Should I start the keto diet might be one of the first questions in the minds of people considering following a diet to support weight loss goals in a short time. The ketogenic diet has become the new buzzword, so let’s take a look at what exactly this diet is.
The keto diet has the potential to help you lose extra weight and improve overall health. It is known to offer benefits against diseases like epilepsy, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. When on this diet, you need to drastically cut down your carb intake and replace it with fats. When carbohydrate intake is reduced, the body enters a metabolic state called ketosis and becomes far more efficient in burning fats to get energy. This diet has also been seen to bring down blood sugar levels.
1. Types of keto diets
Standard Ketogenic Diet or SKD refers to a very low-carb (5%), high-fat (75%), and moderate-protein (20%) diet.
Targeted Ketogenic Diet or TKD refers to a diet that lets you add carbohydrates around workouts.
Cyclical Ketogenic Diet or CKD refers to a diet that has a period of very high-carb refeed like 5 ketogenic days and then 2 high-carb days following it.
A high-protein ketogenic diet is much like SKD, but it has more proteins, making up a ratio of 5-10% carbs, 60-65% fats, and 30% of proteins.
The targeted and cyclical ketogenic diets are the more advanced techniques, mainly used by athletes and bodybuilders. The SKD and high-protein keto diets are more commonly studied and implemented.
2. Key benefits of the keto diet
The most obvious benefit of this diet is weight loss as the body needs far more energy to convert fats into energy than to convert carbs into energy. At the same time, the diet is rich in proteins, which ensures that you are not feeling hungry all the time.
Another very significant benefit of the keto diet is acne reduction. When you consume meals that include processed foods and are rich in refined carbs, changes in gut bacteria lead to a sudden rise and fall in blood sugar levels. This can affect your skin adversely, and a keto diet helps as it reduces carb intake.
Although this diet is said to help prevent cancer, there is much ongoing research centering on this fact. A recent study found that this diet is a great complementary treatment for cancer therapies like radiation and chemotherapy. Other studies say that since the diet lowers blood sugar levels, it can also lessen insulin-related complications, which are related to many cancer types.
The keto diet may promote a healthy heart by lowering bad cholesterol or LDL levels and improving good cholesterol or HDL levels. The diet can help reduce the occurrence of seizures in those suffering from epilepsy. It is found to improve the overall health of women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
