diet and weight loss

The Ketogenic Diet and Its Purpose for Health and Weight Loss

The ketogenic diet is a very low carb, high fat, moderate protein diet. This diet severely limits the consumption of carbohydrates and greatly increases the consumption of fats. In the keto diet, between 70 and 80 percent of the daily calories come from fat, and only 5 to 10 of the total daily calories come from carbohydrates. To comply with this ratio, people on a keto diet have to limit their carbohydrate intake to 20 to 50 grams per day. To put it simply: bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, corn, and most fruits are usually absent in the keto diet! So, if you can't stand bread and rice, it will be a little difficult for you to follow the keto diet!

Limiting the consumption of carbohydrates makes the body get the energy it needs from fats instead of glucose, which is the sugar from carbohydrates. When carbohydrates are severely restricted, the body quickly uses up its sugar stores and is forced to rely on another fuel source. This situation causes the body to enter a phase called ketosis within two to four days.

In ketosis, the liver breaks down fats and creates compounds called ketones. Ketones are the fuel obtained from the breakdown of dietary fats and stored fats in the body and are considered the main source of energy in the ketogenic diet. Just assume that your body fat provides the main part of your calorie needs. Obviously, in the early days of the keto diet, you will experience rapid weight loss. For this reason, most people choose the ketogenic diet to lose weight and lose size quickly.

In addition to weight loss, which is the main goal of the ketogenic diet, many people have also talked about the metabolic benefits of this diet, such as blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity, which is an important benefit for controlling the symptoms of diabetes. Also, many people claim that when their body enters the ketosis phase, they have more and more stable concentration and energy and less sleepiness and boredom during the day.

How is the ketogenic diet Is it?

The main basis of the ketogenic diet is adjusting the ratio of macronutrients or macros. In this diet, the consumption of carbohydrates is greatly reduced and the consumption of fats is increased. The purpose of this change is for the body to supply its energy from fats instead of using glucose (sugar from carbohydrates) and enter the ketosis phase. Meanwhile, protein consumption is kept at a moderate level to maintain metabolic balance. If protein consumption is high, ketosis is prevented. So, the composition of macros in the standard ketogenic diet (SKD) is as follows:

• Fats: About 70-75% of total daily calories
• Proteins: About 20-25% of total daily calories
• Carbohydrates: Only 5-10% of total calories Daily

This combination of macros reduces blood insulin levels and causes the body to gradually change its main source of energy from glucose to fats. Insulin reduction and carbohydrate restriction keep blood sugar levels stable and prevent blood sugar fluctuations. As a result, a person gets less sudden hunger and has less desire to eat sweet and high-carbohydrate foods.

In addition, consuming healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, nuts and fatty fish not only provides stable energy, but also prevents the lack of nutrients and the increase of unhealthy fats and keeps the process of ketosis and fat burning in ideal conditions.

Study More: Mediterranean Diet

Free 28-Day Ketogenic Diet Sample

A structured 28-day ketogenic plan should help you ease into a low-carb, high-fat lifestyle. The goal of this program is to switch the body's fuel from glucose to fat, and it should be able to teach newcomers about keto-friendly foods and maintaining the correct ratio of macros. Also, keep in mind that to get the complete ketogenic diet, you can visit Dr.Dr. In the following, we mention several examples of breakfast, lunch and dinner meals along with several snacks in accordance with the principles of keto that you can prepare according to the ingredients you have and enjoy eating them.

Breakfasts in the keto diet often consist of healthy fats and light protein. From time to time, for variety, you can use ingredients such as stevia sweetener and almond flour to make pancakes or katoi bread. Unlike wheat flour, almond flour is okay to consume in small amounts on a keto diet because it is low in carbohydrates and instead has the right amount of healthy fats that keep the body in ketosis. For breakfast, you can have these choices:

