The Keto Diet Basics

Are you a woman over 40 who's curious about the keto diet basics? In a nutshell, it's a high-fat, ultra low-carb diet that encourages your body to burn fat for fuel. This can lead to weight loss and other health benefits.

However, it's not for everyone, so do your research before jumping in. This is an extremely restrictive way of eating. This article should help you understand the "Ketogenic Diet 101" for more information. And don't forget to try my delicious dessert recipe for fat bombs at the end of this page!

Ketogenic Diet 101

The ketogenic diet is a very, very low carb, very high-fat diet.

It has recently gained a lot of popularity in the wellness sphere because of some of its health benefits.

A ketogenic diet has been shown to help some people lose weight (yes, even with high fat). It can also help improve certain health conditions, like epilepsy in children.

Read on for some of the lowdown on how it reprograms your metabolism (for “ketosis”), and whether or not it’s something for you to consider trying.

What is “ketosis?”

As a woman over 40, you may already know that carbs (sugars and starches) are the primary fuel for your brain and muscles, used whenever they're available. Maintaining stable blood sugar is important for your attention, mood, and energy levels.

However, when carbs are scarce, your body produces ketones - compounds made from fat - to use as backup fuel. This is called "ketogenesis." After some time on a low-carb diet, your blood ketone levels increase, putting you in a state of "ketosis." Don't worry, this is not the same as the dangerous condition of "ketoacidosis."

The keto diet basics for weight loss

As a woman over 40 gaining that midlife unwanted belly fat you may be online searching for the best way to lose it, and many of my clients have asked about going 'keto' as it seems to be a quick fix.

You might be surprised to learn that despite the high fat intake, studies have shown that a ketogenic diet can be effective for weight loss - even more so than low-fat diets. In fact, one study found that people lost 2.2 times more weight on a ketogenic diet than those on low-fat or calorie-controlled diets.

How is this possible? Well, consuming more fat and protein can help release satiety hormones, making you feel fuller and more satisfied, so you naturally eat less overall. This can lead to weight loss without the need for counting calories or tracking food intake like with other diets.

Ketogenic diet for improved health

If you're a woman over 40, you might be interested to know that the ketogenic diet has shown several other potential health benefits beyond weight loss.

Low levels of carbs can help reduce blood sugar and insulin issues, as well as improve blood triglycerides and cholesterol numbers. In fact, studies have shown that the diet can lead to up to a 75% improvement in insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels.

For children with epilepsy, the diet has even been shown to reduce seizures. As changing your metabolism can have widespread health effects, the ketogenic diet may be beneficial for some individuals - however it is very restrictive and most people either do it wrong or give up because it's not sustainable for them.

How to "do" the ketogenic diet basics

 It's important to note that the ketogenic diet isn't for everyone.  It can have side effects in the beginning, including the infamous "keto flu" when your body is adjusting from burning carbs for fuel to fat for fuel. 

The keto diet basics involves getting 60-75% of your calories from fat, 20-35% from protein, and just 5% from carbs, which many people find quite restrictive and are unable to sustain over a long period of time.

When following a ketogenic diet, it's important to focus on healthy foods such as meat, fatty fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, healthy oils, avocados, and low-carb vegetables (such as cucumber, celery, peppers, zucchini, and leafy greens). If you go into it thinking you can live off cheese and bacon you're not going to feel very well weight loss or not.

Conversely, it's important to avoid foods that are high in carbs, such as sugary foods and desserts, grains, fruit, legumes, starchy vegetables, alcohol, and "diet foods." You will have to read the labels of every packaged food for carbs and for fiber. 

As a result, many people on the ketogenic diet may need to take supplements to ensure they're getting the necessary vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that are typically found in fruit and starchy vegetables. 

Recipe (Keto Fat Bombs)  Layered chocolate peppermint fat bombs

Serves 6

½ cup coconut oil, melted

1 tbsp granulated sweetener (xylitol or monk fruit)

¼ tsp peppermint extract

2 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened

Instructions

Mix the melted coconut oil with the sweetener and peppermint extract.

Pour half the mixture into six cubes of an ice cube tray. This is going to be the white bottom layer.  Place the tray in the fridge to harden.

Add the cocoa powder to the remaining mixture and mix. This is going to be the top brown layer. Pour it on top of the white layer which has set in the fridge.

Place the ice cube tray into the fridge until completely hardened.

Serve & enjoy!

Tip: These are (high fat) super-rich desserts. Don’t eat too many if you’re not going full keto.

References:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/ketogenic-diet

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