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 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. 

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. 

Does the type of fat in the keto diet influence gut bacteria?

The ketogenic diet is focused on low-carb, adequate protein and high-fat concepts. They are commonly adopted for weight loss in both obese patients and athlete populations.

The fat is converted to free fatty acid by oxidation, but this cannot provide energy for the brain. The by-product, i.e. ketone bodies, provide energy for the brain, and the body undergoes a state of ketosis.

Through the creation of bioactive metabolites, which have the power to control a variety of metabolic processes involved in immunity and energy production, the microbes that inhabit our gut have an impact on the host.

Good gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids, and they help in neuro regulation and inflammation in the body. In other cases, bad bacteria can destroy the whole gut environment and affect the absorption of nutrients and their metabolites. 

Some of the studies show results demonstrating positive effects on reshaping bacterial architecture and the gut’s biological functions. Certain strains of bacteria led to the reduction of body weight and glycemia. 

High-fat diets have a tendency to reduce the good bacteria count, and in keto, we see that the fats are from different sources. Carbs being their favourite food, is limited.

Therefore, dietary fat quality is highly important and affects the gut microbiota composition. Keto diets with high-fat content, good quality polyunsaturated fats and plant-derived protein are the best to maintain gut function.

Some polyunsaturated fatty acid sources are nuts, seeds, fish, vegetable oils etc. Plant-derived proteins include pulse, tofu, soya, nuts, seeds etc. 

How do you think the keto diet was formed? Let’s dig into some history!

Did you know that fasting and other dietary methods have been used by mankind since at least 500 BC? 

The keto diet is a similar fasting diet that mimics the metabolism of fasting and is introduced in the early 1920s to treat epilepsy.

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carb eating method that has gathered widespread interest these days. More and more people think about whether it will make a difference in their health. 

Scientists have seen keto as a diet as effective as fasting and could be maintained for a much more extended period of time. 

There are no restrictions on where the ketogenic diet might be used. It can cost less than modern anti-epileptic drugs. The classic ketogenic diet is 4:1, where four parts of fat are served with one portion of carbs. It gives a meal plan of around 60-75% fat, 15-30% protein and less than 10% carbs. 

The body enters into a stage of ketosis and produces ketone bodies. The brain picks this up as an energy source instead of glucose for energy, and yes, the brain uses ketones effectively.

Keto was started with the treatment of epilepsy, but now it’s one of the most popular diets around the world for weight loss. Over the 15-20  years, there has been an explosion in the use and scientific research on the ketogenic diet. 

More and more research is coming up suggesting the benefits of keto for different disease conditions. 

Can keto be considered beyond weight loss? Is keto really healthy?

Keto was started in the 1920s for the treatment of epilepsy, and from the 1960s onwards, they have become widely known as one of the best methods for weight loss. 

A low carbohydrate ketogenic diet helps control hunger, improve fat metabolism and lose weight. There are other potential benefits of keto proven by science. 

The hidden face explains its broader therapeutic action on various diseases like cancer, type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and cardiovascular and neurological disorders. 

Some of the known benefits are-

1. It reduces the appetite due to the high satiety value of the proteins ingested. 
2. It can control appetite hormones by suppressing them and preventing overeating.
3. It reduces the production of fat in the body and helps in the breakdown of fats more efficiently, as fats are the primary source of fuel/
4. It is seen that there is a reduction in the resting respiratory quotient, meaning it is better efficiency in the metabolism of fats. 
5. The body also chooses fats and protein over carbohydrates for their source of energy which helps in burning more calories as fat and protein metabolism is hard compared to carbohydrates. 

All these conditions should be further studied to investigate more on the detailed potential therapeutic mechanisms. But this provides an insight that there are other benefits other than weight loss and can be recommended under other disease conditions. 

The impressive short-term weight loss numbers may appear inflated, but there can be changes significantly based on the variability in the diet content of each specific person.

The Making of a Keto Pizza

Pizza is an Italian dish that is made with bread, cheese, and vegetable or meat toppings with sauce. Such a simple dish is the favorite of adults and children alike. Therefore it is practically not fair to anyone who is being denied a pizza just because they are on a keto diet. Pizza can be turned keto-friendly and we will show you how.

When the body undergoes ketosis, weight loss happens as a by-product of metabolic activity. Anything that hinders this kicks the body out of ketosis and you will start losing the hard work that you did to make yourself healthy. For this, you have to check the ingredients thoroughly, for the carb content in them to let your body be in the state of ketosis. 

