When people stand on the path of building a perfect body, or they simply want to lose weight, they forget that hitting the gym is only part of success. Your diet is also an important part of the process. The quality of products, the types of products, and the number of portions determine how fast you will progress.
Today, people often move away from classic nutrition plans and select ketogenic diets instead. It's not something extra special but it's what makes your body work differently. The main aspect of keto-friendly nutrition is that you replace most of your carbs with fats. Salmon, peanuts, avocado, and other components will dominate in your meals. Still, it's only a tip of the iceberg as there is much more to say about keto recipes and the way they affect your body. Keep reading to discover more.
Fat - The Main Component of the Ketogenic Diet
As mentioned before, the ketogenic diet is based on a high amount of fat as it's used as the main source of energy. The first real experience of using such a method of nutrition was in the 1920s. It was used to help people with epilepsy. According to the research results, showing that timed fasting reduces seizure activity.
Over 75% of your energy will come from saturated and unsaturated fats, while only 5% will come from carbohydrates (the rest 20% of your energy comes from protein). For example, if you have 2,000 calories in your daily plan, 1,500 of them will come from fats.
How Exactly Does the Ketogenic Diet Work?
By reducing carbs to an absolute limit, you activate the process called ketosis. It makes your liver to produce more ketones. This component can be used as your main energy source, making you burn fat much faster. For the first time, it may sound strange because the weight loss was based on lowering carbs but not increasing fats. It's true, but only if we use carbohydrates as a primary source during a low-carb diet.
Once you switch to the keto diet, your body will take some time to adapt. When the period of adaptation is over, your body will face changes and start using non-carbohydrate substances for glucose generation. The main condition when this algorithm works is if you keep the right balance among all the components. If you eat too much protein, the ketone production reduces, which makes it hard to keep the ketosis going. It may take time to calculate the right percentage of carbs, protein, and fats in your diet, but once you make it, it's much easier to keep up with your current ketogenic meal plan. Those who don't have time to cook meals themselves often search for those who will do it for them. Once you order it from us, you get an easy keto plan that contains various meals. Our chefs cook them according to original recipes, and our delivery service delivers them right on time.
Is the Ketogenic Diet Good for Weight Loss?
A wisely composed ketogenic diet may be a good choice for those who want to lose weight and be in good shape. You don't need to struggle with cutting carbs and staying hungry. Since you have enough calories from fish, meat, oil, nuts, and other components, it will only take some time to adapt. Your body will start using fats as its main source of energy, which will speed up the process of burning calories. Still, you need to choose your fat and protein sources wisely. Combine saturated and unsaturated fats in your diet, and stay away from processed food.
Four Types of Ketogenic Diet
Depending on what you include in your meal plan, we highlight four main types of ketogenic diet:
Default keto diet. You keep your carbohydrate level low(no more than 10%), maintain protein at around 20%, and keep fats at a high level (around 70%).
Cyclical keto diet. You include carbs refeeds, but most of the time, your keto meal plan remains unchanged.
Targeted diet. This type of diet is usually used when you work out to bring your body into shape. In this case, you eat more carbs before and after the workout, giving your body enough energy for recovery.
High protein diet. There's nothing unusual in this type of diet. The only difference is that you increase the amount of protein.
Not all these diets are commonly used. In most cases, individuals rely on the default classic and high-protein diet. Targeted and cyclical diets are considered advanced.
Simple Recipes for Your Keto Diet
Now, to the most important part. If you follow a diet, you have to cook food that matches the requirements and makes you satisfied. Moreover, nobody wants to eat the same dishes all the time, so the diet should be varied. So, what keto diet recipes are available for those who want to change their lifestyle?
For breakfast, you can try keto scramble with veggies and cheese. It's a fiber-reach meal that will fill your body with all the needed components and give you enough energy to complete all the tasks. Another option is chia pudding. You mix chia seeds with plant milk of your choice and add some fruits for flavor. It's a calorie-rich and tasty meal that will give you a powerful shot to start the day. If you need a bigger portion or you want to cook breakfast for your family, you can try a cauliflower breakfast baked with bacon, eggs, veggies, and cheese.
Lunch. It should also be a high-calorie meal, especially if you have an active lifestyle. You can go for keto meatballs with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basilic. Another option to try is a peanut butter chicken. It's a bit unusual because you combine chicken and peanut butter. You also add onions, garlic, chilies, chopped tomatoes, and coconut milk to make the meat soft. It takes time to cook this meal and bring it to good condition, but if you do it once, you won't regret it.
Dinner. Try something light because overloading yourself with food is the last thing you need at the end of the day. Baked vegetables, zucchini boats, or tuna and avocado salad are good options. Don't forget to add enough vegetables to your meals because they make the digestion process much easier.
Sometimes, the ketogenic plan may not fit your goals. For example, if you decide to gain weight and become more powerful, it makes sense to go with a muscle growth plan.
How to Maintain Your Meals?
Create a list of meals you want to eat during the month and maintain them. Look at what you eat this week and change your preferences for the next one. If you feel that your menu is not big enough, consider looking for new keto dinner ideas as well as recipes for breakfast and lunch. Following a ketogenic diet may not be easy for the first few days, so you have to be creative and do everything to enjoy your meals.
It's also essential to mention products that should not appear in a ketogenic diet. Once you decide to switch to a high-fat routine, avoid these products:
Fruits
Low-fat products (salad dressings, low-calorie mayonnaises, etc.)
Grains. Wheat-based products, cereal, rice, pasta, etc.
Alcoloh (including light drinks).
Sugary drinks (lemonade and soda) and foods (candies, ice creams, cakes, etc.)
Sugar-free foods (zero sugar coke, syrups, puddings, etc.)
Focus on natural products, healthy fats, oils, eggs, fish, and meat. Create various recipes and mix them to satisfy yourself!
FAQ
Can you quickly lose weight when being on a keto diet?
People who are on the keto diet may lose weight fast, but most of this weight may be water.
How can the ketogenic diet help you lose weight?
Switching to a ketogenic diet allows you to activate ketosis and start using fat as your main energy source. This process allows you to lose belly fat and maintain your muscle mass.
Can a ketogenic diet slow your metabolism?
If you rapidly switch to the ketogenic diet, follow it for a short time, and then switch to your regular meal plan, your metabolism will slow down due to stress.
