So, the magic keto diet. There are so many rumors and speculations about her, how many hopes are placed on her, how many hours are spent in the toilet because of her. Keto apologists preach about the rapid melting of fat glaciers, incredible productivity, crystal clarity of mind, and so on and so forth. in a similar vein. We don't know where this data came from because scientists are just beginning to study this diet under the microscope.
Let's discuss all the pros and cons of a high fat diet.
The gist for beginners: what it is in simple terms
Let's make one important point clear right away: the high-fat diet (ketogenic diet) is still not a low-carb diet, but primarily a super-high-fat diet.
The keto diet is a low-carb weight loss diet with a moderate amount of protein in the diet and active fat consumption.
If you count calories, the percentage breakdown of calories will be:
- 80% of calories come from fat,
- 15% protein kcal. ,
- the remaining 5% is carbohydrates.
That is, at least 75% of the calories in your diet should come from fat; the sources of which can be eggs, bacon, sausages, avocados, vegetable oils, coconut oil, butter.
We also want to note that this is not a diet based on animal fat, the so-called pure meat diet, not at all! Vegetables are consumed, but with moderate or complete avoidance of starchy vegetables such as potatoes.
What is important to know for beginners? What is a "fat diet" in simple terms?
So, the essence of the ketogenic diet is simple in words. With such a nutritional system, the body enters a state called "ketosis" and begins to synthesize ketones for subsequent energy generation (hence the name "ketogenic" diet), and such a transition is possible only if the intake of carbohydrates is strictly limited.
Our body is able to fully satisfy its needs from fat reserves. But the lack of carbohydrates is terrible for our brain and nervous system, which need glucose: the brain cannot use fatty acids for its energy supply.
When we neglect carbohydrates, the body, in order not to stretch its legs, begins to pervert and create ersatz carbohydrates - ketone bodies.
Ketone bodies are water-soluble organic biomolecules that are synthesized in the liver from fatty acids when food intake (especially carbohydrates) decreases. Once transported to extrahepatic tissues, these biomolecules can be used as an energy source.
Ketone bodies are constantly synthesized in small amounts in the human body, but usually the concentration of ketones is so low that they are not detected in a urine test.
However, when the level of ketone bodies in the blood increases (a condition known as ketonemia), they begin to be excreted in the urine (known as ketonuria); Ketonomy and ketonuria taken together indicate the transition of the body into a state of ketosis.
The ultimate goal of a ketogenic diet is to put the body in a state of nutritional ketosis (not to be confused with pathological ketosis), which ultimately directs the metabolism to use fatty acids and ketone bodies as its primary source of energy.
In the initial stages, the main thing is not to overdo it with the amount of protein.
If you eat too much protein (more than 20%), the body starts the process of gluconeogenesis and eventually all excess protein is converted to glucose, which prevents you from entering a state of ketosis.
Therefore, it is important to choose fatty foods with little protein. It is not necessary to bet on the chicken meat, but better to buy fatty cuts of beef. Instead of diet turkey bacon, buy regular bacon. Only 20% of your calories should come from protein.
Also remember to drink lots and lots. Because the main sign of ketosis is the smell of acetone on your body and breath. Cool, right?
The fact is that excess fatty derivatives are excreted from the body, giving this specific smell. Earlier we talked about fat energy factories being the most "polluting".
It is not always possible to completely eliminate the smell. But most of the smell can be removed with very clean water.
These. When you drink a lot of water (from 3 liters per day), excess ketones are excreted in urine and sweat. This removes most of the smell after a shower. In addition, it improves well-being (eliminates lethargy).
Fun fact: the keto diet was originally invented for epileptics.
Why we don't recommend it: the dangers of consuming fat
For one simple reason: it's not a balanced diet. And such diets, which openly demonize all kinds of food, are absolutely not included in our concept: "Beauty does not require sacrifices, beauty requires health". What kind of freedom from the Pope's pressure can we talk about when you exclude a huge amount of food from your diet? . .
We do not deny that the body can exist more or less adequately in conditions of minimal or complete absence of carbohydrates, provided it receives adequate protein and the physiologically necessary amount of fat, but ideally the presence of all three nutrients is still guaranteedsubstances in the diet, i. e. Use a balanced diet to lose weight!
Is it possible to lose weight?
Often people, in pursuit of slimness, begin to believe in all kinds of fairy tales like "exclude this food group and the weight will disappear by itself". This is where such monsters as the paleo diet are born.
