You may have heard things about the Ketogenic way of eating. Some pros, some cons and you want to make heads or tails of it but you are having trouble deciding whether or not it is right for you. Let’s break it down into more simple terms:
Keto (meaning induces a state of And Ketosis means: The “keto” in a ketogenic diet comes from the fact that it allows the body to produce small fuel molecules called “ketones”. This is an alternative fuel source for the body, used when glucose is in short supply.
Ketones are produced if you eat very few carbs (that are quickly broken down into blood sugar) and only moderate amounts of protein (excess protein can also be converted to blood sugar).
The liver produces ketones from fat. These ketones then serve as a fuel source throughout he brain.
The brain is a hungry organ that consumes lots of energy every day, and it can’t run on fat directly. It can only run on glucose… or ketones.
On a ketogenic diet, your entire body switches its fuel supply to run mostly on fat, burning fat 24-7. When insulin levels become very low, fat burning can increase dramatically. It becomes easier to access your fat stores to burn them off.
This is great if you’re trying to lose weight, but there are also other less obvious benefits, such as less hunger and a steady supply of energy. This may help keep you alert and focused.
When the body produces ketones, it enters a metabolic state called ketosis. The fastest way to get there is by fasting – not eating anything – but nobody can fast forever. There are, however, three groups that often require special consideration:
Do you take medication for diabetes, e.g. insulin?
Do you take medication for high blood pressure?
Do you breastfeed?
These are the primary circumstances where you might find a ketogenic diet contraindicated.
However, if you have type 2 diabetes, and you are not taking insulin, then a ketogenic diet might be the perfect option for you because, there is no insulin spike, (the digestive process bypasses the pancreas) and it does not get involved in the burning of fats.
An added benefit of the ketogenic diet, is it promotes weight loss.
Here is an sample meal plan from a ketogenic diet:
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs with 1/2 avocado, and 20 macademia nuts
Lunch: Lean Protein, about 4-5 oz with unlimited vegetables cooked in Ghee or grass fed butter,
Snack: about 2-3 oz of 90 percent dark chocolate
Dinner: 5 oz of lean protein with green vegetables ( unlimited) cooked in butter or ghee, and a salad, with olive oil.
Hopefully you now have enough information to decide if you want to pursue a ketogenic lifestyle.