Keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet. You simply cut down your carbohydrate intake and replace it with fat. This carb reduction puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis
. When this happens, your body becomes like a furnace, and it becomes efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain.
Ketogenic diets can help with blood sugar and insulin levels. This, along with the increased ketones, has numerous health benefits.
With that being said, there are different type of ketogenic diet; I am going to mention some of them below:
- STANDARD KETO DIET: This is a very low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet. The macros ratio in this diet is typically 75% fat, 20% protein, and only 5% carbs.
- CYCLICAL KETO DIET: This diet involves carb cycling, where there are periods of higher-carb refeeds, such as 5 keto days followed by 2 high-carb days.
- KETO DIET: In this style of the keto diet, you include carbs around workouts; it could be pre/post-workout.
- HIGH PROTEIN KETO DIET: It is very similar to a standard keto diet, but it has more protein intake. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.
What to eat on a keto diet?
Now the question is WHAT TO EAT ON A KETO DIET? In order to reach ketosis, you need to avoid eating too many carbs. On a standard ketogenic diet, you’ll most likely need to keep your carb intake under 50 grams, ideally below 20 grams. The fewer the carbs you consume, the more effective your diet will be in reaching ketosis, losing weight, or improving type 2 diabetes.
Some of the foods that you can consume on a standard keto diet are as follows:
- Natural fats (Olive oil, butter, etc.)
- Meat
- Eggs
- Fish and seafood
- A vegetable that grows above the ground.
Let’s discuss the foods that you need to avoid on a keto diet. Foods containing a lot of carbs that includes both the sugary and the starchy kind.
Some of the food items that you need to avoid during the ketogenic diet are as follows:
- Bread
- Rice
- Pasta
- Potatoes
- Sugary beverages (Coke, etc.)
Now that we have looked into what we can eat let’s dive into what we can drink whilst being on a keto diet. Water is the perfect drink; you can consume coffee or tea too. It will be ideal if you use very low to no sweeteners, especially sugar. A splash of milk or cream in your coffee or tea is fine, but one needs to be aware that carbs can add up if you drink more than a cup in a day (and definitely avoid cafe lattes).
As explained earlier, the ketogenic diet has numerous health benefits; the keto diet may help some people with type 2 diabetes because it allows the body to maintain glucose levels at a low but healthy level. However, it is not recommended for everybody as every individual’s body reacts differently to such a diet. The diet does come with risks.
The effects of Keto on blood glucose?
People with type 2 diabetes can lower their blood sugar levels with the help of a ketogenic diet.
In fact, one study shows that people with type 2 diabetes lost weight, needed less medication, and lowered their A1c (Blood test for type 2 diabetes) when they followed the keto diet for a year.
Can keto reverse type-2 diabetes?
To be completely honest, a complete reversal of Type 2 diabetes would be difficult, if not impossible. But keto diet can get you closer to this goal.
According to Dr. Sarah Hallberg, an advocate of diabetes reversal with dietary intervention, low-carb diets are the only ones that can possibly reverse this disease.
What are the potential dangers of the keto diet?
Changing the primary energy source to fat causes an increase in ketones in the blood. This “dietary ketosis” is different from ketoacidosis, which is an extremely dangerous condition.
When you have too many ketones, you may be at risk of developing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Although rare, DKA is possible in type 2 diabetes if ketones are too high. Being ill while on a low-carb diet may also increase your risk for DKA.
A ketogenic diet is an interesting alternative to treat certain conditions; it may also accelerate weight loss. The problem with the keto diet is that it is hard to follow; it can be heavy on red meat and other fatty foods. Basically, it is not a one size fit all strategy; you need to consult the right medical professionals before you jump on to a keto diet or any other diet that gives quick results. Do your research and see what suits you, and most importantly, ask yourself if you can consistently do it for a longer period of time.
