If, twenty or thirty years ago, someone had put all the products in two baskets, sorting them according to the principle of maximum and least usefulness, then today you should do a thorough review of them. The strangest story happened during this period with fat - the recent main enemy of humanity not only fully restored, but almost declared his savior. That's right, nutritionist Chris More understands.
Recently, a patient admitted to me that she and her husband eat almost a pound of bacon a week - three slices for breakfast and then two more with a salad for lunch. I have been working as a nutritionist for more than twenty years and it seems that nothing will surprise me, but then I could not resist and ask: why? The patient said that her husband watched a TV show about the keto diet, and they decided to try it. Six months with bacon - and now the husband has lost nine pounds and, according to his wife, is almost full of energy that overwhelms him.
Increasingly, I hear from people about the wonders of the keto diet. They claim that it burns fat in the body, activates and conquers diseases, and that from now on, it is not only possible, but also necessary to eat as many bacon as you want. But all their excitement needs at least a serious test - is it really a good keto diet that does not limit the intake of animal fat?
The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, low-protein diet. It was originally used to treat epilepsy in children by increasing the level of ketone bodies in the blood.
What is ketosis?
Let's start with the name of the diet: where did this "keto" come from? When the body is desperately deprived of carbohydrates - for example, due to diabetes or prolonged hunger - it must break down its own fat more actively than usual to get energy. Ketosis develops: metabolism is disrupted and more ketone bodies than required accumulate in the tissues. Ketone bodies are products of fat metabolism. They are produced by the liver when insulin levels in the blood decrease.
"The liver produces ketone bodies all the time, but their levels depend on the carbohydrates and proteins you eat - the body needs both, " explains Jeff Volek, a professor at Ohio State University.
The breakdown of fat in the body of a healthy person and the formation of ketone bodies is a normal process, called ketogenesis. Unlike ketosis, ketogenesis does not lead to dramatic weight loss. Ketosis is a pathology that, in addition to diabetes and prolonged fasting, can be caused by a keto diet, as it almost excludes carbohydrate foods from the diet. A person who has developed ketosis loses weight dramatically, as well as due to certain other pathologies.
The ketogenic diet forces the body to use fat as its main source of energy. Usually, this role is played by carbohydrates, which, when taken with food, are converted into glucose, which is extremely important for nutrition and brain function. However, if the diet is low in carbohydrates, the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketones. Ketone bodies enter the brain and are used as an energy source instead of glucose. Increasing the level of ketone bodies in the blood (ketosis) leads to a reduction in the frequency of seizures.
In the keto diet, the main part of the daily diet - from 60 to 80% - is fats, proteins - about 15% and only the remaining 10% are carbohydrates (this is about half of a small bun). At first glance, it looks like the Atkins diet, but the keto diet includes stricter carbohydrate restriction, according to Spencer Nadolsky, author of The Fat Loss Prescription. Some theorists generally claim that the less carbohydrates we eat, the more fat our body burns and therefore our metabolism improves, our immunity increases - and in general, various miracles begin to happen in our body.
However, in normal life, we get about half the calories and not one tenth of carbs. So, in essence, the question is: can your body be in ketosis long enough to achieve the promised nirvana without serious health consequences? Will you literally start running with fat?
Is the keto diet right for you?
It may sound strange, but the best diet for you is the one you are used to following. For Volek, who has been using keto for twenty years, it's good, but is it right for you? Unfortunately, there is no research into what happens to the body of a person who has been on a keto diet for a long time. During the A to Z weight loss study, the scientists studied the Atkins diet, the belt, learning and some other diets, but in the study, females consumed 25 to 35% of carbohydrates - this is not close toEven the 10% recommended limit yourself to the keto diet.
The only thing that is known for sure: in the keto diet you will really lose weight. In Italy, in 2015, they studied the performance of the people sitting in it, and on average over three months they lost about 10-12 kg. A year earlier in Spain, it turned out that in one year this way you can lose about 20 pounds. It is true that the following year, individuals often regained the weight they had before the experiment, as soon as they came out of the rigid diet.
What will you eat if you decide to try it? First and second, this bacon. Of the other products, they will not suit you very well. Starchy vegetables - potatoes, pumpkin, corn - are strictly forbidden, like most fruits. Milk, beans, rice and pasta should also be forgotten.
The keto diet is difficult to follow and can be dangerous for some. "Extreme diets, especially keto diet, are strictly contraindicated in people with neurodegenerative diseases such as epilepsy, " says Dr. Alan Aragon.
