From celebs to regular folks, the keto diet has been adopted by many who want to lose weight. The keto diet involves a low-carbohydrate and high-fat intake that helps in cutting off excess and unwanted fat. It includes sufficient protein consumption, which ensures better growth and damage repair of the cells and tissues inside the body. For years, the keto diet has been used along with conventional medications to treat epilepsy in infants and children.
Read on to know all about the ketogenic diet.
1. Types
- High-protein keto diet
A generalized keto diet involves adequate protein consumption. In this particular diet plan, there is only 35% protein and 5% carbohydrate content, and the rest of the calories come from fats. The diet involves 60% fatty acids to make the metabolism focus on fatty acids. - The Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD)
This involves an alternate high-carbohydrate diet followed by a strict keto diet consecutively. Traditionally, a strict CKD involves five days of a ketogenic diet, directly followed by two days of a high-carbohydrate diet, and the same is followed and repeated. - Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD)
More like the high-protein diet, this drives the focus toward the fatty acids. It involves a strict diet that allows 75% fat and 20% protein consumption, but the 5% carbohydrate limit remains constant, just like the high-protein version. - Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD)
This type of keto diet allows the intake of carbohydrates after workout sessions.
2. Benefits
Adopting this diet has a range of health benefits. It not only cures several diseases but also prevents a number of conditions to a great extent. Listed here are some of these benefits:
- Lowers blood sugar levels
Among the prime benefits of this diet is that it lowers blood sugar levels in patients suffering from diabetes. It maintains insulin secretion levels, ensuring healthy sugar levels in the body. - Lowers blood cholesterol level
Cholesterol deposition on the arteries and heart walls are the prime reasons for heart problems. Adopting a keto diet results in replacing bad cholesterol with good fat, which is burned off in the process. - Prevents diseases
This diet helps prevent a number of diseases like Alzheimer’s, depression, and anxiety, and it also enhances physical performance and cognitive functioning. Besides, the diet also prevents cancer to a great extent. - Detoxifies
Detoxification is one of the most prominent benefits of this diet. It helps in purifying the blood and gets rid of toxic nitrogenous wastes that can cause several diseases otherwise.
The keto diet is one of the most helpful diets suggested by nutritionists and dieticians all across the world. It can also be adopted by children who have epilepsy and other diseases that require strict dietary control.
