The keto diet, also called the ketogenic diet, is a well-known way to lose weight. It means eating foods that get most of their calories from fat instead of from carbs.
It puts an emphasis on eating healthy fats, a moderate amount of protein, and very few carbohydrates. It’s been getting more attention lately because it can help control Type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes is a serious public health problem that is becoming more common. About 537 million adults around the world have diabetes. It is thought to be a major cause of illness and death because it makes people more likely to get heart disease and diabetic neuropathy. So, the most important thing right now is to treat and take care of diabetes.
Following a ketogenic diet and maintaining an active lifestyle is one method. In light of the fact that it enables the body to keep glucose levels at a low level and inhibits a rise in blood sugar levels, there is mounting evidence that it may help manage diabetes.
Also, you can read this article beginner’s guide to the keto diet.
What Effect Does Diabetes Have on the Keto Diet?
Carbohydrates are the body’s main energy source. When you don’t get enough carbohydrates and there isn’t any glucose available, your body enters a metabolic condition called ketosis and begins using fat for energy instead.
Ketone bodies are a byproduct of the breakdown of lipids without the presence of carbs. Until you start consuming carbs again, the body will utilize ketone bodies for energy instead of glucose.
The ketogenic diet has additional advantages like:
- Bringing down blood pressure
- increasing sensitivity to insulin
- lowering reliance on drugs
- increasing the amount of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, without increasing the amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol.
Carbohydrates, which serve as the main source of energy for numerous biological functions, are prevalent in Indian diets. When you eat carbs, your digestive system converts them into sugars, which then enter your circulation.
More insulin is required if your blood sugar level is greater. The use of carbohydrates for energy or energy storage involves insulin. However, insulin is missing or does not work well in diabetics, which impairs the body’s capacity to utilize carbs as fuel efficiency.
It thus causes a rise in blood sugar levels, which may be harmful. Therefore, a high-carb diet causes a rise in blood sugar in the individual who consumes it. Therefore, cutting down on carbs in the diet may help prevent significant blood sugar increases and minimize insulin requirements.
Diabetes-friendly Keto Diet Foods
The goal of the keto diet is to get a good balance of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, the right number of calories, and healthy fats. Here’s what you can eat on the keto diet if you have Type 2 Diabetes:
Vegetables with Few Carbs
When you eat low-carb vegetables instead of starchy ones, you eat less carbs and enter a state called ketosis. A study found that the best thing to do is to eat non-starchy vegetables at every meal.
Cauliflower, zucchini, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, kale, and bell peppers are all examples of vegetables that are low in carbs.
Some low-carb vegetables have the following nutritional values per 100 g serving:
Cauliflower has 25 kcal of energy
Carbohydrate: 4.9 g Protein: 1.9 g
Total fat: 0.2 g
Total fiber in food: 2 g
Zucchini
18 kcal of energy
Carbohydrate: 3.1 g
Protein: 1.2 g
Total fat: 0.3 g
Total dietary fibre: 1 g
Low Carb Proteins
On a keto diet, your first goal is to limit the number of carbs you eat. But you can’t ignore how important it is to eat protein. Protein is important for making sure organs work well, keeping muscles from breaking down too much, and repairing and building body tissues.
If you eat too much protein, a process called gluconeogenesis may speed up. This could take you out of ketosis. Gluconeogenesis is the metabolic process by which your liver and kidneys make glucose from non-carb sources like protein to meet your body’s energy needs.
Studies show that you should limit the amount of protein you eat to less than 1g per kg of body weight. This means that protein should only make up 10–20% of your calories.
You can eat the following foods to get enough protein:
Whole Eggs
Eggs are a staple in a keto diet. They don’t have a lot of carbs and are a great source of protein. Egg whites have few calories, a lot of protein, and minerals like riboflavin, selenium, and potassium.
Egg yolks, on the other hand, have good fats, good cholesterol, protein, iron, and other minerals. Eggs are also easy to cook with and can be used in many different meals. But you should eat one tablespoon of healthy fats for every egg you eat.
Meats
Meats like chicken breasts and steaks have a lot of protein, which helps you get into ketosis. Even though the keto diet is low in carbs and high in fat, that doesn’t mean you should eat too much meat.
Fish
Fish is a good choice for a keto diet because it is naturally high in protein and doesn’t have any carbs. Also, it has the healthy omega-3 They also have a lot of selenium, vitamin B, and potassium. Anchovies, salmon, tuna, halibut, herring, and sardines are all examples.
Milk and cheese
You can eat dairy while on a keto diet because it has few carbs and no added sugar. But dairy products that are made in a lab, like ice cream or flavored yogurt, may throw off your ketosis because they have a lot of added sugar or a lot of carbs.
The fat in dairy takes longer to digest, so it keeps us full for a long time. It also has good things for you like calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D.
You can eat butter, cheese, paneer, and ghee, which are all made from milk. Make sure you choose paneer, low-sodium cheese, and homemade ghee as often as possible when you can.
Foods to Avoid on Keto Diet for Diabetes:
Now that we’ve gone over what you can eat, let’s look at what you shouldn’t eat so that your body stays in ketosis.
