Keto Diet? A Beginner Guide For A Healthy Ketogenic Diet With Keto Plan

What Is A Ketogenic Diet?

The Keto Diet is known as a ketogenic diet. Actually, the name keto also comes from the English word Ketogenic word. It is a low carbohydrate diet that forces the liver to produce ketones to generate energy for the body. It acts like a fat burning machine. Its idea of reducing carbs by Keto diet plan is based on other diets like the Atkins diet, the Dukan diet, and the Scarsdale diet.

Blood sugar, which comes from carbohydrates, is preferred by most cells as the body's major source of energy. When there are no and low carbohydrates in the body, it supports the breakdown of the stored fat into molecules called ketone bodies.

Once you reach ketosis, most cells use fat for energy until you start eating carbohydrates again.

In India, it becomes very fashionable for a couple of years like a ketogenic diet for weight loss. Basically, it consists of a very low carbohydrate intake, a high fat intake, and a moderate protein intake.

What Is Ketosis Diet or Ketosis Process?

Ketosis is the metabolism state that occurs when the body ingests too little carbohydrates, which forces it to produce ketones by buring fat. These act as substitutes for glucose, providing the body with the energy it needs to survive. Ketosis supports the fat engraving for energy sources.

Types Of Ketogenic Diet

Different types of ketogenic or keto diet chart depending on the allowed carbohydrates consumption or the weight you want to achieve or how much activity you perform in a day.

• Regular Ketogenic Diet - This is the most famous kind of ketogenic diet performed by many people worldwide. The consumption of carbohydrates is limited in that it is no more than 5% with a high fat intake (75%), and a moderate protein intake (20%).
• Cyclical Ketogenic Diet - In this ketogenic diet in which you are allowed to intake high carbs on some days like 5 ketogenic days with 2 high carbs days.
• High Protein Ketogenic Diet - In this ketogenic diet, the protein consumption is bit high, that is, 5% carbohydrates, 60% fat and 35% protein.
• Targeted Ketogenic Diet - In this ketogenic diet, you are allowed to consume some carbohydrates before weight training or another anaerobic exercise.

For regular use, a regular and high protein ketogenic diet is suggested and studied by the scientist. The cyclical and targeted Ketogenic diet is an advanced diet method and recommended only for bodybuilders and athletes.

The Ketogenic Diet: How Does Keto Diet Work?

Normally, the calories diets have fewer calories than you need your reservations and lose weight. This is the basic method used for weight loss regimens.
But in the case of the Ketogenic Diet, the mechanism is totally different for the body metabolism and weight loss.

In the ketogenic diet, we change the main fuel of the cell by reducing the intake of carbohydrates. Normally we use glucose for the carbohydrates to generate energy. In the ketogenic diet, we force the metabolism to change the route to provide energy to the cells and use fat instead of carbs.

When we eat fewer carbs and no carbs, we force the liver to produce ketones, which are produced from the fat accumulated under the skin, transforming them into the new fuel for muscles, brain and organs. Once the glucose reserve is depleted, the body begins to burn stored fat and what you consume, thus becoming a fat-burning machine.

When a person starts a ketogenic diet, your body gets used to it in some days or months, decreasing insulin and triglycerides. Hence, it is beneficial for weight loss and cholesterol loss. This diet is also beneficial for those with diabetes and hypertension.

How Much Time Does Our Body Need To Get Into Ketosis?

To get benefits of Ketogenic diet plan, it is a must for your body to enter the ketosis process (where your body uses fat for energy instead of carbs).

Well, ketosis is something that depends on the individual. Typically, it takes 2-4 days to get into ketosis if you consume about 30g of carbs per day. In some cases, it has been reported that within a day you are already on ketosis.

Except for the individual, the amount of carbohydrates consumption, metabolism speed, and insulin resistance also matters a lot. In some cases, consumption of fat, exercise, your age etc factors also matter.

But remember, the lower the percentage of carbohydrates, the faster the process will be.

Who Should Try Ketogenic Diet?

Most people use a ketogenic diet to lose weight and it is famous for weight loss challenges only in the world. But as we know, it totally changes the route of metabolism. So, it is also good in certain medical conditions. It may be very effective in heart problems, certain brain people and in skin health. Moreover, in research, it is noted that it may be good for diabetes. Well, you need to do research or talk to your dietitian or healthcare professional about medical conditions.

Benefits Of Keto Diet

Weight Loss

With the keto diet, your body becomes a fat-burning machine, which ultimately helps you to lose weight even without affecting your body and deteriorating your health. A keto diet is a low-fat diet. Basically, a ketogenic diet increases the ketones in the body, lowers the blood sugar level and improves insulin sensitivity. These all three take the main role for weight gain in the body.

