Diet On Fats: Basic Principles And Effects On The Body

A few years ago, fats were feared, and low-fat foods were popular among the population. Now the marketing campaigns are bringing in other health benefits - "healthy fats", "rich in omega 3s".

A diet rich in fat is one of the most affordable ways to lose weight quickly and safely. Sounds appealing – you can eat delicious meals with healthy fats and still burn excess fat. To understand whether it suits you, learn about the advantages and disadvantages, what principles to follow on a fat diet in order to get results and not harm your health, read the article.

The basic principles of a fat diet and its effect on the body

A high-fat diet means reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing protein and fat intake.

With a fat diet, the composition of an average meal is as follows: 75% fat, 20% protein and 5% carbohydrates. When the body receives less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, it enters ketosis.

Since the diet involves a reduction in carbohydrates in the diet, you should gradually reduce their amount, starting with fast carbohydrates - all industrial sweets, pastries, fruits with a glycemic index. And then limit starchy vegetables, grains and legumes.

The basis of the carbohydrate component on a fat diet is vegetables and herbs.

For most people, this transition can take anywhere from a few days to a week.

Positive:

• Weight loss.

• Reducing the amount of fat in the body.

• Reduced cravings for sweets and food in general.

• Increase in energy.

• Clarity of thought.

Negative:

• specific breathing.

• Keto flu.

• Constipation/diarrhea.

• Sensation of contraction of muscles.

• Sleep disturbance.

Types of fat diets:

• Keto diet / ketogenic diet.

• LCHF LCHF stands for low carb high fat.

• Paleo diet.

• Atkins Diet.

• AIP.

Despite some differences in the listed diets, the basics of the diet are similar to each other.

Main product list:

• all types of natural meat;

• useful natural oils;

• eggs;

• fish;

• mushrooms;

• whole dairy products;

• vegetables.

Additional products:

• nuts;

• berries;

• cocoa / coffee;

• natural sweeteners.

List of foods restricted in the diet:

• unsweetened fruits;

• moderately starchy vegetables (carrots, beets);

• unsweetened alcohol;

• industrially processed products (sausages, semi-finished products).

Strict exception:

• cereal products;

• glucose- and fructose-containing foods, including hidden sugar;

• sweet fruits (bananas), dried fruits;

• high-starchy foods;

• cereals.

Since the diet is called fat, it is first of all worth figuring out which foods rich in fats to focus on.

Good and unhealthy fats

We can get several types of fats from food: trans fats, saturated fats and unsaturated fats. What role does each species play? Let's understand without labels "good / bad", because you should always consider the number and individual recommendations for BJU - they will never be the same.

1. Saturated fats - strengthen the cellular structure and nourish the brain, are indispensable for building up the protective layer of internal organs, are their shock absorber and retainer.

   They are considered evil and are advised to be completely excluded from the diet in order to avoid high cholesterol. But there is another opinion - they are put in the ranks of superfoods that give energy and feed our brain.

   In the average person's diet, sources of saturated fat include foods such as: cheese, prepared foods with cheese, baked goods containing fat, desserts such as ice cream, industrial meat products, eggs, and butter. Mostly these are products of animal origin.

    

   We need saturated fats in small amounts for healthy hormones. For example, in the form of coconut oil. It's not just a saturated fat, it's mostly medium chain triglycerides, which are much easier to digest than many other fats due to less stress on the gallbladder.

   On average, the normal intake of saturated fat is about 5-7%.

    

2. Unsaturated fats are fatty acids with one or more double bonds.

   They are divided into:

   • monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) - contain one double bond;

   • polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) - contain two or more double bonds.

    

Research has shown that these types of fats help reduce inflammation in the body. They also lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Avocados, chia seeds, peanut butter, and olive oil are all plant-based sources of unsaturated fats.

In addition, control the intake of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Adults need to consume at least one gram of omega-3 per day.

Omega 3 in the composition of fish oil performs many useful functions in the human body: it helps the synthesis of sex hormones; stimulates the brain, memory, attention; improves joint mobility; responsible for lipid balance, other metabolic processes; fights oncological processes.

If you are on a plant-based diet or are allergic to fish oils, it is possible to get Omega 3 from seeds and nuts. Chia seeds are a great option.

