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

The ketogenic diet, or ketone, or keto, is one of the nutritional systems well studied by scientists, the benefits of which have been demonstrated by numerous experiments and clinical studies.

The scheme, however, is complex.It is not suitable for everyone and has many pitfalls.

What is the keto diet

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

A diet that significantly reduces the amount of carbohydrates and increases fat intake puts the body into ketosis.

Ketosis is a metabolic state in which fat is the body's main source of energy.This occurs when carbohydrate intake, usually the primary 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 a state of ketosis, insulin levels decrease.Fatty acids leave adipose 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.

Format:

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

Ketone bodies are able to 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 multiple beneficial effects on human health.

What is the difference between ketosis and ketoacidosis?

Ketosis that develops following a low-carbohydrate diet is fundamentally different from diabetic ketoacidosis.

In people who do not have diabetes, blood sugar levels remain within normal limits.When carbohydrate reserves are depleted, the liver begins to produce glucose from other sources (pyruvate, glycerol and amino acids).

This allows you to maintain normal blood glucose levels and ensure a concentration of ketone bodies within 8 mmol/l, which is safe for your health.

In type 1 diabetics, ketone levels reach 20 mmol/L.And this condition is already life threatening.

What Keto Nutrition Looks Like: Options

1. Standard protocol.It involves consuming large amounts of protein and fat and keeping carbohydrates to a minimum, no more than 50g per day.The menu consists of 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates.
2. The keto diet is high in protein.Like the standard regimen, only more protein.60% - fats, 35% - proteins, 5% - carbohydrates.
3. Cyclic option.With this nutrition system, 5 days follow the standard pattern and 2 days are high carb.It reminds me of the BUTCH diet.
4. Targeted approach.They follow a ketogenic diet and consume carbohydrates before and after workouts.

All scientific research conducted evaluated only the standard version.

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

How does the keto diet affect weight loss?

Scientific evidence indicates that it is a highly effective weight loss method that provides more sustainable results than traditional low-fat weight loss systems that require severe calorie restriction.

It was shown that those who were losing weight and followed a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 times more kilograms of excess weight than volunteers who followed a low-fat diet with strict calorie restrictions.

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

1. Significant protein intake, essential for healthy and sustainable weight loss.
2. Gluconeogenesis.Proteins and fats are converted into carbohydrates.This process can burn additional calories throughout the day.
3. Appetite suppression.Ketogenic nutrition normalizes the levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, responsible for eating behavior.
4. Increased insulin sensitivity.Insulin resistance leads to excessive weight gain.Therefore, increased sensitivity to the hormone accelerates metabolism and promotes the rapid breakdown of fat deposits and reduces the rate of formation of new ones.

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 indicate a person has metabolic syndrome are:

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

All these indicators can be improved without drugs by changing your lifestyle and diet, for example by switching to a keto diet.

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

What other therapeutic effects does the keto diet have?

1. Helps in the treatment of epilepsy.A current 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 the anticonvulsant effect of the diet has not been established.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. Therapy for Alzheimer's disease.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 in the brain is impaired.And ketone bodies allow you to nourish 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 low-carb diet is beneficial for people with Parkinson's disease, as it prevents the death of dopamine neurons and damage to mitochondria.
4. Help for children with autism.Some suggest 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 topic is still so scarce that it cannot be considered entirely reliable.
5. Cancer treatment.Cancer cells run exclusively on glucose.They cannot obtain energy from ketone bodies.Therefore, switching to a ketogenic diet promotes cell death in malignant tumors.However, experts point out that the method can only be used in combination with chemotherapy treatment and with the permission of a doctor.And you shouldn't place too much hope in this approach.
6. Improved skin condition.In particular, eliminating acne.Low insulin levels and eliminating all processed foods from the diet, as required by the diet, eliminate chronic inflammation that affects the skin.
7. Treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome.The disease is associated with impaired glucose and androgen metabolism.Keto nutrition helps restore insulin sensitivity, which women with polycystic syndrome suffer from.

