With so many weight loss transformations and the huge buzz around the ketogenic diet, it is natural for people to turn their attention towards the diet. But with a deluge of online information, both on portals as well as social media, it often leaves people confused. However, this high fat, medium protein and low carb diet is not all that complex really. To get on an effective ketogenic diet plan, it is important to understand the basics of this popular diet plan. What is a ketogenic diet? The ketogenic diet is an extremely low-carb diet which focuses more on fat consumption, and shares a lot of similarities with the Atkins and other low-carb diets. For the unversed, our body utilises carbohydrates (sugar) for energy, for the simple reason that our diets always have sufficient amounts of carbs in it - in the form of grains, fruits, vegetables and more. However, the main principle behind this diet is to almost eliminate carb sources and considerably increase the intake of fats.
So when you eat less than 50 grams of carbs in a day, your body runs out of its original source of fuel. This state occurs in 3-4 days of starting the keto diet. That’s when it starts looking for an alternative source of energy, which in this case becomes fat. When the body starts metabolising fats to produce fuel, that is called ketosis. While the ketogenic diet is now seen as an effective weight loss diet, it originated in the 1920s as a popular therapy for epilepsy. It was seen as a diet to mimic the effects of fasting. The diet was created to offer alternatives to fasting, which showed positive results in epilepsy treatment - something which was not in the mainstream. However, the diet was rejected when new anticonvulsant therapies were introduced. Interestingly, it was observed that while epilepsy could be controlled majorly with the new and promising medication, 20-30 per cent epileptic cases failed to be managed. So medical practitioners of the time revisited the ketogenic diet and reintroduced it as a non-mainstream way to manage the condition, especially among children. Are there different types of ketogenic diets?
Yes, there are actually different versions of the ketogenic diet. However, most clinical studies have only been conducted on two types - the standard and high-protein ketogenic diet. The standard ketogenic diet - This is a very low-carb diet, which allows for moderate protein intake and very high fat. The ideal break up is 75 per cent fats, 20 per cent protein and only 5 per cent carbs. Cyclical ketogenic diet - If you follow any ketogenic groups, you would have surely heard about this one. This diet follows the same standard ketogenic diet segregation of fats, protein and carbs, however, every 5 days it allows you to have two high carb days. It is also called the refuelling day. Targeted ketogenic diet - So this diet also primarily follows the principles of standard ketogenic diet but it allows you to intake carbs around your workouts. High-protein ketogenic diet - As the name suggests, you can have slightly higher protein intake on this type of the ketogenic diet.
Instead of 20 per cent protein, you can have up to 35 per cent protein and the fat ratio comes down to 60 per cent instead of the standard 70. However, the ratio of carbs remains the same. For the unversed, the cyclical and targeted ketogenic diets are slightly more advanced than the other two methods and are most often used by bodybuilders or athletes. The ketogenic diet strictly limits consumption of foods high in carbs. It is because your body has to receive more fats than carbs, to utilise fat as the main source of energy. To give you a better idea, we are listing below some foods that should be restricted or completely eliminated. No sugar: Forget about sugary foods on a ketogenic diet. Ketogenic diet doesn't allow any fruit juice, cake, ice cream, candies, fruit smoothies. No grains: You have to completely avoid grains or starchy foods such as rice, wheat based products, pasta, or any other cereal. Root vegetables, beans, legumes: So anything that has carbohydrates needs to be avoided.
So avoid potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, lentils, kidney beans, peas and more. Low-fat products: Do not reach out for low fat milk, low fat curd, diet snacks when you are following a ketogenic diet. In fact, make fat your friend! Avoid unhealthy fats: While you are encouraged to eat fats for keto, you have to choose your fat wisely. Alcohol: Most alcohols have carbs and for that very reason you should avoid having it. The list of foods you can eat include meat (chicken, red meat, ham, steak, turkey), fatty fish (salmon, trout, tuna), eggs (whole eggs), butter, cream, cheese (cheddar, goat cheese, blue cheese, mozzarella), nuts and seeds, healthy oils (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil), avocados, low-carb vegetables (cauliflower, green veggies, tomatoes, peppers, onions etc) and normal condiments and herbs. If you have read up about the ketogenic diet or heard about it from an expert, you know how important water intake is when it comes to this high fat diet. You can also have coffee, in fact Bullet Coffee is a hit among keto diet followers.
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