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It is the era of overweight and obesity, which the world is not getting away from. In fact the only way is to find better and healthy eating alternatives. Such efforts have been noted and that is why the likes of keto diet and the now popular keto diet plan is finding popularity among the masses. The bad news is that there are only a few effective ways to eat healthy and lose weight. The few that are there come with a tall order of prerequisites and many quit before they even make a staggering step.
But how well do you know keto diet? Have you ever heard of keto diet plan? If it is your first time then you are in the right place. This article will cover the ABC of all that there is to know. And probably by the time you read the last sentence of this post you will be convinced to give this diet a try. But first things first; what is keto diet?
What is Keto Diet?
This is an ultra low carb diet and share lots of features with Atkins and the rest of low-carb options you may already know of. One feature that makes this diet stand out from the rest is that it comes with a bold approach for high-fat inclusion in all meals. Yes, you will be taking more fat than you thought is good for healthy eating.
It involves drastic minimization of carbohydrate intake and instead accelerating the intake of fat. The logic behind this is to deprive the body of sugar supply and instead increase its efficiency in burning fats into energy. This process is called ketosis and has been lauded by nutrition scientists to be effective in weight loss and holistic health advantages.
Easy Keto Diet
There are different types of keto diet plans depending on what you want and what you do. But it is suitable that you follow easy keto diet plan that would guarantee high chances of success. Truth is that many would want to go for this diet but the conditions and how you have to readjust yourself become unbearable to many.
If you are looking for an easy win over weight and other health problems, standard keto diet is the way to go. It entails taking low portions of carbohydrates, moderate quotas of protein and high fat quantities. The ratio for these portions is 15:4:1 respectively. This diet plan is for those who are not involved in intensive physical activities. If you are an athlete or someone who is very active then you need to explore other options still in this diet (a topic for another day).
Keto Menu
Keto menu is about what you should eat and what you should not touch. Just like any other healthy and weight loss diets, you are not at liberty to eat what you want. To begin, let’s see the foods you should include in your meals;
· Food flavors: for these ones you can touch on pepper, healthy natural herbs and spices
· Meat: yes you will need meat but not all of it is good for this diet. A few examples of good meat include red type, bacon, chicken, sausages and ham.
· Fish: here you have to be careful with what you choose. The fatty kinds are recommended. Excellent examples include, mackerel, Salmon and tuna
· Seeds and nuts: they form a very crucial source of fats and proteins and you need them in your menu. Some good sources include chia, walnuts, almonds, and flaxseeds
· Veggies: your meals are not complete without some vegetables. Greens are low in carbs and you can throw some in your meals.
· Selected dairy products: cream and butter are good for they contain both fat and proteins. Go for the ones from grass-fed sources for they are safer and nutritious.
· Healthy and safe oils: coconut, olive and avocado oils are good for you. They are not only nutritious but they also keep you full for long and take good care of your skin.
Keto Diet Plan
There is nothing that succeeds without a good plan. Even eating healthy would require you to plan for it. Keto diet plan is about establishing a process to follow from day 1 to when you will be saying goodbye to this diet. It is good to establish the plan before you begin so as not to lose focus once you are in it. To give a sample of how a plan should look like, here is a 1-week eating plan that may be of help to you once you decide that you would try out this diet;
Day 1
This is your first day and it will determine how successful you may be with the days to follow.
Breakfast: go for tomatoes, omega-3 enriched eggs and top it up with bacon
Lunch: olive oil, turkey/chicken salad. If you still need more; feta cheese would be a great addition.
Supper: some fish probably salmon accompanied with asparagus would be a great combination
Day 2
Breakfast: goat cheese, tomato and basil
Lunch: almond, butter and cocoa powder would be ideal selections
Supper: vegetables (low-carb type), cheddar cheese and beef meatballs
Day 3
Breakfast: your favorite milkshake as long as it is not from the high-carb group
Lunch: half-piece avocado, shrimp cooked in olive oil
Supper: broccoli, beef/pork chops
Day 4
Breakfast: lots of spices and herbs. Add on avocado or an egg omelet to make it a complete meal
Lunch: go for seeds and nuts such as walnuts
Supper: low-carb cream, chicken and take it down with loads of vegetables
Day 5:
Breakfast: carb-free yoghurt with the company of peanut butter
Lunch: beef and vegetables both stir-fried in olive oil
Supper: bacon, eggs and sugar free burger
Day 6:
Breakfast: vegetables in the company of cheese and ham
Lunch: cheese with bun-less burger
Supper: beef steak taken down with salads and some eggs
Day 7
Breakfast: fry your eggs and generously touched with bacon. Have some roasted mushrooms
Lunch: cheese, fried turkey and a helping of greens
Supper: beef steak, generous portion of salad
For the other days going beyond the one week you can interchange the options. This is only for sampling so you can experiment with your own combination. The bottom line is to take few or no carbs. As long you can play by that, you should have an array of choices to make this interesting. It does not have to be boring since you can play with the menu once you become accustomed to what to do and what not to.
