Keto Diet: The Advantages And Disadvantages

keto diet is a diet  in which carbohydrates are almost completely avoided. This is intended to force the body to draw the energy it needs from the fat deposits. The extremely low-sugar diet is also used in tumor and epilepsy therapy. Read everything you need to know about the keto diet here.

What is a keto diet?

The keto diet is a low-carb diet – a maximum of five percent of the daily food intake consists of carbohydrates. This diet is based on the assumption that carbohydrates, not fat, make you fat. One of the most well-known representatives of the catabolic diet is the Atkins diet.

A ketogenic diet consists mostly of fat and protein. By not eating grain, fruit and vegetables, the body has no “fast” sources of energy. This is supposed to get him to produce the sugars needed for the brain and other organs from the fat reserves. This process is called ketosis.

Ketosis was also pivotal in the genesis of the diet. It was originally developed in 1921 to treat neurological disorders such as epilepsy. It turned out that the patients had fewer epileptic seizures during the diet due to the ketosis.

The keto diet is also used in cancer and tumor therapy. The basis is the theory that tumor cells can hardly utilize fatty acids. The ketogenic diet aims to starve the tumor.

Ketogenic diets can also help significantly lower blood sugar and insulin levels.

How Does The Keto Diet Work?

To achieve ketosis, you can only consume a maximum of 30 grams of carbohydrates per day, which corresponds to about 40 grams of pasta. The reference of the Indian Society for Nutrition (iGE) for daily carbohydrate intake as part of a balanced diet is well over 200 grams for an adult – with a daily calorie intake of around 2000 calories. The ketogenic diet is very low in carbohydrates

A lot of protein in the form of meat and eggs is eaten to prevent muscle breakdown. Fat intake is also drastically increased to signal the body that it is constantly being replenished and does not need to store the fat.

A Ratio Of The Energy Sources Of

70 to 80 percent fat

20 to 25 percent protein

maximum 5 percent carbohydrates

There’s also a moderate keto diet variant that gets 70 percent of its energy from fat, 10 percent from protein, and 20 percent from carbohydrates. 60 percent of the fat comes from medium-chain fatty acids (MCTs), which are said to form more ketone bodies per unit. They are found in palm and coconut oil, for example.

Ketogenic Diet: These foods are allowed

A ketogenic diet focuses primarily on vegetables and high-fat foods. It is important that you mainly consume the polyunsaturated fatty acids that are contained in fish, avocados or nuts, for example. Also make sure that you mainly cook with fresh, unprocessed and high-quality foods.

Foods you can eat though on a keto diet include:

meat and sausage

Both red and white meat are allowed. Processed products such as ham or Viennese are no problem either. The only restriction: Sausage must not contain any added sugar or starch.

However, when following a ketogenic diet, remember that eating too much meat is unhealthy. This applies in particular to processed products. The German Society for Nutrition advises adults not to eat more than 300 to 600 grams of meat and sausages per week.

fish and seafood

Oily fish like salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel are particularly good for a ketogenic diet. Anchovies, cod or herring are also allowed.

You are also welcome to access seafood. They usually contain no or only a few carbohydrates, but valuable nutrients. The menu can therefore contain:

shrimp

lobster

octopus

crayfish

shrimp

scallops

caviar

vegetables

Green vegetables and cabbage are central to a ketogenic diet. These include spinach, broccoli, collards, cauliflower, and kale. But that’s not all: eggplant, mushrooms and zucchini are also allowed. You can also eat tomatoes, onions and peppers.

Be sure to avoid starchy vegetables. These include root vegetables like parsnips, carrots, and potatoes.

kETOGENIC DIET: tHESE FOODS ARE FORBIDDEN

On a ketogenic diet, avoid all high-carb foods. This contains:

Grain products such as baked goods and pasta

rice

Fruit (except berries, avocado, and olives)

Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas and beans

Root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips