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It is increasingly common to read or hear about the ketogenic diet in recent times, a dietary practice that is becoming more and more widespread. Also known as the keto diet, it is a diet that aims to drastically reduce carbohydrates, supplying them with a high intake of proteins and unsaturated fats, i.e., those that are not bad for the body of which the omega 3 present in some types of fish is an example. This mode of food intake aims to force the body to use fat as a source of energy and helps in reducing body weight1 and body mass.
By reducing carbohydrates2, the body will be forced to produce ketones (from which the diet takes its name), resulting from the metabolic breakdown of fats in the liver, which is then used for energy. There are multiple keto diet plans you will come across on the internet.
Program by Rachel Roberts is a perfect example of a meal plan guide designed to help users start and utilize the ketogenic diet. The program asks users what they can consume to lose weight and stay healthy without ditching their best foods or a calorie restriction.
After purchasing the Custom Keto Diet Program, you will receive a personalized 8-week plan developed by Rachel’s team of experts. This plan says what you can eat and what foods to avoid. After revising the program, you will realize that they are talking about no less food but about proper nutrition. Combine foods and avoid carbohydrates, so don’t worry, you won’t starve to death.
There are several advantages and disadvantages linked to the ketogenic diet. We will look at them in detail. The benefits from a keto diet include:
As the body is deprived of sugars, it is forced to burn more calories to turn fat and protein into glucose. At the same time, the secretion of hormones responsible for disposing of fats is boosted, and therefore the feeling of hunger decreases. For this reason, the ketogenic diet has the benefit of making you lose weight in a very fast and important way, allowing you to lose even 4 kilos in a week.
The weight loss referred to in the first period is attributed exclusively to having burned the body’s stores of glucose (glycogen) and to the loss of fluids and water. Instead, it is necessary to wait a few days to observe an actual weight loss associated with the disposal of fat reserves.
The peculiarity of this diet and the point where its uniqueness lies is precisely in its use in treating some metabolic diseases such as diabetes3, thanks to the restriction of carbohydrates that this diet uses.
We are not talking aboutabsence, but about restriction. This means that carbohydrates are not eliminated from the food plan but are reduced in quantity. Since they are very few quantities, they are distributed evenly throughout the day, favoring the maintenance of insulin values in the blood, preventing annoying peaks.
The ketogenic diet has also proved very useful in patients fighting against obesity4 or not successful with diets and need to lose many kilos quickly, and above all, for health reasons. It seems that it is also possible, thanks to this diet, to lose up to 14 kilos in a month. It is a really important quantity, so it is always recommended that every patient who decides to follow the keto diet also relies on a doctor or nutritionist who can follow him and monitor any changes to avoid the onset of any problems.
The peculiarity of this diet and the point where its uniqueness lies is precisely in its use in treating some metabolic diseases such as diabetes3, thanks to the restriction of carbohydrates that this diet uses.
We are not talking aboutabsence, but about restriction. This means that carbohydrates are not eliminated from the food plan but are reduced in quantity. Since they are very few quantities, they are distributed evenly throughout the day, favoring the maintenance of insulin values in the blood, preventing annoying peaks.
The ketogenic diet has also proved very useful in patients fighting against obesity4 or not successful with diets and need to lose many kilos quickly, and above all, for health reasons. It seems that it is also possible, thanks to this diet, to lose up to 14 kilos in a month. It is a really important quantity, so it is always recommended that every patient who decides to follow the keto diet also relies on a doctor or nutritionist who can follow him and monitor any changes to avoid the onset of any problems.
Type 1 or GLUT1 glucose transporter deficiency syndrome is a genetic disorder of the brain metabolism. GLUT1 is the protein that deals with the transport of glucose across the blood-brain barrier and autonomously deals with certain brain functions. In patients with GLUT1 deficiency syndrome5, the brain does not receive the metabolic components necessary for its normal development and proper functioning.
The only functional treatment known so far for this pathology is the ketogenic diet which, by limiting the intake of carbohydrates, reproduces the same metabolic state of fasting by creating a basic level of ketone bodies in the blood, also known as ketosis. Ketones can cross the blood-brain barrier even without the GLUT1 protein and replace glucose as an alternative energy source for the brain.
Like all diets, even keto or ketogenic diets have pros, or benefits, and contraindications. Here are some of the cons.
The brain, to produce the energy needed by the body, would prefer carbohydrates. For this reason, during a diet that does not provide it, there may be moments of irritability, headaches, and a feeling of loss.
Along with these symptoms, others can also occur, such as headache, dizziness, mood changes. These could appear mainly in the first few days of the diet due to the poor adaptation of the body. This phenomenon is called keto-flu.
To work at its best, the ketogenic diet requires that almost no starchy carbohydrates and foods containing soluble fiber are consumed. This has a fairly frequent contraindication, namely constipation6.
The difficulty of finding vegetables that do not contain carbohydrates is fundamental, and this discourages you from looking for them and even taking them.
Ignoring constipation could only make your condition worse, with very dangerous consequences. To avoid running into such problems or to cure them, it will be necessary to dilute the waste present in the intestine as much as possible by drinking plenty of water and introducing the oils that are provided for by the diet itself.
Dehydration and Loss of Minerals and Electrolytes
Since carbohydrates retain most of the body’s fluids, these fluids are expelled faster from the body along with mineral salts and electrolytes during the ketosis phase. The first symptom felt is a strong increase in thirst and a visible and general dehydration.
This important loss of fluids and mineral salts and electrolytes can negatively impact sports performance, causing a loss of work capacity, concentration, and lucidity, fundamental in the moment of the race or of simple performance.
To try to contain these symptoms, it would be enough to rehydrate by drinking more water, increasing salt consumption, and vegetables compatible with the diet itself. The salt will help relieve fatigue and dehydration, and the vegetables will help to re-integrate the mineral salts such as potassium and magnesium.
8-Week Custom Keto Diet Program— Is It for All?
The ketogenic diet provides a hard enough diet to follow, both to be followed and for any unwanted effects that may occur. The best solution would be to better weigh your physical condition with the rigidity of this diet, be followed by a specialist, and limit it over time. You can also opt for custom meal plans like the 8-Week Custom Keto Diet Program tailored for your body.
Resources
1 = https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/
2 = https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/ketogenic-diet/
3 = https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6566854/
4 = https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/
5 = https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6709387/
6 = https://www.everydayhealth.com/ketogenic-diet/diet/keto-constipation-diarrhea-why-it-happens-how-deal/
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