10+ Reasons Why You Need a Ketogenic Diet! A Guest Post Many believe that high-fat foods aren’t great for health and may increase your levels of cholesterol, which in turn, would increase the risks of heart attack and other diseases. The Ketogenic diet states otherwise – and is scientifically backed. A high fat, protein-rich diet low in carbohydrates, it is used to burn fats faster and more effectively and in addition to that, provides many more benefits. So, for all you crazy diet followers, there is absolutely no need to remove fats from your diet, instead, you need a Keto diet. To know more, keep on reading! 1) It kills your Appetite When you follow a low fat and protein diet, cravings for food and hunger pangs increase exponentially. Whereas, in a Keto diet, it has been proven scientifically that eating low-carb diet has been linked to the reduction in appetite and therefore, leads to fewer calorie intake without any efforts. 2) More weight loss Studies show that people following a low-carb diet tend to lose weight faster than low-fat dieters in the first 6 months itself. The science behind this is simple – low-carb diets tend to lower insulin levels and hence kidneys remove excess sodium. This helps in removing excess water from the body or as we call reduces bloating. 3) Increased levels of Good Cholesterol High-density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol is used to carry cholesterol away from the body and in the liver where it is secreted out or reused. Higher levels of HDL will tend to lower the risk of heart diseases and low-carb diets having high-fat content, increases it dramatically. 4) Reverse Type 2 Diabetes The world over, type 2 diabetes is the most common health problem among people of all age groups. Diabetes, one of the most lethal long-term killers you would find today, brings in as many as 1.4 million people in its net each year. With diabetes, people have insulin resistance, i.e. their body is not healthy enough to secrete insulin to lower sugar. This leads to an increase in blood sugar levels which is dangerous. Low-card diets effectively reduce the need for insulin as sugar levels are less in blood and hence reverses type 2 diabetes. 5) Reduces Abdominal Fat Not all fat gets stored under the skin, some fat is known as “visceral fat” gets stored around the organs which leads to severe health issues like insulin resistance, inflammation, and low metabolism. Keto diets effectively reduce this abdominal fat and help keep heart diseases and diabetes at bay 6) Blood pressure is maintained Keto diets can help to keep blood pressure at bay and reduce hypertension, i.e., elevated blood pressure levels. Hypertension could lead to kidney failure, heart diseases, stroke and various other major diseases. 7) Acts as Brain-Fuel With a ketogenic diet, one can benefit in treating neurological disorders like epilepsy in children. It has been studied that the large part of the brain burns ketones, which is formed by low-carb diets and has reduced the disease in children by 50% Moreover, ketones are much better than glucose for various brain functions and thereby, increases focus, attention, and energy. 8) Antioxidant-rich diet As an increase in antioxidants reduces the free radicals in the body, leading to better mood and memory, concentration and stronger immune system, Keto diets are greatly recommended for them. 9) Reduces LDL Cholesterol Levels LDL Cholesterol or bad cholesterol is not good for health as it increases the risk of heart attacks. Small LDL particles are the causes of such diseases. It has been proven that Ketogenic diet increases the size of LDL particles from small to large and also decreases the number of particles in the bloodstream and therefore, eliminating such risks. 10) Reduction in the Number of Fat molecules Triglycerides or fat molecules are elevated from carbohydrates or sugar fructose which raises the risk of heart diseases. Also, this is also caused by an overnight fast. Keto diets are helpful in keeping them low and in check. 11) Prevents cancer The ketogenic diet, when taken with chemotherapy and medication, is effective in reducing brain tumor cells and also decreasing the inflammation near the tumor cells. This helps the patients to experience less pain and also to reduce the size of a tumor. While a Keto diet cannot eliminate cancer, it certainly aids the process of reducing the cells and fast recovery process of cancer. Keto diet foods – How Do You Choose? There are a lot of options available, whether you need a non-vegetarian diet or a Vegan diet. Diet plans are available and are customized according to your needs. Few Keto foods are- Seafood, low-carb vegetables, avocados, cheese or high-fat dairy products, meat, eggs, yogurt, coconut and olive oil, nuts and seeds, berries, butter, olives, dark chocolate, coffee, and tea. Why is Keto Diet Important? Keto diets are essential as they work on the mechanism of Ketosis, which is the process of fueling the body or providing its energy from the stored fat, rather than from carbohydrates. This changes the metabolism rate and function of the body and a significant decrease in fat is seen during the initial period of diet. Exercise is also very important as the diet is there to aid and acts as a catalyst.