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There’s a lot of talk about the ketogenic diet. And many people are getting “results”.
But what do you really know about keto?
In this article we’ll discuss the how the ketogenic diet works. To give you the full scoop.
We’ll also discuss some of the pitfalls of the ketogenic diet that you should be aware of.
And lastly we’ll talk about why the Amen Ra Diet is a preferable diet.
Here we go…
What is the ketogenic diet?
The ketogenic diet (or ‘keto diet’) is a dietary regimen wherein the user deliberately shifts their primary energy source from burning sugar (glucose) to burning fat (adipose).
When the body switches from burning fat instead of glucose, it enters a metabolic state called ‘Ketosis’.
In the Keto diet the user (or dietee) stimulates the shift into Ketosis by changing their diet. They stop eating carbs and start eating fatty foods instead, to starve their bodies of carbohydrates. This forces their body to burn fat instead.
As you read this you’ll see why this is NOT optimal. And I’ll share a better way. (ARD).
What is all the hype about the “keto-diet”?
The keto diet has exploded in popularity over the past 5-10 years.
Why?
It’s simple. The Keto diet promotes weight loss.
But just like any other unbalanced weight loss diet, the Keto Diet has some short falls.
More on that later…
How does ketosis work?
In a nutshell…
Your body burns glucose as its primary energy source.
So all the carbohydrates that you’ve consumed in the 1-3 days leading up to this point is what’s fueling your activity right now.
On the other hand…
When your body runs out of glucose (which rarely happens today, given our sedentary modern lifestyles) your body will switch to a different energy source.
And the next preferential energy source in line is: Fat.
Fat (or adipose) is the excess fat stored on your body.
You body will extract the excess fat particles from its fat storages and transform them into ketone bodies.
The body then burns these ketones to fuel your activity.
This state is called ‘ketosis’.
But be mindful not to mix the two topics together (ketosis & ketogenic diet). They are two very distinct subjects.
Ketosis is the state wherein the body burns fat instead of glucose.
The ketogenic diet is a diet that promotes ketosis.
The reason I’m keen to clarify the distinction here is because there are other, better ways to promote ketosis than through the use of the Keto Diet.
This will make sense later in this article.
What are the pros and cons of the Ketogenic Diet?
Now that you understand what Ketosis is we’ll discuss some of the pros and cons of the ketogenic diet.
Pro: Does the Ketogenic Diet help you lose weight?
In short…Yes.
When your body switches into Ketosis it starts to draw fat from the fat stores on your body. As well as any fatty foods you’ve consumed the day before.
Your body then transforms the fat particles in the liver into ketones to burn as fuel.
From living on a ketogenic diet every day your body becomes more adapt at burning fat from the body. And thus…you lose weight.
But…
Keep in mind, this will take time. And:
The more fat you store on your body, the longer it will take.
Con: Is the Keto Diet a long term sustainable diet?
Because the human diet throughout our evolution has been largely carbohydrates based, our system prefers carbs.
Carbohydrate foods also happen to be our primary source of nutrients and fibre.
And it’s the lowest source of calories.
Because the Keto Diet is designed to essentially starve the body of carbohydrates, you’re essentially starving the body of important nutrients as well.
Not ideal.
Pro: Does the ketogenic diet give you more energy?
Short term, you’ll likely feel tired. And you’ll almost certainly feel a lull throughout the day.
This is because your body hasn’t been accustomed to running efficiently in ketosis.
And;
When your body runs out of glucose and switches into ketosis (starts burning fat) you’ll likely notice a shift in your energy levels.
Mid-term, if you persevere through this initial stage, and don’t give in to any sugar/carbohydrate cravings, you’ll likely have more energy.
Why?
Great question. Let’s talk science.
When comparing fat and glucose as an energy source you’ll find that gram-for-gram fat provides significantly more energy than glucose (more than 2 times).
Where glucose typically provides 4 kilocalories per gram, fat provides 9 kilocalories per gram.
And the body is efficient at storing fat, we have plenty to burn.
Long-term however… since you’re depleting your body of important nutrients found in carbohydrate foods (broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, beans, etc.) you’ll eventually hit a point where your body is lacking in essential nutrients.
At this point you may find yourself feeling lethargic, your muscle recovery will slow, and you may feel foggy.
This is why a carbohydrate diet (high nutrition, unprocessed carbs) is ideal.
Pro/Con: Does the keto-diet help control blood sugar and reverse type 2 diabetes?
Yes and no.
Well…maybe. Let me explain.
First of all, insulin is a peptide hormone created and released into the bloodstream by the pancreas.
It’s primary purpose is to capture and store blood sugar (glucose) to be used as energy later.
If you have Type 2 Diabetes your body doesn’t produce enough insulin to manage the glucose.
