Keto diet and intermittent fasting: Should you combine them both?

Starting a keto diet will look easy to everyone, but success on a keto diet isn’t just about what you eat; it’s also about when and how often you eat. Intermittent fasting has become one of the trending topics in many diet plans, including keto. Intermittent fasting can be a powerful tool to break through a weight-loss plateau or ramp up our fat burning.

Intermittent fasting may help your body reach ketosis quicker than the keto diet alone. Here are a few ways in which intermittent fasting helps you in following a perfect keto plan, 

–  Intermittent fasting can b a powerful tool to break through a weight-loss plateau or ramp up our fat burning.

–  While fasting, your body maintains its energy balance by shifting its fuel source from carbs to fats – the exact premise of the keto diet. 

–  During fasting, insulin levels and glycogen stores decrease, leading your body to naturally start burning fat for fuel. 

–  Intermittent fasting boosts metabolism by promoting thermogenesis, or heat production; your body may start utilizing stubborn fat stores.

–  Intermittent fasting may preserve muscle mass during weight loss and improve energy levels which may be helpful for keto dieters looking to improve athletic performance and drop body fat.

If you struggle to reach ketosis while on a keto diet, adding intermittent fasting may jumpstart your process. Though some people may find merging both practices helpful, it is important to note that it may not work for everyone.

Guide to the vegetarian keto diet!!

The keto diet is high in fat and super low in carbs, it often includes a lot of meat, but it certainly doesn’t have to. In fact, a lot of keto followers are borrowing the best of both worlds to create a vegetarian ketogenic diet. 

This eating plan is healthier for humans, animals, and the environment. A vegetarian ketogenic diet excludes meat, fish, and fowl flesh and also restricts carbohydrates.

Before you embark on a hybrid meat-free and keto lifestyle, it’s best to have a plan in place. Here are some tips for a healthy vegetarian keto diet.

• Remember to limit your total carbs consumption to 35 grams or less per day and get at least 70% of calories from fat.

• To ensure that you are getting enough fat in your diet, use plant-based oils to replace all the animal fats often used in cooking and baking.  Avocado, coconut oil, MCT, and olive oils are great options. Cook with them or drizzle them on salads; use them as you wish.

• Protein should constitute just about 25% of calories on a keto diet. On a vegetarian keto diet, the main source of protein will be eggs and high-fat dairy products. 

• The main plants you would have to stock up on for the keto diet are leafy greens like spinach, arugula, swiss chard, and kale, and vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms, green beans, and cauliflower.

• Common fruits for bananas, apples, and oranges have too many carbs to consume on a regular basis. So try to limit fruits to small servings of low-glycemic berries like blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries.

• Common vegetarian ingredients are often loaded with carbs. The most common food that must be avoided are grains like wheat, corn, and rice, vegetables like lentils, beans, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, and forms of sugar.

• Also, include some fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and natto to help improve digestion.

Follow these simple steps to get your vegetarian keto diet plan on track!

Is the keto diet a better option for weight loss? Here is the answer!

Does getting into ketosis helps you with weight loss? Like any diet, the answer is not straightforward.

The primary purpose of the keto diet is to help your body burn fats instead of carbohydrates. The keto diet comprises low-carb, moderate protein intake, and high-fat breakdown. 

The keto diet uses the macronutrient ratios, which include 20% to 30% of calories from protein, 70% to 80% of calories from fats, and 5% or fewer calories from carbohydrates. All these percentages may vary from person to person, but the main goal is to get into ketosis.

Here are some tips on how the keto diet helps in weight loss.

Higher protein intake: Some ketogenic diets are really high in protein intake, which has many benefits for weight loss.

Appetite-suppressant: Ketogenic diets always help you feel full, which leads to changes n hunger hormones, which helps in weight loss. 

Gluconeogenesis: Your body converts fat and protein as carbs to burn fuel. This may help you to burn more calories each day.

Decreased fat storage: Sometimes ketogenic diets reduce lipogenesis, converting sugar into fat. This happens because excess carbs are stored as fat. When the intake of carbs is minimal, fat is used for energy, which helps in weight loss. 

In all these ways, a ketogenic diet can be practical and helpful for weight loss.

Is Canned Tuna Healthy For Ketosis?

Canned tuna is common in several kitchens. It costs less, is rich in protein, and can be stored for several years without getting bad. But one needs to understand the health benefits and concerns of canned tuna. 

