Important: It is not recommended to follow a diet without consulting your doctor first.This rule is relevant not only for those who identify diseases, but also for everyone.
Unlike most popular diets, the goals of the ketogenic diet were purely medical from the start.They are still on the agenda today.In general, the word "diet" initially had nothing to do with losing weight.This word means a set of nutritional rules that must be followed in a certain situation - during the treatment of a certain disease, during the period of postoperative therapy.
The keto diet owes its renewed popularity largely to an American film producer whose child suffered from long-term epilepsy.Despite numerous visits to the most famous and prominent neurologists who tried the most effective antiepileptic drugs available in nature, the boy's condition did not improve at all.Almost desperate, the father read a lot of literature on the treatment of epilepsy in the local library, and suddenly came across a description of the ketogenic diet, which was not recommended to him by any specialist.He immediately put his son on this diet and was delighted to see a significant reduction in the boy's seizure frequency.
Thus, the ketogenic diet was invented to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures - mainly in children.There was no reduction in caloric intake;carbohydrates were simply replaced by fats.Children were kept on this diet for 36 hours and their seizure frequency actually decreased.
The ketogenic diet is now used to treat not only epilepsy, but Alzheimer's disease, fatty liver (fatty liver) and even some cancers.In general, its medical benefits are undeniable.What about losing weight?
A ketogenic diet is a diet consisting of foods very high in fat (animal fats and some vegetable oils), animal proteins, and very low in carbohydrates, so that about 80% of the body's energy needs are met by the breakdown of fats (the fat content of the average European's diet provides 30-35% of the body's energy needs for the day).And similar to what happens during fasting, the breakdown of large amounts of fat causes an increase in acidity in the body.This probably explains why the use of such a dietary complex leads to a decrease in the frequency of epileptic seizures.
The goal of the ketogenic diet is to put the body in a state of ketosis.
Ketosis is a pathological state of the body in which ketone bodies predominate in its tissues.The state of ketosis means that the body uses only the fat stored under the skin to meet its energy needs, which prevents muscle breakdown.When you are in ketosis, you will get energy from ketones - carbonyl compounds that are formed when fats are broken down.By the way, ketones are an excellent source of energy for the brain, replacing glucose almost perfectly.
Another positive feature of ketosis is that in this state you will practically not feel hungry, so you will eat less, that is, you will not fully cover your energy costs.
To put the body in a state of ketosis, the diet is designed in such a way that the diet is clearly dominated by fats, and mainly saturated fats (the diet consists of 90% fat, by calorie).
In fact, the diet used by many professional bodybuilders in the last week before a competition can also be called ketogenic: it consists only of salmon (usually grilled, but can be prepared in other forms), peanut butter and green vegetables (lettuce, broccoli, spinach, kale).It is better to add linseed oil or walnut oil to this diet.Now there is more protein here, which reduces the problems, but does not eliminate them completely.
Pros and cons of the classic ketogenic diet
The advantage is that this diet is very effective, the diet works and how!The main thing is that you will practically not feel hungry, which means that it will be quite easy to tolerate the calorie restriction in your diet.Ketones are an excellent source of energy for the brain.
It is also important that the ketogenic diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease due to a sharp decrease in insulin secretion.But for people who lead an active lifestyle, this plus can easily turn into a minus, since insulin is a powerful anti-catabolic agent.The decrease in insulin secretion is based on the ability of a ketogenic diet to produce acidosis in the muscles, which means an increase in proteolysis, which means that the breakdown of the body's own proteins is facilitated.And catabolism can get out of control.Not immediately, of course, after 3-4 days.
It is simply impossible to follow the classic ketogenic diet for a long time - you start to get sick in the most natural way.It is not for nothing that the ketogenic diet for children with epilepsy is limited to 36 hours.
The ketogenic diet is currently being used to treat some types of cancer.In particular, prostate cancer takes advantage of the diet's ability to reduce IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) production.
Another disadvantage is a decrease in the level of free testosterone in the blood plasma.
The main danger of the keto diet is an increase in ketone levels in the blood, which lowers blood acidity (pH) and can lead to death in extreme cases.This condition is called "ketoacidosis".First of all, this applies to people with severe and moderate forms of diabetes.If it is not there, there is no need to worry about it, because healthy people have enough ketones in their blood that the body can process.