• Scrambled eggs with hot onion and pizza cheese or cheddar cheese
• Sausage or chicken ham omelette
• Spinach omelette with breakfast cheese
• Nimro with local cheese and greens such as parsley, cilantro and leek
• Cheese and spinach omelette with avocado and a little Tomato paste or homemade sauce
• Two eggs with grated cheese and a little chopped tomato
• Red bell pepper stuffed with egg and spinach
• Spinach and chive omelette with a little sesame or olive oil
• Pumpkin and flax egg pancakes with a little almond milk or coconut milk
• Turkish coffee or espresso without sugar with a little coconut oil and Cinnamon
• Keto chocolate muffin with almond flour and natural sweetener
• Chicken sausage or fried bacon with egg
• Poached egg with olives and cherry tomatoes
• Mushroom and bell pepper omelette with fresh vegetables and olive oil
• Keto waffle with almond flour and egg
• Smoked salmon roll with cheese Creamy
• Greek yogurt with flax seeds and strawberries or raspberries
• Egg and tomato omelet with a little olive oil and aromatic vegetables

For lunch and dinner, you can go for a combination of protein and low-carb vegetables. You can also use olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds to add flavor and healthy fat. For lunch, you can use these ideas:

• Chicken or chicken with vegetables
• Caesar salad with homemade dressing without bread
• Tuna salad with lemon juice and black pepper
• Broccoli and bacon salad with eggs
• Shrimp and garlic salad
• Chicken and vegetable soup
• Turkey Fried with carrots, sweet peppers and zucchini
• Vegetable stew with pork meat
• Roasted chicken with garlic and avocado
• Egg omelet and grated cauliflower
• Eggplant stuffed with meat and spices
• Potato-free cutlet with cucumber and yogurt salad
• Vegetable soup with meatballs Qalqli
• Chicken dish with broccoli, cauliflower and fried sweet pepper
• Minced meat dish with pumpkin, eggplant and tomato
• Fish fillet with roasted bell pepper, mushroom and spinach

For dinner according to the keto diet, you can also prepare one of these meals or a combination of them:

• Vegetable coco with egg and fresh vegetables
• Zucchini coco with cheese
• Eggplant curd with fried eggplant in olive oil and a little natural curd
• Chicken meal with a bowl of green or black olives
• Egg and fresh vegetables
• Chicken and broccoli meal
• Fried meat meal with Cashew
• Fried chicken or lamb fillet with garlic and spinach
• Pan kebab with minced meat and olive oil
• Fried meat with zucchini, garlic and cilantro
• Fish and fried vegetables
• Tomato and pepper omelette with pizza cheese
• Chicken salad with mayonnaise sauce Homemade
• Mushroom and vegetable and egg meal
• Avocado and tuna salad

For a keto snack, you can also have a combination of foods like peanut butter, cream cheese, chicken ham, pickles, cheddar cheese, nuts and seeds, a little strawberry or raspberry, boiled egg, coconut butter, dark chocolate, and Greek yogurt along with a cup of coffee. Make delicious snacks according to your taste.

To satisfy your craving for sweets, you can go for Fat Bomb or energy ball, which is a combination of peanut butter, Stevia and coconut powder. Alternatively, you can make a one-person cake in a mug with almond flour and a little cocoa powder along with stevia.

In general, try to be flexible rather than focusing on rigid and fixed daily meal plans or obsessing about macros. Since many foods are restricted on the keto diet, get creative and make new and exciting meals with spices, flavorful vegetables, and fats to give you more motivation to stick with the keto diet. In the meantime, just be aware of the proportion of fat, protein and carbohydrates you eat. Also, you can pre-package protein and stir-fry vegetables so you'll have ingredients ready for a hearty meal whenever you're hungry.

7-Day Ketogenic Diet

If you want a free 7-day ketogenic diet ready to go and jump into the keto diet with a quick start, here's how Go ahead:

Day 1

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs with roasted spinach and a little cheese
• Snack: half an avocado with a little sea salt
• Lunch: tuna salad with celery and fresh vegetables with olive oil dressing
• Dinner: fried chicken thighs with roasted broccoli and butter Herbal

Be sure to consume a lot of water and a little salt during the day. This prevents fatigue and lethargy in the first days of the diet.

