Keto diet for weight loss: Foods to eat and what you should avoid - Times of India

In order to lose weight, we all have tried our hands in different diet and fitness regimes. Restrictive, stringent meal plans either help us achieve our goals or backfire once we fail to be consistent. One such diet programme is Keto.

The Ketogenic diet consists of low carbohydrate, moderate protein and high fat foods that originally surfaced in the 1920s to treat patients with conditions like epilepsy and diabetes. But over the decades, people have started following Keto diet to lose weight.

In a keto diet, the aim is to substitute the glucose, which is usually the main source of energy for the cells, with fat, putting your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. During this process your body becomes highly efficient at burning the fat in the body, facilitating weight loss.

Also read: Weight loss: Tricks and tips to feel full on a low-carb diet

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When you're on a keto diet, you cannot eat high carb foods, which is usually how you get your energy. Instead your diet is likely to include high fat foods with a moderate amount of protein. Given that your body has very little to no carbs to feed on and produce energy, it burns your body fat for fuel, producing a substance called ketones, which is made in your liver. It is then that your body enters a state of ketosis.

Ideally, following a keto diet involves cutting down your carb intake to around 20 to 50 grams per day and increasing your fat consumption. Protein intake is recommended to be moderate because high amounts of it can also be turned into glucose, which may not initiate ketosis. Since your body now feeds on your body fat for energy, it automatically burns fat and helps in weight loss.

A few symptoms that could tell you whether you have entered ketosis is dry mouth, thirst, frequent urination and decreased hunger.

Also read: Low fat vs Low carb: What is better for weight loss?

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As we have now explored ketosis and how it helps in weight loss, you may still have certain doubts about the kind of food you can eat and should avoid while on a keto diet. That said, here are some of the foods that you can have during the course of your diet.

- Fatty fishes like salmon, tuna, mackerel, anchovies, etc.

- Nuts

- Non-starchy vegetables like spinach, celery, kale, broccoli

- Eggs

- Avocadoes

- Health oils like extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil

- Full-fat dairy products

- Healthy seeds like chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds and more

- Berries

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For those who are following a keto diet, here are some foods to avoid:

- Wheat-based products, cereal, pasta, rice

- Vegetables like peas, sweetcorn, yams, potatoes, beets

- Sugary foods like cola, smoothies, ice cream

- Fruits are usually high in carbs, but you can have berries

- Lentils, kidney beans

- Unhealthy fats like processed foods and oils

- Alcoholic drinks

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There is not one specific type of keto, rather several of them. Here are the types of keto diet you can follow:

Standard ketogenic diet (SKD) - This comprises a very low carb (10%), moderate protein (20%) and high fat (70%) diet.

Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD) - This type of keto diet requires a period of "refeeds" meaning 5 days of keto diet followed by 2 days of high carb intake.

Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD) - Those following a targeted keto diet can eat carbs around their workout times.

High-protein ketogenic diet (HPKD) - Similar to SKD, high-protein keto diet involves low-carb, high fat diet, but together with high protein foods. In this the ratio is 60 percent of fat, 5 percent carbs and 35 percent proteins.

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