What is the Keto Diet?
(AKA Ketogenic Diet, Ketosis Diet, Low-Carb/High-Fat Diet)
The classic Keto Diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb diet.
(Remember, carbs include starches, sugars, and fibers. “Net carbs” are the grams of carbohydrates in a food minus the grams of fiber in it.)
On a regular diet plan you’ll be getting most of your calories from carbs, as opposed to the Keto Diet which swaps out the carbs in favor of fats and some protein, while keeping the starches and sugars to a bare minimum.
How does the Keto Diet work?
Although the Keto Diet was originally used for treating epilepsy and seizures, studies have shown that this low-carb diet has potential to work effectively as a weight loss strategy.
The basic idea is that on a Keto Diet, the body will burn fat as fuel, instead of carbohydrates. The way it works is pretty simple. When consuming a regular diet, the body takes the carbs that you eat and converts them into glucose, which is then used as the body’s primary source of energy.
When following the Keto Diet, there will be an absence of carbs, so the body will need to utilize another form of energy to keep things moving.
The solution? Fatty acids! In the absence of carbs, the liver will take fatty acids and convert them to ketones, which the body will use as a source of energy. This process is known as ketosis. When the body is in ketosis mode, it is in a “fat-burning” state, which can ultimately lead to weight loss.
Benefits of a Keto Diet
Aside from weight loss, the Keto Diet has many favorable benefits, such as:
*Increased satiety (feeling full for longer)
*Improved skin
*Better sleep patterns
*Decreased cravings
*Better mental clarity
*Increased levels of HDL cholesterol (AKA “good cholesterol”)
*Decreased blood pressure levels
Pesach and the Keto Diet
Pesach food…….8 days of non-stop potatoes, potato-starch cakes and cookies, kugels, and chocolate bars?
Or…. A balanced diet consisting of salads, nuts, avocados, eggs, fish, meat, and chicken? The choice is yours!
The Keto Diet is definitely an extreme diet that is not indicated for the average person attempting to lose some weight.
It is not recommended for pregnant or nursing women as well as people that are highly active as the body’s primary and most efficient source of energy is being restricted. Plus, it requires perfect adherence in order to induce a true state of ketosis. So, going Keto all the way is not so practical! (and those of you that know Basie, know practicality overrides hence she doesn't regularly assign keto type diet plans unless necessary)
But…if you’re looking to reap the many benefits the diet has to offer, Pesach is a great time to incorporate some of the fundamentals of the Keto Diet into your lifestyle.
Pesach is essentially a back-to-basics kind of week, which can help facilitate a more natural, less processed-carbs type of diet pattern. Wheat flour and other processed grains are completely off limits, which automatically cuts out a substantial amount of carbs that one would normally consume.
Yes, potatoes and matzah, the two main “Pesach-carbs”, will alwaysremain an inevitable part of Pesach! However, there’s no need to fill up on excess amounts of those carbs. Beginning Sunday afternoon thru Chol Hamoed “Pesach-carbs”, such as matzah, potato starch and white sugar should definitely be kept to a bare minimum. (or eliminated completely)
The absence of all those carbs will leave you with lots of room for wholesome, healthy foods in your diet. Although your body may not be in a true state of ketosis, you’ll still reap the benefits that come along with eating natural, whole foods which will nourish your body and give you a sense of well being.
This article was prepared by M Berkowitz for One on One Health
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