Important: It is not recommended to follow a diet without first consulting your doctor.This rule is relevant not only for those who have identified the disease, but also for others.
Unlike many diets that are popular today, the goal of the ketogenic diet from the beginning was purely medical.They remain on the agenda today.In general, the word "diet" initially had nothing to do with weight loss.This word means a set of dietary rules that must be followed in certain circumstances - during the treatment of certain diseases, during the period of postoperative therapy.
The keto diet owes its renewed popularity largely to an American film producer, whose son suffered from epilepsy for a long time.Despite many visits to the most famous and brilliant neurologists, who tried, apparently, all the most effective antiepileptic drugs that exist in nature, the boy's condition did not improve at all.The almost despairing father read a lot of literature on the topic of treating epilepsy in the local library and suddenly came across a description of the ketogenic diet, which had not yet been recommended to him by any specialist.He immediately put his son on this diet and, to his delight, found that the frequency of the boy's seizures was significantly reduced.
Therefore, the ketogenic diet was created to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures - especially in children.No reduction in calorie intake;carbohydrates are simply replaced with fat.The children were on this diet for 36 hours, and the frequency of their seizures actually decreased.
The ketogenic diet is now used to treat not only epilepsy, but also Alzheimer's disease, fatty liver disease (fatty liver), and even some types of cancer.In general, its medical benefits are undeniable.How about losing weight?
A ketogenic diet is a diet that consists of foods very high in fat (animal fat and some vegetable oils), animal protein, and very little carbohydrates, so that about 80% of the body's energy needs are met from the fat fraction (the fat content of the average European diet provides 30-35% of the energy needed by the body during the day).And just as happens during fasting, the breakdown of large amounts of fat leads to increased acidity in the body.This may explain why the use of such nutritional complexes leads to a decrease in the frequency of epileptic seizures.
The goal of the ketogenic diet is to put the body into a state of ketosis.
Ketosis is a pathological state of the body in which ketone bodies predominate in its tissues.A state of ketosis means the body uses exclusively the fat stored under the skin to meet energy needs, which prevents muscle breakdown.While in a state of ketosis, you will draw energy from ketones - carbonyl compounds formed when fat is broken down.By the way, ketones are an excellent source of energy for the brain, almost perfectly replacing glucose.
Another positive feature of ketosis is that in this state you will practically not experience hunger, therefore, you will eat less, which means that you will not fully cover your energy costs.
To put the body into a state of ketosis, the diet is arranged in such a way that fat clearly dominates in the diet, and mostly saturated fat (the diet consists of 90% fat, based on calorie content).
In fact, the diet used by many professional bodybuilders in the last week before the competition can also be called ketogenic: it consists only of salmon (usually grilled, but can be prepared in other forms), peanut butter and green vegetables (salad, broccoli, spinach, cabbage).It is better to add flaxseed oil or walnut oil to this diet.There is already more protein here, which reduces the problem, but does not eliminate it completely.
Pros and cons of the classic ketogenic diet
The advantage is that this diet is very effective, the diet works, and how!The main thing is that you will practically not experience the feeling of hunger, which means that the restriction of calories in your diet will be quite easy to accept.Ketones are an excellent source of energy for the brain.
It is also important that the ketogenic diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease due to a sudden decrease in insulin secretion.But for people who lead an active lifestyle, this plus can easily turn into a minus, because insulin is a strong anti-catabolic agent.The decrease in insulin secretion is attributed to the ability of the ketogenic diet to trigger acidosis in the muscles, which means increased proteolysis, that is, the breakdown of the body's own proteins is facilitated.And catabolism can get out of control.Not immediately, of course, but in 3-4 days for sure.
It is impossible to follow the classic ketogenic diet for a long time - you start to feel sick in the most natural way.It is not without reason that for children suffering from epilepsy, the ketogenic diet is limited to a period of 36 hours.
The ketogenic diet is now used to treat certain types of cancer.Specifically, prostate cancer uses the diet's ability to reduce the production of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1).
Another disadvantage is a decrease in the level of free testosterone in the blood plasma.
