To help you become fitter and healthier than before, you might be interested in applying the keto diet to your daily regimen. This diet plan might be useful for losing excess body fat without hunger pangs. It might also have other health benefits, like improving Type-2 diabetes. But, this diet might not be for everyone, especially after you learn about its possible side effects.
What’s the Keto Diet?
Before learning about the potential side effects of the keto diet, you must learn about the ins-and-outs of this eating plan. Keto diet is an eating regimen wherein your meals and snacks consist of low-carb and high-fat food options. But, your plates should still have moderate levels of protein. This reduction in carbohydrates will put the body in ketosis, which is a metabolic state wherein the body converts fat in the body into energy.
This daily diet plan might be popular among many health-conscious individuals. But, it might not be for everyone. Don’t start with the keto diet if you:
- Take medicines for diabetes
- Have high blood pressure
- Are a breastfeeding mother
Also, following this diet might present you with side effects, like keto breath. Thus, it’s important to consult your doctor or nutritionist before attempting going through with this eating plan. Failure to seek the advice of a medical professional can put you at a higher risk of acquiring more adverse effects than intended.
What to Eat on a Keto Diet?
The keto diet requires you to consume about 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. This task may not be as challenging as you might initially think. Several nutritious foods are low-carb options.
With that said, here are the foods you might consider eating while on this dietary plan:
Seafood
It’s time to give your plate an extra helping of seafood if you want to start with the keto diet. Both fish and shellfish are ideal options for individuals following this dietary plan. Other seafood that might interest you while on this diet are clams, oysters, and squid. These food options contain only 3 to 7 grams of carbohydrates.
Cheese
If you like cheese, then the keto diet might be easy to handle for you. This dairy product isn’t only delicious, but it’s also an excellent choice for keto diet followers. An ounce of cheddar cheese may only contain about 1 gram of carbohydrates.
As a bonus, you may also gain about 7 grams of protein and approximately 20% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for calcium.
Meat and Poultry
Think about diet, and your mind might fill with images of fruits and vegetables. But, you can still eat meat while you’re on a keto diet. But, there are still rules to follow.
First, consider eating grass-fed meat as much as possible. Animals fed with grass will produce meat with high amounts of omega-3 fats. Also, opt to eat lean meat. Thus, if you see a large chunk of pork fat on your plate, remove it and don’t bother putting it in your mouth.
Other foods to eat for keto diet practitioners may include avocados, eggs, and several types of nuts and seeds. Create a list of foods to eat and stick to that document to help you gain the best results from this diet plan.
What are the Side Effects of the Keto Diet?
When you decide to go on a keto diet, you should also prepare for the potential adverse effects. These side effects may include the following:
Keto Breath
As previously mentioned, you can get an ailment called keto breath when you’re a religious follower of this eating plan. Your breath might smell similar to nail polish remover. It may also come with a metallic taste in your mouth that’s challenging to remove.
This foul breath comes from the fatty acids converted into chemicals called ketones by your body. Your body disposes ketones through breathing, and this process will cause a chemical reaction that produces keto breath.
Vitamin Deficiency
One of the most significant allures of the keto diet is the elimination of excess fat. But, the weight loss might come with vitamin deficiency.
You only have a select number of foods to eat while you’re on this dietary plan. So, you can’t eat specific fruits, vegetables, and meat while you’re following the keto diet.
Also, your body sheds fat together with water and glycogen while you’re following this eating behavior. You lose electrolytes while your body removes these substances. Other side effects might occur, like headaches and fatigue, because of the loss of electrolytes.
Keto flu
You might experience flu-like symptoms after a few days of following the keto eating regimen. Like the standard flu, you might feel symptoms like brain fog, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea.
While you have keto flu, you’ll also have a deep craving for sugar. Thus, the first few days might be the most critical period as failure to resist the temptation of eating sweets will make you unsuccessful in this endeavor.
Weight Loss
Weight loss can be a benefit and a disadvantage for keto diet followers. Following this eating plan will allow you to experience both fast and gradual weight loss.
Ideally, you might consider the former option in losing weight. Quick weight-loss can promote other health issues, like fatigue and nausea. But, after that period, you should experience losing weight gradually.
Conclusion
In summary, you should now know more about the keto meal plan. Prepare yourself for the health benefits and concerns that come with the diet. Specific symptoms might occur when you start following this eating behavior. Signs like bad breath, fast weight loss, and flu-like symptoms might surface upon starting the ketogenic diet.
Most importantly, you must consult a medical professional first before you follow this eating habit. Otherwise, you’ll put yourself at a higher risk than intended as your body might be more susceptible to additional health concerns. Approach this diet carefully, and you might see more positive results than negative side effects.