The ketogenic diet is considered optimal in society for weight loss. However, according to scientific data, the effect of weight loss immediately after switching to a ketogenic diet is caused by a reduction in the amount of water in the body and the amount of body fat is affected solely by the energy balance. For weight loss, the energy supplied by food must be less than that consumed in physical activity. One of the benefits of the ketogenic diet, as well as other low carb diets, is that ketosis that occurs with low carb diets contributes to weight loss in obesity. The difference in calories consumed can be up to a thousand calories per day compared to low fat diets. The effect of ketogenic diets depends largely on the protein content of the diet.
Can I take drugs that cause an increase in ketone bodies? In no case. Do not listen to these "advisors" who will assure you that even without any diet, you can cause ketosis with the help of special drugs.
So is the keto diet right for you or not? If you are an extreme athlete who is ready to experiment with your body, if you want to take risks and fast results are important to you, give it a try! If you just want to lose a few pounds and have already experienced the "yo-yo effect" in the past (when, after a strict diet, a person breaks down and gains more weight than he managed to lose), then you should notyou risk it. However, if you approach the keto diet wisely, there are three lessons you can learn from it that will definitely be useful.
- Reduce your intake of "empty" carbohydrates. Analyze which foods you get the most out of your daily carbohydrate intake: if it comes from fruits rich in fiber and antioxidants, then it's okay, but if your sources of carbohydrates are candy, soda and any food made with white flour, you know what to do: Do not: hesitate to throw them in the trash.
- Do not avoid fat. The passion for low-fat foods that began in the 1990s can safely be a thing of the past. Nothing good about it. To make up for the lack of fat, manufacturers often increase the amount of sugar in such products. Eat fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel or sardines at least twice a week. And whatever you cook, do not miss vegetables, especially good - olive oil.
- Eat lots of greens. All leafy vegetables and greens go well with fatty and protein foods - keto lovers eat a lot of them. And do the same. Eat cabbage, spinach, bok choy, arugula and other salads without restrictions.
What happened to my bacon patients? Their experiments with nutrition continued exactly until the moment their child was born. Of course, they immediately forgot about the diet (there is no time to think about it, as the young mother explained). So remember: sooner or later you will get tired of regularly filling yourself with bacon and return to normal, familiar foods.
Recipes
Salmon and asparagus salad
Components:
- 150 grams of salmon fillet
- 80 g green asparagus.
- 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce.
- 2 eggs;
- 4 anchovy fillets;
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- 5 large capers (or 6-8 small ones) - take capers in salt and not brine, they should be washed before use.
- 1/2 medium size red onion.
- 6-8 Art. large. olive oil;
- 1 kojmoustarda Dijon?
- juice of half a lemon.
How to cook:
- If you have ever cooked nicoise, you can handle this salad. It practically repeats the Nice main course, taking only salmon fat instead of tuna and using asparagus instead of green beans (however, you can also use beans).
- Salmon is best cooked not in a hot pan or hot oven, but on steam or in a slow cooker: 20-30 minutes at a temperature of 80-85 degrees, not higher (otherwise the protein will curl and the fish will turn out hard). But you can also fry in a pan (just do not overdo it! ) - the fish should be tender and keep some transparency inside.
- Cook the asparagus. It must be crispy, so do not cook it! The cooking time depends on its size, so we do not recommend leaving the stove - asparagus cooks quickly.
- Put the disassembled iceberg on a plate (salad should be washed, dried and torn into medium-sized pieces), asparagus, salmon disassembled into large pieces, half cherry tomatoes, anchovies, anchovies, capers, diced onions, onionsthe yolk should not remain wet but soft). Top fields with olive oil sauce with Dijon mustard and lemon juice. You do not need to salt the dish - anchovies and capers are already quite salty.
The ketogenic diet is used by athletes involved in endurance sports such as ultramarathon, triathlon, cycling, etc. The body of athletes who follow this diet uses fat more efficiently as a source of energy and thus helps maintain glycogen stores during prolonged exercise.
Bacon and lettuce salad
Components:
- 2 heads of lettuce the size of a palm
- 100 grams of bacon?
- 8 sprigs of mint
- 1 egg yolk
- 6 tablespoons. large. olive oil and a little more for frying.
- 1 granulated mustard
- 1 tbsp. large. sherry vinegar.
How to cook:
- For this salad, you need to make a slightly more complex sauce: put mint leaves and mustard in a tall glass, add egg yolk, add sherry vinegar. Beat lightly with a blender adding olive oil in a thin stream
- Cut the lettuce in half lengthwise and fry quickly on high heat. It should be lightly caramelized, ie it should acquire a golden brown color, remaining fresh and crunchy inside. Fry the bacon over high heat without oil or in the oven until crispy. Place the lettuce, bacon and sauce on a plate. Garnish with mint leaves.