People want to lose weight for various reasons. You might be one of those who want to shed off that remaining flab off your waist. Or, you might be overweight and want to start living a healthier, fitter lifestyle. Going on a diet should complement a regular exercise routine. One healthy eating habit you should start is the ketogenic diet.
What is the Keto Diet?
The ketogenic or keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet offering many health benefits. This eating plan involves reducing carbohydrate intake drastically. Instead, you replace those lost carbohydrates by consuming more fat.
Here’s a quick preview of the foods that you can eat when you’re on a ketogenic diet:
- Healthy oils (e.g., avocado, coconut, and olive oils)
- Butter
- Cheese
- Nuts and seeds
- Leafy green vegetables
However, it doesn’t mean you should eat the fat off of steaks and pieces of bacon. It would help if you replaced your carbs with healthy fats. In turn, your body takes advantage of numerous benefits.
What are the Long-Term Benefits of the Keto Diet?
There are both short- and long-term benefits of following the keto diet. Here, you’re going to learn more about the latter. The following are five long-term keto benefits you should know:
- Reduced Appetite
One of the worst enemies of many diet plans is hunger. Once you’re hungry, the mind tends to show you images of delicious food. Many of the foodstuffs that enter your mind aren’t part of your diet. Give in to that temptation, and you’re going to find yourself back to square one with your diet goals.
A study published in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Duke University Medical Center shows the effects of a low-carb keto diet to the participants of the research. The researchers found that cutting carbs and eating more healthy fat and protein promoted reduced hunger pangs and appetite cravings.
Thus, if you’re on a keto diet, you have a high chance of resisting ice cream and pizza cravings. Also, you should feel full longer than eating carbohydrate-rich meals and snacks.
Remember, this benefit can only last for the long-term if you stick to the keto diet. Make a false move, and those long-term fitness goals might be tougher to reach than intended.
- Promotes Weight Loss
The introduction of more healthy fat and protein in your diet may help boost metabolism in the body. Metabolism is the term used for the body’s process of breaking down cells for energy. Also, keto diets consist of food recipes that help fill a person’s appetite by reducing hunger-stimulating hormones.
These traits equate to a boost in weight loss efforts, which is beneficial for people looking to shed the extra pounds. However, it’s critical to note that keto diets aren’t akin to magic weight loss pills.
In other words, the weight loss benefits of this dieting practice don’t happen overnight. You need to follow the diet plan religiously. If you’re a follower of this eating plan, but you might not have enough time for regular workouts, you may still shed off a few pounds. But, the process will be slower than you might initially expect.
Keto diet practitioners might lose about 5 pounds in 6 months without rigorous training programs. The weight loss benefits might appear faster with frequent high-intensity exercises.
- Prevents Diseases
Regular followers of the keto diet may boost their immune systems in resisting specific diseases. These ailments include:
- Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is an umbrella term used to describe various health conditions that occur at roughly the same time. The lowered immune system might increase the risks of heart disease, Type-2 diabetes, and stroke.
A study published in the Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews journal indicated that adults experiencing metabolic disease shed more body fay and weight as compared to people in a similar age group eating a standard American diet.
- Bipolar Disorder
The keto diet might also help stabilize moods, which is a boon for patients of Type-2 bipolar disorder.
- Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
A study published in the Neurobiology of Aging journal found that older adults following keto diets have a lower risk of acquiring cognitive ailments like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in comparison with people who follow regular eating habits.
Other diseases that keto diets may help combat include certain cancers, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), and Parkinson’s disease.
- Increased Levels of “Good” Cholesterol
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the “good” cholesterol in the body. The more HDL you have in your body, the lower your risk of acquiring specific ailments like heart disease.
You can increase the body’s HDL levels by adding more “good” fat in the body. Keto diets help you achieve this healthy objective by increasing the amount of healthy fat in your daily food consumption.
As a bonus, the body can respond by reducing blood sugar levels, which might help prevent diabetes. But, diabetes patients should talk to their doctors first. Specific blood sugar medication might have adverse effects when paired with keto diets. It’s best to practice safety when following any diet plans to avoid health complications.
- Improves the Skin
Some people believe that beauty is only skin deep. But, if you want to show off your baby-smooth skin, then you might consider following a keto diet.
One of the main challenges of people trying to get smooth skin is acne. Pimple breakouts can appear in different areas of the body, including the face, back, neck, chest, shoulders, and upper arms. Albeit it shouldn’t be dangerous, acne might look unappealing for many individuals.
Reduce the instances of acne from happening by following a keto diet. The decrease in carb intake may help correct the balance of carbohydrates in the body, thereby reducing acne in the process.
Parting Words
Following a keto diet can help improve skin, increase HDL, and improve the body’s immune functions. It also helps people with their health and fitness goals. But, you must consult your doctor or nutritionist first before attempting to proceed with this diet plan. Otherwise, you might introduce unwanted adverse effects and risks from this eating plan.
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