A Mediterranean Keto Diet May Be A Heart
How It Works Think of Mediterranean keto as a combination of two popular approaches to eating: sticking to standard keto macro amounts, while emphasizing Mediterranean diet elements like fatty fish and olive oil. The main emphasis is on the quality of fats youll be eating, says Madeline McDonough, RDN, who is based in Boston. Unlike the standard keto diet, which doesnt specify which fats to prioritize, Mediterranean keto diets emphasize options like monounsaturated fatty acids, which may help lower LDL cholesterol, and omega-3s that are anti-inflammatory, she says.
Who It’s Best For This is for those who want a flexible approach to healthy eating that is sustainable long term, notes McDonough, and who want more emphasis on Mediterranean elements like nonprocessed food and high nutrient density. If youre a huge fan of salmon and sardines, this may be your favorite keto choice.
Risks to Note The standard Mediterranean diet which is not keto, thanks to its amount of whole grains and fruits has many elements that are worth shuttling into a keto plan, so the risks are minimal, says McDonough. If you want to get truly Mediterranean, incorporate social time into your meals, rest after eating, and get regular physical activity.
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A Cyclical Keto Diet Could Help You Stick With The Diet
How It Works On cyclical keto, also called keto cycling, youll cycle in and out of keto usually staying on the diet for five days, followed by one or two days with more carbs. The point of keto cycling is to make it easier for someone to follow, Kizer says. Every five to six days they can have the carbohydrates theyve been entirely restricting. Theres no set protocol of what your carb days should look like, but Kizer warns not to go overboard because that will make it more difficult for the body to return to ketosis.
Who It’s Best For This is intended for those who have a tough time sticking to keto. It can be helpful if someone wants to take a break and have carbs, says Dr. Koche. That may not be easy for everyone.
Kizer worries this approach may promote carb bingeing. You may have heard keto cycling recommended for athletes, who use the extra carbohydrates to fuel their workouts or competitions. For instance, that 2019 study in The Journal of Sports Medicine indicated some endurance benefits, but the results are mixed, and a study published in April 2018 in The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, have shown that the keto diet does hinder exercise performance.
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Should You Count Calories On Keto
First of all, one important thing to realize is that calorie counting is inherently a flawed process. There are two reasons for this, which weve touched upon.
The first is that, its virtually impossible to know exactly how many calories youre deriving from a food. Digestion, nutrient partitioning, and other factors make this calculation a rough estimate, at best.
Second, the calorie counts for many foods, including produce, will all be different depending on the database you use and where you buy them. The above factors introduce a lot of error into the accurate estimation of caloric intake. While you can get a good ballpark idea of your food quantity consumed, take it all with a grain of salt.
So, should you do count calories on keto? Well, this depends.
Initially, counting the number of calories youre consuming while on keto might be a good thing to do, just to get a general idea of how much youre eating. Keto foods are inherently high in fat, making them quite calorically dense and easy to overdo, if youre not careful you definitely dont want to increase your daily caloric intake significantly by eating more fat than you need.
Despite what many people say, it is possible to overdo your protein and fat intake. If youve ever found it tempting to throw down an entire jar of peanut butter, you understand our sentiment.
Lets start with cheese, a weakness of many.
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I’m Listening What’s The Main Difference Between Low
First and foremost, keto is a much more restrictive diet, says Zeitlin. While keto is indeed a low-carb diet, not all low-carb diets are keto.
The keto diet has a pretty strict structure, where the person is to consume 70 percent of their daily calories from fat, 20 percent from protein, and 10 percent from carbohydrates. Ten percent of anything, especially carbs, is really not a lot. And some people even take it further, to a 70-percent fat, 25-percent protein, 5-percent carbs breakdown.
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Going low-carb, on the other hand, is a bit up to interpretation:What you consider low-carb might mean cutting out every kind of grain or sugar, while to others, it may include eating a piece of fruit or a serving of quinoa. It’s all very relative.
With a general low-carb diet, you’re probably not eating nearly as much fat as you would if you were trying to force your body into ketosis. Instead, you’re loading up on more lean proteins and veggies to stay full and energized.
Ketogenic Diet Or Ketone Body Supplementation
Ketogenic diets have been proposed as a promising strategy to treat obesity. Specially a very-low-calorie ketogenic diet is able to induce a reduction of 20 kg of body weight in 6 months and maintain the weight loss until 24 months . This weight loss is induced as expenses of body fat and preserving muscle mass and function . In fact, this kind of diet is able to modulate the secretion of myokines in a different way than bariatric surgery or low-calorie diet . Beyond the use of ketogenic diets for weight and body composition management, these kind of diets or ketone body supplements are also gaining interest among athletes because their ergogenic properties .