Let's look at this interesting question with you: "Is it possible to lose weight by removing proteins, carbohydrates or fats from the diet? ""The brilliant Lyne Macdonald will help us in this (excerpts from his work follow).
Let's imagine that you take in a certain amount of calories, but get them from different sources: in the first case, you will get them mainly from carbohydrates; in the second - from proteins, and in the third - from fats.
On carbohydrates
Let's imagine that we get most of our calories from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are rarely converted to fat (a process called de novo lipogenesis) under normal dietary conditions.
There are exceptional situations, for example, chronic carbohydrate overeating. This means 700-900 grams of net carbs per day for several days.
In this situation, the carbohydrates overwhelm the glycogen stores, exceeding the required number of calories for the day, and you end up turning the carbohydrates into body fat.
But when you eat more carbs, you burn more carbs and less fat. And that's why, even if carbs don't turn directly into fat, too many carbs make you fatter.
In general, by inhibiting the breakdown of fat, an excess of carbohydrates forces you to store all the fat you eat in the form of subcutaneous reserves, preventing you from burning the existing ones.
Yes, carbs don't make you fatter directly by storing them in fat, but excess carbs still affect your fat stores by preventing you from burning the fat you eat during the day.
That's why going over your daily caloric intake by 500 calories of fat or 500 calories of carbs makes you fat, they just do it for different reasons and in different ways.
An additional 500 calories of fat is simply stored under the skin, and 500 calories of carbohydrates makes it so that all the fat eaten during the day goes into reserves, because carbohydrates will be oxidized, not fat.
Bottom line: When you eat more carbs, you burn more carbs and less fat; when you eat less carbs, you'll burn less carbs and more fat. Unexpected, right?
On a squirrel
Protein buddy is never converted to fat or stored that way. But if you eat a lot of protein, the body will use it for energy (instead of carbohydrates and fat), which means other nutrients will be stored.
As a result, overeating protein will make you fat, but not directly, but due to the fact that all the fat you eat goes under the skin.
Of course, protein has the highest thermic effect, so more of the incoming calories will be used to digest food. Excess protein is less likely to make you fat anyway, but if the calorie balance is exceeded, you will still gain weight.
But not by directly converting protein to fat, but by reducing the number of other nutrients burned.
Bottom line: if you eat more protein, you burn more protein (and therefore less fat and carbs); eat less protein and you'll burn less protein (and therefore more carbs and fat). Introducing your face, you now obviously look something like this:
On fat
Dietary fat is mainly stored; if you eat more of them, it does not significantly affect the oxidation of subcutaneous fat.
When you eat fats, their fate is to be deposited in fat reserves because. . . their consumption has very little effect on fat oxidation. It also has no significant effect on protein or carbohydrate oxidation.
Overall conclusion: All three options make you fatter, but the mechanisms are different.
The only difference is that fat is directly stored, while protein and carbohydrates force you to store the fat you eat.
Of course, there will be those who misunderstand that low-carb and/or low-protein diets have no advantage over others when it comes to burning subcutaneous fat.
But with these diets, even though you're burning more fat, you're also eating more fatty foods. Thus, the overall fat balance remains the same despite changes in other components. Any way you look at it, it all comes down to energy balance and calorie deficit.
You certainly have a logical question, why not stop eating fat?
This is because carbohydrates are converted to fat through de novo lipogenesis. This is the case when the amount of fat consumed through the diet falls below 10% of the total calories consumed. In this case, your body starts the process of de novo lipogenesis, so you will still gain weight.
The body is smarter than us. In a situation of adequate fat intake (ie above 10% of total calories), the fate of the fat we eat is to be stored in fat reserves, and the proteins and carbohydrates are used for other processes.
And when the amount of fat consumed is too little, the body begins to convert carbohydrates (and most likely proteins, although much less often) to store them as fat.
Lie or truth
Of course, under certain conditions the keto diet will work and you will lose weight. But it's not about her, not about fat and not about a special menu. The fact is, you'll just eat less!
Diets have been slandered for so long, but people don't believe: and rightly so, because diets work!
Here, for example, is a meta-analysis of about 50 studies that compare 11 popular diets that can be grouped: low-carb (Atkins, South Beach, Zone), low-fat (Ornish, Rosemary Conley), balanced (Jenny Craig). , Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers ).
It turns out that (surprisingly) any weight loss diet is better than no diet at all.
After six months, people on low-carb diets lost more weight. But the total difference in weight loss (differences in indicators) between all diets is insignificant: a few hundred grams.
