In a world where we crave instant gratification and instant results, we want money; ATM, E-Transfer, POS and other platforms, we want food; Fast food eateries, convenience foods etc. and what about internet connection? Whew! High speed it is, We have 3G, 4G and the likes, with various telecoms service providers bringing out super tempting offers that make us port from one service provider to the other, to the extent some of us have like 4 active SIM cards (thanks to the dual SIM provision on our phones, I even heard some phones now have triple SIM card plates, yet to see one for myself though), while this is all great, technology, innovation we call it, life on the go, but should this apply to our health and wellbeing?
So it is now a trend for females to have that perfect Barbie doll look, so many of us have gone through several fad diets like the Maple syrup diet(also known as the Beyoncé Diet), 13 days metabolism diet, General Motors Diet, Paleo diet, Atkins diet and so many now, while some actually do work for a while if you need to fit your body into that little black dress or there is this dress in your collection you have been dying to show off, but are these diets healthy or sustainable?
Nigerians have picked up the trend of body shaming our celebrities, I remember a couple of weeks ago, a soft sell magazine published a picture of Simi the sultry songstress and it was not her musical talent that was being talked about, rather it was her weight gain,helloooooo…..celebs are humans just like us…give them a break guys…they like their amala with ewedu and lots of egunfe (goat meat) and assorted beef parts…tripes if your prefer to call it, they even crave bole and peanuts but well, we won’t let them park their vehicle by d road side and go get one…back to Simi, well, last time I saw a pic of her she looked amazing and she even became the ambassador for operamini….(I guess haters at this point just had to “hide their face”, so many celebs face criticisms daily over their weight and bodies, and it is not just the females, the males are not left out, Wande Coal was once at the receiving end of these social media body shaming.
Now comes the mother of all diets, the Almighty KETOGENIC diet, The Keto Diet Is Gaining Popularity, but Is It Safe?,People promoting the diet say it uses the body’s own fat burning system to help people lose significant weight in as little as 10 days.It has also been known to help moderate the symptoms of children with epilepsy, although experts are not quite sure why it works .People on this diet say the diet can produce quick weight loss and provide a person with more energy.
However, critics say the diet is an unhealthy way to lose weight and in some instances it can be downright dangerous. this is a diet that promotes rapid weight loss, no wonder our celebrities are looking effortlessly trim and fit, a few of them do take out time to go to the gym and they are sure to post pictures to show us how they stay fit, but word has it that they are on this diet, not just celebs in Nigeria, what if I told you celebs like Kim Kardashian, Megan Fox, or Gwyneth Paltrow have at one point or the other supposedly followed this diet?. Yet they post gym pics with addidas sneakers, yoga pants, sweat shirts and a water bottle, and we all go like ‘yeah!, I need to get my own footwear, sweat shirt etc and hit the gym, then after hitting the treadmill for a month and you see no change you just get upset and go on a “chopping spree”
WHAT EXACTLY IS KETOGENIC DIET?
Welcome to the ketogenic or keto, diet, where you eat meals high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrate. Basically your daily diet should consist of 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates. This diet forces the body to enter a state of ketosis, burning fat instead of carbohydrates, which allegedly results in rapid weight loss, alleviated allergies, and chronic aches and pains melting away.
Keto has also been shown to lower blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity in diabetics, and there is some evidence to suggest the diet benefits those who suffer from certain neurological conditions, like epilepsy.
So what are the foods to eat on the Keto-diet?
Meat: bacon, pork, chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, fish
Veggies: Broccoli, cauliflower, okra, spinach, cucumber, avocado, egg plant
Dairy products: Butter, eggs
Fats: Lard, tallow, coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil, butter
The list is endless, now the above food products are very low in carbs, our body needs carbohydrates, this is where we get energy from, so going on a keto diet means you are depriving your body of energy, well, the good news here is that since you will be consuming lots of fat, the body can get its needed energy from the fat you consume and yet still, the liver converts the stored fat in your body into ketones, ketones are small fuel molecules which the body uses as energy, this means even when you are sleeping your burning is still burning fat, your body becomes a fat burning machine.
There are 4 types of the Keto diet:
1. SKD: standard keto diet: 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates daily. The SKD is the most basic form of the ketogenic diet. The goal is to have 20 grams or less of carbohydrates per day to keep you in ketosis. Your calories will be made up of proteins and fats. This is the perfect place to get started, and many people have no need to change this plan.
2. Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD)The TKD aims to have you consume your carbohydrates around workout times, either immediately before or immediately after. This plan is most useful for people who are exercising regularly, both as new athletes and as those who are highly trained. The carbohydrates should still be kept low, though workouts can raise carb tolerance and some individuals may want to experiment with limits of 30-50 grams of carbohydrates to maintain energy levels during exercise.
