The cyclic ketogenic diet is an improvised form of the ketogenic diet. In the former, carbs are rotated along with fats for providing the body with energy. Read on…
Ketosis is a condition wherein formation of excessive ketone bodies takes place as a result of depletion of glycogen stores and complete breakdown of fatty acids. This is actually a health complication in which you have to depend on external sources to compensate for the fatty acid demand of your body. Thus, a ketogenic diet is always rich in fats and devoid of carbohydrates. However, this diet differs a little from the normal ketogenic diet since the former is a low carbohydrate diet where fats and carbohydrates are cycled in desired proportion.
Cyclic Ketogenic Diet Plan
People often resort to this diet plan for losing weight. The diet, being extremely low in carbohydrates, does not cause weight gain. If you are starving your body of carbohydrates while consuming fats, you will still not put on additional weight. Doctors prescribe this diet to people suffering from ketosis as well. The first few days, known as the adaptation phase during which your body gets acquainted with foods low in carbohydrates. Initially you might feel tired and suffer from muscle fatigue. Once the adaptation period is over, you can feed yourself carbohydrate in complex form.
Thus, your body gets a balanced amount of carbohydrates. However, the amount of fats consumed remains high throughout the phase. The main motive behind cycling the foods is to fill up the depleted glycogen reserves and to regulate activities of hormones and the thyroid gland. With rotating carbohydrates your body is also able to bear the diet. This was an overview of the plan for a cyclic ketogenic diet. In the next segment, we shall come up with some menu ideas and foods that should be consumed during that period.
Cyclic Ketogenic Diet Menu
Adaptation Phase
As already mentioned above, the initial phase will comprise foods low in carbohydrates, therefore you must invest more on proteins. Animal foods are the richest source of protein that include lean meat, chicken, beef, lamb, fish, turkey, ham and eggs. At breakfast you should have a glass of skimmed milk along with scrambled eggs. During the adaptation period, you have to restrict consumption of carbohydrates as much as possible. Therefore avoid potatoes, sugar, bread, pasta and rice completely.
For lunch, prepare tasty dishes of chicken and fish. Baked chicken, roasted turkey, rib steaks, grilled chicken, boiled lamb, roasted ham, etc. contain high amounts of protein. Cook your foods in extra virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil. Mackerel, sardines, tuna, herring are rich in omega-3-fatty acids and must be consumed everyday. While being on a low carb diet during the adaptation period, you must eat plenty of vegetables such as carrots, beans, peas, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, squash, yam, cabbage, etc. Have soups and salads garnished with butter and cheese during lunch and dinner.
Re-feed Phase
Once the adaptation period is over you can switch to complex carbohydrates. The difference between a cyclic ketogenic and a non-cyclic ketogenic diet lies in this regard. However, you have to be very careful while consuming carbohydrates because overeating is strictly not allowed. Eat carbohydrates only during breakfast time. Two slices of brown bread along with low fat cheese or butter is safe. Refined sugar, white rice and white flour based foods should not be consumed.
You can also eat one cup of brown rice every alternate day with soups made from pulses and lentils. Whole wheat pasta with sour cream is a healthy menu for lunch. Keep an account on the serving and limit your calories to 2000/day. During the re-feed phase you will feel energetic since you are giving carbohydrates to your body. Curtail the amount of servings to reduce the quantity of fats consumed. Have peanuts, dry fruits and a plenty of fresh fruits as snacks. Continue drinking skimmed milk and eggs in the morning. Rest of the meal plan for lunch and dinner during re-feed phase will remain more or less same.
Note: The duration of both the phases will depend upon your health condition and the intensity of ketosis. However, a diet plan cycles between adaptation and re-feed phase, that lasts for one week. Thus, for alternate weeks, there will be one adaptation phase followed by re-feed phase.
I hope you have found the information provided in this article useful enough. You can incorporate the same meal plan while on this diet. This diet plan is also useful for people who have been detected with thyroid disorders, obesity, high blood pressure and overweight problems.