Keto Diet: A Guide for Beginners

Introduction – Keto Diet Beginner Guide

Food and Nutritionist Expert, Giovanna Vicino, provides a helpful Keto Guide for beginners. She explains what is a Keto Diet, how it works, its main benefits, what to eat and what not to eat.

What is a Keto Diet?

Keto diet is one of the most famous diets nowadays. This is because it is an approved medical protocol that, above all, really works. This diet has in fact allowed many people to lose excess weight accumulations of body fat stores and feeling better. The ketogenic diet (or keto diet, for short) takes part of the low carb big family diets. Like other famous diets such as Paleo, Atkins and so on, it is a low carb, high fat diet that offers many health benefits.¹

With a low carb diet, we refer to a type of diet that provides for the almost total abolition of carbohydrates. Unlike other low carb diets, the keto diet does not take the greater supply of nutrients from proteins (such as high-protein diets) but a greater intake of lipids. This diet is, in essence, a hyper-lipid diet.

So, there are many diet choices available, to help lose weight, but the Keto diet has been among the most common lately. In fact, many studies have shown that a kind of diet like Keto is, can really help you to lose weight and improve your health.² The ketogenic diet is also a type of diet that, in addition to losing excess fat in the short term, could represent a long-term solution for the treatment of obesity and other diseases such Diabetes, mental diseases or metabolic syndrome. However, the role of very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKD) in the long-term management of obesity is not well established.

Back to the descriptive discourse on the Keto diet, it involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.³ When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient body fat burning for energy. It lowers blood sugar and insulin levels and shifts the body’s metabolism away from carbs and toward fat and ketones.

Practically, in order to make the body burn its fat reserves more effectively, Keto is a diet that involves reducing carbohydrates and growing fat. This more or less drastic reduction of carbohydrates, in other words, allows a different metabolic process, which will use the so-called Ketone bodies. These Ketone bodies will ensure that our body produces the energy necessary for survival no longer from glucose but from fats. It is therefore a nutritional strategy that aims to search for alternative energy sources to those provided by excess carbohydrates. That’s why Ketogenic diets are helpful for general well being and weight loss. In particular, Ketogenic diets have helped certain individuals lose excess body fat without extreme cravings that are characteristic of most diets.

How does a Keto Diet work?

After describing what the Ketogenic diet is, now we show you in the simplest possible way its working mechanism. All you have to know is that the pin of a keto diet is represented by ketones.

Ketones are an alternative energy source. This alternative energy source is created from the body in order to supply glucose. In fact, our body, in the absence of carbohydrates, creates ketones, a fuel molecule, while the body is running low on blood sugar. When you decrease your daily carb consumption and eat only the proper amount of protein and fats, ketones production happens. When this happens, your body becomes a sort of efficient burn energy and fat machine. 

This diet works, practically, turning fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain. Indeed, the brain usually uses glucose as a primary energy source. It is estimated that our brain, in fact, consumes about 20% of the energy required for the functioning of the whole organism every day, although it represents only 2% of the entire organism. This can be a big advantage when you want to lose a lot of weight because the brain burns a huge number of calories to function.

In fact, ketosis has destroyed the old belief that the brain needs carbohydrates for a perfect working. In fact, even during ketosis the brain requires a minimum amount of carbohydrates to function which in this case it can obtain from proteins with gluconeogenesis. All this diet does is to replace glucose and primary source with another one. This whole process of creating ketone bodies is called ketosis, and hence the name of the ketogenic diet. What do we mean with ketosis?

Ketosis is a metabolic state in which your body uses fat for fuel instead of carbs. Following a ketogenic diet is the most effective way to enter ketosis. As we said above, It occurs when you significantly reduce your consumption of carbohydrates, limiting your body’s supply of glucose (sugar), which is the main source of energy for the cells. 

Therefore, we have understood that only by reducing carbs to a minimum is it possible to obtain this state of ketosis. But, in practice, how is it possible to achieve this metabolic state?

Generally, you should limit your carb consumption to around 20 to 50 grams per day and fill up on fats, such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and healthy oils. So, a ketogenic diet primarily consists of high fats, moderate proteins, and very low carbohydrates. The dietary macronutrients are divided into approximately 55% to 60% fat, 30% to 35% protein, and 5% to 10% carbohydrates. Specifically, in a 2000 kcal per day diet, carbohydrates amount up to 20 to 50 g per day.⁴

Following these guidelines, it will be possible for you to reproduce a perfect ketogenic style, resulting in weight loss and improvement of your general health and well-being.

Keto Diet – Pros and Cons 

Like all diets, the ketogenic diet has numerous benefits, but also risks. For this reason, before embarking on any dietary path it is important to consult your doctor and carry out all the necessary checks. 

We therefore suggest, as with any other decision regarding your health, to always contact a professional before heavily modifying your eating behavior, especially in the presence of particular conditions and previous pathologies.

In other words, as with any type of diet, it is always good to fully understand how it works, its impact on your body and its integration within your lifestyle, preferably with the support of a nutrition specialist. Having said that, let’s first see the countless benefits of a ketogenic diet.

