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    So… What Is The Keto Diet Exactly?

    The second my never-tried-a-diet-in-his-life friend said he was doing keto (as mine recently did), I knew the eating plan had surpassed trend status.

    I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that, if said not-into-wellness-at-all friend has heard of (and is trying!) the keto diet, you most certainly have. Still, you may be a little hazy on the details. Well, no more!

    Short for “ketogenic diet,” this eating plan is all about minimizing your carbs and upping your fats to get your body to use fat as a form of energy, says Scott Keatley, registered dietician, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. While everyone’s body and needs are slightly different, that typically translates to: 60-75% of your kilojoules from fat, 15-30% of your kilojoules from protein, and 5-10% of your kilojoules from carbs.

    After about two to seven days of following this eating routine, you go into something called ketosis, or the state your body enters when it doesn’t have enough carbs for your cells to use for energy. Then it starts making ketones, or organic compounds that your bod then uses in place of those missing carbs—and oh, it also burns fat for more energy, says Beth Warren, registered dietician, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Living A Real Life With Real Food.

    READ MORE: ‘Keto Crotch’ Might Be A Surprising Side Effect Of A Low-Carb Diet

    Why Did The Keto Diet Become So Trendy For Weight Loss?

    Believe it or not, keto was designed to help people who suffer from seizure disorders—not to help people lose weight. That’s because both ketones and another chemical produced by the diet, called decanoic acid, may help minimise seizures.
    Jessica Cording, New York-based registered dietician

    But people who started following the keto diet noticed weight loss for a few reasons: When you eat carbs, your body retains fluid in order to store carbs for energy (you know, in case it needs it). But when you’re not having much in the carb department, you lose this water weight, says Warren. Also, it’s easy to go overboard on carbohydrates—but if you’re loading up on fat, it may help curb cravings since it keeps you satisfied.

    That, plus the fact that ketosis encourages your body to burn fat, means you can end up with pretty dramatic weight loss.

    “The keto diet took off because its ‘rules’ make sense to most people,” Keatley says. “Almost all of us want to lose some fat from somewhere on our body, and this diet focuses on fat as fuel.”

    Celebs who’ve done the keto diet didn’t exactly hurt its rep, either. (We’re looking at you, Vanessa Hudgens, Halle Berry and Kim Kardashian.)

    What Can You Expect On The Keto Diet?

    It usually takes three to four days for your body to go into ketosis because you have to use up your body’s stores of glucose, i.e., sugar first, Keatley says. Any major diet change can give you some, uh, issues, and Keatley says he often sees patients who complain of IBS-like symptoms and feel wiped out at the beginning of the diet. (The tiredness happens because you have less access to carbs, which give you quick energy, he explains.)

    Those issues are part of what’s known as the “keto flu,” Warren says. Other side effects of the keto diet, all of which are tied to carb withdrawal, can include lightheadedness, nausea, mental fog, cramps, and headaches, in addition to diarrhoea and tiredness. Luckily, the keto flu doesn’t usually last more than a week—which is coincidentally about when people start to see the number on the scale go down, says Warren.

    Some people on the keto diet also experience ‘keto crotch‘, a strange-smelling odour down there as a result of the diet.

    READ MORE: Is When You Eat More Important Than What You Eat?

    Okay, But Will It Actually Help *You* Lose Weight?

    Probably, and there are a few reasons why, Keatley says. For starters, people usually reduce their daily kilojoule intake to about 6,276 kilojoules a day because healthy fats and lean proteins make you feel fuller sooner—and for a longer period of time. And then there’s the fact that it takes more energy to process and burn fat and protein than carbs, so you’re burning slightly more kilojoules than you did before. Over time, this can lead to weight loss.

    Everyone is different, and how much you weigh when you start the diet matters, but you could safely lose around half to one kilogram a week on keto, Keatley says. “It’s sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the individual’s caloric needs,” he adds.

    Worth noting: The keto diet isn’t a “miracle fat burner,” says Keatley. “The kilojoules in the fat must are still kilojoules, so working out and keeping total intake at a reasonable level is the only way it works,” he says. “Being on a keto diet but eating more kilojoules than you need will still add fat to your frame.”

    Who Does It Work Best For?

    Cording says the keto diet is really ideal for people who suffer from seizure disorders. If that’s not you, she doesn’t recommend it as a long-term approach because it’s so hard to stick with.

    That said, a keto diet will work for someone who really loves meat and heart-healthy oils like olive oil and safflower oil, Keatley says. However, he and Warren also stress that it’s not easy—or necessarily healthy—to follow over time (certain types of carbs are good for you!).

    If you’re interested in following keto for a short period of time, Cording says it’s important to set yourself up for success by making sure you have the right ingredients and tools to make it happen.

    Although if you just love carbs way too much to entertain the idea of doing the keto diet, well, that makes two of us.

