think it smells like fruit. The same smell is acquired from urine.

The phenomenon is caused by the formation of volatile acetone ketone, which is often found in nail polishes.

The smell is not a side effect. It simply indicates that the body switches to working on fats and forms ketone bodies. It is harmless to health. But it can be unpleasant for the person himself and those around him, especially when it comes to breathing.

To reduce the severity of a symptom, you need:

  • drinks more liquids;
  • eats less protein;
  • uses peppermint chewing gum;
  • slightly increases the amount of carbohydrates (only if you eat less than 50g per day).

After 1-2 weeks, the smell should disappear on its own.

Delayed side effects of the keto diet

In addition to ketoflu, which resolves within a few weeks, this diet can lead to delayed side effects. Possible:

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

Potential nutritional deficiencies in a long-term ketogenic diet

Possible nutritional deficiencies

Since the diet cannot be defined as balanced, a prolonged stay on this diet can lead to the lack of some important components.

  1. Calcium. Leaves in the urine. Since with an excess of fat, urine becomes too acidic and the body is forced to alkalize it with calcium. Furthermore, the lack of carbohydrates impairs the absorption of this trace element.
  2. Magnesium. According to the hypotheses, the gradual development of the deficiency is associated with the withdrawal from the diet of foods rich in this microelement: cereals and fruits.
  3. Iron. The abundance of fat in food impairs the absorption of iron.
  4. Sodium and Potassium. Due to the decrease in insulin levels, loss through the kidneys increases. However, unlike other micronutrients, such as calcium or magnesium, which are deficient over time, potassium and sodium disappear quickly. And in many ways, their deficiency is due to keto flu symptoms, which gradually pass.
  5. Selenium. The deficiency may be due to a lack of this trace mineral in high-fat foods. The exception is the Brazilian nut, a piece of which provides the body with 100% of the daily value of selenium.
  6. Carnitine. The downside is that the compound is consumed too quickly on a fat-based diet.

If you have been following a keto diet for a long time, you should regularly check the level of all those substances that can become deficient over time. It is recommended that you take supplements with risky nutrients.

Who shouldn't switch to keto food: contraindications

  1. Children, pregnant and lactating women, patients with diabetes mellitus and cancer can only switch to a ketogenic diet if prescribed and supervised by the treating physician.
  2. Diet is contraindicated in people with the ApoE3 and ApoE4 genotypes, as it can lead to life-threatening cholesterol levels.
  3. Do not follow epilepsy patients with KCNJ11 and BAD genes.
  4. Severe liver and / or kidney diseases are contraindications for following this diet.

Conclusion

The keto diet is a rather harsh nutritional system that requires almost complete rejection of carbohydrates and the introduction of a significant amount of fat into the diet.

Switching to a ketogenic diet is often difficult to tolerate.

The diet has received a large body of scientific research, much of which demonstrates its benefits for weight loss, treatment of type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, normalization of the lipid profile, and elimination ofmetabolic syndrome.

However, there are not many studies that have evaluated the health effects of a prolonged (more than a year) diet. And, according to some assumptions, the constant presence of such a diet can mean damage to health.