Keto diet.Ketogenic diet, what is the essence?What are the results of the keto diet and what are the reviews?How it works, are there difficulties, what is the keto diet menu and is it harmful.
- Keto diet
- The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet aimed at nourishing the body's ketone bodies.
Why is the ketogenic diet effective, what are the contraindications and reviews, what is the principle of action?What should be included in the keto diet menu and what about the reviews of those who have lost weight?This is what we will talk about today.
How does the keto diet work?
When our diet contains fats, proteins and carbohydrates, our body receives energy from glucose.We get glucose from carbohydrates.Now that grocery stores are within easy reach, this is the most common type of food.But what happened in those days when carbohydrate-containing products such as cereals or bread were not sufficient due to poor harvest, habitat or seasonality?
The carcass was forced to take energy from fatty acids and proteins.You probably remember my video about running for weight loss - here it is - in it I looked at the process of obtaining energy through the oxidation of fatty acids.Now I will briefly remind you that all our organs that have mitochondria in tissue cells work perfectly with fatty acids.This is the cardiac muscle, myocardium, skeletal muscles (the same ones we pump in the gym) and smooth muscles.
However, our brain, which is made up of 60% fat, does not lose weight;even a long fast does not cause significant damage to mental abilities.Why?The reason is that the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a barrier that ensures the constancy of the brain's internal environment.It is he who does not let fatty acids pass, not out (which is why the brain does not lose weight), but also inward.And the brain is unable to consume fatty acids as an energy source.
However, the brain cannot run out of fuel, and nature has intended that following a diet that cannot provide sufficient amounts of glucose, the brain switches to an alternative source of fuel: so-called ketone bodies.
- Ketone bodies
Three substances are called ketone bodies
- acetoacetic acid (acetoacetate)
- beta-aminobutyric acid (hydroxybutyrate)
- acetone
These substances are formed in the liver from fatty acids and this process is called ketogenesis.Not much acetone is produced;our main fuel is beta-aminobutyric acid.It is on this that, for the most part, the central nervous system works during the period of absence of carbohydrates in the diet.
Is the keto diet bad or not?
Ketogenesis is a completely normal metabolic process and there is no need to be afraid of it.All fears stem from the fact that the state of ketosis – when the body works on ketone bodies – is often confused with pathological acidocedosis which requires urgent intervention.But these things are different and now we will discuss a little what the essence is.
Ketoacidosis
What it is: ketoacidosis.It is almost the same as ketosis, but when it is caused not by a lack of glucose due to a lack of carbohydrates, but by a lack of insulin.I remind you that our most important hormone, insulin, is a transporter.This is our charger that knows how to transport glucose across the cell membrane.
When there is a lot of glucose, but there is no insulin or it does not perform its functions, the cell, just as in the case of a carbohydrate-free diet, begins to experience energy hunger.As a result, the body produces a number of hormones capable of breaking down fats (lipolytic, in this case they are called counterinsular), and the liver begins to produce ketone bodies from fatty acids.So what's happening?
There is a lot of undigested glucose, there are also a lot of ketone bodies, and the kidneys try to eliminate ketones and excess glucose, which causes dehydration, the so-called osmotic diuresis.As a result of diuresis, electrolytes are washed away - and you remember that this is very, very bad from this video, even two - the balance of electrolytes shifts towards acidification and as a result this very ketoacidosis develops.all this requires urgent hospitalization, because the patient can easily move his horse.
It is absolutely clear that this situation is possible only in two cases
- Type 1 diabetes, when the pancreas does not produce insulin
- Dehydration: diarrhea, vomiting, taking diuretics.
That is, if you are healthy and do not have type 1 diabetes, you absolutely do not need to be afraid of ketoacidosis.In your case, the nervous system will work perfectly on ketone bodies.
So, how to use the keto diet
Firstand the most important thing is to enter a state of ketosis.And this is one of the most difficult tasks.Since in most cases - remember I told you about homeostasis - people eat food containing carbohydrates for the first time in decades - this will be stress for the body.The carcass is not used to this and you will not enter a state of ketosis in a day or two.It takes time.First, the body will consume the remaining glucose and glycogen.It will then try to produce glucose from amino acids, glycerol and lactic acid using gluconeogenesis.And only when it becomes completely impossible for him to start the process of ketogenesis and, with a creak, he begins to drag the nutritional system of the central nervous system onto new tracks.Remember: the carcass really does not like disturbances of homeostasis and resists it as best it can.
It is this first time that is the most difficult: you are dull, angry, without strength, your brain refuses to work, you feel dizzy - and a lot of other delights.And how long this condition lasts is different for everyone, but it can last up to two or three weeks.
Second.To enter ketosis, you need to eliminate carbohydrates or leave them to a minimum - and that's another difficulty.There are organs that cannot use either fatty acids or ketone bodies as energy.They need glucose and only glucose - this is the intestinal epithelium, the vascular endothelium, the lens of the eye, the adrenal cortex, something else - I don't remember.So you can't leave them without glucose.The carcass will obtain glucose through gluconeogenesis from the muscles or from a minimum of carbohydrates supplied with the food.But that's the point - remember homeostasis - the desire to maintain balance at all costs - getting into ketosis is hard, but getting out of it is as easy as shelling pears.And then hello to the fat deposits on the sides of the back.
Third— to enter ketosis you need to eat a lot of fats and under no circumstances exaggerate with proteins!!!!And this is also very difficult to control.Because if there is an excess of protein in the diet - with the help of the same gluconeogenesis, the carcass will immediately produce glucose from it - and you will again fall from this hard-won state of ketosis.If there is too little protein, I will gradually lose muscle mass.And it's very, very difficult for a beginner to find this balance.With fats, everything is simple: 80% of the diet should be fats.
Fourth- difficulty in assessing whether we have entered ketosis or not.
- Testing for the presence of acetone in urine with strips makes no sense.We can be in ketosis and there will be no acetone in the urine.
- Blood testing using a glucometer with special strips for ketone bodies is possible, but these strips are not cheap at all.
- Finally, there are special devices for detecting acetone in breath.They were invented for epileptics because the ketogenic diet is helpful for dealing with seizures, but they also cost about $100.
And finally, if you decide to try the keto diet, how do you plan your diet?
- protein: 1.5-2 grams per body weight.This is conditional.
- The rest are fat.
What foods are suitable for the keto diet?
- eggs with yolk
- all cheeses
- fat ricotta
- sour cream
- salò
- pig
- nuts
- salmon
- trout
- salmon
- mutton