Nutrients Ratio in Keto Diet

Ketogenic diet also known as “keto diet” is the term used for a diet with high-fat level, moderate protein, and low carbohydrates. Keto diet forces the metabolism of the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Under normal circumstances, our diet mostly contains carbohydrates. The metabolism mechanism of our body metabolizes the starches into simpler glucose. That glucose is then transported as a source of energy for every cell of our body. If the carbohydrates in our diet are limited, then our liver converts fat into the fatty acids which on metabolism produces ketone bodies. The ketone bodies are then used as a source of energy. This enhanced level of ketone bodies in our body is known as ‘ketosis’.

Recent studies have revealed that the keto diet has a lot of health benefits against several diseases, especially epilepsy in children and diabetes in adults. The ketogenic diet is also useful for weight loss and recommended by many doctors.

 

Mode of Action of Keto Diet

A keto diet is a low carb, high fat and adequate protein diet that has been explicitly designed and become popular in recent years. The most important feature of a keto diet is the production of ketone bodies that are principally β-hydroxy butane, acetoacetate, and acetone. These are the products of fatty acid oxidation in the liver. Ketone bodies are the alternative substance to glucose for energy production. Keto diet has prime importance nowadays as an application in the treatment of various disorders, especially epilepsy.

Metabolic Mechanism

The actual mechanism of action of the keto diet is not known. There are many hypotheses proposed for the possible explanation of the workings of a keto diet. A lot of changes occur in the brain and body due to a keto diet.

·                     The critical aspect of a keto diet is the lack of carbohydrates in the daily routine. The standard mechanism of the body is the metabolism of carbohydrates into glucose which is the first product for energy production. In keto diet, to compensate the energy needs, fatty acids are substituted as the fuel source.

·                     In the absence of glucose in the diet, the ketone bodies are synthesized by the oxidation of fats. This process is also known as ketosis. These ketone bodies are the principal method for energy production for the body.

·                     Mitochondria is the primary cell structure involved in the production of energy for body needs. In the keto diet, as there is a high concentration of fats, energy production is shifted to fats from carbs.

This shift of mechanism leads to various changes in the body. One of the most significant changes is that this shift can act as the anticonvulsants for epilepsy patients. The other critical applications of this change are weight loss, treatment of various disorders like diabetes and hypertension. Any extra fat stored around the abdomen is also burnt using the keto diet, which makes the body slim

 

Nutrients Ratio in Keto Diet

Keto diet contains very low levels of carbohydrates and a high level of fats. The ratio of fat to carbohydrate and protein by weight is 4: 1 in the Keto diet. For the classic keto diet, it is advised that the carbs should not be more than 15 grams, and protein is one gram per kg weight of the body, while fats fulfil all the remaining needs of the body. This can be only being achieved by using foods having high fats like dairy products and excluding starchy foods like vegetables, sugar, etc. from the diet.

Many dairy products including milk, butter, cheese, etc. contain long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) and a high level of fatty acids. The triglycerides that are made up of short chains of fatty acids known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are more ketogenic than Long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). One of the primary sources of MCTs is coconut oil. Many foods have a high amount of fats and low carbohydrates.

 

Keto Diet Plan

Diet routine which limits the net intake of carbohydrates to shift the metabolism towards fat. The net intake of carbohydrates is restricted to 20 grams per day. Many people adopt keto diet plans for different purposes. A lot of people shift to eating keto for weight loss. A proper keto diet plan is only devised by a doctor but there are many softwares available online that devised keto plans according to gender and age. Keto diet plans can be:

·       Speed Keto Diet Plan:

It is a high-fat diet program to burn fat more quickly. Speed keto diet plan combines with intermittent fasting and an only meal is allowed one time a day. the primary point behind the speed keto diet plan is potential weight loss. But for the long term, the speed keto diet is unsustainable and may become unhealthy for some people.

·       Vegetarian Keto Diet Plan:

Keto diet may consist of different kinds of food products involving meat products. But some people are vegetarian and dislike eating meat. A vegetarian keto diet plan is specially devised for vegetarians that are consisting of a diverse mix of fruits, vegetables, and grain that have high fat and low carbohydrates.

·       Strict Keto Diet Plan:

Some people adapt keto diet plans for some time but they become unable to keep adopting the same condition. Strict Keto Diet Plan is designed for such people to get them into a state of ketosis. Macronutrients are tracked strictly to keep the intake of carbohydrates below 20 grams. Strict Keto Diet plan is not suitable for beginners. Beginners should adopt a lazy keto plan and then move towards the strict keto plan.