Learn about the Ketogenic diet that Google users are constantly searching for

According to the 2016 search trends of Google, "Ketogenic" is one of the phrases that most people around the world care about the most. In case you still wonder, it is the name of a diet, also known in Vietnam as Keto.

By 2017, you are likely to encounter Ketogenic at any major nutrition exhibition in the world. Last year, it appeared at both Arnold Classic, Ohio and Olympia Fitness & Performance Expo, Las Vegas.

What made this diet so popular in the 1920s so popular? You have many questions about Ketogenic, about its mechanism and benefits? Let's solve the problems about it:

1. What is ketogenic?

Ketogenic is the name of a diet, which consumes a very small amount of carbohydrates (carb) , a large amount of fat and protein. It has many similarities with low-carb diets. Cutting carbohydrates will cause the body to turn into a metabolic state called ketosis. When this state is established, your body will burn fat, instead of glucose, for energy needs.

2. Principle of operation of ketogenic

The principle of the Ketogenic diet is that you have to reduce the amount of carbohydrate to a minimum , about 30-50 grams / day (equivalent to 5% of the total food intake). This causes the body to burn off all the stored glucose. Then, if you want more energy to work, it is forced to switch to fat burning mechanism.

As a result of Ketogenic, fat is burned, you lose weight, thereby reducing many other health risks such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's and even cancer. It seems that this is what Google users around the world want to look for.

So where is the key point of Ketogenic? Those are the following principles: You have not lost weight, if the fat has not been burned. Unburnt fat, once you have glucose reserves. And you will have glucose reserves if you continue to eat more carb. So start reducing carb intake, the cycle will reverse.

Those are basic summaries. For now, let's take a closer look at the molecular mechanism of Ketogenic, there will be many interesting things.

The principle of the Ketogenic diet is that you have to reduce the amount of carbohydrate to 30-50g / day.

Everyone knows that everything that wants to "work" in the universe needs energy, so is the human body. The energy that the body uses daily is loaded through meals. A typical meal will have a ratio of 20% fat, 30% protein and 50% carbohydrate.

Focus on carbohydrates, because that is the body's "favorite" energy source. After eating, the digestive system breaks down carb into blood glucose molecules. Glucose is considered to be the preferred fuel source for the body, just like electricity in an electric bike.

You won't have to ride a bike, once it's power. Likewise, the body continues to burn glucose energy, if you have glucose inside. This process is called glucosis .

However, with a 50% carb diet plus sedentary habits, you will definitely load your body with an excess of energy. At this time, glucose is not used, it will go to the liver and be converted into a reserve form called glycogen, a multidisciplinary polysaccharide macromolecule of glucose.

Although glycogen is also stored in muscles, red blood cells, kidneys, and glial cells, the density of this macromolecule is greatest in the liver, and only liver glycogen acts as an energy source. reserves for other agencies. Going back to an electric bike, we call glycogen in the liver a backup battery.

The next problem is, glycogen can only be stored in the liver to a certain amount, from 100-120 grams in adults. When the body can't store more glycogen, what does it do with glucose? The answer is to convert glucose into fat and store it as excess fat.

Now, you have to realize that it is carbohydrates and glucose that are the main reason for your weight gain and fat gain. Do not blame 30% of the fat in your daily diet. In fact, fat has no errors. Even with ketogenic, you can eat up to 70% of your daily calories from fat, not exercise but still lose weight. Why so?

The body uses glucose as a preferred fuel source.It will burn glucose, once glycogen is stored.

In the Ketogenic mode, instead of eating up to 50% of carbohydrates that give them a chance to turn into fat, you will only eat an amount of 1 part 10: 5% of calories from meals that come from carb, 25% from protein and to 70% from fat. What happens next?

Because you eat very little carbs, you get very little glucose. Even if you are a lazy person and do not sit all day, this glucose intake is not enough for your body to function. Remember that humans are a terrible fuel-consuming machine. Even digesting food, circulating blood or thinking has consumed energy.

Without enough glucose, your liver starts breaking down glycogen into glucose. The body will continue to work on the glucosis process. Do you remember our electric bike? At this time, its backup battery has already been used. Sooner, 120 grams of stored glycogen inside the liver will be exhausted, and that's when you have to pedal your car.

When you pedal an electric bike, it means that fat is being used as a fuel source. Its molecular mechanism is as follows: When the liver receives a large amount of fatty acids that are broken down from body tissue, it converts these fatty acids into an important molecule called Acetyl-CoA.

It is also what is produced by carbohydrate glycolysis. Saying Acetyl-CoA is extremely important, because this is the input to the Krebs cycle that occurs in the cell of the cell. The Krebs cycle creates ATP energy coins for all activities in the body, which we have all learned in high school.

The process of ketosis, when the body burns fat instead of glucose for energy needs.