What not to eat on the keto diet: food list

• Sugar in any form.Prohibited foods include obviously sweet foods (candy, ice cream) and foods that do not seem sweet, but contain this ingredient in their composition.It could also be store-bought ketchup.
• Cereal crops: wheat (including spelt), rye, barley, rice, corn.
• Vegetable oils that make you fat: soybean, corn, sunflower, rapeseed.And trans fats too.
• Fruit.With the exception of a small number of berries, such as strawberries.
• Legumes.Beans, peas, lentils, etc.They can be used in green form, for example bean pods.
• Tubers and rhizomes.Potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, etc.
• Any "dietetic" food product, for example, low-fat cottage cheese (in such products fat is replaced with sugar).
• Products with sweeteners in the form of sugar alcohols (xylitol, erythritol) have a negative effect on ketone bodies.
• Gravy and sauces, in the preparation of which sugar, starch and flour were used.
• Alcohol.
• All finished products made 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.
• Vegetables.Preferably green.Others (tomatoes, eggplants, onions, sweet peppers) are also allowed - the main thing is that there is a lot of fiber and practically no easily digestible carbohydrates.
• 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 seasonings.

Sample menu for a week for women and men following a ketogenic diet

Monday	Tuesday
Breakfast: omelette with bacon and tomatoes. Lunch: Cauliflower and broccoli soup in chicken broth, boiled chicken with sautéed eggplant and peppers. Dinner: a piece of red fish cooked in sour cream with vegetable salad.	Breakfast: natural whole yogurt without sweeteners or flavorings with dried fruit and/or seeds. Lunch: bone broth (preferably beef) with a boiled egg, a piece of boiled beef with sauerkraut (without potatoes). Dinner: stewed chicken with courgettes.
Wednesday	Thursday
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with peppers. Lunch: fish soup (without potatoes), pork chop with steamed green beans. Dinner: Baked chicken breast with sour cream, cucumbers and tomatoes.	Breakfast: Cottage cheese with normal fat content without sugar and flavors. Lunch: mushroom soup (without potatoes and pasta), chopped steak with eggs and vegetable salad. Dinner: baked fish in a cheese crust with vegetables.
Friday	Saturday
Breakfast: soft-boiled eggs with a piece of cheese. Lunch: Sour cabbage soup (without potatoes), stewed chicken livers with sour cream and fried onions, with shirataki noodles. Dinner: fish and/or seafood salad (without potatoes and rice), but with green vegetables, tomatoes, etc.	Breakfast: herbed ricotta. 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	Let's move on to next week
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cheese. Lunch: light vegetable soup with cauliflower and broccoli (without potatoes), whole baked chicken, with cucumber and tomato salad. Dinner: stewed mushrooms with sour cream, with vegetable salad.	We repeat the first week, trying to add as much variety to the menu.There are many recipes in the world that cater to the keto diet.

Rules to follow

1. You can and should eat as much as possible without counting calories.
2. You can only eat the right fats.This means that you can only cook with oil that resists heat treatment.Salads should be dressed only with the right dietary dressings.
3. There should be a lot of fat in the diet.You can't focus on protein.
4. Tea, coffee, soluble 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 a large amount of spices in your food.

Appropriate snacks 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 corrected.

Permit:

• 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 should not get carried away with berries);
• natural yogurt and other natural fermented milk products;
• all the vegetables allowed by the diet and light salads based on them.

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

What is the “keto flu”: symptoms

The first few days of transitioning to a low-carb diet can be difficult.Unpleasant symptoms, called “keto flu,” are often observed.

It can be noted:

• constant feeling of hunger, especially craving for sweets;
• fatigue;
• insomnia;
• discomfort in the abdominal area, stomach pain;
• nausea and vomiting;
constipation or diarrhea;
• concentration problems;
• headache and dizziness;
• muscle pain and cramps;
• irritability, tearfulness.

How long does the keto flu last?

