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Keto diet is a widely popular diet in the nutrition world. Research suggests that 26% of Canadians are already following the keto diet or tried it at some point in their lives.
Keto diet was the most googled diet in 2018, and even now, it remains high up in search trends.
Keto diet promises impressive results! It’s only natural wanting to follow the keto diet to reap all these benefits too. Most keto’ers make the mistake of jumping in the keto diet bandwagon without understanding what the diet entails or how to conduct it properly. There are many misconceptions about this diet, too, leaving many people questioning its safety.
We wish to let you know all there is to learn about the keto diet, so you fully understand it and can practice it for a healthy weight loss and better health standards in general.
I’m sure you already know how the keto diet cuts down on carbs and promotes eating fats for a steady weight loss. If you haven’t heard of it, don’t be so astonished, it actually works!
70% of people worldwide consume foods rich in carbohydrates, AKA carbs. Research suggests that consuming a high carb diet for extended periods can be harmful. Depending on your lifestyle, it may lead to obesity or play a role in the causation of several diseases, including diabetes, heart diseases and even some cancers.
This is where the keto diet comes in.
What is Keto Diet?
Keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein and low-carb diet. It has an an-all different macro ratio to offer. The keto diet suggests you consume a high-fat diet rather than a high-carb diet. A keto diet consists of 60-70% calories coming from fats, 15-30% from proteins and only 5-10% from carbs. Keto diet cuts down on carbs and promotes eating fats for a steady weight loss through ketosis.
What is Ketosis?
Carbohydrates or carbs are the primary sources of energy for all individuals. They just happen to be a quick source of energy, and in their presence, our bodies do not spend too much time breaking other molecules.
The keto diet cuts down carb intake, which means your body doesn’t get enough carbs to fulfill the body’s requirement. As a result, the body starts utilizing other food sources to produce the required energy, pushing the body in ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state during which your body breaks down fats to fuel the body.
Break down of fats causes the production of ketones, which can serve as an alternative energy source when carb supply is limited. Naturally, ketones are the only energy source for your brain. But, a keto diet makes ketones as an energy source for the rest of your body too. As long as you remain in ketosis, or have low carb intake and high fat intake, fats keep on breaking down, resulting in a steady, healthy weight loss.
The Macros And Micros Of Keto Diet
Keto beginners often get confused with micros and macros of their daily dietary requirements. The food that we eat can be roughly broken down in macro and micronutrients. Macronutrients or macros are the nutrients that are needed in large quantities to provide nourishment to your body. On the other hand, the nutrients required in smaller or trace amounts for healthy growth are called micro or micronutrients. Carbohydrates (AKA carbs), fats and proteins are the macros of your diet. In contrast, vitamins, minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, copper and zinc etc. fall in the micronutrients category.
The keto diet has formulated rules to regulate the number of macros you should take while on the keto diet.
Caloric requirements for every individual are different based on their bodies, age and activity level. Generally, the recommended daily intake of calories for an average adult is 2000 calories per day. So when you apply the keto rules here, it means that fats should cover about 65-75% of these 2000 calories.
Estimate the ratio of each macro in grams now through this formula:
Macro (e.g fats/proteins/carbs) in grams= (%of macro/100)*2000
So if you require 2000 calories in a day, as per the formula, your fat intake should be 12000 - 14000 grams, whereas your daily carb intake should be limited to 100-200 grams daily.
Are All Fats The Same?
Since keto is all about taking larger proportions of fat, it is essential to understand that not all fats are equal. Fats can be divided into two categories: good fats and bad fats. Saturated and trans fats have been identified as ones that potentially harm your health. These fats tend to become solid at room temperature.
These include beef or pork fat, margarine, butter and shortenings. Trans fats should be avoided under all costs; saturated fats may be used sparingly. Processed fast food, frozen pizza, and margarine are some sources of bad fats that you should avoid even on the keto diet. Good fats, also called unsaturated fats do not raise cholesterol levels, unlike bad fats. Plant-based oils and nuts are some sources of good fats.
As a general rule of thumb for all keto’ers, it is best to stick with the proportions laid out to stay under ketosis. Eat natural and eat foods that are in season. Check out our supplements to boost your keto journey.
References:
International Food Information Council Foundation. 2018. One-Third of Americans Are Dieting, Including One in 10 Who Fast, While Consumers Also Hunger for Organic, “Natural” and Sustainable
WebMD. (n.d.). What’s a Ketogenic Diet?
https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-ketogenic-diet
The Lancet. 2018. Dietary carbohydrate intake and mortality: a prospective cohort study and meta-analysis
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(18)30135-X/fulltext
NCBI. 2012. Dietary intakes associated with successful weight loss and maintenance during the Weight Loss Maintenance Trial
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3225890/
NHS UK. (n.d). What should my daily intake of calories be?
https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/what-should-my-daily-intake-of-calories-be/