Important: It is not recommended to follow the diet without first consulting your doctor.This rule applies not only to those who have identified a disease, but also to everyone else.
Unlike most diets currently popular, the goals of the ketogenic diet were purely medical from the start.They are still on the agenda today.In general, the word "diet" initially had nothing to do with weight loss.This word means a set of nutritional rules that must be followed in a specific situation - during the treatment of a certain disease, during the period of postoperative therapy.
The renewed popularity of the keto diet is largely due to an American film producer whose child suffered from epilepsy for a long time.Despite numerous visits to the most famous and distinguished neurologists, who seem to have tried all the most effective antiepileptics available in nature, the boy's condition did not improve at all.Almost in despair, the father read a lot of literature on the topic of epilepsy treatment in the local library and suddenly came across a description of the ketogenic diet, which no specialist had yet recommended to him.She immediately put her son on this diet and was delighted to see that the frequency of the boy's seizures decreased significantly.
So the ketogenic diet was invented to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures - especially in children.Calorie intake was not reduced;carbohydrates were simply replaced with fats.The children were kept on this diet for 36 hours and the frequency of seizures decreased.
The ketogenic diet is now used to treat not only epilepsy, but Alzheimer's disease, fatty liver (fatty liver), and even certain types of cancer.In general, its medical benefits are undeniable.What about weight loss?
The ketogenic diet is a diet that consists of foods with a very high fat content (animal fats and some vegetable oils), animal proteins and very few carbohydrates, so that around 80% of the body's energy needs are covered by breaking down fat (the fat content of the average European diet provides 30-35% of the body's energy needs during the day).And similar to what happens during fasting, breaking down large amounts of fat leads to an increase in body acidity.This can probably explain why such a dietary complex reduces the frequency of epileptic seizures.
The goal of the ketogenic diet is to put the body in a state of ketosis.
Ketosis is a pathological state of the body in which ketone bodies predominate in the tissues.The state of ketosis means that the body uses only fat stored under the skin to cover energy needs, which prevents muscle breakdown.While in ketosis, it draws energy from ketones – carbonyl compounds produced when fats are broken down.By the way, ketones are an excellent source of energy for the brain, they almost perfectly replace glucose.
Another positive feature of ketosis is that in this state you will practically not starve, so you will eat less, which means that you will not fully cover your energy costs.
In order to bring the body into a state of ketosis, the diet must be structured in such a way that the diet is clearly dominated by fats and predominantly by saturated fats (the diet consists of 90% of fats, based on calorie content).
In fact, the diet that many professional bodybuilders use in the last week before the competition can also be called ketogenic: it consists only of salmon (usually grilled, but it can be prepared in other forms), peanut butter and green vegetables (lettuce, broccoli, spinach, cabbage).Even better, add flaxseed oil or walnut oil to this diet.There is already much more protein here, which reduces the problems, but does not eliminate them completely.
Advantages and disadvantages of the classic ketogenic diet
The plus side is that this diet is very effective, the diet works and how!The point is that you will practically not feel hungry, which means that the calorie restriction of the diet is quite easily tolerated.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 sharp decrease in insulin secretion.But for people with an active lifestyle, this plus can easily turn into a minus, since insulin is a strong anti-catabolic agent.The reduction in insulin secretion is based on the ketogenic diet's ability to induce acidosis in the muscles, which means that proteolysis increases, meaning that the body's own proteins are easier to break down.And catabolism can get out of control.Of course, not immediately, but within 3-4 days for sure.
It is simply impossible to follow the classic ketogenic diet for a long time - you start to get sick in the most natural way.It is no coincidence that the ketogenic diet was limited to 36 hours in children with epilepsy.
The ketogenic diet is currently used to treat certain types of cancer.Specifically, prostate cancer uses the ability of diet to reduce the production of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1).
Another disadvantage is the decrease in the level of free testosterone in the blood plasma.
The main danger of the keto diet is an increase in ketones in the blood, which lowers the acidity (pH) of the blood and in extreme cases can cause death.This condition is called "ketoacidosis".First of all, this applies to people with severe and moderate forms of diabetes.If there is none, then there is no need to worry, as the blood of healthy people contains exactly as many ketones as the body can process.
It takes time for the body to give up 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 extremely painfully and literally "give up" on the second day.But the state of health is completely normalized on the third to fifth day, when the body is rebuilt.
The lack of fiber slows down bowel movement.The essence of the ketogenic diet is complete abstinence from carbohydrates.Accordingly, the diet should consist of proteins and fats, and fiber is a complex carbohydrate.It is also possible to take fiber in its pure form and simply include green vegetables or salad leaves in the diet, which contain quite a lot of rough dietary fiber.
An important disadvantage of the diet is the lack of microelements caused by the exclusion of carbohydrate-containing foods from the diet.Essentially, the meat or dairy products recommended during the ketogenic diet do not contain most vitamins or minerals.The best way to avoid a deficiency is to take vitamins and minerals, dietary supplements containing minerals.Many minerals, such as zinc or magnesium, are critical for body function and hormone levels.
Contraindications
The ketogenic diet is contraindicated in liver disease, kidney disease, metabolic disorders (including congenital and genetically determined metabolic disorders), progressive encephalopathy, as well as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular and lipid diseases, and concomitant use of valproic acid (valproate) drugs.There are currently no known contraindications to its use.