From several days to several weeks.Associated with restructuring the body to use fat as a primary source of fuel.During adaptation the energy may not be sufficient, 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 level in the blood rises to 2-3 mM.

Adaptation is complete when 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 across the blood brain barrier begins.

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

How to Get Into Ketosis Fast on a Keto Diet

1. Correct water regime.When carbohydrates are eliminated from the diet, glycogen stores in the body are reduced.Because glycogen accumulates water around itself, when its quantity decreases, dehydration can develop, leading to fatigue and muscle pain.
2. Only light physical activity.During the body's adaptation period, only light exercises are allowed: walking, yoga, slow cycling.All types of exhausting fitness should be abandoned.
3. Recommended mineral supplements:
   • sodium – 3-4 grams per day;
   • potassium – 1 g;
   • magnesium – 0.3 g.

Food supplements with creatine monohydrate and caffeine are also shown.

Keto breathing and the specific smell of urine

The transition to a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet is often accompanied by the appearance of a specific odor from the mouth.The person himself often experiences 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.Urine smells the same.

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

The appearance of the odor cannot be considered a side effect.It simply indicates that the body switches to working on fats and forms ketone bodies.It is not dangerous for health.But it can be unpleasant both for the person themselves and for those around them, especially when it comes to breathing.

To reduce the severity of the symptom, you need:

• drink more fluids;
• eat less protein;
• use mint chewing gum;
• slightly increase the amount of carbohydrates (only if you eat less than 50 g per day).

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

Long-term side effects of the keto diet

In addition to the keto flu, which goes away within a few weeks, this diet regimen can cause delayed side effects.Possible:

• digestive system problems caused by excess fat intake and disruption of the functioning of the intestinal microflora;
• gradual increase in cholesterol levels;
• increased load on the kidneys, which can increase the likelihood of developing renal failure and causing urolithiasis;
• decrease in bone density.

Possible nutritional deficiencies on a long-term ketogenic diet

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

1. Soccer.Leaves with urine.Because with excess fat, urine becomes too acidic and the body is forced to alkalize it with calcium.Furthermore, the lack of carbohydrates compromises the absorption of this microelement.
2. Magnesium.According to hypotheses, the gradual development of the deficiency is associated with the removal from the diet of foods rich in this microelement: cereals and fruits.
3. Iron.The abundance of fats in foods compromises the absorption of iron.
4. Sodium and potassium.Due to the decrease in insulin levels, loss through the kidneys increases.However, unlike other microelements, such as calcium or magnesium, whose deficiency manifests itself over time, potassium and sodium disappear quickly.And their lack is largely due to the symptoms of keto flu, which gradually disappear.
5. Selenium.A deficiency may be a consequence of the lack of this trace element in high-fat foods.An exception is the Brazil nut, a piece of which provides the body with 100% of the daily requirement of selenium.
6. Carnitine.The deficiency is associated with the compound being consumed too quickly in a high-fat diet.

If you follow a keto diet for a long time, you should regularly check the level of all those substances, deficiency of which can develop over time.It is recommended to take supplements with nutrients located in the “risk zone”.

Who should not switch to a keto diet: contraindications

1. Children, pregnant and lactating women, patients with diabetes and cancer, the transition to keto nutrition is allowed only on the prescription of the attending physician and under his supervision.
2. The diet is contraindicated for people with ApoE3 and ApoE4 genotypes, as it can lead to a life-threatening increase in cholesterol levels.
3. Patients with epilepsy carrying the KCNJ11 and BAD genes should not be followed.
4. Serious liver and/or kidney diseases are contraindications to following this dietary regime.

Conclusion

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

The transition to the ketogenic diet is often difficult to endure.

Numerous serious scientific studies have been dedicated to the diet, many of which demonstrate its benefits for losing weight, treating type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, normalizing the lipid profile and eliminating metabolic syndrome.

However, there are not many studies that can evaluate the health effects of a long-term diet (more than a year).And, according to some hypotheses, constant exposure to such a diet can be harmful to your health.