Francine Ratner Kaufman MD, in, 2005
Fig. 1. American Diabetes Association treatment schema for type 2 diabetes, modified for Children and Youth. :S1114 with permission.)
Sarah E. Deemer, … Catia Martins, in, 2020
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Got It Any Advice That Applies To Both Diets
Definitely! To successfully maintain weight loss from either diet, Zeitlin advises focusing on doubling your veggies, eating lean proteins , healthy fats , fresh fruit, and whole grains. That is what is going to help the weight come off and stay off, she says.
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At the end of the day, you want to create a diet for yourself that feels comfortable for you to commit to for the long-term, so you don’t gain and lose, gain and losecalled weight cyclingand feel like you are constantly dieting. The first can invite health problems the latter is, well, not fun .
Remember, your ultimate goal beyond the weight loss is to become healthier. So don’t fall into a diet trap that sabotages the real purpose for your journey. You’re better than that, my friend.
How Does Each Diet Work
The body prefers to use glucosea carbohydrateas its energy source. When carbohydrate intake is very low and glucose isn’t available for energy, the body makes glucose from other sources. This is called gluconeogenesis.
When carb intake is even lower than this, like on the keto diet, and the body can’t make enough glucose for its needs, the body enters a metabolic state called ketosis where it breaks down fat for energy into ketone bodies . Once you reach ketosis, most cells will use the ketones created by ketosis for energy until you start eating carbohydrates again.
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Medical Conditions For Each Approach
Doctors dont usually recommend a low-calorie diet for any one particular medical condition. However, a low-calorie diet can benefit most health conditions associated with obesity, such as high blood pressure or heart disease.
Carbohydrate counting is an approach those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes commonly use to maintain a steady blood sugar level throughout the day. Those with diabetes may need to take insulin so their bodies can use carbohydrates for energy. By using a carbohydrate counting approach, they are better able to predict how much insulin will be needed.
Which Diet Is Better For You Keto Or Low
The keto diet may be better if you want to reduce your risk for chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
It also may help you lose weight faster than a low-calorie diet, but not as fast as a fad diet that limits overall calories.
When participants in one study followed a keto diet for 3 months it helped them lose an average of 12 pounds more than those on a low-calorie diet. They also lost 4 inches from their waist and had a better improvement in blood sugar levels.
This is because of the anti-inflammatory nature of keto.
The advantage of the low-calorie diet is that its easier to follow, less expensive than other diets, and can be paired with an exercise program to help keep you motivated.
If youre very overweight, have a medical condition that could be better addressed with weight loss, or are older than age 50, this may be a good option for you.
The keto diet can help reverse health conditions linked to insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
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It also tends to be easier to follow and more effective for weight loss than a low-calorie diet.
However, it is very high in fat and if youre considering keto as a way to lose weight, work with your doctor or a nutritionist to make sure its right for you.
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Are You In Ketosis
Besides having the benefits mentioned above, if you really want to make sure you are in ketosis I would suggest buying a glucometer which is a blood test. A simple prick on your finger using ketone strips to measure. Anywhere from 0.5 and up means you are most likely keto adapted. It’s definitely not cheap but it is the most accurate measurement. There are other methods as well, like using urine ketone strips but not as accurate I don’t feel. There is also a breath ketone meter if you hate the blood pricking idea.
You’ll find it’s not as hard as you think it will be if you’re just starting out. Keep the fat high and you’ll be satisfied and never hungry. My recipes are low carb though some are not as low as others. If you are browsing my recipes, sticking to less than 10 net carbs per serving will easily fit into your macros for a keto lifestyle!
Which Is Better For Most People
When it comes to choosing between the low carb and keto diets, there are several factors to consider.
The main difference between these diets is carbohydrate intake. On a low carb diet, you typically eat 50150 grams of carbs per day, but on the keto diet, daily carb intake is restricted to fewer than 50 grams.
Another main difference is protein intake. With low carb diets, protein intake may be high, but with keto diets, protein intake should be moderate at around 20% of total calories. This is because excessive protein intake can prevent ketosis .
Additionally, fat intake tends to be significantly higher on the keto diet, as fats replace carbs and protein.
The keto diet may be too restrictive for most people, leading to poor long-term adherence. Furthermore, the keto diet is more likely to cause unwanted side effects .
Therefore, a low carb diet is likely a better option for most people.
That said, its important to consult your healthcare provider before starting any diet to reduce your risk of complications.
Summary
While both diets limit carbs to varying degrees, the keto diet is more restrictive. For the majority of the population, the low carb diet appears to be more sustainable in the long term.