Keto diet results
There is a lot to expect from keto diet. The good news is that you get many benefits once you commence on keto diet plan, and who doesn’t want that? To put everything in perspective, let’s see the results that should come your way once you start this journey;
· Losing weight: everyone who starts on keto diet is seeking one important thing: to lose weight. If you begin and stick with this diet your chances of losing and normalizing your body weight are very high. But there is some need of a caution. The weight loss rate is not as hyped as what you read on biased adverts. There are those who have gravely broken metabolism and getting desirable results from this diet will need a lot of time and effort.
For those with high fasting insulin turn over would require exercise accompanying what they eat. Intensive training has the overall effect of minimizing insulin sensitivity to muscles and this can go a long way to help in weight reduction.
· Having grip over your eating: the reason why you keep on piling pounds of fat is because you really can’t have control over what you eat, when and where you do so. But the keto diet plan is out to give you full control over your eating habits. Anyone would tell you that having control over what, how and when you eat is a powerful tool towards healthy lifestyle.
· Light and clear thinking: of course you already know that high carbohydrate cause fogginess and the need to sleep every time. With low carbs you will have a clear and sharp mind at all times.
· Enhanced digestion: bloating, constipation, and stomach are common and finding a way to deal with that would be a plus for everyone. That is what keto diet brings to you. A flawless digestion that would give peace of mind all day and night.
· Stable mood: one of the reasons why you always have mood swings is partly because of what you eat. High carbohydrates in your food are a mood spoiler. Taking them away from the equation will give you mood stability. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin are responsible for your mood and bringing stability to them is a big win for you.
· More body energy: at first your body will slowly respond to the change in diet. You will experience low energy spells but they only last for a day or two (for some it may take beyond a week). Once your body get used to the change you will have more energy than you had imagined. And it is all health energy leaving your body free from fats and harmful sugars.
Potential side effects
If anyone told you that there is problem-free health diet then that was a big lie. There is always a negative side of any diet and it is important you know before you bank all your hopes on such a diet. Keto diet is to no exception to this and here are side effects you should be aware of;
· Serious sugar cravings: there are 21 days of transition you need before your body gets used to this diet. You will experience strong sugar cravings but the good thing is that this will come to pass. Your body is just adjusting to the new reality. It will be a temptation you have to overcome if you look forward to walk down the path of success with this diet.
· Feeling dizzy and fatigued: you are expected to dump water as you begin on this diet. That one comes with losing minerals such as magnesium and potassium casing fatigue and dizziness. To deal with this you have to take more salt and your body will be back to normal.
· Frequent headaches: this is common with low carb diets and should not scare you. Taking less water and deprivation of minerals in your body is responsible for these headaches. Taking more salt will easily deal with this problem so you should not worry.
· Increased urine: into your first or second day with keto diet you will experience so many changes taking place in/on your body. One of this will be frequent urination. The reason behind this is the increased burning of glycogen leading to lots of water. Your kidney will be dumping the excess water to the urinary bladder more frequently and it gets serious as you get on with the low carb diet.
As you can see there are no major problems you should be worried if you choose this diet. In fact, these are temporary side effects that will boil away once your body gets accustomed to the change in diet.
Keto diet or not?
I know you are now contemplating whether or not to go for a keto diet plan. Of course I understand your reservation especially after trying so many weight loss diets only to get no or negative results. There are misleading diets out there, but luckily keto is not one of them. You have had the chance to see both sides of the coin i.e. the benefits and dangers associated with this diet. Objectively there are more gains than losses if you choose this diet.
Nutrition and metabolism society has thrown its weight backing the safety and effectiveness of keto diet. This should clear any doubts you have and get on with it to reap all the benefits of such a decision. Another thing that should give you the boldness to start on this diet is the reported rates of success of low carb diets among which keto diet falls in. The final decision is all yours and I hope you will make the right one. As you begin your journey, all the best. To good health, Cheers!
