The Benefits of a Keto Diet

If you’re on a mission to improve your health while reducing your waistline, it's likely that you’re going to try a diet plan.

With so many fad dieting options out there, it can be challenging to figure out what type of diet is best. Not to mention, different diet plans work for different people.

For example, some bodies thrive on a high-fat, low carb diet, like the keto diet we’re about to talk about. For others, a zero sugar, high protein diet is best.

So, what will work best for you? The answer is that you need to give a diet plan a try, stick to it for a few months, and monitor your results.

Today we are going to talk about trying a keto diet...what it is and why it might benefit you as you work toward your weight and health goals.

Let’s dive in…

How Does the Keto Diet Work?

The Ketogenic (or “keto”) diet is a low-carb diet plan.

While on this plan, the goal is to get you to consume more calories from proteins and fats while cutting out as many carbs (bread, pasta, sugar, etc.) as possible.

It works by starving your body of carbohydrates. When your carb intake is depleted, your body can more efficiently and effectively break down protein fats (a process called ketosis) which results in weight loss.

This type of diet is not meant to be used forever. It’s simply a plan you can follow for a few months to kickstart the process of helping your body break down fats at a more rapid pace.

What to Eat on a Keto Diet

According to a dietary study from Harvard.edu…

“Because the keto diet has such a high fat requirement, followers must eat fat at each meal. In a daily 2,000-calorie diet, that might look like 165 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbs, and 75 grams of protein. However, the exact ratio depends on your particular needs.

Some healthy unsaturated fats are allowed on the keto diet — like nuts (almonds, walnuts), seeds, avocados, tofu, and olive oil. But saturated fats from oils (palm, coconut), lard, butter, and cocoa butter are encouraged in high amounts.

Protein is part of the keto diet, but it doesn't typically discriminate between lean protein foods and protein sources high in saturated fat such as beef, pork, and bacon.

All fruits are rich in carbs, but you can have certain fruits (usually berries) in small portions. Vegetables (also rich in carbs) are restricted to leafy greens (such as kale, Swiss chard, spinach), cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, bell peppers, onions, garlic, mushrooms, cucumber, celery, and summer squashes.”

As a general rule of thumb, we suggest you stick to the following types of food items…

• Seafood (clams, mussels, octopus, shrimp, crab, and salmon)
• Cheese
• Avocados
• Meat (chicken, beef, and pork)
• Eggs
• Yogurt
• Nuts and seeds
• Berries

The Risks of Consuming a Keto Diet

Like any sort of diet plan, there are always risks. Please, ALWAYS consult your doctor first before trying any sort of diet plan. He/she will be able to help you determine what will work best for your body.

That being said, the keto diet does come with the following risks…

• Headaches
• Weakness
• Irritability
• Kidney and heart damage (when the diet is followed for too long or inaccurately)
• Development of yo-yo dieting patterns that lead to weight gain
• Irregular menstrual issues
• Decreased bone density

Is the Keto Diet Right for You?

We mentioned earlier, we are not health professionals so we can not say whether this type of diet plan will be healthy or effective for your unique dieting needs.

Always consult your primary caregiver first.

That being said, this type of diet is recommended for people who are of average health that need to lose weight rapidly to prevent other medical issues from occurring.

If you’re looking to try something new, have done your research, and your doctor says it’s ok, give it a try! We know this type of program has worked wonders for many people.

However, if you are diabetic, have high blood pressure, or suffer from any type of kidney injury or disease, this is probably a program you’re going to want to pass up.

The Best Way to Lose Weight and Improve Your Health

At the end of the day, the best way to lose weight and improve your health is to increase the frequency in which you exercise while also improving the quality of the foods you eat.

To keep things simple, we recommend cutting down on eating processed foods, incorporating more veggies and fruits into your meal plans, and opting for safer, more natural products like the groceries we stock at Pure Modern Living.

Eating right doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, we deliver healthy grocery options to the doorsteps households all over the USA--and we can do the same for you!

To check out what safe, natural products we stock our shelves with, give us a visit!

Shop here!