The Keto Diet
What is the Keto Diet?
This diet has been reviewed by U.S. News' team of expert panelists
- The Keto diet emphasizes weight loss through fat-burning.
- The goal is to quickly lose weight & ultimately feel fuller with fewer cravings, while boosting
your mood, mental focus & energy. - According to Keto proponents, by slashing the carbs you consume & instead filling up on
fats, you safely enter a state of ketosis. - That’s when the body breaks down both dietary & stored body fat into substances called ketones.
- Your fat-burning system now relies mainly on fat, instead of sugar for energy.
- While similar in some ways to familiar low-carb diets, the Keto diet’s extreme carb restrictions about 20 net carbs a day or less, depending on the version & the deliberate shift into ketosis are what set this increasingly popular diet apart.
The Keto diet has its roots in the decades-old therapeutic ketogenic diet.
- Clinically, the ketogenic diet is used in neurologic medicine, most notably to reduce hard-to-control seizures in children.
- Studies also suggest possible benefits in other brain conditions such as Parkinson’s & Alzheimer’s diseases.
In 2012, The Diet was introduced as a weight-loss diet
- About 19,000 dieters received a high-fat liquid diet via a feeding tube inserted down the
nose. - The study showed an average weight loss of more than 20 pounds in participants, most
of whom kept it off for at least a year. - The researchers reported a few minor side effects, like fatigue.
Now several versions of the Keto Diet using real food are detailed
in books blogs & Facebook Posts.
- The common thread is choosing high-fat foods coupled with very low daily carbs.
- Guidebooks include “The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners” by Amy Ramos & “
The Keto Diet: The Complete Guide to a High-Fat Diet” by Leanne Vogel.
How does Keto Diet work?
Do's & Don'ts
- Do: Choose grass-fed meats, skin-on poultry & fattier fish.
- You can stay on the Keto diet indefinitely, do it as a weight-loss plan over a single short
period or cycle in & out. - Fat-rich foods are key, protein is moderate & carbs are the bad guys.
- Tips for getting started on Keto:
1. Educating yourself about carbs & getting familiar with good fats is the first step.
2. Before jumping in, experiment with low-carb veggies in the grocery store’s natural
produce section, find sources of grass-fed meat & learn about hidden sources of sugar, like the coleslaw at your local eatery.
3. Don’t assume sugar cravings will disappear right away. Instead, stock up on Keto-friendly desserts like dark chocolate with nut butter.
4. During the first week of carb withdrawal, you might experience symptoms including muscle aches, headaches, fatigue & mental fogginess & of course -hunger.
5. For early cravings, try nibbling on a high-fat snack such as some cucumber with avocado mayo. - As the diet moves into the 2nd & 3rd weeks, you’ll begin to feel better.
- Soon, low-carb, high-fat eating will seem more natural as it becomes a habit.
- By week four, you can expect weight loss, especially if you’ve been physically active while sticking closely to the plan.
Selecting the right food will be easier
as you become accustomed to the Keto approach.
- Instead of lean meats, you’ll focus on skin-on poultry, fattier parts like chicken thighs, rib-eye steaks, grass-fed ground beef, fattier fish like salmon, beef brisket.
- Leafy greens such as spinach, kale & lettuce, along with broccoli, cauliflower & cucumbers, make healthy vegetable choices (but you’ll avoid starchy root foods like carrots, potatoes, turnips & parsnips).
- You can work in less-familiar veggies such as kohlrabi or daikon.
- Oils like avocado, olive, canola, flaxseed & palm, as well as mayonnaise will flavor salads
while fattening them up. - Clarified butter, or ghee, is a fat you’ll use for cooking or as a spread.
- Start your day with a nut butter-boosted latte, coffee or tea or eggs as a breakfast staple.
- Stick with whole-fat milk, cheese & other whole dairy products.
- Use stevia to replace sugar & artificial sweeteners
How much does Keto Diet cost?
- Meat, like grass-fed selections & fresh veggies are more expensive than most processed
or fast foods. - What you spend on Keto-friendly foods will vary with your choices of protein source &
quality. - You can select less-expensive, leaner cuts of meat & fatten them up with some oil.
- Buying less-exotic, in-season veggies will help keep you within budget.
Will Keto Diet help you lose weight?
- Recent studies focusing on Keto diets suggest some advantages for short-term weight loss.
- It’s still too soon to tell whether people maintain long-term weight loss from ketogenic
How easy is Keto Diet to follow?
- If you love morning toast, whole-wheat pasta, pizza & sugary desserts, you could struggle
on the Keto diet. - You’ll need time to prepare & educate yourself & the first week won’t be much fun.
How much should you exercise on Keto Diet?
- To get the most benefit from the Keto diet, you should stay physically active.
- You might need to take it easier during the early ketosis period, especially if you feel
fatigued or lightheaded. - Walking, running, doing aerobics, weightlifting, training with kettlebells or whatever workout
you prefer will boost your energy further. - You can find books & online resources on how to adapt Keto meals or snacks for athletic training.
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