The holiday season will soon begin with all types of most awaited festivities. After the holiday season, everyone suddenly realizes how many extra pounds they have packed in and vows to shed them quickly. Only a few survive their resolutions, and others don’t take longer to give up. Amidst all these events, different diets garner a lot of attention, especially those that promise quick results. A ketogenic diet is one of them. Although this diet has been around for a decade, its popularity has rapidly increased with fans only recently. A 2022 survey reveals that 7% of respondents followed this food routine in 2021. Also called keto, the ketogenic diet is still a mystery to many people. If you tend to gain weight after the festivities and plan to embark on the keto diet, let’s understand what it entails to prepare better for it in advance.
Ketogenic Diet
To the unaware, keto diet practices started in the 1920s to treat epilepsy patients after a study proved the positive fasting effects on seizures. While the clinical applications are still on, this diet draws more attention outside the medical field today. A typical keto menu promotes high fat, low or moderate protein, and low carb intake. Things like eggs, spinach, broccoli, strawberries, olive oil, cheddar cheese, pork, chicken, avocado, walnuts, salmon, hamburger, butter, steak, cod, cabbage, zucchini, meats, onions, cucumbers, asparagus, arugula, lettuce, Brussels sprouts, and a few others are allowed to eat. If you need help with recipes, you can check Jenny Zhang’s recommendations. She is all for healthy and organic living and helps people with her recipes and reviews. With well-rounded articles, you can quickly embark on your self-care expedition.
Nevertheless, various versions of this specific diet are available, but each emphasizes cutting down on carbs. A person following this diet can eat 75% of calories from dietary fats, 20% from protein, and 5% from carbs. If your diet demands daily consumption of 2000 calories, you can eat 25 grams of carbohydrates, 100 grams of protein, and 167 grams of dietary fat to meet your calorie goals. Constant monitoring of protein and carbohydrate consumption helps kick-start a metabolic process called ketosis. Ketosis promotes ketone production from the liver to provide your body with natural energy. Otherwise, glucose is the primary energy source for most humans.
A Few Insights Into the Keto Diet
Many favorite foods and drinks will be out of reach once you begin this eating ritual. So, be ready to give up fried chicken, toast, ice creams, doughnuts, pasta, carbonated drinks, cereal, tortillas, black beans, oatmeal, rice, pizza, honey, ketchup, smoothies, and juices. The list is long. Still, you can make the most of the items accessible under this diet.
If you want to do something interesting with a few allowed food items, keto diet recipes by self-care experts will help. You will not miss other things as much. However, before you get into this practice, let’s get some aspects of this diet right. After all, it should be a proper commitment if you want to reap the benefits.
Weight Loss/Weight Gain
You heard about this diet in the context of weight loss. Many people have witnessed a rapid decline in their weight after this diet because of control of calories with adequate checks on carb intake. Also, the use of natural energy and reduced body water help. However, some individuals complained of weight gain issues after leaving this diet. You can blame this on your body, which works on rebuilding glycogen. Due to this process, the body retains water, which leads to weight gain. One must know that many diet plans offer short-term effects. It takes some extra effort to maintain weight. Without precaution, you can lose any diet results in just one year. Still, studies show that a two-year diet plan can allow more extended body weight maintenance.
Health Conditions
In the early keto diet stages, one can see improvement in obesity and diabetes levels per some studies. But the advantages may vanish after you switch from it. Some also show the risks of a spike in bad cholesterol that can hamper your heart health. That’s why one should be careful about their overall well-being when following this or any specific diet. If you have a particular chronic ailment and want this diet to help, consulting your primary healthcare provider for his opinion will be best.
Inaccessible Food Types
All types of carbohydrates can be out of your menu once you get on with the keto diet. You may have to control or avoid vegetables, grains, fruits, and dairy. Many diet plans encourage people to eat these things for their health benefits. However, the keto diet restricts their intake because it aims to tickle ketosis, which requires reducing carbs. Still, some options like berries, broccoli, and others in limited amounts can be included, even under a keto diet. If you want the best recipe ideas, follow experts who advocate healthy and organic living. They offer some unique options to refresh your boring menu.
A Few More Critical Considerations
Some people initially face issues like headaches, upset stomach, fatigue, constipation, and others. Ensure you drink enough water and add salt to your food to avoid those problems. However, it should not deter you from adhering to the eating pattern, as this is a temporary phase. These symptoms will fade as soon as your body adapts to this new diet.
Getting on with any new diet requires tremendous determination and perseverance. Your food habits will drastically change. Restriction on certain items can prove too much at times. However, it’s necessary to keep going and adjusting. Make your relationship with your food unique by respecting the choices and deriving satisfaction from them. Undeniably, some people quickly adapt to this diet, while others struggle. Letting go of favorite food items can be too much for an average person. If you wish to lose weight, keep yourself motivated. These diet programs are all about eating healthy and clean. Eventually, your system will benefit, and you may feel better about yourself. As you go, keep a close eye on your health, though.
