The ketogenic diet is a dietary program usually followed by athletes that looks like the low carb diet but with an even more drastic reduction in carbohydrate consumption.
In low carb, carbohydrate intake is between 50 and 150 grams per day, and this food group provides at most 40% of the energy the body needs. Already in the ketogenic diet, the daily consumption of carbohydrates is between 30 to 50 grams or 10% of the body's energy needs.
Our body gets energy mainly from carbohydrates. However, when they are missing, the body goes into ketosis and uses stored fat. For this, the fat is metabolized by the liver, giving rise to ketones.
When ketone levels rise a lot in the blood, the body enters the ketogenic state and may show some changes. Check out:
1. Your insulin level drops
In a normal diet, blood insulin levels rise soon after eating carbohydrate-rich foods. However, when we follow a ketogenic diet, this effect does not happen because there is not so much sugar in the bloodstream to be stored.
Read also: Ketogenic Diet: Eliminate Carbs and Pounds
With the fall of insulin, it is believed that fatty acids are released faster by adipose tissue, becoming available to be used as fuel by the body. That is, you will use more fat for energy, which favors weight loss.
2. You feel less hungry during the day.
The reduction in hunger sensation occurs for two reasons related to the ketogenic diet. The first of these is that in this diet there is an increase in the consumption of proteins, which promote satiety.
The second reason is that the body understands this diet as fasting and it adapts to consuming fat as a fuel source, releasing ketones in the blood. These ketones, in turn, exert a hunger suppressing effect on the brain, reducing appetite (1).
3. You may have a flu-like malaise
Although a ketogenic diet does not cause sneezing or congestion of the nose, it can cause you to have headache, nausea, dizziness, muscle cramps and extreme tiredness. These symptoms are known as "low-carb flu".
Sometimes these negative effects can prevent the person from continuing with the diet, so it is important to have a nutritionist follow up.
Read also: Meet the new protein diet with safe and motivating results
4. Your breath may look different
Some people experience a change of breath when following a ketogenic diet. Does this happen due to the metabolism of ketones by the liver, which produces acetone molecules? same as the liquid used to remove the enamel.
These acetone molecules have a very characteristic odor and can be exhaled by one's breath. Fortunately, not everyone has this effect.
5. You may have a bowel trapped
It is common for people on the ketogenic diet to focus too much on protein and end up with a little bit of fiber intake. The problem is that this leads to a constipation effect.
Ideally, you should always follow a diet program that includes eating high-fiber foods, but if this is not possible, you may need to use a supplement.
6. Your body may slow down at first
A common effect of starting a ketogenic diet is to feel a certain slowness in the body, as if it does not respond to exercise the same way and becomes tired more easily.
Read also: How to lose weight faster and more quickly in a few steps
However, after the body's adaptation to ketosis, performance during training returns to normal and may even improve.
Will I have all this if I go on a ketogenic diet?
Not necessarily. Each body reacts differently to drastically reduced carbohydrate intake, so the effects of diet vary from person to person.
Either way, it is best to always have the supervision of a nutrition professional to ensure that the diet will have the expected results with minimal side effects.
Everything You Need to Know About the Keto Diet (April 2024)
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