3. Cyclic Ketogenic Diet (CKD) The CKD is for advanced athletes that require a significantly greater boost in carbohydrates for fuel during training. These athletes can include endurance runners, powerlifters, and professional sports players. Athletes would consume higher levels of carbohydrates for two days prior to competition to fully reload glycogen storage. This can help increase muscle growth and power, though it can also lead to some fat storage.
4. High Protein Ketogenic Diet (HPKD) This version of the ketogenic diet is ideal for those trying to shed excess body fat. In the HPKD, the goal is specifically to drop FAT from the body, not just weight in general. Having protein in a higher proportion to fat allows the body to maintain lean muscle mass, to build muscle if working out, and to use the fat already stored on the body as fuel even faster than a standard ketogenic diet. On this modification, you’d be eating up to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean mass. This much protein tends to have an added fat burning effect, as those who increase protein overall have an easier time losing inches while maintaining or gaining strength
HOW TO START THE KETO DIET?
To get started on the KetoDiet , you need to go a 3 day zero carb diet, this means from day 1-3 on this diet, one must avoid foods that contain carbohydrates, you basically eat foods like eggs boiled or fried (fried in keto compliant oil: coconut oil, palm oil, almond oil, butter, ghee), sardine, you can fry your eggs with the sardine oil to save cost, goat meat/chicken/turkey peppersoup. A sample one week keto meal plan is shown below:
WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS OF THE KETO DIET?
Like any significant change to your diet, when starting a ketogenic diet, it is normal to experience one or more side effects as the body adapts to a new way of eating.
When going on a ketogenic diet, the body has to switch its fuel source from the glucose in carbohydrate to using its own fat stores, and this can lead to experiencing some of the following side effects:
Loss of salts
Keto-flu
Changes in bowel habits
Leg cramps
Bad breath
Loss of energy
Usually these side effects are temporary and can usually be remedied.
THINGS TO NOTE:
Bulletproof Coffee, which is basically just a cup of black coffee with grass-fed butter and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil mixed in, at its most basic, Bulletproof Coffee is coffee blended with fats to make a frothy, satisfying drink. Because you’re whipping the ingredients together in a blender, rather than just stirring with a spoon, the drink gets foamy and the fats incorporate with the coffee to cut the acidity and bitterness for a richer taste.
FTW: FLAT TUMMY WATER
Flat Tummy Water is a collection of healthy ingredients fused together to help with stomach bloating. It is a fact that if you have a belly fat problem, it is most probably because of bloating.
Flat tummy water contains the following ingredients:
Water
Cucumber
Lemon
Ginger
Mint leaves
HOW TO PREPARE THE FLAT TUMMY WATER?
Take a clean jar, pour in some water, for 1.5 litre of water you can use one lemon, thinly sliced in circles, two small slice same way, grate on medium size fresh ginger, thinly slice or cut cucumber in cubes and add some mint leaves, let it sit overnight and your FTW is ready, you can now store in the fridge to avoid fermentation.
SO HOW GREAT IS THIS DIET, ANY DANGERS?
Well, it does promote rapid weight loss, a lot of our celebs are jumping right into it without knowing the dangers involved, so many facebook pages are promoting this diet but are there hidden facts or dangers we do not know of? I will say YES
low-carbohydrate diets may increase your risk for kidney damage, osteoporosis, abnormal heartbeat, lipid abnormalities and even sudden death. If your ketogenic diet is high in protein, it could also increase your risk for diabetes, cancer and overall premature mortality if you’re middle-aged, but not if you’re over 65.
At the end of the day, you have this fabulous looking babe but the internal organs failing, and we as Nigerians are not used to seeing a doctor until we are like reallllllllly down, before you finally see a doctor your organs may already be failing.
Imagine you go shopping, see a product with nice packaging, good label, you purchase this product and get home and then you open the pack and hmmmmm……..disappointing.
This diet was initially created for children with epilepsy and the result was amazing, the children placed on this diet had 10 X less seizures that those on normal diet,
Yes you will lose weight on this diet and very fast too, but think about what your kidneys willgo through to process all that fat you are taking in. There are so many healthier options for losing weight, and exercise along with calorie counting is bae!
Even yours truly is not left out of the weight loss battle, lol……a work in progress. And yes, let me leave you with this food for thought….the weight loss craze is so bad now that even egg shells are being processed into flour….yes you read that right, egg shells are washed, dried in the oven or rather baked in the oven to kill any microorganism, the processed into flour, some now male this as swallow (amala-ish).
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