Are you a meat lover but need to lose weight? Then you could be in a dilemma as most diets restrict the intake of meat and other fatty foods due to their high fat content and calories. With this, people who need to lose weight no longer have to settle for eating carrot sticks or salad, as they can now enjoy their favorite bacon and egg while still losing weight. The ketogenic diet, once used as a meal plan to prevent epilepsy, is now being used by people who need to lose excess weight. There are 2 types, the “long chain triglycerides” (LCT) and the medium chain triglycerides (MCT).
Overview of the ketogenic diet
With a normal diet, people need to consume higher amounts of carbohydrates, as they serve as a source of energy for the body to function well, and less fat, as fats are only stored as a reserve in the body when the body needs more energy. Since the body needs more carbohydrates, it processes the food group first and so after a while you feel hungry, which is not the case when splitting up high-fat meals.
With the ketogenic diet, this theory is reversed. You have to consume a larger amount of fat and get the body to realize that it doesn’t have enough glucose so it would break down the fats first and turn them into energy. The first diet, which is the LCT, deals with high fat – low carbohydrate with sufficient protein. Calories are limited and fluid intake can also be considered. The strict diet usually uses strict meal plans that take into account the dieter’s calorie and protein needs per day. These are then broken down into multiple meals for the day, put together by nutritionists.
On the medium or MCT diet, the meal plans are less strict and structured, especially when it comes to calorie guidance; However, dieters should stick to the meal plan and make the necessary substitutes as needed. Unlike the LCT, which uses complex fats, the MCT uses fats with higher ketones, which are the most popular when using coconut oil. Some dieters develop an intolerance to the MCT diet; Therefore, dietitians use the John Radcliffe diet. The John Radcliffe Diet is a combination of LCT (30%) and MCT (30%) rations, with the remainder being protein and carbohydrates.
Thanks to Keiko Mendoza
