What is the Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet is a form of low-carb nutrition. Ketosis means hunger metabolism, ketogenic accordingly describes a metabolic state of the body in which one only consumes a few carbohydrates. In the ketogenic diet, the diet consists mainly of high-fat and extremely low-carbohydrate foods.
No calories need to be counted, but only the permitted foods may be eaten. Despite the high fat content during the diet, there are studies that describe a higher effectiveness than with low-fat diets that rely on a high protein intake, such as classic low-carb diets. A ketogenic diet is said to have a positive effect on epilepsy, tumor diseases, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. The ketogenic diet has been part of the treatment of epilepsy in many children for more than 80 years.
Procedure of the ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet provides that the daily energy requirement is composed of 60% fat, 35% protein and only 5% carbohydrates. Accordingly, most foods containing carbohydrates are taboo. Prohibited are: One may only consume less than 50 grams of carbohydrates daily with food.
Allowed are: A ketogenic daily routine can be arranged in such a way that for breakfast there is avocado with egg or berries with soy milk. Suitable snacks are ham with cream cheese or peppers filled with curd. For lunch you can have a breadless burger with minced beef, tomatoes, pickles, onions, salad and cheese and for dinner you can have stuffed mushrooms with garlic, gorgonzola and onions. Within the ketogenic diet, you can combine the permitted foods as you wish and eat your fill.
- Cereals like pasta, rice and muesli
- Pulses like chickpeas and beans and potatoes
- Sweets, soft drinks and most fruits (exception: e.g. berries)
- Unhealthy fats like industrially processed vegetable oil or mayonnaise
- Ready-to-eat meals, sugar-free or low-fat dietary products and alcohol
- Healthy fats from good oils
- Fish and meat
- Avocado, vegetables and mushrooms
- Berries and nuts
- Soy milk, eggs and cheese
