Keto diet.Ketogenic diet, what is its essence?What are the keto diet results and reviews?How does it work, are there any difficulties, what is the keto diet menu and is it harmful.
- Keto diet
- The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet designed to fuel the body with 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 people who have lost weight?That's what we're going to cover today.
How does the keto diet work?
When we have fat, protein and carbohydrates in our diet, our body gets energy from glucose.We get glucose from carbohydrates.Now that grocery stores are easily accessible, it is the most common type of food.But what happened in times when crop failures, habitats, or seasonality made carbohydrate products such as grains or bread scarce?
The carcass was forced to take energy from fatty acids and proteins.You probably remember my video on running to lose weight - here it is - I looked at the process of getting energy from the oxidation of fatty acids.Now I will briefly remind you that all our organs, which have mitochondria in their tissue cells, work perfectly with fatty acids.These are heart muscle, myocardium and skeletal muscles (the same ones we pump in the gym) and smooth muscles.
But our brains, which are 60% fat, don't lose weight;even prolonged fasting does not cause significant damage to mental abilities.Why?The reason is that the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the barrier that keeps the internal environment of the brain constant.It prevents the penetration of fatty acids - neither to the outside (therefore the brain does not lose weight), but also to the inside.And the brain is unable to use fatty acids as an energy source.
However, the brain cannot run out of fuel, and nature has designed that a diet that cannot provide enough glucose causes the brain to turn to an alternative fuel source, the so-called ketone bodies.
- Ketone bodies
The 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.Does not produce much acetone;our primary fuel is beta-aminobutyric acid.It is because of this that most of the central nervous system functions when there are no carbohydrates in the diet.
Is the keto diet bad or not?
Ketogenesis is a completely normal metabolic process and nothing to be afraid of.All fears arise from the fact that the state of ketosis - when the body is exposed to ketone bodies - is often confused with pathological acidosis, which requires urgent intervention.However, these things are different and now we will discuss a little what the point is.
Ketoacidosis
What is ketoacidosis?This is almost the same as ketosis, but when it is not caused 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.It is our loader 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 begins to feel energy hunger, just like without a carbohydrate diet.As a result, the body produces a bunch of hormones that can break down fat (lipolytic, in this case they are called anti-insulin), and the liver starts to produce ketone bodies from fatty acids.So what's going on?
There is a lot of undigested glucose, as well as a lot of ketone bodies, and the kidneys try to get rid of excess ketones and glucose, which leads to dehydration, called osmotic diuresis.Diuresis washes out electrolytes—and you'll remember from this video that it's very, very bad, even two—the electrolyte balance shifts toward acidification, and that's what causes this ketoacidosis.all this requires immediate hospitalization, because the patient can easily move the horse.
It is quite clear that such a situation is possible only in two cases
- Type 1 diabetes is when the pancreas does not produce insulin
- Dehydration - diarrhea, vomiting, use of diuretics.
That is, if you are healthy and do not have type 1 diabetes, there is absolutely no need to fear ketoacidosis.In your case, the nervous system will work well with ketone bodies.
So, how to use the keto diet
Firstand the most important thing is to get into a state of ketosis.And this is one of the most difficult tasks.Because in many cases—remember I told you about homeostasis—people are eating carbohydrate foods for the first time in decades, that's going to stress the body.The carcass is not used to this and will not enter a state of ketosis in a day or two.It takes time.First, the body will eat up the remaining glucose and glycogen.It will then attempt to make 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 begins to creakingly drag the nutritional system of the central nervous system onto new tracks.Remember - the carcass really does not like disturbances in homeostasis and resists as much as it can.
It is this first time that is the most difficult - you are dumb, angry, have no strength, your brain refuses to work, your head is dizzy - and a bunch of other pleasures.And how long this state lasts varies from person to person, but can last up to two or three weeks.
Second.To get into ketosis, you have to give up carbohydrates or keep them to a minimum - and this is another difficulty.There are organs that cannot use either fatty acids or ketone bodies as energy.They need glucose and only glucose - it's intestinal epithelium, vascular endothelium, eye lens, adrenal cortex, something else - I don't remember.So you can't leave them without glucose.The carcass will obtain glucose through gluconeogenesis from your muscles or from the minimal amount of carbohydrates supplied in the diet.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 peeling a pear.And then hello to fat deposits on the sides of the back.
Third— to get into ketosis you need to eat a lot of fat and in no way overdo it with protein!!!!And it is also very difficult to control.Because if there is an excess of protein in the diet - the carcass will immediately produce glucose with the help of the same gluconeogenesis - and you will again fall out of this hard-won state of ketosis.If there is too little protein, I will slowly lose muscle.And it is very, very difficult for a beginner to find this balance.Everything is simple with fat - 80% of the diet should be fat.
Fourth- it is difficult to assess whether we have entered ketosis or not.
- It makes no sense to test the presence of acetone in urine with strips.We can be in ketosis and not have acetone in our urine.
- A blood test using a glucometer with special strips for ketone bodies is available, but these strips are not cheap at all.
- Finally, there are special devices for detecting acetone in exhaled air.They were invented for epileptics because the ketogenic diet works for epileptic seizures, but they also cost about $100.
And finally, if you decide to try the keto diet, how do you plan your diet?
- proteins - 1.5-2 grams of body weight.It is conditional.
- The rest is fat.
What foods are good for the keto diet?
- eggs with yolk
- all cheeses
- fat cottage cheese
- sour cream
- island
- pork
- nuts
- salmon
- trout
- salmon
- lamb