Beginners Guide To Keto Diet

Beginners Guide To Keto Diet
What is keto diet?
The keto diet (short for ketogenic) is a very low carb, high- fat and
moderate protein diet that turns your body into a fat burning machine.
This involves drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake and replacing it with
fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.
Ketosis causes the body to produce small fuel molecules called ketones, which
your body uses as an alternate source of energy when your blood sugar is in short
supply.
So, when you eat very few carbs or very few calories, your liver produces ketones
from fat. These ketones then serve as a fuel source throughout the body, especially
for the brain.
The brain is a hungry organ that consumes lots of energy every day, and it can’t
run on fat directly. It can only run on glucose. So on a Keto diet, liver undergoes
gluconeogenesis, which means “making new glucose.” In this process, the liver
creates glucose for the brain to use. It manufactures the glucose using amino acids,
the building blocks of protein.
On a ketogenic diet, your entire body switches its fuel supply to run mostly on fat,
becoming incredibly efficient in burning fat for energy.
This is great for weight loss and also numerous other health benefits.
Here is a detailed beginner’s guide to the keto diet :
Keto restricts your intake of sugar and starchy foods, like pasta and bread. Instead,
you’ll eat delicious real food with selective protein, healthy fats, and vegetables for
nutrients.
ACTIVeat Keto Diet plan contains everything you need – what to eat, what to
avoid, and exactly how to do it and delivers healthy meal delivery in Mumbai.
Can Keto diet help you lose weight?
Yes, a ketogenic diet can help you lose much more weight than a low-fat diet. This
often happens without hunger.
A keto diet is an eating plan that focuses on foods that provide a lot of healthful
fats, adequate amounts of protein, and very few carbohydrates. The goal is to get
more calories from fat than from carbs.
The diet works by depleting the body of its sugar reserves. As a result, it will start
to break down fat for energy. This results in the production of ketones that the
body uses for fuel. When the body burns fats, it can also lead to weight loss.

Several studies show that a ketogenic diet is an effective way to lose weight and
lower risk factors for disease.
It has been proven to be a superior weight loss diet :
Increased protein intake which provides numerous health benefits
Increased ketones
Improved Good cholesterol levels
Lowered blood sugar
Improved insulin sensitivity
Along with using your body fat as an energy source, keto diet can also help:
Increase mental focus : Ketones are a great source of fuel for the brain Lower
carb intake helps reduce sugar spikes improving focus and concentration
Increased Energy & Normalized Hunger : A better and reliable source of
energy, making you feel more energized. Fat makes you feel fuller naturally for
longer, reducing hunger pangs.
Other health benefits of keto
Besides weight loss, studies have now shown that the diet can have a wide variety
of health :
• Diabetes : A ketogenic diet can help you lose excess fat and boost insulin
sensitivity, which is closely linked to type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and
metabolic syndrome. One study found that the ketogenic diet improved
insulin sensitivity by a whopping 75%. Additionally, 95.2% of the
ketogenic group were also able to stop or reduce diabetes medication,
compared to 62% in the higher-carb group.
• Heart disease: The ketogenic diet can improve risk factors like body fat,
HDL cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood sugar
• Alzheimer’s disease: The keto diet may reduce symptoms of Alzheimer’s
disease and slow its progression
• Epilepsy: Research has shown that the ketogenic diet can cause massive
reductions in seizures in epileptic children
• Polycystic ovary syndrome: The ketogenic diet can help reduce insulin
levels, which may play a key role in PCOS.
• Acne: High carb and sugary diet almost always causes skin lesions and
inflammations to break out on the face. Keto always improves your skin.

Lower insulin levels and eating less sugar or processed foods may help
improve acne
Please note, that more research is still being conducted in these areas.
What to eat and what to avoid on a keto diet ?
Rule of thumb : To reach ketosis. Avoid eating too many carbs.
Foods to Eat
Here is list of foods you should base most of the meals of the day around :
• Meats and fish : Chicken, fish, lamb and eggs.
• Eggs : Omega-3 whole eggs.
• High fat dairy : Butter and cream
• Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin
seeds, chia seeds, etc.
• Healthy oils: Extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil
• Avocados: Whole avocados or freshly made guacamole.
• Low-carb veggies: Spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, onions,
peppers, etc.
• Sweeteners : Stevia and erythritol
• Condiments: You can use salt, pepper and various healthy herbs and
spices.
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Foods to Avoid :
Here is a list of what you should avoid on a keto diet. Any foods with
high carbs, both sugary and starchy kinds should be reduced or
eliminated.
• High sugar foods: Chocolates, cake, ice cream, candy
• Sugar : White sugar, jaggery, honey, agave, maple syrup
• Grains : Wheat, corn, rice, pasta, cereal

• Fruit: Apples, bananas, oranges, exceptions include small portions of
berries
• Beans : Peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
• Root vegetables : Potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams
• Products labelled as low fat : These are highly processed and often high
in carbs.
• Sauces and Jams: These often contain sugar and unhealthy fats like mayo,
pasta sauce
• Sugar-free diet foods: These are often high in sugar alcohols, which
can affect ketone levels in some cases. These foods also tend to be
highly processed.
Counting calories and carbs can be helpful at first. But if you stick
to our recommended meal plan, you can stay on keto without even
counting.
What about drinks ?
• Alcohol: Due to their carb content, many alcoholic beverages can throw
you out of ketosis. Your liver first metabolizes alcohol first, then ketosis.
Ocassional drinks are alright, but we do not recommend regular alcohol
consumption as a part of keto diet
• Water is the perfect drink
• Coffee or tea : Ideally, use no sweeteners, especially sugar and no milk.
• Avoid lattes
• Sodas, fruit juices and smoothies should be avoided as well
Who should NOT be on a keto diet
Although it is considered safe for short term weight loss purposes.
Some groups should always be cautious. Please consult your doctor
or a medical professional before starting the Keto diet if :
• You are diabetic and are on medications like insulin

• If you are a heart patient and take medication for high blood
pressure
• If you are pregnant or are currently breastfeeding
• If you have any eating disorders
• If you suffer from kidney disease or pancreatitis
Risks and complications of Keto diet
Although the Keto diet has numerous health benefits. Staying on ketogenic diet can
have an increased risk of the following health problems :
• Fat build up in liver
• Vitamin deficiency
• Kidney stones
Make sure you consult your medical profession regarding any of these
conditions.
Keto flu : These symptoms are especially common at the beginning of the diet as
your body adapts to its new energy source. This is usually over within a few days.
These may include :
• Constipation
• Fatigue : Poor energy and mental function
• Low blood sugar
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Increased hunger and Insomnia
• Headaches
• Decreased exercise performance
How can you minimize these symptoms ?
You can start with a regular low carb diet for the first few days. So
your body can adapt to burning fat before you eliminate carbs
completely.

Drink lime water with salt and also take vitamin and mineral supplements to
balance out the water and mineral changes that you might experience
Avoid too much calorie restriction initially and eat until you’re full.
Usually, a ketogenic diet causes weight loss without intentional
calorie restriction.
Conclusion
A ketogenic diet is great for weight loss and also for people with diabetes. It also
has various other health benefits.
It may not be suitable for certain people with underlying health
conditions or elite athletes and those who wish to build large
muscles and/or gain weight.