Keto diet - what is it and for whom is it suitable?

If twenty or thirty years ago someone had put all products in two baskets and sorted them according to the principle of greatest and least usefulness, then today you would have to do a comprehensive revision of them. The strangest story during this time was with oil - the last main enemy of humanity was not only completely rehabilitated, but almost declared its savior. Well, nutritionist Chris More gets it.

A patient recently confessed to me that she and her husband eat almost a pound of bacon a week - three slices for breakfast and then two more slices of salad for lunch. I have been working as a nutritionist for more than twenty years and nothing seems to surprise me, but then I still could not resist and asked: why? The patient said that her husband was watching a television show about the keto diet and they decided to try it. Six months of bacon - and now the husband has lost nine pounds and, according to his wife, is bursting with an energy that almost overwhelms him.

More and more, I hear from people about the miracles the keto diet has done for them. They claim that it burns fat in the body, gives energy and defeats diseases, and henceforth it is not only possible, but necessary to eat bacon as much as you want. But all their whims require at least a serious test – is a keto diet that doesn't restrict animal fat intake really that good?

The Ketogenic Diet is a low-carb diet high in fat and moderate in protein. It was originally used to treat epilepsy in children by increasing the level of ketone bodies in the blood.

What is ketosis?

Let's start with the name of the diet: Where did this "keto" come from? When the body is hopelessly deficient in carbohydrates, for example, due to diabetes or prolonged hunger, it has to break down its own fat more actively than usual to obtain energy. Ketosis develops: metabolism is disturbed and more than necessary ketone bodies accumulate in the tissues. Ketone bodies are products of fat metabolism. They are produced by the liver when insulin levels drop in the blood.

"The liver produces ketone bodies all the time, but their levels depend on the carbohydrates and protein you eat—the body needs both, " explains Jeff Volek, a professor at Ohio University.

The breakdown of fat in the body of a healthy person and the formation of ketone bodies is a normal process, this is called ketogenesis. Unlike ketosis, ketogenesis does not lead to dramatic weight loss. Ketosis is a pathology that can be caused by the keto diet, as it almost excludes carbohydrate foods from the diet, as well as diabetes and prolonged hunger. A person who develops ketosis loses weight significantly, as well as some other pathologies.

The ketogenic diet forces the body to use fat as its main source of energy. Usually this role is played by carbohydrates, which, when taken with food, are processed into glucose, which is extremely important for the nutrition and functioning of the brain. However, if the diet is low in carbohydrates, the liver converts fats into fatty acids and ketone bodies. Ketone bodies enter the brain and are used as an energy source instead of glucose. An increase in the level of ketone bodies in the blood (ketosis) leads to a decrease in the frequency of epileptic seizures.

In the keto diet, the main part of the daily diet - 60 to 80% - is fats, proteins - about 15%, and only the remaining 10% are carbohydrates (this is about half of a small bun). At first glance, it looks like the Atkins diet, but according to Spencer Nadolsky, author of The Fat Loss Prescription, the keto diet involves more severe carbohydrate restriction. Some theorists generally say that the less carbohydrates we eat, the more fat our body burns, and therefore the metabolism improves, immunity increases, and in general, various miracles begin to happen in our body.

However, in ordinary life, we get about half of our calories and not one-tenth from carbohydrates. So, at its core, the question is: Can your body stay in ketosis long enough to reach the promised nirvana without serious health consequences? Are you going to literally go crazy with oil?

Is the keto diet right for you?

It may sound strange, but the best diet for you is the one you're used to. Good for Volek, who has been on the keto diet for two decades, but is it for you? Unfortunately, there is no research on what goes on in the body of a long-time keto dieter. During the A-to-Z Weight Loss Study, scientists studied the Atkins diet, Zone, LEARN, and several other diets, but in the study, female subjects consumed between 25 and 35% of carbohydrates – not even close to the recommended 10% . limit yourself to the keto diet.

One thing is known for sure: you will really lose weight on the keto diet. They studied the performance of people sitting on it in Italy in 2015, and on average, they lost about 10-12 pounds over the course of three months. It turned out a year ago in Spain that you can lose about 20 kilos in a year this way. True, over the course of the next year the subjects returned to the weight they had before the experiment as soon as they were off the strict diet.

What will you eat if you decide to try it? First and second, that bacon. Not much will suit you from the rest of the products. Starchy vegetables - potatoes, pumpkins, corn - are strictly prohibited, like most fruits. Milk, beans, rice and pasta will also have to be forgotten.

The keto diet is difficult to follow and can be dangerous for some. Dr. "Extreme diets, especially the keto diet, are strictly contraindicated in people with neurodegenerative diseases such as epilepsy, " says Alan Aragon.

