What is the keto diet?
The ketogenic diet, or the keto diet, is a diet based around the consumption of foods that are high in fat and low in carbohydrates. It is very similar to the famous Atkins diet, at the beginning, anyway. Many people choose to do it by themselves, others prefer to follow a more structured eating plan, such as KetoLogic's keto 30 day challenge.When we consume foods that are high in carbs, our bodies produce insulin and glucose. The glucose is converted into and used as energy by the body, and, as this is a natural process, it is our bodies ‘favourite’ source of energy. The fats that we consume are not used and are stored, which can increase weight gain.
When we switch to a diet low in carbohydrates, our body goes into a state of ketosis. This where we produce ketones, which are caused by the breakdown of fats in the liver, and so we start to lose weight.
What are the benefits of the keto diet?
The keto diet can have many benefits for our health. These include:Weight Loss: This, of course, is the main advantage that people look for. The initial drop in pounds is due to ketosis letting your fat cells release any excess water that they have been holding onto. Once that has happened, the fat cells are small enough to pass through into the bloodstream and enter the liver to be converted into ketones.
Appetite control: Carbs are the source of many food cravings because they raise insulin levels, which in turn lowers blood sugar levels. When you have stopped or reduced the number of carbs that you consume, the craving passes, making appetite control a lot easier.
Sharper mental focus: Again, this is to do with stopping the dips in blood sugar levels. When our blood sugar levels are rising and dropping inconsistently, our brain struggles to maintain focus and clarity.
Helps type II diabetes: Type II diabetes is essentially caused by increased production of insulin. As the ketogenic diet removes sugars from the diet, it helps to reduce the HbA1c levels and can effectively reverse the condition.
Increases energy levels: Your body can only store a certain amount of glycogen, and when this runs out, your energy levels drop. However, when following a keto diet, your body is using fat stores, of which there are plenty, to fuel itself, so the energy source never runs out.
All in all, the ketogenic diet is one that has numerous other benefits on top of the weight loss, so if you are trying to shift a few pounds and increase your overall health, it may be worth investigating further.