When prescribing a ketogenic diet, only a doctor calculates the diet for all children and adults!Strictly individually, taking into account the child's diagnosis, age and weight, and nutritional needs.The basic nutrient content of food (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) is selected in a specific ratio, which can only be determined by a specialist!During treatment, this ratio may change, so the patient must be constantly monitored by the attending physician, who will modify the diet if necessary.The patient's diet includes various fatty foods - bacon, cream, vegetable oils, 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 beginners, nutritionists have developed special high-fat milkshakes that can not only be drunk, but also frozen, like ice cream.This helps the child get used to fatty foods and creates the necessary biochemical changes in the body that provide an antiepileptic effect.During the treatment, the doctor needs great skill in creating the menu, otherwise the child will quickly get bored of the monotonous diet and may refuse to eat completely.Metabolism always changes during various diseases, such as a cold.This can reduce the effectiveness of the ketogenic diet.In such circumstances, be sure to consult your doctor to change 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, because fat causes a long-lasting feeling of fullness.
Fats can be divided into three groups:
- saturated fat (found in red meat and dairy products);
- unsaturated (found in vegetable oils and vegetables);
- monounsaturated (found in fish and olives).
Fats perform many functions in the human body:
- energy (fats can be broken down in the event of a lack of calories, supplying the body with energy);
- protective (all organs are covered with a thin layer and have high thermal insulation properties);
- construction (part of cell membrane);
- enzymatic (some lipids are part of the cofactors);
- hormonal (some lipids are part of hormones and mediators).
The best choice is protein-rich foods - meat, fish, milk, cottage cheese, eggs, cheese, and their derivatives.Carbohydrates are acceptable, but only in small amounts.30-50 grams of fiber will be enough for digestion.
Products containing starch (cereals, pasta, potatoes) and sugar in any form are strictly not recommended.Almost all fruits contain a lot of sugar in one form or another, which is why they are forbidden.You should always check the composition of the product on the label, because even a glass of milk contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates.In addition, they study a list of basic food additives that should also be excluded, if only because they are harmful.
Drink plenty of water to aid weight loss.Water helps your body burn more calories and prevents constipation.Limit your caffeine intake.Exercise regularly.
Exercise helps you lose fat faster with a ketogenic diet.Walk, bike, run in the park or work out in 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 a night to restore energy.Good rest also promotes weight loss.
Contact your doctor if you experience cold-like symptoms.Many people feel tired and have mild headaches while in ketosis.Sometimes side effects become so severe that they require medical attention.
When does the diet come into effect?
The effect of using the ketogenic diet appears gradually in the first 3 months after its start.Typically, long-term treatment is required (several years, usually 2-3 years), after which a stable improvement is usually observed, which persists even with a normal diet.Thus, it is not necessary to follow a ketogenic diet for life.
In many cases, the positive effect can already be noticed in the first or second week of treatment.However, it happens that within one or two months of using the diet, no effect is noticed - in this case, it is still too early to draw conclusions about the ineffectiveness of the treatment;perhaps the doctor should calculate the biochemical parameters more thoroughly.
The commonly accepted interpretation is that this is largely a variation on the theme of therapeutic fasting, followed by a "load" of ketosis-inducing foods.During the first three days of therapy, you must completely refuse all food and limit yourself to drinking any amount of water.Mineral water and artificially sweetened drinks with and without carbonated water, as well as fruit juices, are prohibited.You can drink green tea.Water can be boiled or purified.During this period, the patient's physical activity should be reduced;sometimes bed rest is recommended.Over the next three days, you should slowly introduce the food, a quarter of the usual amount.When choosing foods, follow the principle of 4 parts fat to 1 part protein and carbohydrates.
The menu is somewhat reminiscent of so-called fat diets for weight loss.The most important thing is that you should completely exclude foods such as cereals, fruits, traditional bread, carrots, beets, potatoes and pasta.
Complications
As with all therapeutic methods, the use of the ketogenic diet in some cases involves side effects, the main ones of which are listed below.
- Hair loss.Some children experience hair loss or sparse hair growth after long-term use of the ketogenic diet.This complication is believed to be primarily due to a lack of minerals in the diet.
- Delayed linear growth.This type of physical malformation has been observed in some patients, but its relationship to the ketogenic diet is still debated.Increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood.The ketogenic diet, which is almost 90% fat, in some cases leads to increased levels of cholesterol and other lipids in the blood.In case of any lipid content (cholesterol - more than 800 mg%, triglycerides - more than 1000 mg%), it is not necessary to stop the diet.Reducing the fat-protein-carbohydrate ratio from 4:1 to 3.5:1 usually results in a rapid decrease in lipid levels to an acceptable level.
- Kidney stones.This complication of the ketogenic diet affects about 1 in 6 patients.It is believed to be caused by inadequate fluid intake in children.Therefore, during the ketogenic diet, a urinalysis is performed to determine the density and detect blood impurities.If necessary, we perform an ultrasound examination of the kidneys.
- Drowsiness and lethargymay occur due to excessive ketosis or toxicity of concomitant antiepileptic drugs.During a ketogenic diet, the blood level of drugs can rise even without increasing the drug dose.For this reason, their concentration in the blood should be monitored and the dose of potentially sedative drugs such as phenobarbital and benzodiazepines should be reduced immediately.
- Constipation, usually explained by the relatively small portions of food in the case of a ketogenic diet and limited water consumption.Increasing the amount of liquid consumed daily by 100-150 ml helps to avoid defecation disorders.
- Excess body weightpatients are caused by consuming too many calories, not too much fat.Therefore, when prescribing a ketogenic diet, the energy content of the diet must be adjusted to individual needs.
- Weight loss.This point can be explained by some 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 grams in 1 month, the energy capacity of the diet can be increased by approximately 100 kcal per day.It should be remembered that when increasing the caloric content of the diet of young children or patients with low physical activity, the amount of energy consumed at the same time should not be increased by more than 25 kcal.
We remind you again that the personal menu for this diet must be compiled by a professional!
When using a ketogenic diet, a thorough clinical and laboratory examination of the patients is required before the start of the treatment by recording EEG and ECG data, as well as biochemical blood tests.