They are very low in calories and rich in nutrients. Chia seeds are almost carb-free, making them the perfect ingredient for a keto diet. They can make your meals taste better without adding calories or carbs.

This is a fairly versatile ingredient, they can be added to snacks in different ways. Here are some quick ideas:

What are trans fats?

These are saturated fats that have been oxidized or heated to 180 degrees or more. The most famous trans fat is margarine. Heating vegetable oils is a direct route to trans fats.

These fats are found in foods that contain partially hydrogenated oils, such as fried potatoes and other fried foods, some store-bought baked goods, and packaged foods such as cookies, crackers, and muffins.

These types of fats cause inflammation and increase cholesterol levels, leading to an increased risk of heart disease. Trans fats reduce the body's sensitivity to insulin and increase the risk of diabetes.

If everything is clear with trans fats, in many countries their use is even officially prohibited due to the negative effect on health.

And in other types of fats there must be a balance. If you use coconut oil one day, ghee or avocado the next, you will be getting a variety of fats that will best support your health.

How much fat to eat

There is no single figure for everyone, it is important to correctly individually calculate your amount of fat during the day. To do this, remember how the daily calorie is distributed:

• 75% fat

• 20% proteins

• 5% carbohydrates

For example, your daily calorie intake is 1600 (this depends on weight, age and type of physical activity).

Then the share of fats accounts for 1200 kcal, and in 1 g of fat \u003d 9 kcal, respectively, 134 grams.

What can we fit into these 1200 kcal or 134 g of fat?

Approximate fat content in food:

By the same principle, you can calculate all the main components of the diet - proteins and carbohydrates.

Benefits of a fat diet

Jimmy Moore, author of Keto Clarity, lists the following health benefits of the keto diet:

• hunger and appetite control;

• mental clarity;

• weight loss

• sleep improvement;

• stabilization of blood sugar levels and improvement of insulin sensitivity;

• lowering blood pressure;

• greater energy;

• relief of heartburn;

• strengthening immunity and slowing down biological aging;

• memory improvement;

• improvement of the skin condition;

• less anxiety;

• strengthening self-discipline.

Disadvantages and contraindications

Potential adverse reactions on a high-fat diet:

• Increased hair loss.

• Deficiency of calories, protein, vitamins, stress.

• Keto flu (requires more fluids, salt, less other electrolytes).

• Rapid heart rate (may be due to increased cortisol).

• Increased cholesterol (it is necessary to evaluate an extended lipid profile, may be temporary, associated with cholestasis, genetic characteristics).

• Keto rash (perhaps as a manifestation of egg allergy or pantothenic acid deficiency).

• Violation of the menstrual cycle (associated with a decrease in calories, protein, overtraining).

• Decreased tolerance to alcohol (intoxication occurs faster, hangovers are more severe).

Absolute contraindications:

1. Birth defects of certain enzymes:

   • Deficiency of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) types 1 and 2.

   • Deficiency of carnitine translocase.

   • Violation of beta-oxidation of fatty acids.

   • Deficiency of mitochondrial 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthetase (mHMGS).

   • Short chain acyl dihydrogenase (SCAD) deficiency.

   • Medium chain acyl dihydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency.

   • Long chain acyl dehydrogenase (LCAD) deficiency.

   • Deficiency of medium-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A.

   • Deficiency of long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A.

   • Porfiry.

    

2. Alison's disease

3. Any acute condition

4. Terminal stages of renal and hepatic insufficiency.

Conditions in which ketosis is allowed, but requires menu correction or special supplements:

• Hereditary familial hypercholesterolemia.

• APOE genotype.

• Gilbert's syndrome.

• Hypothyroidism

• Low cortisol.

• ZhKB. History of cholecystectomy.

• Wrong genes.

• True, familial gout.

• Oxalate stones in the kidney.

• Erased forms of congenital defects in enzymes of beta oxidation of fatty acids, carnitine metabolism.

• Constant breakdowns and close to it - "did not remove sugar, but added fat."

• Type 1 diabetes or insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, if you are not ready to delve into and confused about how to adjust your insulin doses.

• Pregnancy and the period of unsettled lactation.

The results of a fat diet

To evaluate the effectiveness of the diet, we recommend taking the following tests before starting keto and 3 months after starting keto:

• Extended lipid profile.