Packed and fresh tuna are excellent sources of several healthy vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, selenium, and iodine. It also has omega-3 fatty acids that are good for the eye and the brain. Canned tuna packed in water is low in calories and high in protein level, which is the best option for losing weight. It provides the essential nutrients that your body needs and some canned tuna can be stored for 2-5 years in your pantry. 

The package of canned tuna can affect its nutrition. Canned tuna, when packed in oil, is high in calories when compared to that packed in water. It is also high in sodium content in comparison to fresh tuna. One also needs to know the mercury level in canned tuna. Larger varieties of tuna, like bigeye and albacore, have higher mercury levels than smaller tuna, like light tuna and skipjack.

It is essential that you check the label of the product before buying the canned tuna!

Ketogenic Diet: How does it work to improve PCOS?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age and is associated with obesity and insulin resistance. 

One of the most difficult factors to treat in women with PCOS is the tendency to gain weight. In fact, 80% of women with PCOS are obese. 

The keto diet is a very popular diet today. The idea of this diet is to burn fat by remaining in a state of ketosis when the body begins to burn fat for energy because it does not have enough carbohydrates to burn it.

A ketogenic diet can lead to weight loss and improves insulin resistance, a driver of fat storage. The Keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that does not restrict calories but rather the quality of foods. The question is, is a keto diet good for losing weight in women with PCOS. Yes, it is, as it burns stored fat and reduces insulin.

Women with PCOS often have irregular periods, excessive hair growth, obesity, and the risk of type 2 diabetes. If you experience any of the symptoms of PCOS or are diagnosed or experiencing infertility problems, it is time to schedule an appointment.

What is a Mediterranean keto diet?

The Keto diet is a low carbohydrate diet known for its weight loss factor. This diet is composed of fats primarily and restricts carbohydrates. The fat-fueled brain undergoes a state of ketosis and produces ketones as a byproduct of fat metabolism. 

A mediterranean diet is a diet rich in whole grains, fish and vegetables followed by people who reside in Mediterranean countries. It is a healthy and best diet as of now. The main ingredients are natural and mostly raw foods. The custom of fish, olive oil, whole grains etc. and avoiding processed and preserved foods make it a healthy and balanced diet. 

When we look closely at these two diets, some features are similar. 

1. Keto and mediterranean diets focus on many fruits and vegetables, including excellent and lean meat and fish sources.
2. They both have simple carbs that are usually available in the form of processed food. 
3. Comparing the clinical benefits, they help manage blood sugar levels, body weight and other clinical measures. 

The keto diet can be followed in the mediterranean way too! The mediterranean diet is more of an ingredient, and keto is a diet. Clubbing together, we can get a mediterranean keto diet, where the ingredients are healthier than the standard ketogenic diet, and this can increase the ketogenic diet’s quality. 

Some of the ingredients in the standard keto diet can be bad for the body in the long term, and this can be switched with the healthy and low-carb ingredients from the mediterranean diet. 

Is the keto diet safe for lactating women?

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, and low-carbohydrate diet that leads to nutritional ketosis in the body, where fat is the primary energy source. Ketosis involves producing excess ketones, a byproduct of fat metabolism, which can lead to a state of ketoacidosis in the body. 

Studies have shown that a properly maintained keto diet can be safe for pregnant women but won’t be suitable for lactating. No research suggests the opposite, but it is better to stay away from the keto diet as the mother is lactating and cutting calories to lose weight can affect the milk supply.

Another concern is the release of ketones from the mother to the baby through milk. Ketones are chemical bodies that are made as a side product; in keto, there can be an excess accumulation of ketones. For a newborn baby, it can be very new and harmful.

Also, the mother can experience the side effects of keto, like keto flu, fatigue, muscle loss, etc., which can be alarming and dangerous to the mother and baby.

You can continue with a keto diet post-breastfeeding period so that it won’t affect the baby’s growth and development. 

Is it necessary to look into food’s glycemic index while on keto?

Yes. Glycemic index can be a new term. Foods are given a glycemic index score depending on how quickly and significantly they raise blood sugar levels. 

Low glycemic index (GI) foods tend to release glucose gradually and continuously. Foods with a high glycemic index quickly release glucose. Meals with a high GI help with energy recovery after exercise, and whole foods with a low GI tend to promote weight reduction.

