A ketogenic diet includes high fat, medium protein, and low carbs food. A ketogenic diet can offer many health benefits and improves symptoms of diseases like diabetes, cancer, and many more. Reducing the intake of carbohydrates puts the body under a metabolic state called ketosis. When this happens, your body burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates.
However, it is necessary to understand that it can be difficult to limit the intake of carbohydrates at first as maximum foods include carbs. Therefore, it is important to understand your foods as well as the risks involved in the diet. Below given are some tips that can help you to get started on a ketogenic diet.
Know what you can eat and what to avoid
While following a ketogenic diet it is necessary to keep your carbs intake between 20-30 grams per day. Also ensure that you know what type of food to eat as not only bread, chips, and pasta contains carbs but also healthy foods like beans, fruits, and vegetables contains carbs. Foods that are free from carbs are pure fats like butter, coconut oil, and other oils.
You can eat cheese as it is low in carbs and contains healthy fats as they are ideal for a ketogenic diet. Other items like greek yogurt can also be included as it contains a good amount of protein and saturated fat. Low-carb vegetables are also beneficial as they contain many nutrients and vitamins. They also contain fiber that helps to maintain your digestive system and antioxidants that can protect from free radicals. Avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes, ham, and peas to maintain your diet. Other foods like avocados are also helpful in a ketogenic diet as they contain many vitamins and are considered a good source of potassium. They offer many other health benefits including improvement in cholesterol levels.
Eat the correct amount of keto-friendly foods
It is also necessary to eat the right amount of keto-friendly food while following a keto diet to ensure positive results. How many calories you take influences your weight hence, it is necessary to track your calorie intake. To follow your diet effectively it becomes important to track what you eat and how much you eat. If your calorie intake is lesser than that required to gain weight and you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight however, if your calorie intake is more than that required by an average person you will gain weight. It is also necessary to understand that going for a huge calorie deficit can have negative effects on your health as sudden weight loss can disturb your hormones and increases the chances of weight gain in the near future. It can also cause hair fall, dizziness, and weakness.
This highlights the importance to have the correct amount of food throughout the diet. An aggressive approach can be beneficial for a short term goal, however, to maintain your weight as well as health it is advisable to go at a slow pace.
Get to know the best keto-friendly drinks
Sipping on the right kind of drink can help you to keep hunger at bay and provides you with some good taste. The top one being water, you cannot go wrong with drinking lots of water as it keeps you hydrated and supports your metabolism. Since a keto diet contains low carbs it can increase the production of urine in the body which can lead to dehydration. Although it is important to be hydrated throughout the diet, it is more important at the initial stage as a lack of water in the body can cause stomach problems, dizziness, and hunger pangs. Along with water, it is also necessary to replenish electrolytes, increase the intake of food like yogurt, bananas, and coconut water can help you to do so.
Other drinks such as green tea can also be a great keto-friendly drink as it provides you with antioxidants and many other nutrients that are beneficial for the body. A pump or two of cream or milk can be added to enhance the taste of the drink and to get those healthy calories. Coffee is also said to be a great keto-friendly drink as it helps to curb hunger and boosts your metabolism. Black coffee, keto coffee, or the bulletproof coffee can help you to get that caffeine inside your system without disturbing your diet. Keto coffee is similar to a regular coffee with added fat. By adding some butter, heavy cream, or ghee with optional coconut oil can help you feel fuller for a longer time and helps you to maintain ketosis. Protein shakes are also a good way to increase your protein intake as many protein powders are specifically made for people following a keto diet.
Invest some time in exercise
Exercise can be a great way to lose some extra pounds and also helps you to manage your stress hormones. Exercise can be more effective when done with a diet plan as it helps you to reach your weight loss goal more easily. Regular exercise also helps you to achieve ketosis more easily as working out often helps you to get rid of glucose present in the body and then burns fat for energy. However, it can be tiring in the beginning as the body is still adapting to new changes hence it is advisable to go for a low-intensity workout and gradually increase the intensity when the body gets used to the changes. It can also improve your endurance since the body burns fat as a source of energy and it can also aid in muscle recovery by speeding up the process.
It is recommended to go for resistance training while following a keto diet as it can help you to gain more muscles and reduces body fat faster. You can also go for simpler exercises like jogging, cycling, and yoga. These simple exercises can be beneficial in maintaining a routine as they are easy and fun to do that makes them ideal for the long term. Yoga is associated with many other health benefits including posture improvement that makes it ideal for your routine.
Be realistic with your goals and understand the side effects
It is necessary to have realistic goals and not to get your expectations too high since it takes some time for the body to adapt to the new changes and work accordingly. Being patient and consistent with your diet and routine, in the beginning, can be challenging however, it will soon bring desired results as well.
It is also important to get to know any side effects that can happen especially the keto flu. Keto flu refers to the time when the body starts adjusting with the new diet and burns fat for energy. It is not experienced by everyone as not all body types are the same and each person handles the symptoms differently. It is experienced in the first few days of the diet when you may feel fatigued while doing the daily chores. It can also cause stomach issues as there is a change in fiber intake as well. Hence it is advisable to start the diet when you are not occupied with work and obligations and have time to take rest.