• TSH, T3, T4, reverse T3.

• Glucose, insulin, glycated hemoglobin.

• Homocysteine.

• ALT, AST.

• blood electrolytes.

• Creatinine, uric acid.

• fibrinogen.

• SRP.

• HMS according to Osipov.

• Vitamin D, calcium ionized.

• Vitamin B12 (preferably organic acids).

Menu planning for the week

Basic planning principles:

1. Start planning with protein.

   First, divide it by the number of meals you plan to eat. It is better that each meal is balanced within the proportion of the fat diet.

   It is not necessary to "get" protein with protein shakes, increase the products that you have chosen.

    

1. Choose fatty sources of protein: minced meat, lean meats, bacon, eggs, fatty parts of chicken - legs, wings, thighs.

2. At first, do not cook complex dishes. Your task is to see the proportions of the fat diet on the plate.

3. It is also important not just to adjust the BJU, but to pay attention to the volume of food, to the sensations that you get. Remember: don't starve or overeat! For example, pay attention to the size of a serving of meat relative to your palm, etc.

4. Do not count the oil you are cooking with, as its entire volume does not fall into the plate. Yes, food will absorb some part, but this is a small amount. The exception will be foods that absorb oil well, such as eggplant, zucchini, etc.

5. Oils can be added to ready-made food (a piece of butter on scrambled eggs), in coffee (bronecoffee), in salads. Use unrefined oil.

    

   Fats are the backbone of the keto diet and should be of good quality. Count the oil you add to cooked food.

   By planning a diet of proteins and fats, you have already created the basis of your daily calorie intake. It remains to add vegetables.

    

6. No need for carbohydrates! And their main source on keto is vegetables. Vegetables are all good as a source of fiber, but the minerals and phytonutrients that they contain are important to us, so dark green leafy, cruciferous ones will be the best for us.

In order to have an example of what to focus on, we will present a menu of a fat diet for a full 3 days.

The advantage of this menu is that the dishes are quite filling and relatively easy to prepare.

Fat diet menu for 3 days

Breakfast: Keto pancakes and stir fry broccoli.

Crack two eggs into a bowl and add half a tablespoon of almond flour. Then generously add ghee and a pinch of salt for flavor. Shake until evenly liquid consistency. Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the pancakes one at a time.

Cut small broccoli into florets and wash them under running water. Heat olive oil in a pan and add minced garlic. Once fragrant, gradually add the broccoli florets, frying them for 1-2 minutes. Add some sea salt and breakfast is ready.

Snack: Assorted nuts.

You can eat a handful of different nuts to prevent hunger pangs.

Lunch: Stir-fried chicken and vegetables.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add 0.5 kg of minced chicken breast. Cut cabbage, peppers and tomatoes, add them after 5 minutes. Stir, after another five minutes, add the ginger-garlic paste. Turn off the stove, rub some cheese on top.

Dinner: Broccoli and mushroom salad with diced chicken.

Cut small pieces of broccoli and mushrooms into small pieces. Cut into cubes 100 g chicken breast. Heat the coconut oil in a wok and add the chicken first. When the chicken is lightly fried, put it in a bowl and put a piece of ghee in the pan. Saute the broccoli and mushrooms for a minute, then put the chicken back in. Add a few minced garlic cloves and saute for 2 minutes. Turn off the stove and sprinkle generously with oregano. The supper is ready.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, grilled Brussels sprouts.

Break two large eggs, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Beat until smooth. Cut into small pieces half the onion and one tomato, add to the eggs. Melt some ghee in a frying pan, pour in the egg mixture and start stirring it with a spatula. When the eggs are half cooked, you can grate some cheese for flavor.

Prick brussels sprouts on a skewer and coat with minced garlic and ginger and olive oil. Grill for 5 minutes on each side until light golden brown.

Snack: Vegetable sticks with linseed oil.

Cut carrots and/or celery into 7-8 cm sticks. Dip them in flaxseed oil for a quick and tasty snack.

Lunch: Kale roll with shrimps.

Take a large leaf of kale and soak it in salt water for 30 seconds. Sprinkle 450g shrimp with sea salt and pepper. Cut into small cubes 1 tomato and 1 bell pepper. Heat up the oil and fry the tomatoes and peppers first. After a minute, add the shrimp and fry all the ingredients for another 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee and a few minced garlic cloves, fry for another minute. Turn off the stove. The filling is ready. Put it evenly on a cabbage leaf and wrap it in a beautiful and satisfying roll.

