Ketogenic diet, is it for me?
Last year we launched Low Carb Kickstart, a programme to help you change your eating habits to improve your overall health and body composition. Clients were losing weight, felt more energised, were able to move more and do things they hadn’t done in a while and had sharper minds. While we got great feedback, some of the participants still struggled to adapt to this way of eating. So let’s start at the beginning. Low-Carb vs Keto – what’s the difference?? Low-carbohydrate diets typically allow between 50 – 150 grams of carbohydrates per day. While a ketogenic diet is 50 grams or less of carbohydrates per day. These diets aim to train your body to use the fat stores available as energy. The lower your carbohydrate intake the more you will raise your blood ketone levels (individual variability) which also serves as an additional source of energy.
Before we continue with the diet, let’s briefly talk about carbs. Carbohydrates are often defined based on the effect they have on our blood sugar levels straight after eating. We can then group them as slow-releasing and fast-releasing carbohydrates. We can also look at them based on the types of sugars they contain, for example, fruit contains mostly fructose, while yoghurt is a good source of lactose. While there are differences in how these carbohydrates are digested and absorbed eventually, they all play the same role in the body, which is to provide us with energy. Converting carbohydrates into energy is a much simpler process when compared with fat, and while we have unlimited fat storage, our body’s ability to store carbohydrates is limited. If we only need carbohydrates for energy, we may as well get that from fats.
If you want to try a ketogenic diet, you have to go into it with a positive mindset. Often when you suggest a low-carb or ketogenic diet, people’s minds immediately jump to what they will have to give up. They think of it as a restrictive diet and not a lifestyle change. The reason so many diets don’t work out is due to the heavy restrictions, either calories or cutting out food groups. When you think of the ketogenic diet as a lifestyle change and rather focus on all the delicious food that you can eat you will already be halfway there. If you have a sweet tooth no worries, you can still make dessert just using different ingredients, and your taste buds will change. The desserts you once loved may become too sweet for you, and then if you have them occasionally you will enjoy a few bites and be satisfied.
When you decide to make that lifestyle change to a ketogenic diet, you will have to be strict in the first 4-6 weeks, to allow your body to adapt. Thereafter you can reintroduce certain foods such as fruit and starches, but still try to limit them to not more than twice per week or keep the portion sizes small. When on a ketogenic diet it is also a good idea to focus on your portion sizes and look at how frequently you eat certain foods. We all enjoy a chocolate croissant, but it is never a good idea to have one every day.
The big culprits to avoid on a ketogenic diet are sugar, fizzy drinks, syrups, cakes and pastries, ultra-processed foods, junk foods, and basically any refined carbohydrates. Eat less grains, pasta and starchy vegetables such as potatoes. Remember many sauces contain sugar and ready-made meals and processed foods often contain added sugars. Start reading food labels and ingredient lists, you may be surprised what many foods you often eat actually contain. See this as an opportunity to discover new foods and new recipes.
What about athletes? Yes, athletes can follow a ketogenic diet. The most important thing to remember is that in the start it will be hard to maintain your effort during high-intensity sessions. Your body needs time to adapt, and this can take up to 16 weeks or longer, but for a lucky few 4 weeks might be all it takes. Once you have adapted, these sessions will start to feel a bit easier again and you will also be able to eat more carbohydrates during training sessions, especially endurance athletes. At the end of the day, you need to decide how you want to fuel your body. The ketogenic diet is a safe way and has many health benefits. Low-carb kickstart recordings are now available to purchase, the programme includes a guide and recipes. https://fuelform.co.za/product/low-carb-kickstart/