Fruits and veggies with a lot of sugar
Starchy vegetables have more carbohydrates that are easy to digest than fiber, which raises blood sugar levels. These include beets, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
Also, because they have more carbohydrates than other fruits, high-sugar fruits like bananas, mangoes, and chikoos can cause your blood sugar to rise more quickly.
Baked Goods
Pastries, doughnuts, and cakes all have a lot of sugar in them, which can cause your blood sugar to rise. Also, they contain butter, which makes them high in saturated fat and cholesterol. This makes the risk of coronary heart disease even higher.
Legumes
Even though legumes are full of nutrients like iron, potassium, and zinc, they are not good for the ketogenic diet because they have a lot of carbs.
Improved Grains
Refined grains have had all their nutrients taken out and have very little fiber. They have a high glycemic index, which means they are easy to break down. It makes blood sugar levels rise too high and makes fat build-up, especially around the waist.
White bread, white pasta, pizza dough, white flour, white rice, and breakfast cereals are all off-limits on the keto diet. So, you could try spiralized vegetables, spaghetti squash, or zoodles instead.
Keto diet meals for people with diabetes that aren’t vegetarian:
Breakfast:
- Scrambled eggs made with spinach and raspberries
- Made with coconut oil omelets
- Oil and cheese added to scrambled eggs
- Smoked bacon and cheese omelet
- Avocado and hard-boiled eggs
- Mushroom omelet
- Salad for breakfast with hard-boiled eggs
Snack for midmorning:
- Buttermilk
- Pumpkin seeds
- Boiled eggs
- Strawberry milkshake
Lunch:
- Chicken malai tikka
- Goan fish curry
- Mashed cauliflower in mayonnaise with mutton seekh kebab
- Basil chicken
- Egg stuffed avocado
- Mutton meatballs
- Baked chicken with cheese
Evening Snack:
- Bullet coffee without sugar
- Blueberries
- Green Tea with almonds
Dinner:
- Chicken salad
- Mutton seekh kebab with mint chutney
- Creamy fish soup
- Avocado and egg salad
- Vegetable egg bhurji
- Zucchini “noodles”
- Tandoori chicken with pudina chutney
Vegetarian Options:
Breakfast:
- Cauliflower upma
- Strawberry smoothie
- Paneer bhurji
- Vegetable cheese sandwich
- Pumpkin French toast
- Ginger smoothie
- Keto pancakes with berries
- Chia seed pudding
Mid-Morning Snack:
- Lemon water with pumpkin seeds
- Watermelon
- Jeera water with walnuts
Lunch:
- Paneer Tikka
- Cauliflower “Mac” and cheese
- Spicy grilled eggplant
- Ginger paneer with almond flour roti
- Spinach, mushrooms, and capsicum stir-fried in olive oil
- Eggplant and mushroom soup
- Paneer stuffed capsicums
- Quinoa khichdi with a green salad
Evening Snack:
- Black tea
- Pumpkin seeds
- Bullet coffee without sugar
- Carrots
Dinner:
- Cauliflower zucchini fried rice
- Grilled mushroom salad
- Broccoli soup
- Keto kabab roll with garlic sauce
- Malai paneer tikka
- Tomato soup with a green salad
- Broccoli and mushroom stir fry with cheese
Diabetes and the Keto Diet: Possible Health Risks
Even though the keto diet is good for your health in many ways, it is not a miracle cure for diabetes. A recent study found that one of the problems with keto diets is that they encourage people to eat fewer vegetables, fruits, grains, and more fat, which can be bad.
Some short-term side effects of the keto diet, like the “keto flu,” happen as your body gets used to it.
It causes tiredness, constipation, trouble sleeping, vertigo, headaches, and feeling sick. But you can avoid these symptoms if you drink enough water and eat enough electrolytes. A lack of nutrients, digestive problems, low blood pressure, kidney disease, and high cholesterol are also possible health risks.
Who Should Stay Away from the Keto Diet?
When a person has kidney disease: There is a lot of protein in the keto diet, which can lead to kidney stones. Also, it may make kidney disease worse in people who already have it. Since the kidneys’ job is to remove toxins from the blood and eat too many proteins, it just makes their job harder. This is why it’s important to watch how much protein you eat.
Those who have Type 1 diabetes: Ketones, which are made by the body during ketosis, are a risk factor for diabetic ketoacidosis, which happens more often in people with type 1 diabetes than in people with type 2 diabetes.
People If you have had heart disease in the past: If you have had heart disease in the past, you should be careful about the keto diet. This is because cholesterol levels rise in the beginning of the diet, making it even more dangerous.
Women who are trying to get pregnant: The keto diet is especially bad for women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. On a keto diet, you don’t eat vegetables, fruits, or whole grains, which are full of the vitamins and minerals a baby needs to grow up healthy. Research shows that babies with neural tube defects are more likely to be born on a low-carb diet.
Conclusion
If you have diabetes, following a keto diet can be very helpful because it changes your body’s preferred energy source from carbs to fat. But in the long run, it can cause some very bad health problems. So, it’s also important to remember that you should only try it with a doctor watching.