The most important part to choose is the ingredients for the crust. Zucchini or cauliflower is the most common for a keto pizza. These are low in carb content and are suitable for keto. For the sauce, you can grind cooked tomatoes with spices and herbs. Low carb high-fat food items like cherry tomato, zucchini, mushroom, spinach, chicken, bacon, etc are used for toppings.

The cheese options for a keto pizza can be anything from mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, and cottage cheese. They just have to be the right amount to help with the weight loss process. Thus being in keto doesn’t mean having boring food, you can have what you love with the right ingredients.

Keto Pizza: What you need to know

Who doesn’t love a cheesy toppings-filled pizza! Being on a ketogenic diet shouldn’t deprive you of the foods you love. We have an option of making your favorite cuisine keto-friendly with some changes in the ingredients without compromising the taste. To be consistent in your keto diet, these varieties of junk-turned-healthy food are a must! 

Baking a pizza with keto-friendly food items can be fun. The crust of the pizza which is usually made up of all-purpose flour can be made with a cauliflower crust and almond flour. This turns the crust low carb high fat, that can be easily incorporated into the diet plan. For the toppings on the pizza, choose ingredients that have low carb content in them. For example cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, broccoli, chicken, bacon, etc.

There can be no pizza without the cheese pull. We have to be extra cautious with the cheese because it is a high-fat food. Large amounts can cause problems in the body. Mozzarella cheese, parmesan, cheddar, and cottage cheese are the best cheese options that you can add to the keto pizza. This will ensure your body remains in ketosis.

Ketosis is the process of breaking down fats in the place of carbohydrates when the body, creating a rapid weight loss. Now you have the choice to have your favorite pizza in keto with some replacements that help in fat burning and are low carb. A keto pizza helps you with your cravings as well as keeps you healthy.

Keto Desserts: Cake Baking Tips

Desserts are a category of food to which mostly everyone says yes to! The cream, the color, the sweetness, the crunch, everything makes us just fall for it. Don’t worry if you are on keto, we will help you indulge in your favorite cakes by staying on the keto regime! Just follow our tips and you can eat your favorites.

For baking a cake, we would need flour, milk, eggs, sugar, and icing on the broadside. We’ll just have to replace the high-carb ingredients with a comparatively keto-friendly one. Flour can be replaced with almond or chia seeds flour, sweetening can be done with coconut sugar, stevia, or sucralose, and for the icing, we use full-fat cream cheese with or without a bit of cocoa powder. Using such kinds of ingredients will help your body maintain a low carb level.

The things with desserts and cakes are that they are sneaky. We have to be extra cautious about the hidden carbs in the ingredients. Check the content of carbs in each of the ingredients used and calculate the amount that accumulates altogether. This will help keep your ketone body levels in the blood intact.

Our body can be kicked out of ketosis if the carb content we intake goes out of control. This would destroy weeks of hard work and we wouldn’t want that to happen. Having dessert cravings is a normal thing. If you turn the dessert healthy, nothing is going to stop you from getting to the desired weight loss you dreamed of.

Avocados in Keto: Information about Avocados

Avocados are a keto diet follower’s best friend! Avocado or the butter fruit gets its name from the high-fat content that it contains. The avocado is the only versatile fruit that provides a significant amount of healthy unsaturated fats. This is the reason why avocado is the main ingredient of all keto meal plans.

Avocado is a stone fruit with a creamy texture and it grows in warm climates. The fats in avocados are highly unsaturated making them healthy for consumption. Avocados have a lot of qualities of being a weight loss-friendly food due to their fat content. It helps keep the heart strong by keeping the cholesterol levels in check. It has proven to improve heart health by impacting the gut biome.

Avocados make a great addition to the keto diet due to their high-fat content. They have a very low net carb, with about 8 gms of carbs and 7 gms of fiber in a 100 gms serving. Avocados are high in fiber that creates a rapid pace in weight loss and metabolic health. High fiber foods help reduce hunger and decrease the risk of high blood pressure and lower your cholesterol levels. 

This green-colored fleshy fruit can be modified into any type of recipe you love. You can use the buttery part as a replacement for the usual butter in toast with chia seeds and brown bread which is a very healthy food. Avocados are thus undoubtedly the healthiest fruit ever.