    This article was published on www.womenshealthmag.com More

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    Is Eating A Vegan Keto Diet Even Possible? Here’s Everything You Need To Know

    The keto diet has built up a reputation for being able to help with losing weight and keeping it off. But it is also known for how much meat people eat to try to achieve their high-fat, low-carb goal. So is there a vegan keto diet that allows plant-based folks to also follow this way of eating? Surprisingly, yes.
    Just as you can still go out to eat on keto by making a few tweaks, you can adapt the diet to fit whatever eating restrictions you have – you just need to get creative about it. So, it is possible to be vegan and keto at the same time. But even dietitians acknowledge that it may not be the easiest to do.
    READ MORE: How To Go Vegan: 15 Easy Nutritionist-Backed Tips
    Eating a vegan keto diet is “difficult, since you’re not eating any animal protein,” says registered dietitian Vanessa Rissetto, a co-founder of Culina Health. Jessica Cording, a registered dietitian and the author of The Little Book of Game-Changers, agrees. “Technically, this is possible, but it takes a lot more planning and careful consideration than if someone was incorporating animal proteins,” Cording says.
    Still, there are a lot of potential hurdles to overcome and it all revolves around how to find the right foods to eat. Rissetto points out that most foods that could help you stay vegan and go on keto would be overly processed, which would work against you if your goal is to be healthier as a whole.
    So, what’s the best way to go about the vegan keto diet and what kind of foods can (and can’t) you eat on it? Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know, plus how to pull it off.
    What are the perks of being vegan and keto?
    A big one is that you don’t need to think about cholesterol as much as you would if you were on regular keto. “One of the downsides of traditional keto is that if someone is eating too much red meat, it can reflect poorly in their cholesterol,” Cording says. “With a plant-based approach, there is less risk of that.”
    Another benefit is weight loss. If you can follow a vegan keto diet appropriately, Cording says you should be able to lose weight.
    What’s on a vegan keto diet food list?
    A vegan diet focuses on plant-based foods. And, in order to hit ketosis, where your body starts to burn fat instead of carbs, you need to hit all the right macros: 60 to 70 percent of your calories from fats, 15 to 30 percent from protein, and five to 10 percent from carbs.
    You need to have a good sense of what provides enough calories, fat, protein, and fibre without contributing more carbohydrates, Cording says. “A lot of mainstays of plant-based proteins like beans are much trickier to incorporate if someone is doing a vegan keto diet because beans do have carbs,” she explains.
    READ MORE: 9 Cauliflower Benefits That Make It A Superfood, According To A Dietitian
    It can be pretty easy to cover your bases with fat and still get adequate fibre – protein is the bigger struggle. Cording recommends leaning heavily into nuts and seeds, which are great sources of healthy fats and have some fibre and protein. You should also scale back a little on traditional vegan protein sources like tempeh, which is higher in carbs.
    To do the vegan keto diet, Cording says you’ll want to go big on these foods:

    Avocados
    Seeds
    Nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds)
    Nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter)
    Coconut milk
    Olive oil
    Olives
    Non-starchy veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, peppers)
    Tofu
    Vegan “dairy” products (coconut yogurt, cashew cheese)

    You can have the following in moderation:

    Grains (rice, pasta)
    Starchy veggies (potatoes, peas)
    Beans (chickpeas, blank beans, pinto beans)
    Fruits (although berries are your best bet)
    Beer

    You’ll also want to avoid these foods:

    Animal products (meat, honey, whey protein)
    Dairy (milk, eggs)

    READ MORE: 4 Ways to Support Healthy Ageing
    What does eating a vegan keto diet look like?
    A lot depends on your personal preferences and tastes, but Cording suggests trying these meal plans out, complete with dishes and snacks.
    Day 1

    Breakfast: A smoothie with coconut milk, greens, a handful of berries, nut butter, and hemp
    Lunch: Vegan soup with MCT oil and hemp hearts
    Dinner: A salad with avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, olive oil dressing, and sunflower seeds
    Snack: A handful of almonds

    Day 2

    Breakfast: Sautéed greens and tofu scramble with vegan cheese
    Lunch: Coconut cream of broccoli soup with a side of nuts
    Dinner: A seitan burger with a side of greens
    Snack: Celery sticks with peanut butter

    Day 3

    Breakfast: Coconut yogurt with nut and seed topping
    Lunch: A green salad with avocado, peppers, and broccoli, with a side of nuts
    Dinner: A cauliflower pizza with vegan cheese and greens on top
    Snack: Coconut fat bombs

    Who should *not* follow a vegan keto diet?
    Dietitians are hesitant to actually recommend this diet, given how restrictive it is. If you have a history of an eating disorder, Cording says it’s definitely best to take a pass.
    But, if you feel confident in your ability to pull off the vegan keto diet and know you will be okay with the parameters, nutritionists still recommend bringing in a professional to help figure out how to make this work in the healthiest way possible. “Definitely consult an RD,” Rissetto says.
    Just know this, per Cording: You’re probably going to need to add a supplement to the mix. “Even when you’re covering all your bases, you likely will need some kind of supplementation because this diet is so restrictive,” she says.
    The bottom line: You can go keto if you’re vegan, but you should definitely work with a nutritionist to make sure you’re doing it right and getting all your essential nutrients.
    *This article was originally published on Women’s Health US

    READ MORE ON: Keto Ketogenic Diet Vegan Vegan Tips More