A Beginner’s Guide to the Ketogenic Diet: Plus a Diet Menu Plan

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Keto Diet

If you’ve contemplated losing weight over the last four or five years you’ve probably heard of the Ketogenic diet. Similar to the old Atkins diet, the diet focuses on cutting carbs and eating more proteins and fats to put yourself in ketosis.

I’ve read many articles on the keto diet over the last few years, there are parts of the diet I don’t care for (Keto breath). There are also parts of the diet that I have used in my life for years without even knowing it was Keto. (protein consumption)

I think a Keto diet mixed with intermittent fasting and High-Intensity Interval Training could be explosive in getting results on your diet and fitness goals -super fast. So I did some research for my readers on the Keto Diet and this is what I came up with.

For some, the ketogenic diet would be their best option for losing weight. Referred to as the keto diet – meaning foods that contain high amounts of fats, protein, and low amounts of carbohydrate which also offer many health benefits. Keto is also known as a Low Carb-High Fat (LCHF) diet.

Keto Weight Loss Beginnings

The diet was initially introduced in 1921 by Dr. Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic. Later, Dr. Wilder discovered that placing epileptic patients on the diet helped to reduce the occurrence of most symptoms.

During the publication of Wilder’s studies, it was found out that there are limited options available for the treatment of epilepsy, but Keto was one of them. Recently many studies have claimed that this type of diet helps to improve your health and lose weight.

Although ketogenic diets may offer help with other health problems such as; cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and epilepsy.

What Is a Ketogenic Diet?

A ketogenic diet is mainly a diet that helps a body transform from burning sugar to burning fat in your body system. Research shows that about 99% of the world’s population have food which, makes their body burn sugar.

Due to this, carbohydrate fuel sources used after digesting carbs makes people gain weight, but a diet containing fat and protein ketones leads to the body being in ketosis and people losing weight.

You may want to ask; is this a suitable diet plan for me?  Next, we’ll discuss more of what you’ll need to eat and how the ketogenic diet affects your health and your weight loss goals.

The Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet

Keto helps to transform your body system from a sugar burner to a fat burner by removing the dietary sugar derived from carbohydrates intake.

Keto Diet and Exercise
Exercise, Yoga, HIIT works well the Keto Diet

The necessary precaution you need to follow for your current diet is to reduce food rich in sugar content. The ketogenic diet focuses mainly on reducing the carbohydrates level in your body.

Be careful of the amount of sugar you consume in your diet. Even a white potato that contains a high amount of carbs may not taste sweet to your taste bud but is loaded with carbohydrate sugar.

That potato- once in your bloodstream and shortly after digestion, introduces a carb increase on the level of pure sugar in your body (glucose).

To be honest, our body can only store a certain amount of glucose before it deposits its excess in other parts of our system. Excess glucose causes fat accumulation in the stomach region.

Types of Ketogenic Diets

There are many types of ketogenic diet which include:

Standard Ketogenic diet: This type of keto diet contains a high-fat, low-carb, and moderate-protein diet. It usually contains 20% protein, 75% fat and just 5% carbs.

Cyclical Ketogenic diet: This diet includes high-carb refeeds like five ketogenic days, followed by two high-carb days.

Targeted ketogenic diet: This type of diet allows you to add extra carbs during workouts.

High-protein ketogenic diet: It is similar to the standard ketogenic diet, but it includes more protein content. The ration usually varies between 35% protein, 60% fat, and 5% carbs.

Though the standard and high-protein ketogenic diets have been studied widely. Targeted or cyclical ketogenic diets are an advanced method, used by athletes or sportsmen.

The information provided in this article applies to the standard ketogenic diet, but similar principles can also be applied to the other versions.

There are many available versions of the Keto Diet.

A ketogenic diet is one of the most effective ways to lose weight, while also helping to reduce the occurrence of diseases.

The diet is so effective that you can lose weight without testing your calories or checking the intake of food.

Ketogenic Diet Studies

One Harvard study claimed that people on a ketogenic diet lost on average 2.2 times more weight compared to people on a calorie-restricted low-fat diet. The levels of HDL cholesterol and triglyceride were also improved.

Another study shows that people on the ketogenic diet lost more weight (3 times) compare to the diet recommended for diabetes in the United Kingdom.


Keto Diet Foods
Keto Diet Foods

There are many health benefits being on the ketogenic diet, it is far superior to a low-fat diet; this includes its high protein intake. Also, the high amount of ketones, low blood sugar levels, and improved insulin sensitivity can play an important role as well.

