When starting a diet, many people wonder what type of diet is ideal for them, sometimes people do not know where to start or what to do. That is why we offer you the possibility of knowing the different diets that currently exist and, specifically, in this oneHOWTO article, we explain what is the keto diet, what are the allowed foods, a weekly menu that you can follow and what are its contraindications.
The keto diet is a type of eating plan that has become fashionable today to lose weight quickly, but the truth is that it is not recommended for everyone. We must bear in mind that there are no miracle diets and quick and easy weight loss is not effective or long-lasting. At oneHOWTO we provide you with information about the keto diet objectively, always bearing in mind that, to carry it out, we must go to a specialist to assess the pros and cons of our ideal diet.
What is the keto diet and what does it consist of
The ketogenic diet (or also called Keto diet) is an eating plan that is gaining popularity in recent years and is also generating controversy. Its objective is to eat more foods high in fat and as few carbohydrates as possible in order to deprive cells of sugar and generate “ketosis” in the body.
And you wonder what “ketosis” is? Well, it is the process by which the body uses fat for energy and leaves out glucose (sugar). In this way, the organism looks for an alternative component so that the cells can feed themselves, thus the ketone bodies originate. This state is called ketosis. This eating plan was discovered by Henry Rawle Geyelin in 1921, a pioneering endocrinologist in this thesis who presented his study at a conference of the American Medical Association.
One of the reasons for controversy regarding the keto diet is its initial objective, mainly, it was indicated to treat epilepsy[1], but this treatment began to lose strength in this area.
Is the keto diet healthy?
After researching and doing a thorough analysis of this type of diet, we conclude that there is no scientific evidence to show that the keto diet is beneficial for health, beyond a diet to treat long-term epilepsy.
The keto diet limits certain nutritious foods considered beneficial for health (fruits, some vegetables, legumes, cereals), in this way, it does not meet the needs of the body. In addition, not ingesting the foods mentioned above brings with it a concern for the health of the heart.
For the reasons mentioned above, we consider that this type of diet not healthy for all audiences. Although it is true that it is beneficial in the sense that industrial pastries, snacks, sweets, drinks with an excess of sugar and the like are eliminated.
As we’ve discussed earlier, the ketogenic diet shouldn’t be a long-lasting eating plan. In addition, due to its restrictions it is difficult to continue with it for a long time. Most of the people who have carried out this diet have experienced what is called the rebound effect, once the diet is finished, they return to the previous habits.
However, the choice of diet will depend on the type of metabolism of each one, needs, organism, among other characteristics. And most importantly, for effective weight loss we recommend that you go to a professional to advise you on what type of diet is appropriate for your needs.
Foods allowed on the keto diet
What can you eat on the keto diet? You should know that foods such as fish, meat, eggs, healthy oils, butter, seasonings, seafood and vegetables predominate in it. In the keto diet, as in any type of diet, we must follow certain parameters, in this case, foods such as fruits, cereals and legumes are usually very restricted.
Next, we show you what is the list of foods allowed on the keto diet:
- Fish and shellfish: salmon, tuna, sardines, bonito, eel, mackerel, swordfish.
- Meat: chicken, pork, beef, poultry.
- Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, chard, endives, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, zucchini, cucumber.
- Eggs.
- Fruits: tomato, avocado, strawberries, blueberries, lemons, lime, blueberries, blackberries.
- Nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pine nuts.
- Dairy: natural yogurt, cheese (blue cheese, mozzarella, brie, gouda …), kefir, milk, butter.
- Drinks: water, red tea, green tea, herbal teas, coffee without sugar, probiotic drinks.
- Sweets: unsweetened chocolate, pure cocoa.
We should also note that this diet cannot be exceeded for more than 30 days due to lack of carbohydrates. 75% of the food eaten is fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates.
Keto diet weekly menu
At this point, you may wonder what the weekly ketogenic diet menu to keep in mind, well, here is an example:
Monday
- Breakfast: natural yogurt with hazelnuts.
- Lunch: chicken and avocado salad with olive oil.
- Dinner: cheese omelette.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: egg muffins with green tea.
- Lunch: zucchini stuffed with minced meat.
- Dinner: salmon tartare with avocado.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: unsweetened coffee with paleo bread toast and fresh cheese.
- Lunch: endive salad with walnuts and blue cheese.
- Dinner: roast chicken with sauteed vegetables.
Thursday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs with cloud bread and ham.
- Lunch: baked salmon with garlic butter.
- Dinner: tomato salad with pumpkin seeds.
Friday
- Breakfast: Greek yogurt with walnuts.
- Lunch: beef sautéed with mushrooms.
- Dinner: tofu stir fry with vegetables.
Saturday
- Breakfast: fried eggs with bacon and tomato.
- Lunch: roast potatoes with butter with herbs.
- Dinner: baked sea bass.
Sunday
- Breakfast: unsweetened coconut milk keto shake.
- Lunch: tuna sirloin burger.
- Dinner: beef carpaccio with olive oil and Parmesan cheese.
These are just a few examples of keto recipes to consider, but there are so many more options. It is important to remember that the ketogenic diet consists of eating foods with a higher amount of fat and reducing or eliminating carbohydrates.
Keto diet contraindications
After reading the article, you can see that the keto diet requires a lot of willpower to carry it out, since it is a strict type of diet that achieves relatively quick results compared to other types of diet. However, it is not the most appropriate, on many occasions, due to the type of food eaten, foods loaded with saturated fats that are not recommended for wellness or heart health.
Thus, the ketogenic diet should not be carried out by:
- Diabetic people.
- People with morbid obesity.
- Pregnant women.
- Hypertensive people.
- Patients with kidney, liver or pancreas problems.
We highlight that a large number of users who have been on the keto diet have experienced side effects, such as:
Thomas Seyfried, Boston Collage professor and book author Cancer as a Metabolic Disease[2], has carried out research on diet and points out: “If done incorrectly, it can modify the lipid parameters in the blood, which would endanger our health.”
That is why the keto diet It is not recommended for everyone and should always be supervised by a professional to make sure you’re doing it the right way.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is the Keto diet: allowed foods, weekly menu and contraindications, we recommend that you enter our Weight and Body Image category.
References
- Sampaio, LPDB (2016). Ketogenic diet for the treatment of epilepsy. Archives of Neuro-psychiatry, 74 (10), 842-848.
- Seyfried, TN and Shelton, LM (2010). Cancer as a metabolic disease. Nutrition and Metabolism, 7 (1), 1-22.
Bibliography
- Guide, L. What impact does the Keto diet have on the gut microbiome and long-term health?
- RHO, JM (2016). Expanded Uses of Ketogenic Therapies. Ketogenic Diet and Metabolic Therapies: Expanded Roles in Health and Disease, 77.
- Sisson, M. Keto Compared: Analysis of Keto vs. Popular Diet Trends.