It takes time for the body to give up glucose and to learn to feed the brain with ketone bodies, so the level of physical and mental activity may decrease in the first week.The main symptoms are lethargy, dizziness and mental fog.
Many people find this condition extremely painful and literally "give up" on the second day.However, the state of health returns to normal on the third-fifth day when the body is rebuilt.
Lack of fiber slows down bowel function.The main point of the ketogenic diet is to completely avoid carbohydrates.Accordingly, the diet should consist of proteins and fats, and fiber is a complex carbohydrate.It is possible to take fiber in its pure form and include green vegetables or lettuce leaves in the diet, which contain a lot of coarse dietary fiber.
A significant deficiency of the diet is the deficiency of micronutrients caused by the elimination of foods containing carbohydrates from the diet.In fact, any meat or dairy products recommended on the ketogenic diet do not contain many vitamins or minerals.The best way to prevent deficiency is to take vitamins and minerals, food supplements that contain minerals.A number of minerals, such as zinc or magnesium, are important for body function and hormonal levels.
Contraindications
Ketogenic diets are contraindicated in liver diseases, kidney diseases, metabolic disorders (including congenital and genetically determined metabolic disorders), progressive encephalopathy, as well as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular and lipid diseases, as well as when taking valproic acid.Currently, there are no known contraindications for its use.
When prescribing a ketogenic diet, the diet for each child and adult is calculated only by a doctor!Strictly individualized, taking into account the diagnosis, age and weight of the child, his nutritional needs.The composition of the main nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) in food is selected in a certain ratio determined only by a specialist!During treatment, this ratio may change, so the patient should be constantly monitored by the attending physician, who makes dietary adjustments if necessary.The patient's diet includes various types of fatty foods - bacon, heavy cream, vegetable oils, for example, flaxseed.In countries where the ketogenic diet is widely practiced, the food industry produces many specialty products that can provide a varied and nutritious menu.
For those starting the course of treatment, nutritionists have prepared special milkshakes with a large amount of fat, which can be eaten not only drunk, but also frozen like ice cream.It helps the child get used to fatty foods and creates the necessary biochemical changes in the body that have an antiepileptic effect.During treatment, the doctor requires great skill in creating a menu, otherwise the child will quickly get bored of the monotonous diet and may refuse to eat at all.During various diseases, for example, during a cold, the metabolism is constantly changing.This can make the ketogenic diet less effective.In such conditions, you should definitely consult your doctor so that he can adjust the menu.
What can you eat on a ketogenic diet and what recommendations should you follow?
The ketogenic diet focuses on foods rich in protein and fat.It is important that moderate fat consumption is healthy and even necessary, because it is fat that causes a long-lasting feeling of fullness.
Fats can be divided into three groups:
- saturated fat (found in red meat and dairy products);
- unsaturated (found in vegetable oils and vegetables);
- monounsaturated (found in fish and olives).
Fats perform many functions in the human body:
- energy (with a lack of calories, fats can be broken down, providing the body with energy);
- protective (all organs are covered with a thin layer and have high thermal insulation properties);
- construction (part of cell membranes);
- enzymatic (some lipids are part of cofactors);
- hormonal (some lipids are part of hormones and mediators).
The best choice would be protein-rich foods - meat, fish, milk, cottage cheese, eggs, cheese, as well as their derivatives.Carbohydrates are acceptable, but in small amounts.30-50 grams of fiber will be enough for digestion.
Any products containing starch (cereals, pasta, potatoes) and sugar in any form are absolutely not recommended.Almost all fruits contain a lot of sugar in one form or another, so they are also prohibited.You should always look at the content of the product on the label, because even a glass of milk contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates.In addition, a list of the main food additives is studied, which will have to be excluded because they are harmful.
Drink plenty of water to promote weight loss.Water helps the body burn more calories and prevents constipation.Limit caffeine intake.Exercise regularly.
Exercise will help you lose fat faster on a ketogenic diet.Walk, ride a bike, run in the park or work out in the gym.Incorporating physical activity into your daily schedule can help keep your heart healthy and help you lose weight.
