Maybe you wanted to start this year with some health and fitness goals and wanted to try something that supports you. If so, have you heard about Keto Diet? Some of you might want to try it while some would have heard about it but aren’t exactly sure of what it is. If you are one of them, then this is for you. This keto meal plan has become one of the most popular methods in the world that provides great benefits in improving health and reducing weight by removing fat. Keep reading to know what a keto diet is, along with the benefits and the way to follow it to live a better life.
What is a Keto diet?
A Keto diet or a ketogenic diet is a low carb and high-fat diet. The aim is to intake very low carbs, high fat, and moderate protein. This is really effective for weight loss and health improvement. You can lose excess body fat without hunger and improve type 2 diabetes.
Carbohydrates are the main source that provides energy to the body. When you eat food that has carbohydrates, the body will convert it into blood sugar and glucose and then use it for energy. Glucose is the simplest form of energy that the body will use before turning it into fat.
But in the ketogenic diet, the aim is to limit eating foods that have carbohydrates, so the body should break down the fat to use energy because there will be fewer carbohydrates which is not enough. The fat you eat is broken down in the liver and produces ketones, which is the byproduct of your metabolism. As there is no glucose to produce energy, the Ketones are replaced to fuel the body.
As a result, there will be no fat to be stored because it will be used for energy so that you will find a significant weight loss and help in reducing blood sugar levels.
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How to follow a Keto meal plan?
According to studies an average American man above age 20 used to eat 46.4 % of daily calories from carbs, and a woman above age 20 eat 40.2 % of daily calories from carbs.
But to achieve the level of ketosis, you need to reduce the number of carbs you eat. Normally in a keto diet, 5 to 10% of calories come from carbohydrates, 5 to 15% come from protein, and 80 to 90% calories come from fats. But in a modified version, the keto diet allows you to eat more protein which is 20 to 30% of your total calories with 5 to 10% of carbohydrates.
Switching to a ketogenic diet seems to be big, but it is not that difficult. You need to focus on reducing carbs while increasing the intake of foods that contain fat and protein. Some people eat 20 grams of carbs per day while some eat higher carbs and achieve the state of ketosis. But lower the carbohydrate you eat is easier for you to reach the state. Therefore sticking to keto-friendly food is the best way to successfully lose weight and improve your health.
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Keto-friendly foods to eat
In the keto diet, you do need to eat Keto-friendly foods to follow your diet.
- Eggs
- Fatty fish
- Meat such as chicken, venison, and beef
- Full-fat dairies like yogurt and butter
- Full-fat cheese such as Mozzarella, cheddar, and cream cheese
- Avocados
- Nuts and seeds
- Non-starchy vegetables such as mushrooms, tomatoes, and broccoli
- Healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, and coconut butter.
You can try keto-friendly beverages
- Water
- Sparkling water replaces the intake of soda
- Unsweetened coffee
- Unsweetened green tea.
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Foods to avoid
You need to avoid foods that contain carbohydrates.
- Bread and baked goods like white bread, crackers, cookies, and doughnuts,
- Sweets like ice cream, coconut sugar, candy sweets
- Beverages like juice, soda, and sweetened tea,
- Pasta
- Noodles
- Grains and grain products like wheat, oats, rice
- Starchy vegetables like corn, peas, butternut squash, sweet potatoes
- Fruits like grapes, bananas, and pineapples
- Alcohol beverages like beer and sugary mixed drinks.
Benefits of following a Keto meal plan
Reduce weight
The easy and simplest way to reduce weight is by limiting carbs. People who follow the keto diet lose weight much faster than those who are following a low-fat diet. Most probably you will find a difference within the first week because the low-carb diet will reduce the water weight in the body and lower the insulin level. Moreover, it benefits you in a long term.
Reduces your hunger
The worst side effect when dieting is hunger. It is the main reason why many people give up their diet. But the Keto diet provides you with an automatic reduction in being hungry. It is proven that when people cut carbs and eat more protein and fat they will end up eating few calories.
May treat cancers
The ketogenic diet is proven to help prevent and treat certain cancers. It is found to be safe for treatments like chemotherapy and Radiation therapy in people with certain cancers. This diet reduces blood sugar and lowers the risk of insulin which links to cancers. Although some indicate the benefit of cancer treatment they need to carry out more studies to fully understand the prevention.
Increase the levels of good HDL cholesterol
When you have a high level of good cholesterol there is a low risk of heart disease. One of the best ways to increase the level is to eat fat and reduce carbohydrates. So a healthy low-carb diet will increase HDL.
May lower blood pressure
High blood pressure or hypertension is a significant risk factor for many diseases like kidney failure, heart disease, stroke. In order to lower blood pressure, a low-carb diet is more effective to reduce the risk and help to live for a longer time.
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Risks involved
For most the people, Keto diet is safe to follow. But before starting a Keto diet plan, if you are taking medications for diabetes or high blood pressure consult a doctor. Do not follow it, if you are breastfeeding.
In order to avoid Keto flu, you need to drink lots of fluids and enough salt, especially to minimize the symptoms of initial Keto flu you need to follow it during the first week of the meal plan.
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