Diabetes

There are many studies that show that the use of ketogenic diets acts as a treatment protocol for diabetes. Diabetes is characterised by a change in metabolism. The ketogenic diet dramatically reduces carbohydrate intake and, as a result, the amount of insulin required. As a result, it can calm the body's insulin response and support lowers blood sugar and the negative impact of high insulin levels. The ketogenic diet may improve blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes, at least in the short term.

Improve Heart Disease

A ketogenic diet acts as a fat-burning machine. The low fat in the body increases the LDL cholesterol level and reduces the HDL cholesterol and triglycerides level. Ketogenic diets may help a heart patient to reduce the risk of heart problems.

Control Hunger And Desire

Ketogenic diets support the prevention of an increase in appetite, reduce cravings and make you less hungry. According to a study, eating food with processed carbohydrates can cause a dramatic rise and fall in blood sugar levels, which may stimulate hunger. Since the keto diet is low in carbohydrates and stabilizes blood sugar levels. As a result, reduce your appetite.

Skin Health

Most skin problems like inflammation, acne are commonly due to underlying inflammation and insulin resistance. By consuming healthy fat and a low-carbohydrate diet, which is anti-inflammatory in nature, that leads our bodies to produce ketones which may aid in the reduction of inflammation and acne.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

By avoiding insulin spikes with the help of a ketogenic diet, it worked for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) symptoms. A low insulin level reports a reversal of increased androgen hormones, specifically testosterone, which reduces PCOS symptoms and increases fertility. Recently, many patients suffering from PCOS are trying a Ketogenic diet for a better reproductive system.

Energetic Exercise Routine

On a ketogenic diet, stored fat can produce energy for several weeks and months. Until then your body gets used to it to work with its own fat. Thus, you will feel more energetic during exercise. It is also said by a trainer, that cardio while on the ketogenic diet may help increase fat oxidation, save glycogen, produce less lactate, and use less oxygen, which supports energy.

Epilepsy Disease

Epilepsy is a neurological condition(nerve disorder) characterised by abnormal brain activity. Changing the source of energy by keto diet may help in many people with Epilepsy. It reduces seizures in patients.

Alzheimer’s Disease

The presence of heavy fat and low carbohydrates improve Alzheimer's symptoms. It may help you to reduce the deadly brain disorder and support the proper function of the brain.

Brain Injuries

According to some studies, it is noted the ketogenic diet may be helpful in traumatic brain injuries.

Keto Diet Foods To Avoid

• Starch (Starches)
• Cereals
• Bread
• Cakes, cookies, cakes
• Sugar and sweet products
• Ready meals and processed foods
• Chocolate
• Most fruits
• Sweet vegetables: beets, carrots, etc
• Low-Fat Dressings
• Unhealthy fats like processed vegetable oils
• Alcohol
• Avoid sugar-free diet foods
• Sugar Coke, soda, smoothies, candy, even ice cream.

Keto Diet Food List To Have

• Vegetable oils
• Butter, Cream, Cheese
• Oilseeds
• Meat
• Pisces
• Eggs
• Tofu and soy
• Unsweetened green vegetables
• Citrus
• Berries
• Dairy products
• Fatty Fish
• Meat- sausage, chicken, bacon, mutton, etc
• Avocados
• Nuts and Seeds like flax seeds, chia seeds, etc

Steps To Start A Ketogenic Diet

As per our view in introducing the keto diet for beginners, there are three steps you need to consider before starting a keto diet.

1. Find A Certified Dietitian- It is very important to be supervised by a professional and certified dietitian for better working. In many cases, people wouldn't know whether they have started ketosis or not. Maybe you are eating too much fat or protein. For a healthy or regular ketosis process, you require the right proportion of carbs, fat and protein. If you are not on ketosis, you are just adding fat to your body without any reason. For fat burning or fat loss, it is a must to force ketosis, which can be controlled by a professional person only.

2. Get The Right Food- The right food for keto are low sugar vegetables like eggs, salmon fish, tuna fish, nuts, seeds, avocado, zucchini, cucumber, leaf vegetables, etc. Remember, it is not good to use a ketogenic diet as an excuse to eat something bad for you. Yes, you are allowed to eat some fats. But eating a lot of meat, butter or something high in sodium, nitrates throughout the day to practice the ketogenic is not healthy. It is not good for the heart. So, you need to keep an eye on types of fat and food which is also good for your health.

3. Inform Your Loved One That You Are On Keto Diet- Share your thoughts and discuss your diet plan and keto diet with your loved ones like friends and family. Make a list of food for them to understand what you can have and what not? So, you all can incorporate and no one can feel left out. Enjoy a meal together at the same time by following the keto intakes.