Get a good night's sleep.In the early stages of ketosis, you may feel very tired.Sleep at least 7-8 hours a night to restore energy.Good rest will also help you lose weight.
Contact your doctor if you experience cold-like symptoms.Many people feel tired and have mild headaches while in ketosis.Sometimes side effects are severe enough to require medical attention.
When does the diet go into effect?
The effects of using a ketogenic diet occur gradually within the first 3 months after starting it.Typically, long-term treatment is required (several years, usually 2-3 years), after which a steady improvement is usually observed, even with a normal diet.Thus, there is no need to follow a ketogenic diet for life.
In many cases, the positive effect is noticeable already in the first or second week of treatment.However, sometimes no effect is noticeable within one or two months after using the diet - in this case, it is too early to draw conclusions about the ineffectiveness of the treatment;perhaps the doctor should calculate the biochemical parameters more carefully.
According to the commonly accepted understanding, this is basically a variation on therapeutic fasting, followed by a "load" of foods that induce ketosis.During the first three days of therapy, you should completely refuse any food and limit yourself to only drinking water in any amount.Carbonated and non-carbonated water and artificially sweetened drinks, as well as juices are prohibited.You can drink green tea.Water can be boiled or purified.During this period, the patient's physical activity should be reduced;bed rest is sometimes indicated.In the next three days, you should introduce food slowly, a quarter of the usual portion.When choosing foods, you should be guided by the principle of 4 parts fat to 1 part protein and carbohydrates.
The menu is somewhat reminiscent of the so-called fat diet for weight loss.The main thing is that you should completely exclude foods such as cereals, fruits, ordinary bread, carrots, beets, potatoes and pasta.
Complications
As with any therapy method, in some cases the use of a ketogenic diet is associated with some negative reactions, the basics of which are listed below.
- Hair loss.Some children experience hair loss or sparse hair growth after long-term use of the ketogenic diet.It is believed that this complication is primarily related to the lack of minerals in the diet.
- Delayed linear growth.This type of physical impairment has been reported in some patients, but its relationship to the ketogenic diet is still debated.Increase in the level of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.The ketogenic diet, which is almost 90% fat, sometimes causes an increase in blood cholesterol and other lipids.Any lipid content (cholesterol - more than 800 mg%, triglycerides - more than 1000 mg%) does not require stopping the diet.Reducing the fat-to-protein-to-carbohydrate ratio from 4:1 to 3.5:1 usually results in rapid reduction of lipid levels to acceptable levels.
- Kidney stones.This complication of the ketogenic diet affects about 1 in 6 patients.It is believed to occur due to insufficient fluid intake in children.Therefore, when implementing a ketogenic diet, a urine test is performed to determine density and detect blood impurities.If necessary, an ultrasound examination of the kidneys is performed.
- Insomnia and lethargymay occur due to excessive ketosis or toxicity of concomitant antiepileptic drugs.Blood levels of drugs may increase during the ketogenic diet without increasing drug dosage.For this reason, it is necessary to check their concentration in the blood and immediately reduce the dose of potentially sedative drugs such as phenobarbital and benzodiazepines.
- Constipation, usually explained by relatively small portions of food when following a ketogenic diet and limited water consumption.Increasing the daily volume of fluid consumed by 100-150 ml helps to prevent defecation disorders.
- Excessive body weightDiseases are caused by consuming too many calories rather than too much fat.Therefore, when prescribing a ketogenic diet, the energy content of the diet should be adjusted to their individual needs.
- Weight loss.This point can be explained by some individual metabolic characteristics, as well as the patient's level of physical activity.If it turns out that the child's body weight decreases by 400-500 g in 1 month, the energy content of the diet can be increased by about 100 kcal per day.It should be remembered that when increasing the caloric content of the diet of young children or patients with low physical activity, it is not necessary to increase the amount of energy consumed at a time by more than 25 kcal.
We remind you once again that your personal menu for this diet should be drawn up by a specialist!
When using a ketogenic diet, a comprehensive clinical and laboratory examination of patients is required before starting treatment with EEG and ECG data registration, as well as biochemical blood tests.