For example, on low-carbohydrate diets for 6 months, the average weight loss was 8. 73 kg and 7. 25 kg for 12 months, and for low-fat diets 7. 99 kg for 6 months and 7. 27 kg for12 months.
Research shows that compared to a highly calorie-restricted diet, a low-carb diet may be slightly more effective for short-term weight loss.
This is partly due to the depletion of glycogen stores in the body (in the liver and muscles) and the associated fluid loss (which totals about 2 kg for a typical adult). But as we can see, in the long run there is very little difference between them.
A study that compared low-carb and low-fat diets over the past 2 years found no significant difference in weight loss between the two.
By the way, keep in mind that the diet is most effective in the first six months. And after a year, the weight in general began to increase. A striking example of metabolic adaptation.
Benefit and effect
The ketogenic diet does not make you hungry and does not take calories. Roughly speaking, we are simply compensating for the reduction in carbohydrates with protein and fat.
Of course, this does not mean that by sharply reducing the intake of carbohydrates, you can overeat fatty and protein foods. Calorie intake should be kept within normal limits. Another undoubted benefit of the keto diet is appetite control.
Many people who have been on one diet or another know that the strongest appetite comes right during the diet. The keto diet eliminates the feeling of hunger. Fat and protein foods, which are rich in the keto diet, allow a person not to experience a brutal appetite and at the same time lose weight.
harm
Given that the ketogenic diet emphasizes fatty and protein foods, digestive disturbances are possible - heaviness in the stomach, bloating, constipation.
This is because the diet contains virtually no fiber found in bread, potatoes, fruits and vegetables. To avoid digestive problems, you should consume some vegetables and fruits in minimal quantities. For example, cabbage and sour grapes are suitable.
Another disadvantage of the keto diet is the unpredictability of the glucose deficit. It is not known how your body will behave if you deprive it of such an important energy resource.
It will take time for the body to convert to ketone bodies. As a rule, during the first week a person feels malaise, dizziness and general weakness. It is important to last at least 21 days to see the results of the diet.
Depletion of micronutrients (vitamins/minerals, etc. ) is a common occurrence on any low-carb diet, since most of the micronutrients come to us from carbohydrate foods. That is why you should use vitamin-mineral complexes.
A decrease in the acidity of the blood occurs as a response due to an increase in the amount of ketones in it.
If you have problems with carbohydrate metabolism (for example, diabetes), then vomiting and "ketoacidosis" are possible. In a healthy body, ketones are absorbed without consequences. By the way, the smell of acetone confirms this (a sign of ketone use).
We're already seeing people in ketosis rushing to the comments shouting "I've been in ketosis for 116 days and I'm more active than ever! "Let us tell you our personal opinion, people in ketosis are worse than vegans in online battles. Not all, but for some reason a lot.
Go to any article on this topic and you will see buckets of dirt poured on the author simply because he does not write odes in praise of fat. We always advise them to eat buckwheat and calm down.
This probably comes from the fact that one projects one's personal, internal dispute onto others. This happens especially often in matters of nutrition/sports/religion. For example, a person's mind is forced to constantly argue with many factors, and such a person seeks to express arguments against them out loud in an argument with an external opponent in order to feel like a winner.
Another example is that the neophyte of some food system suppresses his own doubts in such disputes. In short, these people are not arguing with you, but with themselves, it is better not to disturb them, they will bite you to death, you are made of protein and fat.
Also, if you personally "it's all a lie, I don't eat coal and I feel great", it doesn't mean that this is happening to others too! An individual's personal experience cannot prove or disprove anything.
Why? Yes, because these "personal opinions" and reviews of yours are one cart and cart and everyone is different. Who will you trust, who has a prettier nickname?
Contraindications for use
For any health deviations, any diet or exercise should be used only after consulting a doctor. People with diseases of the kidneys, digestive system or intestines should not use the keto diet.
Glucose deficiency at the beginning significantly affects brain activity, so such a diet is undesirable for mental workers.
By the way, the American Dietetic Association does not recommend the keto diet because of ketoacidosis, but recommends other diets that contain more carbohydrates.
Reference: diabetic ketoacidosis (ketoacidosis) is a variant of metabolic acidosis associated with impaired carbohydrate metabolism as a result of insulin deficiency: high concentrations of glucose and ketone bodies in the blood.
On the one hand, the keto diet is simple, on the other hand, it is very difficult. Of course, it all depends on the chosen form. Some people act so fanatically that the diet ends badly. You cannot ignore the rules of the diet, you must listen to your body and give it a break. After all, the most important thing is health, you should not forget it. Think for yourself, decide for yourself.