Day 2

• Breakfast: bitter coffee mixed with a spoonful of butter or coconut oil
• Snack: a few leaves of lettuce with two spoons of cream cheese
• Lunch: tuna salad with lemon, lettuce and cucumber
• Dinner: veal or chicken fillet Fried with roasted vegetables

Light activity like walking or yoga helps the body enter ketosis faster. These light but effective activities also help to increase your energy. Eat until you feel full. Don't worry about counting calories either, fats fill you up faster than you think!

Day 3

• Breakfast: spinach and cheese omelette
• Snack: cheddar cheese and a few slices of cucumber
• Lunch: grilled chicken salad with avocado and fresh tomatoes
• Dinner: meat Fried veal with mushrooms and colored bell peppers

On the third day of the diet, you can play with different vegetables and low carbohydrates in your meals for variety. If you feel confused or mentally tired, you can also use leafy vegetables and pumpkin seeds or magnesium supplements.

Day 4

• Breakfast: cheese and spinach omelette with a little spicy homemade tomato sauce
• Snack: keto vanilla protein shake or a few walnuts
• Lunch: shaved chicken with Creamy sauce and vegetables
• Dinner: Burger wrapped in lettuce leaves with avocado and tomato slices

Sometimes you might have a sweet tooth. Make a dessert for yourself with a few berries, strawberries or raspberries with heavy cream and a little bit of 85% or higher dark chocolate and enjoy it.

Day 5

• Breakfast: two half eggs with homemade tomato paste and avocado slices
• Snack: bell pepper slices with condensed yogurt and Garlic
• Lunch: minced meat with spices and fresh vegetables
• Dinner: grilled chicken, boiled eggs, bacon and cheese

If you have to eat one of the meals outside the home, be sure to remove bread, sauces and processed ingredients and preferably vegetables from the menu. Steaks and salads, choose your food.

Day 6

• Breakfast: Bell pepper stuffed with egg and spinach
• Snack: Keto strawberry shake or a few almonds
• Lunch: Tuna salad with celery and pickled cucumber
• Dinner: Roasted sausage with Bell peppers, mushrooms and spinach

It's not bad to fill your day with useful fats from time to time and enjoy their combination.

Seventh day

• Breakfast: Keto pancakes with almond flour, eggs and flax eggs with a little butter
• Snack: a few lettuce leaves with cheese Creamy
• Lunch: Caesar salad with chicken with homemade yogurt and garlic dressing without bread
• Dinner: Baked salmon with roasted broccoli and butter-lemon sauce

Starting the keto diet does not mean saying goodbye to taste and food variety. If you follow your diet wisely, you can enjoy enough meals. Try to keep the following points in mind:

• In the first week, your body may lack minerals. You can compensate for magnesium, potassium, and sodium with supplements or natural foods during the diet.
• Due to the lack of carbohydrates, your body's serotonin and melatonin levels may temporarily drop and your sleep may be disturbed in the first days. Magnesium or a light snack like a hard-boiled egg or a few nuts before bed can help you sleep better.
• Drink plenty of water and if you feel sluggish, add some natural electrolytes like sea salt and fresh lemon juice to your water.
• Don't obsess about calories. Listen to your body's hunger. Keto meals usually fill you up quickly due to their high fat content.
• There is no need to follow a strict diet. You can change meals or even snacks depending on your taste and desire.

What should we eat and what are prohibited in the ketogenic diet?

In the ketogenic diet, between 70 and 80% of your plate should be fat. Good sources of healthy fats include:

• Avocados
• Nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds
• Healthy oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil
• Natural saturated fats such as butter, heavy cream, and full-fat cheese

Also, between 10 and 20 percent of You should also fill your plate with protein. Good sources of protein include:

• fatty fish such as salmon and sardines
• eggs
• red meat and chicken

In order to control carbohydrate intake, it is better to use non-starchy vegetables that grow above the ground, that is, they do not have roots. For example, it is better to go for these vegetables, which are also sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals:

• Leafy vegetables such as lettuce and spinach
• Cabbages such as broccoli and cauliflower
• Other vegetables such as zucchini, asparagus and bell peppers

