IMPORTANT: It is not recommended to adhere to the diet without consulting your doctor.This rule applies not only to those whose disease has been detected, but to everyone else.
Unlike most of the currently popular diets, the goal of the ketogenic diet was purely medical from the beginning.They remain on today's agenda.Generally speaking, the word "diet" originally had nothing to do with weight loss.The word means a set of nutritional rules that must be followed in a specific situation (during treatment of a certain disease, during postoperative treatment).
The ketogenic diet's resurgence in popularity can be largely attributed to an American film producer whose child had long-term epilepsy.Despite numerous visits to the most famous and distinguished neurologists and attempts at all the most effective anti-epileptic drugs that exist in nature, the boy's condition did not improve at all.The desperate father was reading a lot about the treatment of epilepsy at his local library when he came across a description of the ketogenic diet, which had not yet been recommended by any experts.He immediately put his son on the diet and, to his great delight, found that the boy's seizure frequency was significantly reduced.
Therefore, the ketogenic diet was invented to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures—mainly in children.Calorie intake is not reduced; carbohydrates are simply replaced by fat.After the children followed the diet for 36 hours, their seizure frequency actually decreased.
The ketogenic diet is now used not only to treat epilepsy, but also Alzheimer’s disease, fatty liver disease (fatty liver disease), and even some types of cancer.Overall, its medical benefits are undeniable.How about losing weight?
The ketogenic diet is a diet consisting of meals that are very high in fat (animal fats and some vegetable oils), animal proteins and very few carbohydrates, so that approximately 80% of the body's energy needs are met through the breakdown of fat (the fat content of the average European diet provides 30-35% of the body's energy needs during the day).Similar to what happens during fasting, the breakdown of large amounts of fat causes an increase in acidity in the body.This may explain why using this compound diet reduces the frequency of epileptic seizures.
The goal of the ketogenic diet is to put the body into a state of ketosis.
Ketosis is a pathological state in which ketone bodies dominate body tissues.The state of ketosis means the body only uses fat stored under the skin to meet energy needs, preventing muscle breakdown.In a state of ketosis, you will get energy from ketones (carbonyl compounds formed when fats are broken down).Ketones, by the way, are an excellent source of energy for the brain and are an almost perfect replacement for glucose.
Another positive feature of ketosis is that in this state, you will hardly feel hungry and therefore, you will eat less, which means you will not be able to fully cover your energy costs.
In order for the body to enter a state of ketosis, the diet is structured in such a way that fat is significantly dominant in the diet, and primarily saturated fat (the diet consists of 90% fat, based on calorie content).
In fact, the diet used by many professional bodybuilders in the last week before a competition can also be called a ketogenic diet: it consists solely of salmon (usually grilled, but can be prepared in other forms), peanut butter and green vegetables (lettuce, broccoli, spinach, cabbage).Adding flaxseed oil or walnut oil to this diet is even better.There's already more protein here, which reduces the problems but doesn't eliminate them entirely.
Pros and Cons of the Classic Ketogenic Diet
The pros are, this diet works very well, the diet works, and how!Best of all, you'll rarely feel hungry, which means the calorie restrictions in your diet will be easy to tolerate.Ketones are an excellent source of energy for the brain.
Equally important, the ketogenic diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease due to a drastic reduction in insulin secretion.But for people with active lifestyles, this plus can easily turn into a minus, since insulin is a powerful anti-catabolic agent.This reduction in insulin secretion is superimposed on the ketogenic diet's ability to induce muscle acidosis, which means increased proteolysis, that is, an increase in the breakdown of the body's own proteins.Catabolism can get out of hand.Not immediately of course, but certainly 3-4 days.
It’s simply impossible to follow the classic ketogenic diet long-term – you’ll start to feel sick in the most natural way.It is not unreasonable for children with epilepsy to be limited to 36 hours on the ketogenic diet.
The ketogenic diet is currently used to treat certain types of cancer.Specifically, prostate cancer uses diet to reduce the production of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1).
Another disadvantage is reduced plasma levels of free testosterone.