By consuming less carbohydrates and more fats your body doesn’t need to rely so heavily on glucose as an energy source.
And therefore;
You’ll have overall lower blood sugar, and;
The quantity of insulin becomes less necessary in this process.
At least this is the case in the short term.
Longer term could be a different story…
Warning: The Dangers Of The Ketogenic Diet
Although there are few proven dangers of the keto diet, there are some considerations that you should keep in mind:
Firstly; anyone who suffers from diabetes or anyone who is on medication should speak to their doctor before they engage in this diet.
Secondly; if you operate heavy machinery, be mindful that you may experience a sense of fatigue, brain-fog, and related symptoms when you’re in the early days of switching to this diet.
Thirdly; I don’t recommend isolating or targeting ‘specific’ nutrients during food consumption. The body was developed on a range of diverse and equally important nutrients. These include carbohydrates and nutrients derived from carbohydrate-based foods.
How do you get into ketosis?
There are 3 ways to do it.
And I’ll explain each method in some detail, as well as provide an indicator as to their effectiveness.
1. Fasting to get into ketosis
The first is to fast (abstain from eating). This is called fasting.
But…
The problem with this method is that it will usually take several days (3-5 days) to burn through your glucose stores and start burning fat.
And because ketosis works best when it’s sustained over time, this won’t work as an ongoing lifestyle…
Effectiveness: 1 of 5
So let’s rule this out.
Also read:
2. The ketogenic diet
The second, and the most common (but NOT the most effective) method is the ketogenic diet.
Which means that you’ll switch your calorie intake from carbohydrates-based foods to high fat foods.
You’ll only be able to eat 20 grams of carbs per day. Which is about half a slice of bread…
These high fat foods include:
Nuts; cashews, almonds, peanuts, etc.
Oils; butter (vegan or non-vegan), olive oil, peanut oil, etc.
Fish; high fat fish like salmon, etc.
Other high fat foods, like Avocado, etc.
People on this diet will see results from about 6 weeks to 6 months. It takes a long time.
And long term it’s unlikely that you would be able to sustain the ketogenic diet because of the lacking of certain essential nutrients that are available in carbohydrate based foods.
Effectiveness: 2-3 of 5
If 6 weeks to 6 months is too long for you to start seeing some results, and if you’re interested in a long-term sustainable diet, then the next method might be of more interest to you…
3. Amen Ra Diet: Getting into Ketosis every day
The Amen Ra Diet is a full lifestyle regimen comprising for major interventions:
Caloric restriction; restricting your caloric intake by as much as 50% (but usually less, and gradually over time). This has a number of benefits, including weight loss, muscle development and .
Intermittent fasting; , at the end of the day. By eating one meal a day you’re fasting for 23 hours. Daily fasting for 23 hours has a very long list of benefits including; systematic replacement of old or damaged cells, improved cellular hygiene, higher energy levels, improved overall health and health markers.
Physical exercise; cardio exercise in the morning and resistance based training in the evening.
Nutraceuticals; a specific concoction of supplements taken at key times in the day to stimulate autophagy and ketosis, and to provide your body with adequate nutrition.
Why the Amen Ra Diet is the optimal ketogenic diet:
Firstly, it was designed with the purpose of extending the human lifespan.
Each of the interventions mentioned above are specifically included because of their proven ability to maintain optimal health of the human body (on a cellular level) and decrease the biological age.
Thereby extending lifespan.
Secondly, the interventions of , Physical exercise, Caloric Restriction and the specific Nutraceuticals each stimulate the body to burn fat instead of glucose.
And combined, they significantly affect the speed at which you gain the benefits that are offered by the Ketogenic Diet.
Especially weight loss.
And… it’s sustainable long term.
Lastly, the Amen Ra Diet prescribes foods that should be eaten. And of course foods that should be avoided, to extend the lifespan.
These foods are vegan/vegetarian, wholefoods:
Beans/legumes
Top of ground vegetables of various colours
Underground vegetables
Leafy greens
Berries
Grains
Why vegan/vegetarian?
Because, apart from being high in toxins, dairy and meat products are high in AGEs (Advanced Glycation End-production).
AGEs accumulate in your body. This has been proven to cause disease.
In a nutshell…
The Amen Ra Diet provide all of the benefits of the Ketogenic Diet. But also provides additional interventions that exponentially, positively, impacts the health of the body.
The benefits of the Amen Ra Diet include:
Reduced biological age, and therefore longer life expectancy
More energy
Daily detoxing (to remove toxins from the body)
Higher athletic performance
Rapid muscle recovery
Significantly boosted immune function
And much more.
Effectiveness: 5 of 5.
To learn more about the Amen Ra Diet:
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https://amenradiet.com/ketogenic-diet/ [re: Mod vege]
(старо куче)
