Medical Advice
This article is curated medical advice by a medical practitioner. It expresses the views of the medical practitioner. The article follows the editorial guidelines and policy of WYF. Recommendations made in this article are meant to be general guidelines. In case you have any medical conditions, consult your doctor.
Keto has become a popular diet and a lot of people following it have reported fantastic results when it comes to weight loss. If you are planning on starting a keto diet, be careful of some of the pitfalls and make sure you begin keto correctly. Here, in this story, we’ll learn from Dr. Eric Berg on how to start Keto correctly. Keto diet is all about switching our source of fuel, from burning sugar fuel to fat fuel. The hormone ‘insulin’ is the key.
Insulin
Every time we eat, we trigger insulin.
Insulin is the key that determines whether you’re going to burn fat or burn sugar (carbohydrates). You have to keep the insulin level low to burn fat, when the insulin level gets higher, it burns sugar. Lowering the carbohydrate consumption and eating lesser meals is the goal in Keto, which is different than lowering calories. You could eat larger meals, just not as frequent. Every time we eat, we trigger insulin. Every time we eat carbs, we trigger insulin. The key is to lower the insulin amount. The combination between low carbs and less meals is very powerful.
KETO Facts
What do eat while doing keto?
Consume more vegetables, at least 7 cups a day. You could consume salads, bell pepper, cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, beet, carrots and tomatoes. Preferably eat vegetables before consuming your protein so it is easier to consume and you get enough vegetables in your diet. Vegetables provide food to your microbes that then helps your blood sugar levels and helps give you energy, they also provide a lot of nutrients like potassium, magnesium and even vitamin C. Consume protein sources like meat, fish, chicken, sea food, eggs, cheese, nuts and nut butters.
What to avoid eating while doing keto?
Sugar, all kind of sugar like honey, brown sugar, white sugar, date sugar et cetera. You can replace it with sugar alcohols. Grains, especially wheat flour, you can replace it with almond flour. Starches, like potatoes which can be replaced with cauliflower. Fruits, except for berries that is raspberries, strawberries and black berries, you can have those in small amounts.
Should I eat protein while doing keto?
Moderate protein and not massive amounts, according to your metabolism, age and other criteria. Consume protein sources like meat, fish, chicken, sea food, eggs, cheese, nuts and nut butters. Make sure your protein source does not has added sugars. Avoid lean protein or low fat protein, tried to have protein that has more fat because it’s going to help your insulin levels. Intake of lean protein majorly increases insulin versus consuming fattier meat or fattier fish or brie cheese.
What fats to avoid while doing keto?
Avoid fats like yeah soy oil, corn oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil and even the safflower and sunflower oil, they are highly inflammatory. Be selective about what you buy.
What fats to eat while doing keto?
Fat has more than twice as many calories as there is in carbs and protein. You can consume some additional fat like from avocado, butter, olive oil and coconut oil. Adding butter in your vegetables also helps extracting the nutrients out from the vegetable. some nuts after a meal can also make your meal more satisfied.
Can I do intermittent fasting with keto?
Yes. It’s great for weight loss. Don’t eat unless hungry. Sometimes we feel hunger but it is not yet affecting us much, we have to push through that. Some people have a habit of eating all the time even when they’re not hungry because they feel that they are not as full as they should be. You don’t have to be full all the time, wait till you feel hungry and weak and irritable due to hunger. Have six hours eating window and 18 hours fast.
Should I skip breakfast while doing keto?
Yes. Ideally skip breakfast, yeah you could do it at gradual level yeah and keep pushing your breakfast later and later or just cut it right out and have coffee with little butter which will help you greatly in making ketones which is very therapeutic to your brain and satisfies you. Ketones are a byproduct of burning fat. Morning 8 AM is the time period when cortisol levels are very high which makes you feel you are ready for breakfast, try ignoring that urge.
What is the snack that I should have while doing keto?
Stop snacking, yeah snacking makes you hungry. Hence, stop snacking at all. If you feel like snacking, it indicates that your diet does not has enough fats.
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