What is the ketogenic diet?

The benefits of a non-glucidic diet

food with plant proteins

The ketogenic diet is a specific type of diet that has known for decades based on drastically reducing carbohydrates. This metabolic condition, known as ketosis (physiological ketosis which allows survival in times of famine, not to be confused with pathological ketoacidosis of decompensated diabetes), induces the body to use fat almost exclusively for energy purposes. For this to take effect, there have always been two methods: fasting or a fat and protein diet. It is now possible to achieve by following a non-glucidic diet. 


The first in-depth scientific studies on this metabolic condition were conducted by Cahill in the 1960s, starting, as previously mentioned, with the "fasted" condition.


There is a clear distinction between a ketogenic diet and a high-protein diet; they are not synonymous. In a ketogenic diet it is important to use of vegetal proteins with a very low carbohydrate content to bypass the issue of preserving renal and hepatic functions while keeping the body in ketosis. The ketogenic diet with non-glucidic products creates no liver problems whatsoever.


The ketogenic diet takes a few days to trigger the ketosis mechanism, 

and even a slight transgression is enough to block the mechanism.


The ketogenic diet has very specific rules that must be followed.


Each diet applies different rules. You should not incorporate a high-protein diet with non-glucidic foods. In a ketogenic diet, non-glucidic products, being high in fat, must be used under the supervision of someone who knows how to use them.


You should not assess your weight loss by using the scales, but by observing clothes sizes or by analysing body composition to understand how the percentage of fat and muscle is changing. This is because the protein intake increases lean body mass, while muscle, with equal volume, weighs much more than fat.

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