The main danger of the keto diet is an increase in ketone levels in the blood, which lowers the acidity (pH) level of the blood and can cause death in extreme cases.This condition is called "ketoacidosis".First of all, this applies to people with severe and moderate forms of diabetes.If it is not there, there is no need to worry, because the blood of a healthy person contains the same amount of ketones that the body can process.
It takes time for the body to release glucose and learn to feed the brain with ketone bodies, so physical and mental activity levels may decrease during the first week.The main symptoms are lethargy, dizziness and mental fog.
Many people experience this condition very painfully, and "give up" literally on the second day.But the state of health completely returns to normal on the third to fifth day, when the body is rebuilt.
Lack of fiber causes slow bowel function.The main point of the ketogenic diet is complete abstinence from carbohydrates.Accordingly, the diet should consist of protein and fat, and fiber is a complex carbohydrate.It is possible to take fiber in its pure form and only include green vegetables or salad leaves in the diet, which contain enough coarse dietary fiber.
An important drawback of the diet is the lack of microelements caused by the exclusion of carbohydrate-containing foods from the diet.Basically, any meat or dairy products recommended on the ketogenic diet do not contain most vitamins or minerals.The best way to avoid deficiencies is to take vitamins and minerals, supplements that contain minerals.Some minerals, such as zinc or magnesium, are important for body function and hormone levels.
Contraindications
The ketogenic diet is contraindicated in the presence or history of liver disease, kidney disease, metabolic disorders (including congenital and genetically determined metabolic disorders), progressive encephalopathy, as well as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and lipids, as well as when taking valproic acid (valproate) drugs simultaneously.There are currently no known contraindications for its use.
When prescribing a ketogenic diet, the diet for each child and adult is calculated only by a doctor!Individually, taking into account the diagnosis, age and weight of the child, his nutritional needs.The content of basic nutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) in food is selected in a certain ratio, which is determined only by experts!During treatment, this ratio may change, so constant monitoring of the patient by the attending physician is necessary, who, if necessary, makes dietary adjustments.The patient's diet includes a variety of fatty foods - bacon, heavy cream, vegetable oil, such as flaxseed.In countries where the ketogenic diet is widely used, the food industry produces many special products that can provide a varied and nutritious menu.
For those starting a course of treatment, nutritionists have developed a special milkshake with a large amount of fat, which can not only be drunk, but also eaten frozen like ice cream.This helps children get used to fatty foods and creates the necessary biochemical changes in the body that provide antiepileptic effects.During treatment, the doctor needs great skills in creating a menu, otherwise the child will quickly get bored with a boring diet and may refuse to eat at all.During various diseases, such as colds, the metabolism is constantly changing.This may make the ketogenic diet less effective.During such a situation, you should definitely consult with your doctor so that he can adjust the menu.
What can you eat on a ketogenic diet and what recommendations should you follow?
The ketogenic diet focuses on foods rich in protein and fat.It is important that moderate consumption of fat is healthy and even necessary, as it is fat that causes a prolonged feeling of satiety.
Fats can be divided into three groups:
- saturated fat (found in red meat and dairy products);
- unsaturated (found in vegetable and vegetable oils);
- monounsaturated (found in fish and olives).
Fat performs many functions in the human body:
- energy (with a lack of calories, fat can be broken down, supplying the body with energy);
- protective (all organs are covered with a thin layer and have high thermal insulation properties);
- construction (part of the cell membrane);
- enzymatic (some lipids are part of cofactors);
- hormones (some lipids are part of hormones and mediators).
The best choice is protein-rich foods - meat, fish, milk, cottage cheese, eggs, cheese, as well as their derivatives.Carbohydrates are acceptable, but only in small quantities.30-50 grams of fiber will be enough for digestion.
Any product containing starch (cereals, pasta, potatoes) and sugar in any form is not recommended at all.Almost all fruits contain a lot of sugar in one form or another, so they are also prohibited.It is always necessary to look at the composition of the product on the label, because even a glass of milk contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates.In addition, a list of basic food additives is being studied, which should also be excluded, if only because they are dangerous.
To promote weight loss, drink plenty of water.Water helps the body burn more calories and prevent constipation.Limit your caffeine intake.Exercise regularly.
Exercise will help you lose fat faster on a ketogenic diet.Go for a walk, ride a bike, run in the park or work out at the gym.Incorporating physical activity into your daily schedule can help you maintain a healthy heart and lose weight.
