BENEFITS OF THE KETO DIET FOR HEALTH AND WEIGHT LOSS
There are many reasons to cut carbs from your diet, and while many people begin a low-carb diet with the intention of losing weight, other health benefits come with it. Discover here our range of proteins , products containing CLA extracted from vegetable oil or even products based on Omega-3 .
That's right. Following a low-carb diet presents many health benefits , including being very effective in eliminating visceral fat and improving overall health.
In this article, we'll explain the benefits of a low-carb or ketogenic diet so you can decide if it's a lifestyle choice you should adopt.
Author's note : Please consider this blog article for informational purposes only. It should not be considered medical advice.
WHAT EXACTLY IS A LOW CARB DIET?
A low-carb diet is an eating system where carbohydrates are significantly reduced in the diet. In On a ketogenic diet , carbohydrate intake is even more drastically limited.
Reducing carbohydrates encourages the body to get its energy from stored fat rather than the glucose produced by carbohydrates.
So, in a low-carb diet, starches and sugary carbohydrates, such as sugar, pastries, pastas, breads, grains, and beans, are replaced with healthy fats and moderate protein intake.
A low-carb diet is filled with non-starchy vegetables and fatty foods such as butter, fatty fish, oils and some dairy products, along with a healthy amount of protein from eggs, steak, chicken , seafood and other sources of protein. Here you can find the delicious tastes of our range of proteins made in France, meeting the legislation in all respects for your safety .
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF A LOW CARBOHYDRATE DIET?
Research has shown that reducing carbohydrate intake is one of the most effective ways to lose weight and reverse obesity. There are a number of reasons why this is the case.
1. IT HELPS YOU LOSE WEIGHT
The main health reason people adopt a low-carb or ketogenic eating style is to lose weight. If this style of eating did not produce significant weight loss, it would not be as popular as it is today.
If you've tried a number of traditional methods to lose weight, such as cutting calories, eating less, and exercising more without success, you may find that a low-carb diet is the only thing that helps you lose weight .
Where other diets fail, a low-carb diet almost always works. You may have to do some trial and error to determine the perfect level of carbs for your body, whether it's a strict ketogenic diet or a less strict low-carb plan, but it is unlikely that this diet will not produce results.
2. IT REDUCES WATER RETENTION
During the first few days or weeks after starting a low-carb or ketogenic diet, a person typically experiences water weight loss. When carbohydrate intake is limited for a few days, glycogen stores in the muscle are reduced. Since glycogen is responsible for water retention, when these levels decrease, water retention also decreases.
3. IT BURNS FAT INSTEAD OF GLUCOSE FOR ENERGY
The ketogenic diet more significantly reduces carbohydrate intake, in order to induce ketosis, which is a metabolic process that burn body fat stored instead of dietary carbohydrates for energy.
Ketosis is why many dieters have successfully lost weight and kept it off by simply reducing carbs and increasing fat intake.
When the body has an abundance of carbohydrates and a surplus of insulin, our body retains fat for storage , leading to both increased fat mass and circulating triglyceride levels.
When carbohydrate stores are depleted, as happens in a ketogenic diet, fat is released from its stores to be oxidized for fuel. The result is a improvement in cholesterol levels and triglycerides.
On a ketogenic diet, you can expect to eat around 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, on average. Your optimal carb intake really depends on your goals; those who are obese or have a lot of weight to lose may find the strictest plans most effective. The ketogenic diet is very strict in carbohydrate intake .
Conversely, a person who has high muscle mass and does a lot of anaerobic work, such as lifting weights, will be able to tolerate a much higher amount of carbohydrates than a sedentary person.
4. IT ELIMINATES INSULIN TRIGGER FOODS
Starch and carbohydrates are insulin triggers that cause blood sugar spikes which lead to weight gain. During a low-carb diet, these insulin triggers are eliminated so the body can burn fat instead of storing it .
This is good news for anyone suffering from diabetes, irregular blood sugar levels, and sugar cravings. A low-carb diet has the potential to reduce symptoms and improve blood sugar levels.
5. IT REGULATES APPETITE AND REDUCES HUNGER
A study conducted by the Department of Experimental Medicine at Lund University, Sweden, showed that the main reason you can achieve rapid weight loss on a low-carb diet is suppression of appetite . Study lists three reasons behind appetite suppression
- High protein content of the diet
- The ketogenic nature of the diet
- The absence of hunger-promoting carbohydrate components such as fructose and/or sucrose
A low-carb diet naturally regulates appetite because insulin-triggering foods that wreak havoc on the bloodstream and cause hunger and erratic cravings are eliminated.
Additionally, researchers have found that leptin, a hunger-regulating hormone, is positively affected by the low-carb diet's ability to reduce triglyceride levels in the body, allowing this hormone to work more effectively to regulate appetite.
When people embark on a low-carb diet, their appetite decreases and they feel naturally satisfied with less food , which leads to weight loss because they eat fewer calories without feeling deprived.
6. IT IMPROVES COGNITIVE HEALTH
Like drugs, sugar is addictive and therefore has a negative impact on the brain, causing erratic cravings for sugar and food in general, fatigue and accidents, even anxiety.
On the other hand, some fats are healthy and benefit the brain to improve memory, energy levels, mood and learning.
A report published in The Journal of Physiology illustrates these points and reports that a diet high in sugar and low in healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids was associated with insulin resistance as well as lower cognitive scores.
7. IT REDUCED THE RISK OF METABOLIC SYNDROME AND HEART DISEASE
Another 2012 study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found that low-carb diets were more effective at reducing metabolic syndrome and heart disease risk factors than low-fat diets.
The study conducted twenty-three trials with a total of 2,788 participants from several different countries. It also found that, compared to participants on a low-fat diet, people on a low-carb diet had a slightly but statistically significantly smaller reduction in total cholesterol.
8. IT CAN HELP REDUCE CANCER RISKS
Diets high in refined carbohydrates and sugars contribute to free radical damage in our bodies. This damage feeds cancer cells and potentially helps them proliferate more quickly.
On a low-carb diet, glucose levels are decreased, and because cancer cells feed on glucose, they are not able to experience the growth they could on a traditional Western diet.
In addition to reducing risk, a ketogenic diet may also help improve tumor response, when combined with standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy options, according to Dr. Jocelyn Tan-Shalaby. Read more here.
9. IT IMPROVED DIGESTIVE FUNCTION
Sugar promotes the growth of bad gut bacteria and a diet high in sugar makes you more susceptible to the candida virus, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and exacerbates the symptoms of leaky gut syndrome.
The Journal of the American Gastroenterological Association published a study that showed that people with IBS had significant improvement in their bowel habits, stomach pain, and even quality of life when they followed a diet low-carb for just four weeks.
10. It improves hormonal function
Researchers from the University of Adelaide's Psychiatry discipline and Faculty of Medicine conducted a study comparing the psychological and hormonal effects of diet on women suffering from hormonal polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
One group of subjects received a low-protein, high-carb diet, while the second group of subjects followed a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet.
After sixteen weeks, subjects following the high-protein, low-carb diet had a significant reduction in depression and an overall improvement in self-esteem.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, low-carb diets help with weight loss by triggering ketosis, a metabolic state in which the body uses stored fat as an energy source.
A low-carb diet does a great job of regulating appetite and reducing hunger, while keeping you full. The diet also promotes healthy brain function, metabolic response, and digestion.
Low-carb diets are not fads, but lifestyles that have helped thousands of people reverse obesity and improve their health. It may just do the same for you.