A ketogenic diet can rev up your weight loss compared to a low-fat diet. This usually happens without the normal hunger of a diet.

Ketogenic Diets for Prediabetes and Diabetes

Generally, diabetes occurs due to sudden changes in metabolism, impaired insulin function, and or high blood sugar in your body.

The ketogenic diet can help you to lose excess fat, which is the main cause of prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

A recent study shows that the ketogenic diet helped to reduce insulin sensitivity to about 75% of people tested. Another study found that type 2 diabetes patients, found among 7 in 21 participants were helped more by the Keto diet than diabetes treatments.

In another study, the ketogenic group lost about 11.1 kg (24.4 pounds), compared to the 6.9 kg (15.2 pounds) in the higher-carb group.

This is an added benefit when considering the connection between type 2 diabetes and weight.

Also, 95% of the ketogenic group were able to reduce or stop diabetes treatment, compare to 62% in the higher-carb group.
For more information on this topic, you can check out the article on the benefits of low-carb diets for people who have diabetes.

SUMMARY

The ketogenic diet can help to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce fat, which can lead to significant health benefits for people suffering from prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Other Health Benefits of Ketogenic Diets

The ketogenic diet is mainly used for treating neurological diseases like epilepsy. Studies show that the Keto diet has a lot of health benefits in regards to conditions such as:

Cancer: The diet is presently used to treat many types of cancer and lower the growth of brain tumors.

Alzheimer’s disease: The keto diet can reduce Alzheimer’s disease symptoms and also slows its progression.

Epilepsy: Studies show that the ketogenic diet can lead to massive reductions in seizures among epileptic children.

Parkinson’s disease: One study claimed that the diet helped to improve Parkinson’s disease symptoms.

Polycystic ovary syndrome: The ketogenic diet helps to reduce insulin levels, which play an essential role in polycystic ovary syndrome.

Brain damage: one animal study found that the diet can aid recovery after brain damage and reduce concussions.

Acne: Low insulin levels and reduction in the intake of sugar or processed foods help to improve acne.

Don’t forget that research in many of these areas is far from conclusive.


A ketogenic diet may help include many health benefits, especially with neurological, metabolic, or insulin-related diseases.

Try to avoid food that contains a high amount of carbs.

Here is a list of foods that you need to reduce or eliminated while on a ketogenic diet:
Fruit: mainly all fruit products, except a small number of berries such as strawberries

Starches or grains: Wheat-based products like pasta, rice, and cereal, etc.
Root vegetables and tubers: This includes sweet potatoes, parsnips, potatoes, and carrots.

Sugary foods: Smoothies, soda, ice cream, fruit juice, candy, and cake, etc.
Legumes or beans: Chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, and peas, etc.

Unhealthy fats: Reduce the intake of processed vegetable oils, mayonnaise, etc.
Sauces and condiments: These usually contain unhealthy fat and sugar

Alcohol: Due to the presence of carb content, many alcoholic beverages can result in ketosis.
Low-fat or diet products: These are mainly processed and usually high in carbs.

Sugar-free diet foods: They are usually high in sugar alcohols, which can influence the level of ketone in many situations.

Make sure you avoid carb-based foods such as sugar, rice, juice, legumes, grains, candy, and other forms of fruits.

Keto Food Types to Eat


Eggs: Eat pastured or omega-3 whole eggs
Fatty fish: This includes tuna, trout, mackerel, and salmon
Cheese: preferable unprocessed cheese products from goat, cheddar, cream, mozzarella or blue)
Cream and butter: Look for grass-fed when possible.
Avocados: Freshly made guacamole or whole avocados
Nuts and seeds: This include flax seeds, chia seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds and walnuts
Healthy oils: Mainly extra virgin oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil
Low-carb veggies: Mainly green vegetables, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.
Condiments: You can add pepper, salt, and other healthy spices and herbs
This is the best food or single ingredient to focus your diet.

Base on your diet on foods such as fish, nuts, avocados, meat, eggs, fish, healthy oils, butter, and plenty of low-carb veggies.

A Sample Keto Meal Plan for Seven Days


To get started, here is a pure ketogenic diet meal plan for a week:

Monday
Breakfast: Eggs, Bacon, and tomatoes.
Lunch: Chicken salad with feta cheese and olive oil
Dinner: Salmon with cooked asparagus and butter.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Goat cheese omelet, egg, basil and tomato
Lunch: Peanut butter, stevia milkshake, cocoa powder, and almond milk
Dinner: Vegetables, cheddar cheese, and meatballs.