Get a good night's sleep.In the early stages of ketosis, you may feel very tired.Sleep at least 7-8 hours every night to restore energy.Good rest will also promote weight loss.
Call your doctor if you experience flu-like symptoms.Many people feel tired and have mild headaches during ketosis.Sometimes the side effects are severe enough to require medical attention.
When does the diet take effect?
The effects of using a ketogenic diet occur gradually within the first 3 months after starting it.Usually, long-term treatment is required (for several years, usually 2-3 years), after which a stable improvement is generally observed, which continues even with a normal diet.Therefore, there is no need to follow a ketogenic diet for life.
In many cases, positive effects are already noticeable in the first or second week of treatment.However, sometimes within one or two months after using the diet there is no significant effect - in this case it is too early to draw conclusions about the ineffectiveness of the treatment;maybe doctors need to more carefully calculate biochemical parameters.
In the commonly accepted understanding, this is largely a variation on the theme of therapeutic fasting followed by a food "load" that induces ketosis.For the first three days of therapy, you should completely refuse any food and limit yourself only to drinking water in any quantity.Mineral water and artificially sweetened drinks with and without carbonated water, as well as juice, are prohibited.You can drink green tea.Water can be boiled or purified.During this period, it is necessary to reduce the patient's physical activity;sometimes bed rest is indicated.For the next three days, you need to introduce food slowly, a quarter of the usual portion.When choosing food, you should be guided by the principle of 4 parts of fat to one part of protein and carbohydrates.
This menu is somewhat reminiscent of the so-called fat diet for weight loss.The main thing is that you must completely exclude foods such as cereals, fruits, plain bread, carrots, beets, potatoes and pasta.
Complications
As with any therapeutic method, the use of a ketogenic diet in some cases is associated with some adverse reactions, the main ones listed below.
- Hair loss.Some children experience hair loss or sparse hair growth after long-term use of the ketogenic diet.It is believed that this complication is mainly associated with a lack of minerals in the diet.
- Delayed linear growth.This type of physical developmental disorder has been recorded in some patients, but its relevance to the ketogenic diet continues to be debated to this day.Increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood.A ketogenic diet, which consists of almost 90% fat, in some cases leads to an increase in cholesterol and other lipids in the blood.For any lipid content (cholesterol - more than 800 mg%, triglycerides - more than 1000 mg%), stopping the diet is not necessary.Reducing the fat-to-protein-to-carbohydrate ratio from 4:1 to 3.5:1 usually results in a rapid reduction in lipid levels to acceptable levels.
- Coral stone.These complications of the ketogenic diet affect about 1 in 6 patients.It is believed to occur as a result of insufficient fluid intake in children.Therefore, when carrying out a ketogenic diet, a urine test is performed to determine the density and detect blood impurities.If necessary, an ultrasound examination of the kidneys is performed.
- Sleepy and lethargicmay occur due to excessive ketosis or toxicity of concurrently used antiepileptic drugs.Blood levels of drugs may increase during the ketogenic diet even without increasing the drug dose.For this reason, it is necessary to check its concentration in the blood and immediately reduce the dose of potentially sedative drugs such as phenobarbital and benzodiazepines.
- constipation, as a rule, is explained by relatively small portions of food when following a ketogenic diet and limited water consumption.Increasing the daily amount of liquid used by 100-150 ml helps to avoid defecation disorders.
- Excess body weightpatients are caused by consuming too many calories rather than too much fat.Therefore, the energy content of the diet when prescribing a ketogenic diet must be adapted to their individual needs.
- Weight loss.This can be explained by several individual metabolic characteristics, as well as the patient's level of physical activity.If it turns out that the child's weight has decreased by 400-500 g in 1 month, the energy capacity of the diet can be increased by about 100 kcal per day.It should be remembered that when increasing the caloric content of the diet of young children or patients with a low level of physical activity, the amount of energy used at one time should not be increased by more than 25 kcal.
We remind you once again that your personal menu for this diet should be compiled by an expert!
When using a ketogenic diet, a comprehensive clinical and laboratory examination of the patient is required before the start of treatment with recording of EEG and ECG data, as well as biochemical blood tests.