Bacon & Butter: The Ultimate Ketogenic Diet Cookbook

Book Preface

OF RATIOS AND RATIONS

Bacon for breakfast, ham and cheese roll-ups for lunch, buttered asparagus and steak for dinner. You’re not dreaming—this is a snapshot of a day in the life of a keto dieter.

The generally accepted claim that fat is not your friend is about to be thrown out the window. Say good-bye to the low-fat 100-calorie cookie snack packs and fat-free dairy creamer. When adopting a keto diet, fat is your best friend, and sugar-rich carbohydrates are your worst enemy. Though keto is called a diet, it is also a lifestyle change centered on seeking to better one’s health through an understanding of the human body and basic nutrition.

In its simplest form, the keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low- to no-carbohydrate diet that encourages the body to stop burning carbohydrate and protein for fuel in favor of burning fat, thus entering a state called ketosis

What Is Ketosis?

Ketosis is a metabolic state in which the body uses dietary and bodily fats as its primary energy source. Traditionally, the body operates in a state of glycolysis, deriving its energy from blood glucose. When in a state of ketosis, however, the body’s energy instead comes from ketone bodies, produced when the body burns fat for fuel. The adoption of the ketogenic diet, then, forces the body to adapt to using ketones for energy through dietary deprivation of glucose/sugar, which causes glycogen stores to deplete. Once these stores deplete, the body switches to burning fats for fuel, and the trace amounts of glycogen required for brain function are acquired from stores in the liver.

A study in Obesity Reviews also shows that a keto diet is a proven way for dieters to lose weight safely and effectively. Used with proper understanding and research, a ketogenic diet is appropriate for almost anyone, as it helps promote cardiovascular health, stable cholesterol levels, and mental focus.