Keto diet

Roughly 10.5% of adults who are aged between 20 and 79 years, which equals approximately 537 million persons, are diabetic and are living not knowing about it.

 This number may climb to 643 million persons by 2030 and 783 million persons by 2045.

Tailored diet routines for losing weight can sort out these concerns. One such program is a high-fat diet plan or very low-carbohydrate diet routine called the ketogenic diet plan or keto meal plan.

Understanding the Basics: What is Keto and How it Works?

The term “ketogenic” refers to a low-carbohydrate diet comparable to the Atkins diet (Cissn, 2020). 

It is rich in fat yet low in carbs (sugars), causing the human system to break fat down into smaller components referred to as ketones. These are in the blood and provide the primary form of energy to numerous types of body cells.

The body reverts to a ketogenic mode when operating on a low-calorie diet (less than 50mg) for a very long time.

Russel Wilder described the keto diet in 1921 and used it to treat epilepsy. This technique for a decade, was utilized as a therapeutic form of diet for treating pediatric epilepsy until it got substituted by antiepileptic medications (Masood, 2022).

Ketone bodies! What?

Ketone bodies are a simple source of energy for the heart, muscular tissue, and kidneys.  They can cross the blood-brain barrier and serve as an alternate source of energy for the brain. Ketone bodies effectively minimize free radical damage and boost antioxidant power. Because they allow the body to continue effective fuel production even amid a caloric shortage, they are also known as super fuels (Masood, 2022).

Macronutrient ratios of keto diet plans

• Ketogenic diet plans are composed of 5 to 10% of carbohydrates, 70 to 80% of fat, and 10 to 20% of protein.
• A complete 2000-calorie ketogenic diet equals around 165 g of fat, 40 g of carbohydrate, and 75 g of protein (Harvard Health, 2020).
• Protein intake is maintained low to avoid the production of glucose from protein amino acids, which would otherwise hinder ketosis.
• This maintains lean body mass alongside ketosis (Diet Review: Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss, 2019).

Ketosis vs Ketoacidosis

Ketosis and ketoacidosis may sound parallel, but they are actually not. Ketosis happens when the body does not have glycogen from carbs to burn for energy. When following a low-carb diet or keto meal plan for an extended length of time, the body normally enters a ketogenic state.

Ketoacidosis, commonly known as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), is a life-threatening condition that can progress to a diabetic coma. Ketone and blood sugar levels are dangerously high in this situation.  It mostly affects persons with Type 1 diabetes, although it can also impact those with Type 2 diabetes.  For diabetics, it is often the result of insulin under-secretion, resulting in blood sugar not being broken down by the body for energy. Triggering events might include an inadequately followed diabetes management plan, sickness, urinary tract infections, and pregnancy (Team et al., 2022).

Types of the ketogenic diet

Ashtary-Larkey et al., 2022 say that there are four conventional categories of the ketogenic diet plan according to the distribution of macronutrients

Classic keto diet plan:

1. It was the idea of Dr Wilder to treat patients with epilepsy.
2. This type has a fat-to-protein plus carbohydrate ratio of 4:1.
3. The diet contains a macronutrient ratio of fat = 90 %, protein = 6 %, carbohydrate = 4 %).

The modified Atkins ketogenic diet:

1. It was formulated to substitute the classic KD in 2003.
2. This dietary plan restricts carbohydrate consumption to 10-20 grams per day (20 g adult intake and 10 g children intake).
3. It gives you the luxury to consume more carbs and protein than the traditional keto diet without limiting your calorie, protein, or hydration intake.
4. It contains a macronutrient profile of 65% fat, 30% protein, and 5% carbohydrate.

Very low-energy keto meal:

1. It is a diet intervention program that works similarly to fasting by limiting daily carbohydrate consumption to less than 30 grams per day ( roughly 13% of the total intake of daily energy).
2. This dietary plan has a macronutrient composition of roughly 44% fat, approximately 43% protein, and an intake of 800 kilocalories in total per day, which will depend on the quality and amount of protein formulations.

Modified Mediterranean Keto meal plan:

1. It is the Mediterranean variant of the Keto diet plan that has piqued the curiosity of experts in past years.
2. It is a very Low Carbohydrate Diet.
3. The carbohydrate intake is lower than 30-50 g/d.
4. This meal plan is comprised of walnuts, lean meats, olive oil, salad, and fish, as well as the use of extracts of herbs in diverse diet routines.

Healthy ketogenic meal plan

The health-conscious keto diet plan includes unprocessed foods such as cruciferous vegetables, raw nuts, leafy green vegetables, eggs, seafood, unprocessed animal meats, and seeds.  Most ketogenic diet programmes operate on high-saturated fat foods, such as fat parts of meat, butter, and lard, as well as foods containing unsaturated fat, such as nuts and plant-based oils.  Furthermore, certain commercial meals that taste like carbs but are very low in carbohydrates are employed. Ketogenic meal recipes might differ depending on where you get your information (Ashtary-Larkey et al., 2022).

Scary Foods for the ketogenic diet plan:

• Starch like pasta, cereals, bread and cookies that can come from both whole and refined grains.
• Potatoes.
• Corn
• Starchy vegetables
• Fruit juices.
• Legumes and beans (Ldn, 2023).

Takeaway message:

Finally, knowing the fundamentals of the keto diet plan and its variants can give significant insights into living a better lifestyle. Individuals can enter a state of ketosis, in which they burn fat for energy, by limiting carbs and increasing fat consumption. Individual interests and demands can be met by the many sorts of keto programmes. The ketogenic meal plan has the potential to help you in weight loss and enhance your metabolic health. Individuals may begin on a successful and sustained keto journey by learning the fundamentals of ketosis, investigating types of keto meal programmes, and eating a range of healthful, low-carb meals. Remember that moderation and balance are essential for long-term success while prioritising overall health and well-being.

References

https://diabetesatlas.org/.

Cissn, R. M. M. (2020, October 22). The Ketogenic Diet: A Detailed Beginner’s Guide to Keto. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-101#what-it-is

Masood, W. (2022, June 11). Ketogenic Diet. StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/

Harvard Health. (2020, August 31). Should you try the keto diet? https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/should-you-try-the-keto-diet

Diet Review: Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss. (2019, May 22). The Nutrition Source. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/ketogenic-diet/#:~:text=Generally%2C%20popular%20ketogenic%20resources%20suggest,carbohydrate%2C%20and%2075%20grams%20protein. Keto Diet

Ashtary-Larky, D., Bagheri, R., Bavi, H., Baker, J., Moro, T., Mancin, L., & Paoli, A. (2022). Ketogenic diets, physical activity and body composition: A review. British Journal of Nutrition, 127(12), 1898-1920. doi:10.1017/S0007114521002609

Team, S., Team, S., & SingleCare. (2022). Ketosis vs. ketoacidosis: Compare causes, symptoms, treatments & more. The Checkup. https://www.singlecare.com/blog/ketosis-vs-ketoacidosis/ Keto Diet

Ldn, L. Y. M. R. (2023, June 3). Keto Diet Food List: What to Eat and What to Limit If You Go Keto. EatingWell. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/291245/complete-keto-diet-food-list-what-you-can-and-cannot-eat-if-youre-on-a-ketogenic-diet/ Keto Diet

About the author:

Nimra Qureshi¹

Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences & Technology¹

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