What is a Keto Diet and how does it work?

A Keto diet is a low-carb, moderate-protein, and high in fat diet.
It's recommended by health professionals because scientific studies have shown that, compared to other diets, the Keto diet, is often more effective for weight loss and improvement of health.

A Keto diet is especially helpful for losing excess body fat without starvation, as well as for improving blood sugar levels and reducing the need for medications and the potentially negative impact of high insulin levels.
Always remember to get advice from a doctor or nutritionist before starting any type of diet, especially if you suffer diabetes or a chronic disease.

WHAT DOES KETO MEAN?
When you eat too few carbohydrates or consume too few calories, your liver produces ketones from fat. These ketones then serve as a fuel source throughout the body, especially for the brain.

The brain is an organ that consumes a lot of energy daily. But it cannot work directly with fat, only with glucose or ketones.

On a ketogenic diet, the body changes its fuel supply to function primarily with fat, which means that it will make you burn body fat. Additionally, it will provide you with other less obvious benefits: it will make you feel less hungry while giving you a constant supply of energy.

What to eat and what to avoid on a Keto diet?
You can eat unprocessed meats of all kinds, eggs, fish and seafood, natural fats such as olive oil, chia oil, butter, vegetables that grow on the ground, high-fat dairy, berries, and nuts moderately.

Avoid eating carbohydrates, keeping your intake below 50 net grams per day. The less carbohydrate you consume, the more easily you will achieve ketosis, and the more effective the diet will be to lose weight or to improve type 2 diabetes.

Foods that contain a lot of carbohydrates, both sugary and starchy, should be eliminated from the diet. This includes starchy foods like bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes.

You should also avoid, or at least limit, highly processed foods. Always prefer whole foods, which contain more fiber.

Stop consuming low-fat diet products. A Keto diet should be moderately high in protein and, at the same time, higher in fat since these provide you with the energy that you will not get from carbohydrates. Low-fat products generally provide too many carbohydrates and don't have enough protein or fat.

What can you drink on a ketogenic diet?
Water is the perfect drink! And a glass of wine is occasionally allowed.
Coffee or tea is also good. Ideally, don't use them with sweeteners, especially sugar. Adding a little milk or cream is fine, but keep in mind that carbohydrates add up if you drink several cups in one day. If this is your case, avoid coffee with milk!

In short, eat "real" low-carb foods like meat, fish, eggs, and nuts, high-fat seeds like chia, vegetables, and natural fats like butter and olive or chia oil.

As a basic rule for beginners, limit yourself to foods with less than 5% carbohydrates.

The things that people commonly miss on a keto diet are bread and doughs like pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc. But there are plenty of low carbs, baked bread, and recipe recipes, and you can eat even if you're on a Keto diet.

On our blog, you will find recipes to make low carb bread, pancakes, and muffins, all made with chia flour, which has zero carbohydrates available. Cheer up!