Perfecting the Art of Healthy Living
Healthy living is important for most people. Adopting it can help you feel better and may support a longer, healthier life. The breadth of options can be overwhelming, but you can focus your efforts by starting with a practical approach like the keto diet. For practical strategies that fit into busy days, see Healthy Living 101: Essential Strategies for a Better You.
Where Did the Diet Come From?
The way the keto diet has been bouncing around popular culture you might think it is a fad that just started, but that is not the case. The diet is relatively old, appearing back in the 1920s and 30s. The diet is really called the ketogenic diet, and it was an effective fasting therapy that was used to help individuals suffering from epilepsy. This ailment was quite harrowing to the people back then, so figuring out how to address it was of the utmost importance.
The ketogenic diet became popular because it worked, although it was pretty much abandoned after the introduction of anticonvulsant therapies. The problem was that the medications that were created didn’t work for every person. Children were susceptible to seizures linked to epilepsy, even with these medications, which is part of the reason the ketogenic diet came back. The idea of curing a disease or ailment through fasting traces back before the ketogenic diet, which makes its existence very explainable. Back to Basics: Rediscovering Health Through Clean Nutrition explains some of the historical context.
What is it Supposed to Do?
Well, it depends on the type of ketogenic diet that is used, but essentially, the diet is somewhat similar to the Atkins diet. The focus of this diet is to dramatically reduce the number of carbohydrates a person ingests on any particular day. The carbs you might have eaten on a regular diet are now replaced with high-fat foods instead. In practice, individual macro targets can vary, so many plans tailor fat, protein, and carbohydrate amounts.
Some people may be wondering what is the point of restricting carbs from one’s diet? That is a perfectly normal question to pose, and the goal is basically to force your body to go into a metabolic state that is known as ketosis. Now, you know where the name for keto living came from. The reason you want your body to go into this state is because of what starts to happen inside the body.
Everyone knows that carbs are used by the body to create energy. If you are not consuming these, the body doesn’t know where to get its energy. The ketosis state makes it so that your body starts to burn fat instead of carbs, which allows you to continue to feel energetic. The liver actually turns fat cells into ketones that the brain can use for energy. The Ultimate Guide to a Gut Health Diet for Wellness discusses how ketosis can impact energy balance and digestion.
It should also be pointed out that keto living also reduces blood sugar and insulin levels, which is another health benefit of initiating this specific diet plan.
A Few Do’s and Don’ts
The next thing that has to be addressed is a couple of do’s and don’ts so that you understand this diet a little better. For example, it is a good idea to learn the different types of keto diets out there because there are a few to consider, like the following: Back to Basics: Rediscovering Health Through Clean Nutrition for practical meal ideas.
- The standard keto diet, which typically consists of about 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein, and 5 percent carbs.
- The cyclical keto diet involves five days of keto followed by two higher-carb days during the week.
- Targeted keto diet allows you to add carbs around your workouts.
- High-protein keto diet follows a similar fat-to-protein ratio but with about 60 percent fat, 35 percent protein, and 5 percent carbs.
It should also be pointed out that you need to learn what you can eat on this diet. For practical meal ideas that align with clean nutrition, see Back to Basics: Rediscovering Health Through Clean Nutrition.
Fatty Foods
The food you are going to be consuming is high in fat, so you need to make sure you get it from specific foods, like bacon, poultry, or fish. It is important to try to practice eating the whole animal and not just the traditional cuts. A lot of an animal’s protein is tucked away in the organs, so don’t overlook those. Eggs are also another good source of protein that you can consume in this diet. For practical guidance on sources of healthy fats, see Back to Basics: Rediscovering Health Through Clean Nutrition.
Natural Oils
Another source of fat or oil to consider is olive, canola, and palm oil. You should also make sure you use the cacao butter. All of these oils are essential for your diet and essential for cooking. For more on clean oils and cooking, check Back to Basics: Rediscovering Health Through Clean Nutrition.
Vegetables
Now, this diet definitely includes high-quality meat, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be eating vegetables. You need to make sure you eat dark leafy greens, like spinach, kale, and lettuce.
You should also make it a point to eat foods like broccoli or cucumbers. Be sure these vegetables are as fresh as possible, are from local farms, and that they are organic, which also applies to the other foods you need to consume while you are on this diet. Choosing organic and locally grown vegetables aligns with broader healthy eating guidelines described in Healthy Living 101: Essential Strategies for a Better You.
The Don’ts
The don’ts are not too hard to remember. What you are going to want to do is stay away from as many carbohydrates as possible, such as bread and pasta, just as an example.
You want to stay away from alcohol, sugar, starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and even turnips.
Now, you know a little more about the keto diet, but there is still much more to know, like the keto fever, which is really just the body adapting to this low-carb diet.
It is a little jarring to the body, so you might experience things like nausea, headaches, irritability, stomach issues, weakness, and cramps, just to name a few things, but it shouldn’t last more than a week. Still, you should talk to your doctor and dietitian to see if this diet is right for you.
Know more about sustainable healthy habits by reading Healthy Living 101: Essential Strategies for a Better You
