How the Ketogenic Diet Works?

How the Ketogenic Diet Works

The human diet is made up of three macronutrients – carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. In an ideal world, you should be consuming these macronutrients in the right ratios so that you can stay as healthy and lean as possible.

Of course, this will depend on several external factors such as age, health goals, body composition, etc. However, for a long time now, our modern (or Western) diet has consisted of large quantities of carbohydrates with moderate proteins and very little fat.

The body breaks down the carbohydrates into the simplest molecule possible, which is glucose. When glucose molecules enter your bloodstream, your pancreas automatically releases a hormone known as insulin. Insulin has two roles to play here.

It can either transport the glucose molecules to the body tissues that need energy at that specific time, or it will store the excess glucose in the form of glycogen in the liver in case the body has no immediate need for glucose. The body prefers glucose because it is a simple molecule that is very easily absorbed into the bloodstream.

That is why whenever you feel hungry you immediately crave for a snack that is filled with sugar. Foods such as cakes, cookies, and pies are all carb-heavy foods. When hunger pangs strike, the “normal” thing is to grab a sugary snack They contain a lot of carbohydrates that can be broken down into blood glucose.

Your body will take the glucose it needs from these foods and then store the excess in the form of fatty tissue. Of course, since glucose is used up so quickly, you will soon start feeling hungry again, grab another cookie, and continue the cycle.

This is why our society today is facing a health crisis with diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular ailments, and even cancer. However, the Ketogenic diet recommends that you should slash your carbohydrate consumption and instead eat a lot of fats.

Why is this necessary? The simple reason is that your body needs to go into ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic condition where your body stops utilizing glucose and instead breaks down fats within the body to generate energy.

Think of it as a form of fasting, except in this case, you are still eating food. It is important to note that ketosis cannot occur unless there is a reduction in blood glucose and glycogen levels. So how does this work exactly?

When you reduce your carbohydrate intake, your body experiences a corresponding reduction in energy. You may feel weak and probably get a bit cranky. This is because your body is no longer getting enough blood glucose to generate energy. So now your body needs to find an alternative energy source. So, what is the next best option? As we already mentioned before, there is the glycogen stored in your liver.

Unfortunately, on a Ketogenic diet, your glycogen reserves can only last approximately 48 hours (Adam Perrot et al., 2006). So now that your blood glucose and glycogen levels are depleted, what next? Since there are only two other macronutrients left – proteins and fats – your body must find a way to convert one of these into energy.

Protein makes a great source of energy, but the problem is that it is stored in the form of muscle. If your body starts breaking down muscle to produce energy, you will end up too weak to engage in any physical activities. Think of this from a prehistoric perspective. If your muscles have been depleted and a predator suddenly shows up, you wouldn’t be able to run away or even fight. So, the only viable option is fats.

Your body is forced to break down fats into ketone bodies (also referred to as ketones). This is where we get the terms Ketogenic and ketosis. Ketones are the result of the partial breakdown of fatty acids in the liver, and these ketones are then used as a source of energy. Most people think of ketosis as an unnatural condition, but nothing could be farther from the truth. You regularly undergo ketosis without even realizing it.

If you eat at seven p.m. and then take your next meal at nine a.m. the next morning, your body would be in a minor state of ketosis because you would have been fasting for at least 14 hours. The challenge that we have is that we are constantly snacking on carbohydrates, and therefore, our bodies never get the chance to experience steady ketosis.