All you need to know about Ketogenic Diet
You may have probably heard of keto diet and asked yourself, what is the ketogenic diet? Well its simple a ketogenic diet is a dietary regime that is well known for being low in carbohydrates, where the body is actively involved in the production of ketones in the liver for use as energy. There are many names used to refer to it such as – keto diet, low-carb diet, low-carb high-fat (LCHF), among others. This kind of diet is mostly used in weight loss, reduction of glucose and insulin associated with various illnesses and increasing mental focus hence its popularity in our modern day society.
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How Ketogenic Diet Works in Our Bodies
The body is comprised of many molecules that can be converted into energy. Of these molecules glucose is the easiest to convert and be used as energy therefore it is chosen over the others for this function. Insulin serves the purpose of processing glucose in the bloodstream achieved by circulating it in the body.
Therefore, given that glucose serves the purpose of being the primary producer of energy, your fats another energy rich molecule is not needed hence stored. In a typical high carb diet, the body uses glucose as its main energy source. When you lower your carb intake, you effectively induce your body into using the next best alternative source of energy which is fat. This metabolic state is called ketosis. Ketosis is a natural state for survival during low food intake. In this state we produce ketones due to the breakdown of fat molecules in the liver.
The main goal of a proper keto diet is to compel your body into ketosis through depriving yourself of carbohydrates and not fats.
Our body system is incredibly adaptive so when you load it with fats and deprive it of carbohydrates, it will result to ketosis where it uses ketones as the main source of energy.
Optimal levels of ketone offers you with many benefits as previously stated and I will explain later but first let me give you a brief look at what constitutes a keto diet.
Keto Diet
In simple terms a keto diet is based on eating a low-carb high-fat (LCHF) foods. The goal is to limit your carbs mostly from eating vegetables making sure that you avoid any refined sources of carbohydrates e.g wheat products like bread and cereals), starchy foods like beans and potatoes or fruits with the exception of moderate consumption of avocado, star fruit, and berries.
BENEFITS OF KETOGENIC DIET
Being a keto comes with numerous benefits be it weight loss, increase in energy levels and therapeutic medical applications you will soon enough reap from it. The benefits that come with adhering to a ketogenic diet are simply worth the effort. A ketogenic diet benefits you in the following ways:-
Losing Weight
The ketogenic diet is basically founded on the body fat being used as the primary source of energy hence the obvious benefit of losing weight. Being on keto effectively drops your insulin levels and considering that insulin is fat storing hormone you body is turned into a fat burner. A ketogenic diet has been proved to be more effective in weight loss in comparison to low-fat diet and high-carb diets both short term and long term.
Controlling Blood Sugar
By being a Keto you naturally lower your blood sugar levels because of eating the specified types of foods. Studies have even shown that adhering to a ketogenic diet is more effective when it comes to managing and preventing diabetes in comparison to low-calorie diets.
Increasing your Mental Focus
Many people opt for a ketogenic diet to specifically increase their mental performance. Ketones provides the brain with a superb source of fuel. Lowering carb intake helps you to avoid those big spikes in your levels of blood sugar. These two benefits result in the improvement of mental focus and concentration.
Increasing your Energy & Normalizing Hunger
When you give your body a better as well as more reliable source of energy, you get the feeling of being more energized throughout the day. Fats have been shown to be the most effective fuel burner and on top of this it is naturally more satiable helping you feel full longer.
Reducing Cholesterol Levels and Blood Pressure
The ketogenic diet has been shown to bring about a significant improvement of levels in triglyceride and cholesterol which mostly causes high blood pressure as a result of arterial buildup. Also its weight loss effect helps in reducing blood pressure.
Increasing your Insulin Resistance
If not managed, insulin levels can cause type II diabetes. Studies have shown that by virtue of being low in carbohydrates, a ketogenic diet helps lowering insulin levels.
Improving your Skin
Ketos commonly experience improvements in their skin. This is because according to studies a low-carb ketogenic diet drops lesions in the skin as well as skin inflammation. Studies also show that high-carb intake increases acne so keto can also help in this regard.
Now that we have known the benefits of a ketogenic diet and understand ketosis, you may be asking, ‘how can I achieve this?’ Read on and find out
Read More: Brad Pilon’s Ketogenic Diet Program Thin From Within Review
How to achieve Ketosis
The process of achieving ketosis is pretty straightforward as long as you do not complicate things with all the information that is out there. Below is a chronological organization in order of importance of what you need to do:
To excel in healthy living, try out a ketogenic diet and use this information as it can work wonders as explained in its benefits. You should however consider that even though the information may be more or less complicated and the transition may be a bit tough a ketogenic diet doesn’t have to be as hard as it is usually made out to be. The information provided here is basically enough to motivate you to set out in this journey.