Wednesday
Breakfast: A ketogenic milkshake (you can try this out).
Lunch: Shrimp salad with avocado and olive oil.
Dinner: Pork chops with Parmesan cheese, salad, and broccoli.

Thursday
Breakfast: Omelet with avocado, spices, peppers, salsa, and onion.
Lunch: Nuts and celery sticks with guacamole and salsa.
Dinner: Chicken stuffed with pesto, vegetables, and cream cheese.

Friday
Breakfast: Sugar-free yogurt with peanut butter, stevia, and cocoa powder.
Lunch: Beef fired with coconut oil with vegetables.
Dinner: Bun-less burger with bacon, cheese, and egg.

Saturday
Breakfast: Ham and cheese omelet with veggies.
Lunch: Cheese slices and Ham with nuts.
Dinner: Whitefish, egg, and spinach cooked with coconut oil.

Sunday
Breakfast: Fried eggs with mushrooms and bacon.
Lunch: Burger with salsa, guacamole, and cheese.
Dinner: Eggs and steaks with a side salad.
Make sure you substitute the meat and vegetable in the long term because each consists of different nutrients and health benefits.

You can eat a wide range of tasty and nutritious meals on a ketogenic diet.

Healthy Keto Snacks
If you feel hungry in between the meals, here are some healthy keto-recommended snacks:
Cheese
Cheese with olives
Fatty meat or fish
A handful of nuts or seeds
Cream and strawberries
90% dark chocolate
½ hard-boiled eggs
A low-carb milkshake with cocoa powder, almond milk, and nut butter
Smaller portions of leftover meals
Yogurt mixed with nut butter or cocoa powder
Celery with salsa and guacamole

Summary of the Ketogenic Diet

The right snacks for a keto diet include cheese, dark chocolate, olives, meat, boiled eggs, nuts, and boiled eggs.

Although the ketogenic diet is healthy for people, you may experience some side effects at the initial stage while your body adjusts to it.

This is typically called the keto flu, and it takes about a few days.
The keto flu includes sleeping discomfort, increased hunger, mental function, weak energy, digestive disorder, nausea, and reduced exercise performance.

In other to reduce this, you can try a regular low-carb diet within the first few weeks. This may help your body system to build more fat before you completely get rid of carbs.

A ketogenic diet can also change the chemical and water balance of your body. So, including extra salt to your meals or taking mineral supplements will be useful.

For minerals, make sure you take 3,000-4000 mg of sodium, 300 mg of magnesium, and 1,000 mg of potassium every day to minimize the side effects.

At the start, it is necessary to eat correctly and avoid the restriction on calorie intake. Most times, a ketogenic diet can lead to weight loss without deliberate calorie restriction.


Most of the side effects, starting with a ketogenic diet, can be limited. Taking mineral supplements and maintaining the right diet will help.

A ketogenic diet is a high medication, but it is NOT suitable for everybody

A ketogenic diet can be recommended for overweight, diabetic, or people that want to improve their metabolic health. It may not be required for elite athletes or people that want to accumulate vast amounts of weight or muscle. Just like any diet, it will only work if you are consistent with it for the long term.

That being said, some things need to be proven reviewed based on the excellent health and weight loss benefits of a ketogenic diet.

The Keto Diet in plain English

5 COMMENTS

  1. cureidea.com keto cookbook free download keto pure keto tone diet If you want caffeine, drink black coffee or tea. Drink two glasses of water with every meal – one before you eat and one with the meal. The first glass shall help fill your stomach and keep you from overeating. If the urge can be got by you to snack, drink one glass of water and wait ten minutes. Urges to snack are often actually signs of dehydration. Avoid fruit juice aswell. This “healthy” option frequently gets the same amount of sugars as soda. and starches increase blood sugar, spike insulin, and signal your body to store fat. Your body will turn off fat reducing until insulin clears the glucose out of your bloodstream. Keeping your carbohydrate intake low will keep your blood glucose steady. Consider having one meal each day – breakfast – extremely low carbohydrate ideally. three-egg omelet with shredded chicken and spinach is a very filling meal that will keep you in the fat burning zone. tone it up protein

  2. thanks to your insights. I am on a Keto and reading articles about diet plans and anything about dieting and success  stories serves as an inspiration to continue with what I am doing

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