8. Well formulated ketogenic diet WFKD:
The ketogenic diet in its classical way is not suitable for everyone and the other types of ketogenic diets are not well researched enough to be used by anyone, only professionals, trained athletes, and bodybuilders go for these extreme types of diet. that is the reason why one of the top researchers in ketogenic diet Dr. Stephen Pinney came up with the concept of the well-formulated ketogenic diet that has preset criteria for nonprofessionals to follow that if properly fulfilled would give you the full potential of this diet’s benefits. some of these criteria are :
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- the diet has to result in sustained natural ketosis meaning that the level of the ketone beta-hydroxybutyrate ( BOHB ) in the blood is between 0.5 mmol/l and 3.0 mmol/l despite the amount of carbs you choose to consume according to your daily needs.
- It has to provide adequate macronutrients to preserve lean body mass as many people decrease their consumption of proteins that greatly affects their bodies and makes them use the stored proteins as a source of energy which makes them wasted and weak so a proper ketogenic diet should have 1.2 to 2.0 g / kg per day of protein intake to be effective along with a healthy variety of fruits and vegetables to get all of the micronutrients and vitamins the body needs.
- It should contain enough electrolytes and minerals like magnesium, sodium, and potassium to maintain healthy circulatory volume and optimum muscle and nerve functions as many people end up getting muscle cramps from hypokalemia and hyponatremia from their faulty keto diets.
- In all phases of the keto diet, you follow, the main source of energy has to come from fat along with increasing the amount of fat content in your diet from the induction phase to the maintenance phase to meet your daily caloric requirements it is best to choose sources of fats that are full of unsaturated fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids and avoid the ones with omega 6 fatty acids and saturated fats as they can be harmful to your vessels and heart.
- Counting or restricting calories isn’t a part of a well-formed ketogenic diet which means you only have to pay attention to the amount of fats you eat that provide you with enough energy for the day and make sure to be mindful when you reach the point of satiety and not over consume fats.
- It is best to be formed of whole foods with as little processing or added chemicals as possible for this diet, to be healthy try to choose the best types of fresh fruits and vegetables and avoid processed meats and prepackaged foods with tons of salt and sugar in them and add fermented foods to your meals to get enough electrolytes and keep your gut healthy.
- Some types of ketogenic diets that are called very-low-calorie diets VLCD with less than 1000 kcal/day are not considered to be an effective ketogenic diet as it is not sustainable and doesn’t provide the body with the needed energy to go through the day and in the long term, a lot of people regain the weight they lost during the highly restrictive period with more fat deposition and less lean muscles.
- For people who use the ketogenic diet as a way of treating or preventing diseases, it is important to have a well-formed maintenance phase as if this diet is used for the short term or with restrictions of caloric intake making you hungry it wouldn’t give the desired effect in the end after you reintroduce carbs back into your diet so it has to be maintained for years to get the desired effect you sought after with nutritional ketosis.
- The therapeutic ketogenic diet is best done under experts supervision to avoid getting severe complications and with no cycling in and out of ketosis and fasting for long periods of time as it would not bring you the desired long-term benefits you are looking for.
- You need to understand that a well-formed ketogenic diet is not consistent with the traditional dietary guidelines but follows its own guidelines so for it to be effective you have to consult a physician to give you the right rules to be able to follow through with diet with as little complications as possible.
