The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that resembles the Atkins and low-carb diets in many ways. It entails dramatically lowering carbohydrate consumption and substituting fat. This decrease in carbs causes the body to enter a metabolic condition known as ketosis.

Your body becomes extremely good at burning fat for energy as this happens. It also causes fat to be converted to ketones in the liver, which can be used to provide energy to the brain. Ketogenic diets can lower blood sugar and insulin levels significantly. This, in addition to the increased ketones, has some health advantages.

Types of Keto diets:
The ketogenic diet comes in a variety of forms, including:

  • The standard ketogenic diet (SKD): It is a low-carbohydrate, moderate-protein, high-fat diet. It usually has 70 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and just 10% carbohydrates.
  • The cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This entails cycles of higher carb refeeding, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high carb days.
  • The targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): It requires you to eat carbs in between workouts.
  • High protein ketogenic diet: This ketogenic diet is similar to a standard ketogenic diet, but it contains more protein. Typically, the fat-to-protein-to-carbohydrate ratio is 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.

Only the standard and high-protein ketogenic diets have been thoroughly researched. More advanced ketogenic diets, such as cyclical or targeted ketogenic diets, are mainly used by bodybuilders and athletes.

5 steps you should take before starting your Keto Diet

  1. On the Keto Diet, you should know which foods to eat and which to avoid: You’ll be seriously restricting carbs if you stick to a keto meal schedule. Begin by consuming 20 to 30 grams (g) of carbohydrates per day. Make sure you know what foods are high in calories, fat, and protein so you can make informed decisions. Carbs are found in a variety of foods, including bread, pasta, chips, cookies, sweets, and ice cream. While beans are high in protein, they are also high in carbohydrates.
  2. Hone Your Cooking Skills: Sharpen your culinary skills to prepare fresh foods, as high-carb processed foods aren’t allowed on the Keto diet. Look through a number of keto websites and cookbooks to find delicious keto-approved recipes. Try to come up with four or five recipes that include ingredients you know you’ll enjoy.
  3. Learn about Side Effects: Despite all of the benefits of a ketogenic diet (such as weight loss), there is one major side effect to be aware of: the keto flu. The keto flu is a term used to describe the time following the start of a ketogenic diet when your body adjusts to burning fat for energy. You may feel profoundly lethargic in your limbs for the first week or ten days. It can be difficult to walk upstairs. It’s possible that you’ll experience mental fog. Because of the shift in fiber intake, keto often induces constipation or diarrhea.
  4. Boost Your Electrolytes to Avoid or Minimize Keto Side Effects: Your kidneys excrete more water and electrolytes while you’re in ketosis. Make sure you’re getting enough sodium and potassium to keep your body running smoothly. Consume nonstarchy vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, and arugula, as well as salted bone broth.
  5. Recognize when Keto isn’t a good fit for you: Many keto hybrid diets, including plant-based variants, have sprung up as a result of the popularity of ketogenic diets. One is a “ketotarian” diet, which is mostly plant-based but allows for eggs, ghee, and fish and shellfish. While this approach can be healthy, one should be against trying keto as a vegan. There’s a fair chance this won’t work out because the extreme constraints make it unsustainable.

Kritika is a freelance content writer with Femsay.com