If you are trying to lose weight or adopt healthy eating, we recommend trying out the ketogenic or keto diet. This high fat and low carb diet have shown remarkable health benefits in both patient and non-patient populations. Research shows that Alzheimer's, diabetes, and cancer patients benefit a lot from this diet. Our Natural Foods + Juice Caboose team has put together a beginners' guide to help users learn more about the infamous Keto Diet.
Keto Diet 101
The Keto Diet is similar to the Atkins and other low-carb diets because of its reduced consumption of carbohydrates. By cutting back carbs and increasing fat intake, the diet helps your body enter a metabolic state of Ketosis. The Ketosis process helps burn fat to produce energy and build ketones in the liver to fuel your brain. However, keto diets can significantly impact insulin levels. Therefore, users should consult a physician or dietician before starting this diet and carefully track their blood sugar levels.
Foods to Have
Like any diet, the keto diet focuses on consuming health supplements. These are commonly available in stores selling organic stuff such as Natural Grocer. These foods should make up for most of your meals to help achieve the ketosis state:
Whole avocados or as guacamole
Nuts and seeds such as walnuts, chia seeds, and almonds.
Fatty fish such as trout, tuna, and salmon
Eggs
Low carb veggies such as tomatoes, onions, and greens
Cheese such as cheddar, mozzarella, and other unprocessed options
Healthy oils such as extra virgin, coconut, and avocado oils
Grass-fed butter and heavy or whole cream.
Foods to Avoid
As a basic rule of thumb, people following the keto diet should limit or eliminate foods high in carbs. Here are some food items to be avoided:
Foods with high sugar content like juice bar fruit juices, ice cream, and smoothies
Wheat-based items with grains and starches such as rice and pasta
All fruits except a small portion of berries
Root vegetables like potatoes and parsnips
Benefits of Keto Diet
There are many documented benefits of following the Keto Diet, especially in inpatient populations. For instance, people following this diet can better prevent heart disease. This is because the keto diet helps monitor cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Additionally, it can help fight obesity by reducing overall fat content in the body. This can thus help prevent type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
Conclusion Paragraph
A keto diet plan can help reduce obesity and improve wellbeing by including healthy supplements in your everyday meals. If you are looking for more information about this diet, we recommend reaching out to our Natural Foods + Juice Caboose team. You can also find some more resources on building a healthier lifestyle on our blog.