Suggested Keto Plan For A Week

The below suggested Indian keto diet plan is basic for a week. For more, you can talk to your dietitian. Well, the suggested supplement is good to boost the ketosis process on time and may help you a lot.

Monday

Breakfast - 1 cup of Green Tea, Lemon Water, 1 spoon of Peanut butter, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.
Lunch - Green Salad, 2 Keto Flour Chapatis, Watermelon or Olives with some cheese.
Dinner - Omelettes with vegetables cooked in olive oil, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.

Tuesday

Breakfast - 1 cup of Green Tea, Lemon Water, scrambled eggs with cheese, some walnuts, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.
Lunch - Broccoli Green Salad, 2 Keto Flour Chapatis with deep-fried Mutton.
Dinner - Omelet or scrambled paneer egg with a chapati, 1 bowl of brown rice cooked in soy sauce, some veggies, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.

Wednesday

Breakfast - 1 cup of Green Tea, Lemon Water, Avocado stuffed with cream cheese and walnuts, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.
Lunch - Green salad, White cheese over vegetables like Zucchini, onion, tomato, capsicum and 2 Keto Flour Chapatis.
Dinner - Roasted vegetables. Deep-fried chicken with rice, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.

Thursday

Breakfast - 1 cup of Green Tea, Lemon Water, 1 bowl of poha, a handful of almonds, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.
Lunch - Chicken curry with coconut milk and yellow peppers and yoghurt.
Dinner - One bowl of soupy veggies with tofu cooked in olive oil, 1 bowl of brown rice, Handful of nuts, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.

Friday

Breakfast - 1 cup of Green Tea, Green Vegetable Juice, 2 scrambled Eggs with nuts, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.
Lunch - Lettuce with cheese full of scrambled egg, 1 cap chapati of 50% regular flour + 50% Keto Flour. As a snack, a handful of Almonds roasted in Olive Oil
Dinner - Baked Salmon with white cheese. Chicken salad as snacks, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.

Saturday

Breakfast - 1 cup of Green Tea, Coconut Yoghurt with walnuts, A glass of avocado smoothies, paneer scrambled egg if you feel hungry, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.
Lunch - 1 big bowl of vegetable salads including spinach, zucchini, mushroom, tomatoes with olive oil dressing
Dinner - Tomatoes in a salad with olive oil dressing, Prawns gratin. with tablespoons of fresh cream, 30 g of grated Emmental cheese, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.

Sunday

Breakfast - 1 cup of Green Tea, Lemon Water, Scrambled eggs with cheese as per need, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.
Lunch - Vegetable Salad with walnuts and 2 tablespoons of Roquefort cheese, 2 tablespoons of walnut oil.
Dinner - Roast chicken, green beans, a piece of butter, 1 Bhumija Lifesciences Keto Life Capsule with water.

Keto Diet Side Effects

Ketone Flu - When your body energy supply changes from sugar to ketone because of the ketosis process, it might be possible to have keto flu symptoms, A light fever, weakness are some of the symptoms.

Body Odour - When glucose is restricted and deficient, the formation of the ketone body starts by burning fat. This ketone body contains a substance such as acetone, which produces a unique odour called "ketone odour". It may cause you to smell so strong. To alleviate the odour as much as possible, it is important to maintain and improve the metabolic function of the body. Adequate hydration, moderate exercise, and a two-time bath are essential.

Very Restricted Diet - Compared to other diets, the Ketogenic diet is very hard to follow. There are many restrictions on what you can eat in a ketogenic diet. Somewhere, mostly food sources contain sugar or carbs content. It gets very difficult for you to select a keto diet menu when you are out.

Headache - In the keto diet, your body is on ketosis. When there is a low level of sugar in the body, it causes problems. Sugar deficiency usually causes headaches. To prevent this, it is important to accelerate the cycle of making ketone bodies in the body at an early stage. To do this, you need to take a good amount of fat.

Costly Diet - To start the non-carbohydrates diet, may cost you more than the usual diet routine. The dietary content of a ketogenic diet is mainly meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, etc. Going with a specific diet in restaurants also increases your cost price.

Dehydration - During the first few days, there is a possibility you experience dehydration, frequent urination, fatigue, dizziness and more. At starting time, weight loss occurs due to water loss and it is also linked with many minerals that cause weakness.

Low Blood Sugar - It is one of the main side effects of a ketogenic diet. It will decrease the blood sugar level in your body. It is very risky for low blood sugar patient.
Constipation- A drastic change in your body and metabolism causes constipation in some people. It is not for all; some people also experience diarrhoea.