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What’s The Nutrient Breakdown
There are three macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. When you cut back on carbs, you replace those carbohydrate calories with another macronutrientusually fat. This leads to a low-carb, moderate protein, high-fat diet.
For example, if someone follows a low-carb diet with 30 percent of calories from carbs and the recommended 10-20 percent from protein, it means that about 50-60 percent of their calories will come from fat.
The breakdown of macros on the keto diet is about 80 percent calories from fat, 15-20 percent from protein and less than 5 percent from carbohydrates. Contrast that with the Dietary Guidelines recommendation of 25-35 percent calories from fat, 10-30 percent from protein and 45-65 percent from carbohydrates.
My 6 Week Keto Results
Like my Coffee shirt in the video? You can get one for yourself at this link!
I realize the right pic looks different or that I’m more tan looking, but it was just taken at night and the bathroom light was needed whereas the first pic was in the morning with daylight from the window.
Crazy right though? I just can’t even believe it for myself until I see this picture of my mid section! I’m truly in shock how it was just 2.4 pounds I lost in 6 weeks and just a half percent in body fat. But clearly the keto diet produces results. I feel better. I look leaner and more toned and I’m just motivated to continue on even though I’m not one of those people who have lost a crazy amount of weight in a short time. I’m in it for the health benefits I mentioned above, but also I’m feeling pretty darn good in my size 6 pair of jeans!
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Foods Rich In Calories Vs Carbs
All food contains calories. Examples of calorie-rich foods include animal fats, such as lard and fish oil, vegetable oil, salad dressing, peanut butter, candy bars, cheese, fried foods and processed meat such as sausages.
Examples of foods that are high in carbohydrates include bread, potatoes, rice, fruits, soft drinks and sodas, pasta and noodles, beans and cereal.
Habits Based Interventions For Weight Loss
Similarly with habit based and mindfulness interventions , the benefits are both of longer duration, and of greater sustainability.
Their benefits over other weight loss approaches is that they provide skills, not just information.
These skills allow you to reduce or eliminate eating patterns and behaviours that not only help you lose weight but also provide a longer term eating approach that is more flexbile. They also create behavioural flexbility meaning they teach you how to avoid the on and off again mentality of a diet. They are aimed at changing your mindset towards food as well as your eating behaviours so there is a two-fold, more lasting effect.
Approaches include a variety of behaviours including routinising mealtimes, cultivating mindful and conscious eating practices, pre-planning meals and learning to deal with trigger foods.
These techniques instill long term mindset shifts, in how people view, approach and respond to food-based stimuli, allowing you to be more calm and conscious when making the food choices you want to make and avoiding the on and off again mentality that can trip you up with other weight loss approaches.
I am a huge fan of using these kinds of approaches due to the focus on health, effective and long term weight management and overall positive relationships with food.
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Safe Rate Of Weight Gain
While studies on the topic are scarce, an acceptable rate of weight gain is 0.52 pounds per week .
However, in people with severe undernutrition, weight gain of about 4.4 pounds per week has been accomplished safely .
Rapid weight gain may lead to uncomfortable side effects, such as bloating, stomach distress, and fluid retention. If youre an athlete, these side effects can hinder your performance by negatively affecting your workouts or practices .
Whats more, rapid weight gain can increase your triglyceride levels, which may raise your risk of heart disease .
How fast you gain weight depends on how many calories you need to maintain your weight.
If you maintain your weight on 2,000 calories per day, you will gain weight much quicker on a 3,000-calorie diet than someone who maintains their weight on 2,500 calories per day.
For example, one 8-week study showed that when 25 healthy people ate an additional 950 calories over their weight-maintenance calorie needs, they gained an average of 11.7 pounds 7.7 pounds of which was fat .
If those same participants ate only 500 calories above their maintenance calorie needs for the same duration, they would likely gain much less weight.
summary
For some people, a 3,000-calorie may help you gain weight. An acceptable, safe rate of weight gain is 0.52 pounds per week.
The calories in your diet come from three macronutrients carbs, fat, and protein.
Protein and carbs provide four calories per gram, compared with nine for fat.
Pros And Cons Of Counting Calories
To lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit. That means you need to burn more calories than you consume. You can burn more calories through exercise or increased daily activity . You can also create a deficit if you consume fewer calories each day. So calories do count.
Calorie counting may or may not be the best weight loss strategy for every person. A benefit of calorie counting is that it helps you monitor how much food you’re consuming. Calorie data is readily available for most foods, and for many people, reducing calories is safe and effective.
However, it does not work for everyone. Not all calorie counters and apps are accurate, especially if you don’t know for sure how much you are eating .
And for some people, counting calories could lead to disordered eating. There is also a risk of nutritional deficiencies if you don’t take a holistic view of your calorie intake .
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