What Is A Ketogenic Diet? The No Sugar No Carbs Diet
A ketogenic diet is a diet that relies on ketones for energy. A normal diet consisting primarily of carbohydrates supplies the body with glucose for energy. When carbohydrates are restricted, depleting the body of its glycogen reserves (the body converts glycogen to glucose) the liver produces ketones from fat reserves. Simply speaking, when you go on a no sugar, no carbs diet, your body uses fats instead of glucose to meet its energy requirements.
The average daily requirement for carbohydrate consumption is about 130-150 grams. On a no sugar, no carbs diet, your daily carb intake must be dramatically limited. This enables your body to produce ketones.
Sugar is the purest form of carbohydrate. 1 gram of sugar equals 1 gram of carbohydrate. Taking sugar away completely from your diet helps you to achieve this no sugar, no carbs diet.
There are other food items that contain a significant amount of carbohydrates and sugar. Among sugar-laden drinks, sodas and juices are by far the greatest culprits. Avoiding sugar and sugar-laden drinks are the most important choices to make to be successful in pursuing a keto diet.
As a result of this no sugar, no carbs diet, the level of glycogen in your body is depleted. This is a path to losing weight. In this article, you will find keto health benefits, what keto foods to eat, what keto foods to avoid and everything you need to know about this lifestyle.
Ketogenic Diets Can Help You Lose Weight
During the first days or weeks into a no sugar, no carbs diet, a lot of weight is lost due to water loss experienced in the body. This water loss results from the depletion of your body’s glycogen stores. These glycogen stores are all over your body, largely in muscle cells and partly in your liver.
Water molecules attach to glycogen, and when the body’s glycogen reserves are depleted, these water molecules have nowhere to attach and so are simply eliminated by the body. This results in significant weight loss during the first couple of weeks.
Health Benefits of Keto, The No Sugar No Carbs Diet
Weight loss is not the only benefit. Over-all health is improved. A lot of people who have gone on a no sugar, no carbs diet have experienced the lowering of their blood pressure. People who had high blood pressure before have managed to keep their blood pressure within the normal range. Many others have reported enhanced mental alertness as a result of a no sugar, no carbs diet. While others say they can go on longer periods of time without getting hungry.
Other Keto Health Benefits:
- You feel more energetic
- It helps you fight diabetes
- You get better blood pressure
- You get improved levels of good cholesterol
- It takes the edge off your appetite
- Improved ability to focus
- Mental Performance
- Reduced risk of Chronic Disease
What Keto foods to eat and what keto food to avoid
What Keto Foods To Eat:
- Meat: red meat, chicken, turkey, bacon, etc.
- Fish and seafood: especially fatty fish like salmon and tuna.
- Eggs
- Unprocessed cheese: cheddar, cream, mozzarella, etc.
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, pecans, chia seeds, macadamia nuts, etc.
- Healthy oils: extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil.
- Vegetables growing above ground: most green veggies, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, avocado, broccoli, zucchini, etc.
What Keto Foods To Avoid:
- Sugary beverages
- Sugary foods: cake, candy, ice cream, etc.
- Most fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, etc.
- Alcohol
- Some condiments
- Grains and grain-based foods – wheat, corn, rice, pasta, granola, cereal, etc.
- Root vegetables and tubers: potatoes, carrots, etc.
Keto Flu
One of the setbacks that have been observed by those who go on a no sugar, no carbs diet is referred to as the “keto flu”. Keto flu, however, isn’t the flu. But keto flu has been known to manifest in severe headaches, brain fog, disorientation, high blood pressure, to name some. This is because three essential electrolytes, namely, sodium, potassium, and magnesium needed for the regulation of bodily functions become deficient.
Therefore, it is important to take mineral supplements when one is doing a no sugar, no carbs diet. There are magnesium and potassium supplements readily available at your local pharmacy. Sodium, on the other hand, is easily gotten through the common table salt. Bone broth, i.e. soup that has been made from bones and cartilages, also helps counteract keto flu.
The ketogenic, no sugar, no carbs diet is not just for weight loss. Because of its many benefits, it is a healthy lifestyle.
Get A Custom Keto Diet
Would you like to start a ketogenic diet but you don’t know how? Get a with scientific research and proven studies to create personalized ketogenic diet plans that maximize fat burning via the correct calories and macronutrients for you.
Here’s what you will get:
- An eight-week meal plan created based on the expertise of certified nutritionists, personal trainers, and chefs.
- Meals that have calorie and macronutrient content tailored to your specific situations and goals.
- A nutrition plan with food variety to ensure you will get a wide range of nutrients and boost the likelihood of sticking to your diet.
- Meals that are based on personal food preferences to make your diet enjoyable and help you stay on track with your plan.
- Detailed recipes with step-by-step instructions to make meal preparation super simple (no prior cooking experience needed).
- A downloadable shopping list each week that details every needed ingredient you will need in the upcoming seven days.
- Options on how you can customize every meal even more to suit your taste buds.
- What to eat every day to reach your goals in the fastest and most enjoyable way.
Conclusion
If you’re reading this article now, chances are you are in some sort of pain, whether physical and/or mental (being overweight, struggling with autoimmune disorders, thyroid disease, fatigue, brain fog) and want to change. Use this information, don’t just skim through it and store it in the back of your brain and say “that’s nice for some people”, motivate yourself to change.