The main danger of the keto diet is an increase in ketone levels in the blood, which can lower blood acidity (pH) levels and in extreme cases can lead to death.This condition is called "ketoacidosis."First, this applies to people with severe and moderate diabetes.If it's not present, there's no need to worry because a healthy person's blood contains as many ketones as the body can handle.
The body needs time to give up glucose and learn to feed the brain with ketones, so physical and mental activity levels may decrease during the first week.The main symptoms are drowsiness, dizziness, and confusion.
Many people have experienced this and it was so painful that they "gave up" the next day.But by the third to fifth day, the body is completely back to normal.
A lack of fiber can cause bowel function to slow down.The main point of the ketogenic diet is to completely eliminate carbohydrates.Therefore, the diet should consist of protein and fat, and fiber is a complex carbohydrate.Fiber can be consumed in its pure form by adding green vegetables or lettuce leaves to your diet, which contain high amounts of crude dietary fiber.
An important disadvantage of this diet is the micronutrient deficiencies caused by the exclusion of carbohydrate-containing foods from the diet.Essentially, any meat or dairy recommended on the ketogenic diet does not contain most vitamins or minerals.The best way to avoid deficiencies is to take vitamins and minerals, dietary supplements containing minerals.Many minerals, such as zinc or magnesium, are essential for the body's functions and hormone levels.
Contraindications
The ketogenic diet is contraindicated in the presence or presence of liver disease, renal disease, metabolic disorders (including congenital and genetically determined metabolic disorders), progressive encephalopathy, as well as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular and lipid diseases, and in the concomitant use of the drug valproic acid (valproic acid).There are no known contraindications to use.
When prescribing a ketogenic diet, the diet of each child and adult should be calculated only by a doctor!Strictly individualized, taking into account the child's diagnosis, age and weight, as well as his nutritional needs.The content of basic nutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) in food is chosen in certain proportions that only experts can determine!During the course of treatment, this ratio may change, so the attending physician must constantly monitor the patient and make dietary adjustments if necessary.The patient's diet included various types of fatty foods - bacon, heavy 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 diverse and nutritious menus.
For those who start a course of treatment, nutritionists develop special milkshakes containing a large amount of fat, which can not only be drunk, but can also be eaten frozen like ice cream.This helps the child get used to high-fat foods and creates the necessary biochemical changes in the body that provide anti-epileptic effects.During treatment, doctors need to be highly skilled in formulating menus, otherwise the child will soon become bored with the monotonous diet and may even refuse to eat.During various illnesses, such as colds, there are always changes in metabolism.This may make the ketogenic diet less effective.In this case, you should definitely consult your doctor so that he can adjust the menu.
What can I eat on a ketogenic diet?What recommendations should be followed?
The ketogenic diet focuses on foods rich in protein and fat.Importantly, eating fat in moderation is healthy and even necessary because it is fat that leads to a long-lasting feeling of fullness.
Fats can be divided into three categories:
- saturated fat (found in red meat and dairy products);
- Unsaturated (found in vegetable oils and vegetables);
- Monounsaturated fatty acids (found in fish and olives).
Fat performs many functions in the human body:
- Energy (when there is a lack of calories, fat can be broken down to provide energy for the body);
- Protective (all organs are covered with a thin layer with high thermal insulation properties);
- structure (part of the cell membrane);
- Enzymatic (certain lipids are part of cofactors);
- Hormones (certain lipids are part of hormones and mediators).
The best options are foods rich in protein - meat, fish, milk, cottage cheese, eggs, cheese and their derivatives.Carbohydrates are acceptable, but only in small amounts.30-50 grams of fiber is enough for digestion.
It is strictly not recommended to consume any starchy products (cereals, pasta, potatoes) and any form of sugar.Almost all fruits contain large amounts of sugar in various forms and are therefore also prohibited.It is always necessary to check the product ingredients on the label, as even a glass of milk contains approximately 15 grams of carbohydrates.In addition, a range of essential food additives are being studied and must be excluded if only because they are harmful.
To promote weight loss, drink more water.Water helps the body burn more calories and prevents constipation.Limit caffeine intake.Exercise regularly.
