Hey there,
People generally go on diets for two reasons:
First, they want to lose weight. Second, they want to be healthier.
The latter reason is typically because they've had a health scare: a stroke or heart attack, a diabetes diagnosis, or simply the news that their blood pressure or cholesterol is way too high.
Unfortunately, however, most diets are either depriving, disgusting, or dangerous. The perfect example of all three is the Master Cleanse in which you drink a mixture of water, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and maple syrup (plus just a few other simple foods) for 10 days.
Naturally, these diets are painful to undertake, and to add insult to injury, they don't work.
If you're looking for a diet that does work, isn't depriving, and lets you eat delicious foods (like hard cheeses, meats and seafood, avocados, and olive oil), then something called the ketogenic diet is right up your alley.
What Is Ketosis and How Is It Reached?
As you learn more about ketogenic diets, you'll hear the term ketosis a lot. In order to define this word more clearly, we have to go back to what the prefix –keto means.
Keto refers to ketones, which are essentially a chemical substance, produced by the liver, that the body can use for fuel. If you recall from your high school biology class, our bodies instinctively and automatically use glucose in the form of blood sugar (glucose) in order to give us energy and keep us going. But when glucose is limited, the body can start burning fat, and the liver can produce ketones from fat. These ketones provide energy for your hungry brain, which requires lots of fuel to function properly.
The only way to start using these ketones, however, is to reach the metabolic "state" of ketosis. And to do this, you must consume a moderate amount of protein (probably more than you would normally consume), a high amount of healthy fats, and a low amount of carbs (probably less than you would usually consume).
Keep in mind, however, that you can't eat too much protein on most keto diets or the extra will end up converting to glucose.
The Benefits of Keto Diet
The benefits of following a ketogenic diet and achieving ketosis are widespread. You'll experience benefits in your health and blood work numbers, but you'll feel better, look better, and possibly even think better as well.
Long-Term Benefits
Most of the long-term benefits of following a ketogenic diet have to do with health outcomes. For many who choose this diet, these are the goals they're aiming for. In fact, a recent study that looked at the effects of the keto diet on obese patients found the following positive, long-term outcomes.
- A significant reduction in body weight
One of the most important benefits (and one of the main goals) of the ketogenic diet is to help individuals lose weight. From just a few pounds or 10 pounds to 50 or 100 pounds, the keto diet is consistently recommended for all types of weight loss.
- Lower bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and triglyceride levels and higher good cholesterol levels (HDL)
Blood work performed on individuals who have followed keto diets for several months or longer consistently comes back with positive results. Low cholesterol gets lower, and good cholesterol gets higher. Furthermore, triglyceride levels are reduced. All of these factors can help individuals reduce their likelihood of strokes, heart attacks, and various other health complications.
- Lower blood glucose levels (blood sugar)
Many patients who have type II diabetes find that a ketogenic diet helps them significantly. Not only do blood glucose levels drop overall, but many diabetics may actually be able to lower their dosage of insulin after they are on the diet for several months. Their fasting glucose levels are lowered, and their HA1c readings and cholesterol markers improve. Furthermore, these patients can lose a significant amount of body weight, which helps them with their diabetes numbers as well.
- Reduction in the likelihood of seizures in patients with epilepsy
In patients whose seizures are not controlled by the use of AEDs or anti-epileptic drugs, a ketogenic diet may be an effective treatment option for reducing the number of seizures that the patient experiences and reducing the severity of those they do experience. Patients with epilepsy, including children, have also seen positive effects in their overall behavior and mood.
- Benefits remain even after the diet is discontinued
Even if a user stops following a keto diet after several months, the health benefits have been shown to continue.
- Overall efficacy of the diet and weight loss can continue for years
This isn't a diet that will only provide benefits for a short period of time before returning your body to its starting position. You can ostensibly continue a ketogenic diet for the rest of your life and continue to see the benefits.
How to Start and When to Start
Are you ready to begin a ketogenic diet? It's best to plan ahead before you begin and start at a time when you are not too busy or stressed from other areas of your life.
You'll also want to make sure that you are prepared and that you have all of the meal plans, foods, storage containers, and other tools that you'll need. Spend about a week planning what you'll eat on the first two weeks of your keto diet.
Finally, remember that for many, the keto diet plan can be a lifestyle shift, and the benefits as outlined above can be vast and long-lasting. So stick with it. Keep trying.
I hope this helps!
Sue
PS, please check out my blog for other interesting & helpful articles!
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