The ketogenic diet is considered optimal for weight loss in the population. However, according to scientific evidence, the effect of losing weight immediately after switching to the ketogenic diet is due to the decrease in the amount of water in the body, and the amount of body fat is only affected by the energy balance. For weight loss, the energy given by food should be less than the energy expended in physical activity. One of the benefits of the ketogenic diet, like other low-carb diets, is that the ketosis that occurs with low-carb diets contributes to weight loss in obesity. Compared to low-fat diets, the difference in calories eaten can be as much as a thousand kilocalories per day. The effect of ketogenic diets is largely dependent on the protein content of the diet.

Can I take drugs that cause an increase in ketone bodies? In no case. Do not listen to "advisers" who will assure you that you can induce ketosis with the help of special medications, even without any diet.

So, is the keto diet right for you? If you're an extreme athlete ready to experiment with your body, like to take risks, and fast results are important to you, try it! If you just want to lose a few pounds and have experienced the "yo-yo effect" in the past (when a person breaks down after a strict diet and gains more weight than they manage to lose), then perhaps you should. don't risk it. However, if you approach the keto diet wisely, there are three lessons you can learn from it that will definitely work.

1. Reduce your intake of "empty" carbohydrates. Analyze which foods you get the most from your daily carb intake: if it comes from fruit rich in fiber and antioxidants, that's fine, but if your carb sources are sugar, soda, and any food made with white flour, you know. What to do: Feel free to send them to the trash.
2. Do not avoid oil. The passion for low-fat food that began in the 90s can be safely left in the past. There is nothing good in that. Often, to compensate for the lack of fat, manufacturers increase the amount of sugar in such products. Eat fatty fish like salmon, mackerel or sardines at least twice a week. And no matter what you cook, do not skimp on vegetables, especially good - olive oil.
3. Eat lots of greens. All leafy vegetables and greens go well with fatty and protein foods - fans of the keto diet eat plenty. And you are doing the same. Eat kale, spinach, bok choy, arugula, and other types of salads without restriction.

What happened to my bacon patients? His experiments with nutrition continued right up until the moment his children were born. Of course, they immediately forgot about the diet (as the young mother explained, there is no time to think). So remember: sooner or later you will get tired of regularly stuffing yourself with bacon, and you will go back to normal, familiar foods.

Recipes

Salmon and asparagus salad

Contents:

• 150 g salmon fillet;
• 80 g of green asparagus;
• 1/2 head of lettuce;
• 2 eggs;
• 4 anchovy fillets;
• 5 cherry tomatoes;
• 5 large capers (or 6-8 small capers) - take the capers in salt, not brine, they must be washed before use;
• 1/2 medium red onion;
• 6-8 Art. I. olive oil;
• 1 teaspoonDijon mustard;
• juice of half a lemon.

How to cook:

1. If you have cooked nicoise before, you can also make this salad. It practically repeats Nice's main dish, only fatty salmon is used instead of tuna, and asparagus is used instead of green beans (but you can also use beans).
2. Salmon is best cooked not in a hot pan or in a hot oven, but in a steam or a slow cooker: 20-30 minutes at a temperature of 80-85 degrees, no higher (otherwise the protein will curl and the fish will turn brown). comes out hard). But you can also fry it in a pan (don't overdo it! ) - the fish should be soft and have some transparency inside.
3. Cook asparagus. It needs to be crispy so don't overcook it! Cooking time depends on its size, so we do not recommend leaving the stove - asparagus cooks quickly.
4. Put the disassembled iceberg on a plate (the salad needs to be washed, dried and cut into medium-sized pieces), asparagus, salmon cut into large pieces, half a cherry tomato, anchovies, capers, diced and hard-boiled onions eggs (ideally, the yolk should remain soft, not liquid) ). Top of the fields with Dijon mustard and lemon juice and olive oil sauce. You do not need to salt the dish - anchovies and capers are already salty enough.

The ketogenic diet is used by athletes engaged in endurance sports such as ultramarathons, triathlons, and cycling. The body of athletes adhering to this diet uses fat more efficiently as an energy source, thus helping to preserve glycogen stores during exercise. long-term effort.

Bacon and lettuce salad

Contents:

• 2 handfuls of lettuce
• 100 g of bacon;
• 8 sprigs of mint;
• 1 egg yolk;
• 6 tbsp. I. olive oil and some more for frying;
• 1 teaspoon of granulated mustard;
• 1 tablespoon. I. sherry vinegar.

How to cook:

1. For this salad you will need to make a slightly more complex dressing: put the mint leaves and mustard in a tall glass, add the yolk, pour the sherry vinegar. Beat with a blender while adding olive oil in a thin stream.
2. Cut the lettuce in half lengthwise and fry quickly over high heat. It should be slightly caramelized, that is, take on a golden brown color that remains fresh and crunchy on the inside. Fry the bacon without oil on high heat or in the oven until crispy. Put the lettuce, bacon and sauce on a plate. Garnish with mint leaves.