The ketogenic, or low-carb diet, which involves consuming very small amounts of carbohydrates and replacing them with fat to help your body burn fat for energy, helps with weight loss. Popular around the world, this diet has many health benefits, including reduced risk of certain diseases.

Keto diet is also beneficial against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. And so, according to Alia Bhatt’s nutritionist, Dr. Siddharth Bhargava, who is advising the actor on her diet, there are some dos and don’ts to prioritize when it comes to keto.

Do’s and Don’ts for Following Keto Diet

Dr. Bhargava says that food which has high amount of carbs should be completely eliminated. This also includes:

sweet food

High-sugar foods like soda, fruit juice, smoothies, cakes, ice cream and candy should be completely eliminated from your daily diet. Apart from sugar, substitutes like jaggery and honey are also completely prohibited while following the keto diet.

no carbohydrates

You may need about 50 grams of carbs per day to stay healthy. If you’re following a keto diet, eat foods with high levels of fat and very low levels of carbohydrates, such as bread, beans and legumes.

Do not eat colored vegetables

According to Dr. Bhargava, one of the best rules to follow in the keto diet is to avoid vegetables of different colors. Keto-friendly vegetables are those that contain leaves – all types of lettuce, spinach and other greens.

Green vegetables have less carbs than more colored vegetables.

don’t stay hungry

A key aspect of the keto diet is that you should not starve, as the high fat content typically increases satiety and reduces hunger. This can cause your body to enter ketosis, where it burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. And hence, you should not experience extreme hunger if the diet is followed properly.

Don’t rely only on fruits

Fruits are among the best foods you can eat for your overall health. While they are packed with nutrition and have various benefits, Dr. Bhargava says they pose a problem when you’re following a keto diet.

Grapes and bananas have the highest amount of carbs; There are about 26 grams of carbohydrates in one cup and 24 grams in one medium banana. And hence these should be avoided.

Don’t ignore the salt

Dr. Bhargava says low salt levels can cause keto flu — a set of short-term symptoms like lethargy, fatigue, and irritation that can occur when you first start the keto diet. When you’re on a low-carb diet, your levels drop and your body begins to expel excess sodium and water. However, Sodium is an important electrolyteAnd low levels of it can become problematic when your kidneys remove too much of it.

The best way to avoid this problem is to include more sodium in your diet. You can do this by adding salt to your food, but if that’s not enough, try drinking a cup of broth every day.

eat fat

Most people get most of their calories from dietary carbohydrates such as sugars and grains. However, when you remove this source from your diet – since you follow keto – it needs to be replaced with something else. Some people believe that losing fat with a low-carb diet will make your diet more healthy, which is a big mistake.

If you don’t consume carbs – you will have to compensate with fat or less, this can lead to hunger and inadequate nutrition.

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