Dinner: Salmon cutlets with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

Ingredients:

• 500 g salmon;

• 1 egg;

• ½ piece - onion;

• 1 tsp salt;

• 0.5 tsp pepper;

• 50 g butter.

For puree:

• 400 g broccoli;

• 150 g butter;

• 30 g parmesan cheese;

• salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking method: 1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Cut the salmon into small pieces and, together with the rest of the ingredients, place in a mixer, mix thoroughly. 2. Form patties and brown them in a pan for 3-4 minutes on each side. Then send the cutlets to the oven for 30-40 minutes. 3. Disassemble the broccoli into inflorescences, place for a couple of minutes in boiling salted water. Drain the water. Using an immersion blender, blend the broccoli with the butter and parmesan, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Breakfast: Fruit smoothie

If you love a sweet breakfast, you can make a fruit smoothie that tastes great and is low in carbs. Pour frozen strawberries, raspberries and blueberries into a blender. Add almond or coconut milk for a rich creamy taste. Whisk in a blender. You can sprinkle pieces of almonds and grated coconut on top for taste.

Snack: Egg Cake (serves 2)

Break and beat one egg. Add 3-5 chopped mushrooms. Crush a clove of garlic and add a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Mix well and pour into two cupcake pans. For variety, you can add cheese or tomatoes.

Lunch: Classic egg salad with a twist

Hard boil 2 eggs, crush them, make small pieces. Cut the onion and avocado into small cubes. Then wash a handful of cherry tomatoes. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add a pinch of salt. You can just squeeze half a lemon and the salad is ready.

Dinner: Meatballs and salad

Take 230 g of ground beef, add chopped garlic, ginger, grated mozzarella and one egg. Mix well and make 5 meatballs. Heat the oil in a frying pan, fry the meatballs for about 10 minutes until a rich golden color. Put the meatballs on a plate, pour one chopped onion into the pan, fry until golden brown. Add 2 chopped tomatoes, continue frying until the consistency of the sauce. Add the garlic paste and coconut milk until the mixture is creamy. Put the meatballs in and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes - dinner is ready.

What to do if a breakdown occurs

Despite our best efforts, sometimes things can go wrong. And that's okay. It doesn't mean you failed, it just means you had a little hiccup on a much more important journey towards a healthy lifestyle.

It is important to accept what happened, learn the lessons and move forward. Focusing on progress rather than perfection is an important part of taking care of yourself.

Forgive yourself and keep in mind all the benefits of this way of eating. Remember that it's never too late to start again.

To immediately avoid a breakdown, people who follow a fat diet plan to refeed in advance.

Refeed is a short conscious way out of the diet. It helps to cope with breakdowns, some inconveniences and negative consequences of a long diet.

For example, in the season of watermelons, it can be eaten. This is the simplest example, and you can choose any favorite dish.

Naturally, if you are on a keto diet and are in ketosis, this will bring you out of ketosis. But it's not terrible, and with the right approach, you will very quickly enter ketosis again the next day.

When is the best time to do it?

How to get out of a fat diet

The way out of the fat diet should be neat, smooth. Many have temptations leading to outright gluttony, which can lead, in addition to losing shape, to problems in the pancreas.

A "side effect" of a sudden increase in carbohydrate intake can be carbohydrate swelling. For some people with kidney problems, morning puffiness under the eyes may return in the morning.

To maintain the result of losing weight, it is necessary to smoothly change food preferences.

You can quit keto at any convenient time of the year. In the summer, it is convenient, since during this period there are a lot of berries, fruits, and melons.

But do not abuse, do not overload the gastrointestinal tract immediately and a lot, as there may be a feeling of slight intoxication during digestion. These carbohydrates do not compare with carbohydrates from crystal sugar and various confectionery products.

To properly exit keto, you should take into account age, health characteristics and how active you lead.

What carbohydrates to add to the diet when leaving the fat diet?

At first, you can eat sweet berries little by little. It is better to eat strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, oranges and cherry plums, as they have a low glycemic index. Every day, increase the amount of carbohydrates, add starchy vegetables, cereals, legumes.