The basics of the ketogenic diet: adapting to transform your metabolism.
Contrary to popular belief, what makes you fat the most is sugar, not fat. As part of a ketogenic diet (also called Keto), you need to consume a lot of fat. The latter is not stored, it is used by your body for fuel.
The Keto diet consists of eating less than 5% of calories per day from carbohydrates (about 15 / 20g) and more than 200g of fat, but also to pay attention to all its nutrients, lipids, proteins … in order to not to suffer from deficiencies and hack your metabolism in order to get into ketosis. But before you get there, your transition needs to be smooth. Start by eliminating so-called fast sugars from your diet and control your food so that you do not consume more than 100g of carbohydrates per day. Then gradually reduce to 40g.
The Keto diet is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans, but the adaptation will take longer. On average, it takes almost 1 year to enter ketogenic adaptation.
Here in this article, the benefits of the Keto diet and how to start your transition.
Keto diet as a source of improving your well-being:
- Reduces chronic inflammation
- Allows you to have more energy and therefore a better sporting activity
- Dissolve the mental fog
- Reduces depression and anxiety
- Reduces migraines
- Allows easier weight loss in the context of obesity
- Allows better sleep
The keto diet to cure diseases:
- Decreases type 2 diabetes
- Lowers cholesterol
- Avoids cardiovascular disease
- Avoids the risk of brain diseases: Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
- Reduces attention disorders and hyperactivity
- Soothes autism-related disorders
- Reduces the risk of epileptic seizures
- Soothes disorders related to Crohn's disease
- Soothes disorders related to multiple sclerosis
- Decreases PCOS-related disorders
- Avoids the risk of cancer
The steps to start your Keto transition:
- Start with a blood test to check your fasting blood sugar level, your cholesterol level and your vitamin D level,
- Gradually reduce carbohydrates (count between 1 to 2 months of transition),
- Start by reducing fast sugars (cakes, pastries, sweets),
- Ensure that the 20g of authorized carbohydrates come mainly from green vegetables,
- Take your blood pressure regularly,
- Buy a meter to measure your blood sugar and ketonemia,
- Prepare to monitor and calculate your macros on a daily basis!
When entering a ketogenic transition, you should expect to follow a very strict diet in order to quickly go into ketosis and be able to have a more varied and less disciplined diet.
During the transition, strict ban on consuming:
- All sweet products: cakes, cookies, candy, ice cream, pastry …
- Cereals: bread, flour, rusk, rice, oats, wheat, spelled, corn, quinoa, millet, buckwheat …
- Legumes: lentils, peas, red and white beans, peanuts, cashews …
- Almost all fruits: except avocado, lemon, lime, coconut
- Some vegetables that are too sweet: all squash, onions, carrots, beets, leeks.
- Beware of processed products, even organic
- All cheeses
- Industrial sauces.
For example, an apple contains around 28g of carbohydrates while you are only allowed 15 / 20g per day.
So what do we eat during a ketogenic transition?
Fat! You generally need a minimum of 200g of fat intake per day when you are in ketosis. However, you have to start a smoother transition so as not to destabilize your metabolism. We will then start with 100g of fat mainly ingested in hot drinks and cooking. But be careful to also control your protein intake because the body transforms the ingested surplus into sugar! On average, it is necessary to consume the equivalent of its weight in grams (60kg = 60g of protein per day). For example, if you want to eat a 100g minced steak, it will be necessary to eat half at noon and the other in the evening.
To help you, here is an idea of your food distribution for a typical day:
- Breakfast: eggs, fatty meat, salad, avocado, high-fat drink.
- Lunch: rice, lentils or sweet potatoes (100g cooked) with a portion of protein.
- Snack: hot drink with fat, some macadamia nuts or coconut yogurt.
- Dinner: vegetables with a portion of protein.
Tips for a good keto diet:
To start your transition, do not hesitate to favor low carb recipes, but also follow these few tips so that you do not fall into a period of “ketoflou” that will make you feel like you are sick.
- Drink 2L of water per day,
- Absorb less than 20g of carbohydrates,
- Consume 20 / 25g of protein per meal,
- Consume 200g of fat,
- Do not hesitate to take food supplements: sodium, magnesium, potassium, minerals …,
- Sleep before 10 p.m. if possible,
- Take at least 3 meals per day.