Root and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and corn should be limited or completely eliminated, because they are high in carbohydrates. Also, some foods are almost prohibited in the keto diet, such as the following:

• Cereals and flour products such as bread, pasta and rice
• Most fruits except a small amount of berries
• Sweet drinks and soft drinks
• Unhealthy processed and high-fat foods such as chips, puffs, ready-made snacks and Fast foods
• sweets such as candy, ice cream, juice, honey, dates and syrup

Note that high carbohydrate consumption prevents the body from entering the ketosis phase. Therefore, in the keto diet, you have to eliminate or minimize many Iranian dishes such as common stews. Also, if you want to follow your ketogenic diet carefully and get the most out of it, try to follow the tips below.

Be sure to check the food label on the package

Most of the food you buy from the supermarket has a label that shows the amount of fat, sugar, carbohydrates, protein and fiber. This information will help you track your daily macros more accurately and avoid hidden carbs. A hidden carb is the amount of sugar or starch that is not overtly present in the food and may be unexpectedly present in sauces, drinks, processed foods or even some healthy products.

Avoid processed foods as much as possible

The less junk foods are available to you on the keto diet, the less you will be tempted to eat them and the easier it will be for you to stick to your meal plan. follow the Fresh non-starchy vegetables, fresh meat and fish, eggs and nuts are the best options. Prepare them in advance and have them available so that whenever you are hungry, your first choice is not carb-laden foods.

Prioritize cooking at home

By cooking at home, you can control the amount of fat, protein and carbohydrates and watch out for additives or hidden sugars in prepared foods. Also, you can prepare a few comfort food meals like chicken salad, butter-fried meat with vegetables or hard-boiled eggs in advance and keep in the fridge. In this way, you can take a part of these pre-prepared meals to your workplace or school every day and avoid eating ready meals outside the house.

It goes without saying that cooking and preparing pen juice is also an excellent choice for people who follow the keto diet. Pen water supplies the body with water well and keeps the body hydrated and provides the important electrolytes needed by the body. In addition, pen juice helps strengthen joints and intestines.

Don't underestimate the role of drinks and snacks

Even low-sugar or so-called "diet" drinks may have hidden carbohydrates. So always check food and drink labels. If you feel like drinking, water, tea, and coffee without sugar or low-carb sweeteners like stevia or erythritol are the best options for the keto diet.

Have a notebook or app to track your macro intake

Recording your meals and the amount of fat, protein, and carbs will help you keep track of your carb, fat, and protein intake. In this way, you can better maintain your body's ketosis process and change your nutrition plan if needed.

Of course, the things we said are just some suggestions to better follow the ketogenic diet. We suggest to follow a basic diet that does not cause a lack of vitamins, minerals and fiber in your body, consult diet and nutrition experts through an online visit.

What are the side effects of a ketogenic diet?

Starting a ketogenic diet is a big change for the body. It is similar to changing the fuel of a car from gasoline to gas or diesel. The body undergoes shock and fundamental changes, and complications may occur in different parts of the body. When you have consumed carbohydrates for a long time and suddenly you drastically reduce carbohydrate consumption on the keto diet, the body enters a state that is similar to withdrawal from an addictive substance. Many people in the first weeks of starting a ketogenic diet face side effects such as fatigue, general weakness, low mood, irritability, and headaches. Dizziness, impaired concentration, and sometimes nausea or vomiting may also occur. Digestive changes such as constipation, diarrhea, or heartburn are also common in people who have just started the keto diet. For this reason, it is recommended that people use low-carb vegetables allowed to get enough fiber so that they do not suffer from chronic constipation.

The set of unpleasant feelings that affect people in the early days of starting a ketogenic diet is called keto flu. This term does not refer to the contagious flu at all, but to a state of the body on the keto diet that produces flu-like symptoms.

The good news is that keto flu symptoms are short-lived and usually go away after a few days to a few weeks. Of course, some bodies are more sensitive and may have symptoms of ketogenic flu for the first month.