The glycemic index should also be managed, like carbs, while following a ketogenic diet. Carbs are restricted in a ketogenic diet to achieve the state of ketosis, where fat is used as a primary energy source. Everyday foods that are rich in carbs may or may not raise glucose levels and have a high GI. This should be taken care of while following a keto diet. High GI foods can cause disruption in the keto cycle and lead to failure of the diet.

Some of the safe foods are apricots (1 apricot, GI = 32), asparagus (1/2 cup, GI = ~15), avocado (1 whole, GI < 30), broccoli (1 cup, GI = ~10, mushrooms (1 cup, GI = ~10), peach (1 medium, GI = 28), peppers (1 cup, GI = 40), spinach (1 cup, GI < 10), strawberries (1/2 cup sliced, GI = 40), tomato (1 cup, GI = 15), zucchini (1 cup, GI = ~15), raspberries (1/2 cup, GI < 40). Blackberries (1/2 cup, GI = 40), blueberries (1/2 cup, GI = 53), brussels sprouts (1 cup, GI < 10), cabbage (1 cup, GI < 10), carrots (1 cup, GI = 35), swiss chard (1 cup, GI < 10), cucumber (1/2 cup, GI = ~15), kale (1 cup, GI < 10), romaine lettuce (1 cup, GI < 10).

Units 1- 55 are low in GI, 56-69 are medium and higher than 70 in high GI foods. 

Various fruits and vegetables can be safely incorporated into a ketogenic diet while adhering to 50 grams of carbohydrates daily. Feel free to fully enjoy fruits and vegetables alongside other nutrient-dense low-carb foods like nuts and seeds because they contain fibre and water while maintaining low-carb levels.

Can eating disorders get worse with keto?

The ketogenic diet changes the body into a state of ketosis, causing it to burn fat instead of carbs for energy. This is achieved through a high-fat, medium-protein and low-carb regime. 

The keto diet is a restrictive diet that can lead to eating just one particular nutrient and omitting another; this scan causes eating disorders. There can be a natural tendency to crave carbs naturally.

The restriction may also give the concept that crabs are bad for the body and cause anxiety. This anxiety around food is also seen as a common eating disorder symptom. 

Most of the people following a ketogenic diet have this idea of a healthy eating concept or medically known as orthorexia nervosa, where the person is addicted to a healthy eating pattern. This severe eating disorder can cause an addiction to certain foods.

The keto diet revolves around certain food groups, and having a rigid idea about that negatively affects the relationship between the person and food. 

It can be challenging to maintain, and there is a high possibility that the person can regain weight post-keto regime. This can be monitored by not being so restrictive about the foods in a keto diet. 

The key to avoiding eating disorders in keto is understanding your body and needs. Keto can be restrictive, but at the same time can be customised according to your needs, and this can change your attitude towards foods and help in building a better relationship with it. 

Can the keto diet lead to irregular periods?

A healthy menstrual cycle every month or so is a sign of reproductive age in women. It involves several hormones, the shedding of the uterine wall, and the eggs from the ovaries. 

Besides the reproductive hormones, insulin and thyroid hormones are also linked to menstruation/ periods.

In the keto diet, there is a drop in carbohydrates which is not entirely natural and very new to the body. The primary source of energy is shifted from carbs to fat sources. 

It depends upon each individual, and it does not cause irregular periods for all women out there. There is research indicating that keto can improve reproductive health. 

Some of the potential reasons why a keto diet can affect your menstrual cycle

1. Stress- the body can undergo keto flu, which is a new thing to adapt to. This can lead to stress and hormonal imbalance, leading to irregular periods. 
2. Weight loss- the body can lose weight after keto, and if this happens quickly, the female hormone, oestrogen, will drop easily, leading to irregularity in menstruation. 
3. Fewer calories- keto helps in managing the appetite and controlling hunger hormones. This sudden calorie restriction can also affect the female reproductive system and lead to cycle issues.
4. Thyroid hormones- a drop in thyroid hormone production during less carb intake can affect the menstrual cycle. 

Keto can be appropriately monitored to avoid all these issues. Avoid skipping meals, eat more nutritious and healthy sources, and give the body the time to adapt to keto; missing a few cycles can be acceptable. But seek medical help in case of continuous issues. Finally, remember not to force keto; consider other choices if that diet is not working for you!