Muscle Cramps- Water level reduction in the body causes muscle cramps to the body. It can be a sign that you need to drink water. The muscle cramp might be painful for some people, where some experience mild pain.

Increase Heart Rate- The loss of minerals like iron, potassium, dehydration, low salt intake increases the heart rate. It is very risky for you to have a sudden change in heart rate. If you experience a fast heart rate even after 4-5 days, then you need to talk to a dietician or increase the carbs in the body.

Keto Diet Precaution

Below are the precaution points that you need to consider while on a keto diet or before starting it.

• Insufficient intake of fat- It is said that a major factor of ketogenic diet failure is Keto Diet Side Effects. It is difficult to get enough fat from natural food and healthy food. Well, the best remedy for natural fat is olive oil. For fat intake in keto, it is 60% of the total calories or varies as per dietitian. Also, if you take too much from the beginning, you may get sick, so gradually increase your intake.
• Vegetables with sugar- You have to worry about the sugar content of vegetables, but there are many vegetables with high sugar content especially in root vegetables like potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, onion, corn and many more. If you are having a vegetable without knowing that it has a high concentration of sugar, then it is meaningless for you. You need to research every single intake.
• Sugar amount in seasoning or dressing- You need to pay attention to seasoning and dressing with vegetables. No matter how low sugar vegetables and salads you eat, it doesn't make sense to eat them with high sugar dressings. Having seasoning or dressing you need to consider or avoid like honey, ketchup, chilli sauce, vinegar, etc
• Kidney Stone patient- It needs to be considered by a kidney stone patient or consult the healthcare professional before starting a keto diet. Eating a lot of dairy products, vegetables, etc may increase the risk of stone.
• Other Patients- People who are suffering from a disease related to the pancreas, liver, thyroid or gallbladder, need to talk to a dietitian or healthcare professional with their medications.

 

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Keto Diet

Is it normal to be fatigued or weak in Keto?

Yes, it is possible to feel fatigued and weak at the starting period of the Ketogenic diet. The changing of fuel source from glucose to fat causes many changes including degradation, nutritional deficiency and many more.

My breath smells. Is it normal?

Yes, it is normal in a ketogenic diet with most people.

I'm prone to diarrhoea. Can I start a ketogenic diet?

Can't say it, Ketosis process sometimes shows side effects as conscription and sometimes shows diarrhoea. It is good to ask your doctor or dietician for it because it depends on the individual.

On the keto diet, what do you consume?

Meat, Seafood, Eggs, Tofu, soy, yoghurt, avocado, unsweetened green vegetables, etc you can eat in your keto diet. You need to avoid sugar or sugar-based foods. The Keto diet is based on a carbs free diet.

Why is the keto diet bad?

Everything has its effects and side- effects. There are many side effects linked with it, so it may be termed as bad by some people. Keto diet causes low blood pressure, low sugar level, kidney stones, weakness, fatigue, leg cramps, nutrient deficiencies, fast heartbeat and many more.

What are the most important keto guidelines?

Saying no to carbs or sugar is the main rule of keto. Your daily consumption must be around 75% fat, 10-30% protein and not more than 5% or carbs per day. This is a typical Keto Diet Plan. Well, the percentage varies with the type of keto.

Is it true that keto works?

Yes, Keto really works for your body. But do not expect results in 2-3 days. At the starting days, about 2-3 weeks your body starts the ketosis process in the body. When the body starts ketosis in the body, which means it starts to cut down your fat for energy.

Will ketosis help you lose belly fat?

Yes, a Ketogenic diet is good for cutting belly fat and overall fat. Your body starts the ketosis process and produces ketones. They use overall fat from your body for fuel and reduce your total weight.

What is the proper approach to follow a ketogenic diet?

Avoiding sugar food, root vegetables, sweet fruits, etc terms is the correct way to do a keto. Having a carbs consumption of around 30g per day and filling up with fats to begin the ketosis process.

How much will I lose on keto in a month?

If a person follows a proper diet, calorie deficit and stays consistent with the diet suggested by the dietician, you can probably lose around 4 or 4.5 kg in the first month. Well, it varies with an individual’s metabolism and diet plan also.

Is it true that Keto causes muscle loss?

Yes, there is a risk of muscle loss in every diet. There is a chance with Keto Diet too.

Can I build muscle mass with a keto diet?

Yes, it is said that it is possible to gain muscle mass with a keto diet.

On Keto Diet, Can I Have My Protein Shake?

As we know, protein intake is limited in ketogenic diets. So, it is difficult for you to enjoy a protein shake after a workout. You need to consider the intake limit. Where some protein-making brands add a decent amount of carbohydrates, sugar and more nutrition that you need to avoid in the ketosis period.