A Simple Guide to Understanding The “Keto Diet”
Dieting nowadays became an integral part of our modern culture: everybody wants to be healthy and live a long life. And proper nutrition is the crucial (if not the major) thing in the classic “exercise + sleep well + eat healthy + avoid stress = live long” system.
Our today’s hero is the keto diet, a new (but actually old) nutrition plan that allows you to eat fatty foods, lose weight and stay healthy at the same time. We all know that all the flavours in food come from fat, so this diet is a hit among picky eaters.
What is the keto diet?
The simple explanation : it is a high-fat, low-carb, medium-protein diet. The ideal ratio of essential nutrients consumption on this diet should look like this: 75% fat, 20% protein, 5% carbs. This is not the most balanced diet in the world, but it has a long history and there are a couple of nations who have been eating that way for thousands of years.
Despite being invented in 1921, the keto diet is basically a lifestyle that northern indigenous people followed long before it became cool. Nations who lived above the Arctic Circle had minimal access to any kinds of carbs, but fish, meat and fat were plentiful. And they lived just as long as southern people.
How does the keto diet really work?
The most important question. It is quite a restrictive diet and, of course, you want to know if it gives you the promised result. So, as for the keto diet, we have numerous studies that show its efficacy and long-term benefits. These studies also show that this diet can help people with type II diabetes and epilepsy by improving their health.
But, the vast majority of people go on “keto mode” to lose weight, and it works! When you consume a minimal amount of carbs, your body goes into ketosis. It is the state when your brain gets all its energy from fats, but not carbs. Basically, your body burns your fat for energy, and you lose weight.
Keep in mind that ketosis and keto diet only works if you consume the right number of calories. Overeating is still the enemy.
What can you eat on this diet?
If you love greens and veggies, we have great news for you! On a keto diet, you can eat them! But it has to be in moderation, as usual.
So, the first important thing on a keto diet is to limit your carb consumption to 25-50 grams a day. You can eat non-starchy vegetables, like spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, avocado, etc. If you design a well-balanced meal plan, you will not feel that you limit your veggies at all.
You can eat any fish, meat and poultry that you want on a keto diet. We also recommend adding nuts, oily seeds, coconut oil, and peanut butter to the menu. Also, you can welcome full-fat dairy products and cheese on your keto plate.
However, you should avoid some products on a keto diet: white rice, bananas, grapes, legumes, lentils, and beans have too many carbs. You can eat a small amount of them when you really want to (any diet should be a healthy, fun journey, not torture), but be careful not to overeat carbs!