Exercise will help you lose fat faster on the ketogenic diet.Walk, bike, run in the park or work out at the gym.Incorporating physical activity into your daily schedule can help you maintain a healthy heart and lose weight.
sleep tight.In the early stages of ketosis, you may feel very tired.Get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night to recharge.Good rest can also promote weight loss.
If you develop cold-like symptoms, contact your doctor.Many people feel tired and have mild headaches during ketosis.Sometimes side effects are severe enough to require medical attention.
When does the diet take effect?
The effects of the ketogenic diet appear gradually within the first three months of starting.Long-term treatment is usually required (several years, usually 2-3 years), after which stable improvement is usually observed, with improvement continuing even with a normal diet.Therefore, it is not necessary to follow a ketogenic diet for life.
In many cases, positive effects are already noticeable during the first or second week of treatment.However, sometimes there are no noticeable effects within a month or two of using the diet - in this case it is too early to conclude that the treatment is ineffective; perhaps the doctor needs to calculate the biochemical parameters more carefully.
In commonly accepted understanding, this is very much a variation on the theme of therapeutic fasting followed by "large amounts" of foods that lead to ketosis.During the first three days of treatment, you should completely refuse any food and limit yourself to drinking only as much water as you want.Mineral water, artificially sweetened drinks (with or without carbonated water) and fruit juices are prohibited.You can drink green tea.Water can be boiled or purified.During this period, the patient's physical activity needs to be reduced; sometimes bed rest is required.Over the next three days, you should introduce food slowly, about a quarter of your usual amount.When choosing foods, follow the rule of four parts fat, one part protein, and one part carbohydrate.
The menu is somewhat reminiscent of the so-called fat loss diet.Most importantly, you must completely exclude foods such as cereals, fruits, plain bread, carrots, beets, potatoes and pasta.
complication
As with any treatment, the use of a ketogenic diet can cause some adverse effects in certain circumstances, the main ones being as follows.
- hair loss.Some children experience hair loss or thinning after long-term use of the ketogenic diet.It is believed that this complication is mainly related to mineral deficiencies in the diet.
- Linear growth delay.This type of physical developmental disorder has been documented in some patients, but its relationship to the ketogenic diet remains controversial to this day.Increased levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.The ketogenic diet is made up of almost 90% fat, which in some cases can lead to an increase in cholesterol and other lipids in the blood.For any lipid content (cholesterol - more than 800 mg%, triglycerides - more than 1000 mg%), it is not necessary to stop the diet.Reducing the fat to protein to carbohydrate ratio from 4:1 to 3.5:1 usually results in a rapid reduction of lipid levels to acceptable levels.
- Kidney stones.This complication of the ketogenic diet affects about one in six patients.The condition is believed to be caused by insufficient fluid intake in children.Therefore, when on a ketogenic diet, a urine test is done to determine density and test for blood impurities.If necessary, an ultrasound of the kidneys may be performed.
- Drowsiness and somnolenceMay occur due to excessive ketosis or toxicity from concurrent antiepileptic drugs.Blood levels of medications may increase during a ketogenic diet, even without increasing the medication dose.Therefore, it is necessary to check its concentration in the blood and promptly reduce the dose of potentially sedative drugs such as phenobarbital and benzodiazepines.
- constipateTypically, this is explained by relatively small food portions when following a ketogenic diet and limited water consumption.Increasing fluid intake by 100-150 ml per day can help avoid bowel movements.
- OverweightThe patient's symptoms were caused by eating too many calories rather than too much fat.Therefore, when following a ketogenic diet, the energy content of the diet must be adapted to their individual needs.
- lose weight.This may be explained by some individual metabolic characteristics as well as the patient's physical activity level.If it is found that the child's weight has decreased by 400-500 grams in one month, the energy capacity of the diet can be increased by about 100 calories per day.It is important to remember that when increasing the caloric content of the diet of young children or patients with low physical activity levels, the energy consumed does not need to increase by more than 25 kcal at a time.
We remind you again that your personal dietary menu should be prepared by an expert!
When using a ketogenic diet, a thorough clinical and laboratory examination of the patient, recording of electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram data as well as biochemical blood tests, is required before starting treatment.