For what about its benefits we have:

• The chance of losing not only weight, but also localized fat reserve stores, by burning accumulations and excesses.
• Aesthetic and psychic factors. For many people there are beauty and self-esteem benefits, because of the massive loss of fat mass. Ketosis would promote mood stabilization, no longer “influenced” by glycemic fluctuations. Those who manage to pass the first phase, in fact, often say they feel full of energy, motivated and cheerful.
• Metabolism readjustment: thanks to the fact that the sugar / fat reserve ratio is reset, the metabolism will also benefit.
• Advantages in the treatment of diabetes and insulin resistance: thanks to the reduced intake of carbohydrates and therefore the absence of blood sugar or insulin peaks, the ketogenic diet is an absolutely valid ally in the prevention and treatment of diabetes or diseases related to dysfunction of the level of insulin in the blood.
• Heart disease. The ketogenic diet can help improve risk factors like body fat, HDL (good) cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar.⁵
• Other health benefits: a ketogenic diet may provide many health benefits, especially with metabolic, neurological, or insulin-related diseases.
• Decrease on cravings: the hormones that help stabilize mood also serve to promote an anorectic effect, that is, a natural limitation of appetite, which obviously helps if the goal is weight loss.
• Preservation of Lean and muscle Mass: the ketogenic diet has proven to be very useful in muscle definition as it allows you to lose fat and maintain lean mass. This is thanks to the contribution of proteins.

These were all major benefits of a keto eating style. But what are the risks? 

Let’s see them together:

• Among the major cons, the main one is almost a banality: glucose is essential for the survival of any healthy organism. Cutting carbohydrates completely over a long period of time, therefore, can lead to serious psycho-physical consequences.
• The second cons is also a very strong consideration: ketosis is, in itself, a toxic condition of the human body, an anomaly. The molecules called ketones, as waste, are eliminated through the kidneys and liver, therefore forced to a burdensome disposal job.
• For this reason, the risk of dehydration also increases, as well as not meeting the needs in terms of micronutrients, in particular calcium and vitamins, and fiber.
• Another thing not to be underestimated in the implementation of this type of regimen are the side effects, especially at the beginning: the most common are usually not serious and can include headaches, weakness, irritability, bad breath, fatigue, constipation, nausea, vomiting and sleep problems. All these symptoms are attributable to the so-called keto flu. It is called flu because it essentially manifests a whole series of similar flu symptoms. To remedy this state of malaise, it is advisable to drink more and take supplements with electrolytes.
• These negative effects are enhanced by the fact that those seeking rapid weight loss through the ketogenic diet usually also combine it with sports. The movement causes the body to need even more glucose, exasperating the mechanisms and criticalities we have described.

What to eat and what to avoid in a Keto Diet? 

Allowed foods 

Here is a complete guide on the keto shopping list. Below you will first find all the types of food that you can eat, while subsequently there will be all the foods that must be absolutely avoided.

So, firstly, here you are a permitted keto foods list:

• Fish and seafood:  at the top of the list, we have fish. These are all good, especially fatty fish like salmon. If you have concerns about mercury or other toxins, consider eating more of the smaller fish like sardines, mackerel, and herring. 
• Meat: meats are low carb and keto-friendly food too. But remember that keto is a higher-fat diet, not high in protein, so you don’t need huge amounts of meat for a well keto going.
• Green vegetables:  these vegetables are a super food low in calories and carbs, but high in many nutrients, including vitamin C and several minerals. Here you are a complete green vegetables list to follow:

• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Cucumber
• Green beans
• Eggplant
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Olives
• Peppers (especially green)
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Eggs: these are really important in this diet too. You should think about the fact that one large egg contains less than 1 gram of carbs and about 6 grams of protein, making eggs an ideal food for a ketogenic lifestyle. In addition, eggs have been shown to trigger hormones that increase feelings of fullness and satiety.
• Avocado: avocado is the king of superfoods. It contains 2 grams of net carbs per serving and is high in fiber and several nutrients, including potassium. In addition, it may help improve heart health markers. Its fats are more than good, and it will really help you in reaching ketosis. 
• Coconut oil: it has unique properties that make it well suited for a ketogenic diet. 
• Plain Greek yogurt and cheese: they are healthy, high protein foods. While they contain some carbs, they can still be included in a ketogenic lifestyle in moderation.
• Olive oil: it provides impressive benefits to your heart. It’s high in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that has been found to decrease heart disease risk factors in many studies.
• Nuts and seeds: they are healthy, high fat, and low-carb foods. Furthermore, nuts and seeds are high in fiber, which can help you feel full and absorb fewer calories overall.
• Berries: Most of the fruits are too high in carbs to include on a ketogenic diet. But berries are an exception. 

Here is some additional info on Keto: Meal Ideas and expert tips.

Not allowed foods

After showing you an allowed foods list, we will list you what foods are forbidden on this diet:

• sugary foods: all industrial sweets, fruit juice, smoothies, cake, ice cream, and so on….
• grains or starches: wheat-based products, rice, pasta, cereal, legumes, etc.
• fruit: all fruit, except berries.
• root vegetables and tubers: potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.
• high sugar condiments: ketchup, salad dressings, and condiments
• some condiments or sauces: barbecue sauce, honey mustard, teriyaki sauce, etc.
• unhealthy fats: processed vegetable oils, mayonnaise, etc.
• alcohol: beer, wine, liquor, mixed drinks
• sugar-free diet foods: sugar-free candies, syrups, puddings, sweeteners, desserts, etc.

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945587/

2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23651522/

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5452247/

Featured Image Credit: Heather Ford (Unsplash)