Returning to the Ketogenic diet, after transforming fatty acids into Acetyl-CoA, the liver could not bring it into the Krebs cycle immediately. It further breaks Acetyl-CoA into two molecules, acetoacetata and beta-hydraxybutyrate , also known as ketone bodies .

Ketone bodies are introduced into the bloodstream and transported to each cell. Cells convert the ketone bodies back into acetyl-CoA. And now, it is included in the Krebs cycle in the mitochondria, to generate ATP energy coins.

The whole process of burning fat instead of glucose to create this energy is called the Ketosis state. And as you realize, it is also the origin of the name given to the Ketogenic diet.

3. How to practice Ketogenic?

We talked about the principle of Ketogenic operation, not difficult to realize how to practice this diet. You just need to keep your carbohydrate intake below 5% of your daily calories, from 30-50 grams. Keep high fat levels (65-75%) and the rest are protein.

In the standard Ketogenic diet, the exact ratio is 5% Carb, 20% protein and 75% fat. There are also several other variations such as:

1. Ketogenic cyclical mode: includes 5 days of standard ketogenic ingestion, followed by 2 days of "compensating" a large amount of carbohydrate.
2. Flexible Ketogenic mode: allows you to increase the amount of carbohydrate if you participate in heavy training.
3. Protein-rich Ketogenic diet: with a ratio of 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbohydrate.

For easier visualization, see what foods can be eaten and to be avoided in Ketogenic mode:

4. A day of eating Ketogenic samples

Here is a typical example of a Ketogenic day:

1. Breakfast: 2 fried eggs and 2 slices of meat
2. Snacking between sessions: 2 rolls of celery and 25g of cheese
3. Lunch: 140g chicken breast, 85g cabbage, 2 tablespoons salads rich in fat and low in carb
4. Snacking: 30g almonds
5. Dinner: 200g filet mignon, 85g spinach, 14 small mushrooms

5. What do scientists say?

There are many early studies that demonstrate the benefits of ketogenic.

In fact, the principle of the Ketogenic regime, built above, is what scientists agreed. For a long time in evolution, humans during hunter-gatherings also lived mainly in ketosis.

However today, only the standard Ketogenic diet, and protein-rich Ketogenic diets are proven by more than 20 studies in terms of benefits.

The first benefit of Ketogenic is scientifically proven, also on its birth year. In 1921, Henry Geyelin, an American endocrinologist, examined the regimen in epilepsy patients. After putting their bodies into the process of ketosis, Geyelin noticed seizures were reduced.

Since then, many other scientific studies have supported the benefits from the Ketogenic regime, including:

1. Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease: through reducing body fat, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.
2. Reduce cancer risk: Ketogenic recently used to treat certain types of cancer and reduce tumor growth.
3. Beneficial for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients: Ketogenic regimens can reduce the symptoms of these two diseases.
4. Support for treatment of brain damage: An animal study shows that the ketogenic regime can reduce confusion and help recover from brain damage.
5. Reducing acne: Ketogenic reduces insulin levels and eating less sugar will reduce acne.
6. Promote weight loss: When your body starts burning fat as the main source of energy, you will start losing weight.
7. Increasing energy levels: Fat is the molecule that provides energy better than glucose. Therefore, when eating Ketogenic, you will feel energized.
8. Reduce hunger: Carbohydrates will put you on a vicious cycle of appetite. Fat, on the other hand, will help you feel fuller longer, because it digests more slowly, releasing energy gradually and continuously.

6. Should you apply Ketogenic?

Obviously the ketogenic trend is bringing curiosity to many people.

Located in the top of the most searched diets on Google in 2016, the Ketogenic trend clearly brings curiosity to many people. The question is, should you apply the Ketogenic yourself?

Consider the benefits, which are justified by some studies, but only at the beginning. In addition, Ketogenic is not without its reverse.

In the first few days of application, ketogenic will cause some side effects. That is when the body has not adapted to this diet. You may encounter "keto flu" status .

It is an unpleasant condition that includes many symptoms: drowsiness and fatigue, hunger, sleep problems, nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort and reduced exercise ability.

Ketogenic mode also changes the water and mineral balance in the body. Therefore, you should add salt during meals or take supplemental mineral supplements. To reduce side effects, try to load 3,000-4,000mg of sodium, 1,000mg of potassium and 300mg of magnesium a day. In the early days, you can eat until you feel full and you should not limit calories.

Ketogenic diet will be really good for people who are overweight, obese, diabetic or want to improve metabolic function. It can also be used for healthy people but will not be suitable for athletes who want to gain weight or gain muscle mass.

And the most important thing like any diet, Ketogenic is only effective when you regularly perform and apply for a long time. After all, from the most up-to-date studies, carbohydrate reduction in diets like Ketogenic seems to be quite reasonable.