As mentioned above, the nutritional intake should be around 70 percent fats, 25 percent protein, and 5 percent carbohydrate. Therefore, the carbohydrates intake should be limited, mostly coming from nuts, dairy, and veggies. Avoid refined carbohydrates like starch ( potatoes, legumes), wheat( cereals, bread) or fruit.
“The end goal of a properly maintained keto diet is to force your body into this metabolic state. We don’t do this through starvation of calories, but through starvation of carbohydrates. Our bodies are extremely adaptive to what you put into it – when you overload it with fats and take away carbohydrates, it will begin to burn ketones as the main energy source,” according to Ruled.me.
Health Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet
Leads to Weight Loss
Eliminating carbs from your diet is one of the simplest ways to lose weight. When on a ketogenic diet, the carbohydrate intake is very low, protein is moderate, and fat intake is increased, so that the body relies on fat as a primary fuel and produces ketones from stored body fat.
Fights Cancer
Cancer cells feed on sugar, meaning that sugar supports cancer growth. Therefore, any diet that eliminates sugar and other carbs can be effective in preventing and combating cancer. Normal cells in the bodies use fat for energy while cancer cells are not able to use fat as primary fuel.
According to a review published in Redox Biology, this diet helps treat colon, prostate, and gastric cancer. As hypothesized by Dr. Eugene Fine of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, ketone bodies inhibit cancer by altering the availability of energy processes in cancer cells. As summarized in the preliminary paper from Dr. Fine`s team, “Preliminary data demonstrate that an insulin-inhibiting diet is safe and feasible in selected patients with advanced cancer. The extent of ketosis, but not calorie deficit or weight loss, correlated with stable disease or partial remission.”
Protects your brain
Low carb intake combined with high fat intake has been associated with helping with other neurological disorders. According to a research published in Behavioral Pharmacology, ketogenic diets are effective in reducing symptoms of Parkinson`s disease and Alzheimer`s disease. In a certain study, patients diagnosed with Parkinson`s disease who followed a 4-to-1 ketogenic diet underwent a 43% improvement in their symptoms within a month.
Many studies also suggest that autistic people can benefit from following a ketogenic diet. According to one article, “Autism shares some features with epilepsy, and many people with autism experience seizures related to the over-excitement of brain cells.” It has been scientifically found that many autistic children showed improvement after following this diet over the course of six months.
Additional Health Benefits of Keto Diet
- Decreases LDl cholesterol
- Boosts energy
- Treats acne
- Leaves you satiated for longer
- Improves triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels
