Keto Down

By K ROBSON

Losing weight can often be a challenge. In our Keto Down series, we discuss two effective ways to lose weight safely while giving your body the nutrients it needs to stay healthy. Keto Diets and Intermittent Fasting have been around for decades. Learn the secrets to combining both techniques to accelerate a healthy weight loss. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: GRAY STAR PUBLISHING
• Release date: May 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201330002

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

WHAT IS KETO?

As simple as this question may sound, it carries great importance. For better understanding, you should know that on its own the word keto is short for the word ketogenic which is simply consuming a higher amount of fat, very few carbohydrates, and moderate amounts of protein. So, ketogenic means a diet with low carbohydrates in it. Although keto diets are focused on fat consumption, these are healthful fats that help provide calories instead of carbs (carbohydrate). In a later chapter, we shall see exactly how keto works, but for now, just know that keto diets help deplete the body of its glucose reserves after which the fat is broken down as a calorie replacement for carbohydrates. Through this process, the body creates certain molecules known as ketones which serve as fuel for the body to use. Because of the breakdown of fat through this process, the body experiences weight loss. When on a ketogenic diet, it is advised to reduce the consumption of certain carbohydrate foods and beverages that are easy to digest. Among these are foods like white bread and pastries, and even beverages like soda or others that contain sugar.

When the body achieves ketosis, it efficiently converts fat to energy. In the liver, these fat are converted into ketones where they go on to supply the brain and body with some energy. Going ketogenic reduces both the insulin and the level of blood sugar, thereby greatly increasing the individuals health. The best way for the body to enter ketosis is through a proper ketogenic diet. During this period, the amount of carbs the body consumes is limited to about 20 to 50 grams every day which substituting whatever else for fats like eggs, nuts, fish, healthy oils, and meat. When on a ketogenic diet, not only is it important to limit the amount of carbohydrate one consumes, protein consumption should also be moderated. The main purpose for this is to avoid slowing down the body’s ketone production because of the glucose converted from consuming high amounts of protein.

However, among the several methods are known to boost the process of reaching ketosis, and intermittent fasting is the most common. Regardless of the various intermittent fasting methods, limiting one’s eating to 8 hours a day while using the remaining 16 hours for fasting is the most common. Although this method seems a bit tedious, it is the most effective way of entering ketosis. To be sure, tests are carried out on the breath, urine, and blood to determine the number of ketones produced by the body. Apart from being an effective method for losing weight, ketogenic diets are also essential for patients with epilepsy as ketones have been discovered to help reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures. As we progress in this book, we shall look into the importance of keto as well as its disadvantages.

Going on a ketogenic diet requires a high level of sensitivity to what a person consumes. It is such a careful diet that even fruits are sometimes removed from the list of consumable foods. Fruits may be a major part of the diet for most weight watchers, keto dieters differ and some even view it as unhealthy and try to avoid it completely. Although it is not quite clear as to why fruits are avoided by some persons on a ketogenic diet, the sugar content may be a contributory factor. On the issue of fruit consumption during the process of weight loss, the majority of the lifestyle and health professionals advise it about 80% of the time. Even for those not on a weight loss program, fruit consumption is vital to any individual's daily diet. The most any health professional would advise against fruits is consuming them in excess amounts. However, the addition of fruits to a low-carb diet remains questionable, and some keto dieters go as far as consuming only what is left of the fruits after the juice has been removed and only the roughage remains.

Is it healthy to avoid fruits as part of a low-carb diet like keto? This question can be answered to some extent in the following paragraphs. Low-carb diets aim to reduce the number of carbohydrates an individual consumes by limiting the foods that contain carbohydrates, especially those with sugary contents like root vegetables such as potatoes and products of grains like pasta, bread, and other pastries. Fruits however are also a part of these foods with sugar contents. For instance, a cup of grapes is said to contain about 26 grams of carb content, a pear of medium size contains about 22 grams of carb content. The list goes on but looking at these two examples, one can easily tell that regardless of the fruit, the net carb count is enough to place them on the restricted list. When compared to low-carb vegetables, fruits are much higher in carb content. However, even though fruits contain some carb content higher than those of low-carb vegetables, their carb content is quite insignificant when compared with foods from grain products like bread or pasta. Because fruits have a higher carb content than