If you want to go on a ketogenic diet, it is better to gradually reduce the sources of carbohydrates from your food so that the metabolic changes of the body can be done more easily, instead of cutting carbohydrates all at once. Drinking enough water is very important to reduce the fatigue of keto flu, because as glycogen stores are depleted, the body also dehydrates.

Also, the balance of electrolytes and minerals such as sodium may be disturbed due to the drop in insulin. Therefore, it is suggested to add a small amount of salt to food or water or use mineral supplements for the keto diet to reduce fatigue and muscle cramps.

At this stage, some people may experience bad breath, which is caused by the production of ketones in the body. This smell may seem similar to the smell of acetone or metal. Drinking plenty of water, chewing sugar-free gum or using mouthwash can help reduce this smell.

Also, insomnia and reduced sleep quality are common symptoms at the beginning of the diet, because the body is not yet used to the lack of carbohydrates and changes in serotonin and melatonin levels. Consuming enough magnesium, healthy fats, and a light meal before bed can partially reduce this problem.

The next challenge is long-term adherence to the keto diet. This diet is often not in accordance with Iranian tables. The basis of many dishes that are served on the table of an Iranian family is rice and bread. The removal of these substances from the keto diet makes a person have to constantly separate his food from the family table, and this makes the continuation of the ketogenic diet a challenge for Iranians.

Also, the keto diet severely limits or eliminates a large portion of nutritious foods such as grains, fruits, and many vegetables, and may cause a lack of vitamins and minerals in the body. In particular, vitamins A, C, K, B vitamins, folate, magnesium, selenium, and phosphorus are very low on the keto diet and must often be supplemented through supplementation.

The next long-term concern is heart health. Studies have shown that the keto diet improves some cardiovascular factors in the short term by reducing things like triglycerides and blood pressure. But the long-term evidence is not so conclusive, and some experts believe that the keto diet and consumption of saturated fats can increase bad cholesterol (LDL). In addition to these cases, the increase of uric acid and the disturbance of urinary balance in the keto diet can lead to kidney stones.

Therefore, if you have just started the ketogenic diet and are worried about its side effects, you can take advantage of the expert advice of dietitians and nutritionists and follow this path with fewer risks and challenges.

What is the Matcha Ketogenic Diet?

The Matcha Ketogenic Diet is a new method that combines the principles of the standard low-carb, high-fat keto diet with the nutritional benefits of matcha green tea powder. Matcha is a Japanese green tea that is consumed in the form of very fine powder. Pure matcha powder is perfectly compatible with the keto diet, as it contains almost no carbohydrates. A teaspoon of matcha powder has only one gram of fiber-rich carbohydrates and about 5 calories of energy. Therefore, matcha can be an attractive drink for people following a ketogenic diet.

Macha is full of antioxidants such as EGCG, which increases the body's metabolism and increases the body's ability to burn fat. Also, matcha is rich in caffeine and the amino acid L-theanine, which reduces the energy-deficiency challenges of the keto-adaptation phase by increasing energy and focus. In addition, matcha helps improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control. This feature is one of the main goals of proper nutrition, especially for people with type 2 diabetes.

If you want a delicious matcha drink that is suitable for the keto diet, you can mix it with heavy cream and use stevia for sweetness. Also, adding almond oil or coconut oil can make a high-fat latte, smoothie, or matcha dessert.

Doctor's Last Word

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet with moderate protein that puts the body into a fat-burning phase, or ketosis. By burning food fats or stored body fats, this diet can reduce weight quickly and prevent false appetite at the same time. Also, some of the side benefits of the keto diet include increased sustained energy, better mental focus, and reduced blood sugar fluctuations.

Despite the many benefits, the keto diet, like any other diet plan, may have its own disadvantages and possible side effects. Therefore, we suggest that you consult with the best diet and nutrition experts in Iran before changing your diet through an online visit to Dr. Doctor so that you can make a smart and informed choice that is suitable for your physical condition. fi-accordion-icon-right"> Who is the ketogenic diet not suitable for?

Resources

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