The ketogenic diet: advice from the best experts to get rid of sugar
One of the fundamental principles of the ketogenic diet is sugar detoxification. Concretely, how do we do it? Olivia Charlet, the super ketogenic expert.
"Eat more good fats (omega-3...), and much less (or almost more) sugar in all its forms: a ketogenic or low-carb diet introduces a complete upheaval in our eating habits, warns Olivia Charlett, certified lawyer, dietitian and naturopath. brings us an average of 400 grams per day (between 50 and 65% of our calories per day!), mainly in the form of refined cereals, sugars (sucrose, lactose in particular), processed products low in fiber and rich in additives, all that have a high glycemic index (GI.) In other words, if you want to live in ketogenic mode, you will have to give up many daily foods.
The ketogenic diet: List of sugars to eliminate
The list is long because sugars are everywhere! However, Olivia Charlet reassures herself by specifying that if you exclude sugars, you replace them with healthy foods. So don't worry, you will eat whatever fills you up. Either way, these sugars have no nutritional value. Result: once removed, the health effects can only be beneficial.
Foods rich in carbohydrates to say goodbye to:
Sugar and all sweet products: honey, jam, confectionery, white sugar, cane...
All industrial products: biscuits, pastries, sauces, industrial breads, ready meals, etc.
Grains and Legumes (However, we may occasionally incorporate gluten-free grains and legumes, preferably in mash or pre-sprouted form).
Carbohydrate-rich vegetables and a large portion of fruit.
All dairy products (yogurt, butter, cream, cheese...etc). You can take ghee (filtered butter). And if you don't have any diseases, you can keep one organic dairy product per week, favoring goats and sheep.
Sugar Detox: treat yourself to a transition
It is impossible to change everything on your plate overnight with the risk of depression and a return to your eating habits. "Give yourself several weeks to integrate new habits, advise our experts. The objective is to change your food choices over the long term." Start by cutting out the sugar (white sugar, whole sugar, agave syrup, etc.) that you add to your yogurt, coffee, etc., or even artificial sweeteners (like aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, etc. ) that maintain a sweeter taste. to taste.
Reduce the fruit and choose the less sweet: fresh or frozen red fruits (raspberries, strawberries, currants, blackberries...), coconut, avocado, olives...
Replace dairy with low carb vegan alternatives (coconut, soy, almond milk, regular soy milk, regular coconut, etc.).
Sort all the sweets you consume: confectionery, pastries, pastries, biscuits, chocolate, ice cream, jams, sweet drinks (fruit juice, soda, even light)...
Keto: start by reviewing breakfast
This first meal of the day is often rich in carbohydrates (bread, toast, jam, honey, cereals, milk, fruit juice, etc.). This excess sugar will cause an insulin spike which will lead to a massive drop in the morning and a craving for a snack. Ideally, replace these foods with good sources of fat and protein: boiled eggs or omelettes, seeds and fatty fruits (almonds, hazelnuts, chia and hemp seeds, avocado, etc.), unsweetened vegetable drinks (milk of coconut, almonds...), silken tofu...
Refined grains: looking for alternatives
In her book, Olivia Charlet, the recognized expert on ketogenic foods, offers you to follow these tips that will help you get through the cycle:
Replace refined grain products (white bread, white pasta, etc.) with their semi-whole grain version first, then complete them second. After that, reduce the amount consumed each day so that it is only 25% of your plate.
For your homemade preparations, first replace white flour with wholemeal flour and gluten-free flour: wholegrain rice flour, buckwheat flour, chestnut flour... which are rich in nutrients and have a glycemic index. lower. But it is still high in carbohydrates. So, in a second step, replace them with oilseed flour (almond, hazelnut, coconut, etc.), lupine or soy. Their naturally sweet taste makes it possible to reduce the amount of sugar in recipes, or even eliminate it eventually.
Lowering of the glycemic index
What must be taken into account is not only the amount of sugars in the food but also the glycemic index. And the higher the blood sugar level, the greater the health consequences. Olivia Charlett explained, "Two foods with the same amount of carbs can have very different effects on your blood sugar (blood sugar). Some cause it to rise faster than others and therefore cause your blood sugar to rise. From there, others cause a sudden spike in blood sugar, which rises more slowly, preventing blood sugar from rising.
Avoid eating vegetables and starches with a high glycemic index (such as mashed or baked potatoes, pasta, white rice, etc.) and switch to medium sources of carbohydrates, in the transition phase (sweet potatoes , zucchini, buckwheat, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas...).
The Ketogenic Diet: Tracking Hidden Sugars
Hidden sugars are among the diseases in our diet. Because as their name suggests, they hide, sometimes even in unexpected foods like cold cuts. So be very careful:
Ban industrial products and ready meals, often stuffed with sugar but also with gluten and many other additives. Instead, bet on raw products that you will cook yourself.
Be careful when shopping. "No added sugar" does not mean that the product contains no sugar, simply that there is no added sugar. The raw materials used to develop the recipe (flour, vegetables, fruits, legumes, etc.) may naturally contain these ingredients.
Look at the labels of all ingredients ending in “ose” (maltose, dextrose, glucose-fructose syrup, etc.) and ignore them!
Stay away from sugar: choose natural flavor enhancers
During the weaning phase, you can rely on certain plants (natural organic stevia...) and certain low glycemic index sugars (coconut sugar, ketol sap, yacon or lucuma powder...). “Ideally, it is better to avoid sweet tastes, admits Olivia Charlet. This can actually ward off sugar cravings, and even have an effect on insulin secretion (this is the case with processed sweeteners). In fact, our mouth is equipped with sensors, and the sweet taste alone is enough to start producing insulin!
It is preferable to use foods that also provide pleasure, but without sugars: 100% chocolate (if it is too difficult at the beginning, choose 90% chocolate), mashed oilseeds without sugar and preferably organic sprouted (hazelnuts , peanuts, almonds, coconut) . ), spices such as cinnamon (preferably very strong), vanilla, or even citrus peel and coconut shavings (pay attention to the ingredients that make them up).
Now, if weaning off sugar seems impossible, try to reduce your consumption as much as possible. "We all have an interest in it, specifies Olivia Charlett. When it is consumed in large quantities, sugar is stored in the body in the form of glycogen. However, glycogen reserves are very limited. Because we do not make any physical activity; excess carbohydrates are stored in the form of triglycerides." Result: weight gain. This is how visceral fat is formed in the belly in particular. testify today."