Please check out today's guest post! Aron and Joel are still in South Dakota at high adventure Medicine Mountain Boy Scout camp, and I am busy around here keeping up with playdates and swimming pool dates, working on the house, walking every morning while listening to Dave Ramsey, proofreading and doing some fall homeschool planning. Hope you're enjoying your summer!
Millions of people the world over spend most of their time trying to keep fit. Fitness experts have come up with various ways to do so including exercising, maintaining a balanced diet and of course gaining the willpower and motivation to keep fit. When it comes to diet, you are told to get rid of junk food which is food that is high in sugar, fat, and cholesterol. Instead, you should be generous with fresh fruits and vegetables, foods high in protein and fiber as well as eat organic meats and grains. Drinking lots of water and knowing when to eat is also a factor to consider in your diet plan. So, what is it about carbohydrates and a ketogenic diet?
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A ketogenic diet is a diet that is high in
protein, fats and low carbohydrates. What does it do? It simply changes the way
energy is being used in the body which aid in weight loss and keeping fit.
Understanding
ketosis
Normally, when you eat foods rich in
carbohydrates, they will be broken down into glucose which is the easiest
molecule that the body uses to produce energy. Insulin is produced in response
to high levels of blood glucose which in turn pumps it into the cells and
converts it into fat. This means that with a constant supply of carbohydrates
other energy sources like fat will not be used hence stored. Hence the weight
gaining features of carbohydrates.
In a ketogenic diet, the intake of carbs is kept as low as 15g per
day. This leads to depletion of glucose and glycogen leads to mobilization of
free fatty acids from stored fat as a result of increased beta-oxidation. It is
during this process that ketone bodies are released from the liver to be used
as fuel in place of glucose, a state known as ketosis.
Why
being in ketosis is good
Being in ketosis means that your body can
utilize fats for fuel in place of carbohydrates. This ensures that there is no
more stored fat in cells hence a lean body which is fit. Another benefit of
ketosis is the increased rates of lipolysis and release of beneficial hormones
that are usually blocked by insulin. When combined with a high protein diet,
ketosis suppresses appetite unlike when you are on a high-carbohydrate diet.
This helps in reducing food volumes that you eat. Ketosis also spares proteins
because if favors ketones over glucose hence no gluconeogenesis.
Reasons
against ketosis
One of the main problems of ketosis is
experienced during its early stages as the body shifts metabolically from
burning glucose and glycogen to ketones for fuel. During this process, the body
experiences high water loss, fatigue, brain fog, headaches, and aggravation.
Another problem is the increase in fat-lipid profile which might increase
cholesterol levels. Complex carbohydrates usually contain fiber, vitamins and
minerals hence ketosis might lead to micronutrient deficiencies as a result of
a low carbohydrate diet. Otherwise, you will need to take fiber and multivitamin
supplements. Ketosis leads to ketoacidosis which is high levels of ketones in
the blood and a high health risk for diabetics plus it can lead to loss of
muscle because any low-calorie diet is catabolic in nature.
So, is a ketogenic diet good for you?
The answer comes about after understanding it
and carefully weighing the benefits against the odds. Keeping fit is vital, and
if ketogenic diet cannot work for you, you can try other methods like laser liposuction to get rid of that excess fat to keep fit.
