Tips by Dr Sabrina Kitaka on how to use ketogenic diet for weight loss

Did you know that the popular ketogenic diet, also called the keto diet is mostly fat, protein with minimal carbs? The ketogenic diet is a dietary therapy that forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.

Many ladies and gents struggling with weight loss after the age of 40 could benefit from this keto diet. Dieting alone without exercising is not healthy, so count those 10,000 steps daily to remain healthy and sleep for at least 6 hours every day. Remove that stress from your day-to-day activities.

Dr Sabrina Kitaka, a senior paediatrician says that while on a Keto diet, one can turn fats into fuel while eating the food you love.

‘The Keto Diet is an effective way of losing weight and maintaining a good weight loss program to keep healthy,’ says Dr Kitaka. ‘With the Keto diet, you eat fewer carbohydrates and replace it with fat, resulting in a state called ketosis. A ketogenic diet is an effective way for weight loss and certain health conditions as demonstrated in many studies.’

Dr Kitaka Sabrina added that whilst thinking about which fat source to use in your keto diet, I would suggest ghee. Yes ghee, the Omuzigo gwente. You may be wondering why? With research conducted over the years, it has come to light that instead of harming the body, ghee is right for you. It turns out our grandmothers were right in cooking food in ghee and adding it to our bowls of steaming meals and rice. In the scriptures, Ghee has been equated to gold.

A keto diet is especially useful for losing excess body fat without hunger, and for improving type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. On a keto diet, you cut way back on carbohydrates, also known as carbs, in order to burn fat for fuel, Dr Kitaka Sabrina added. ‘Ghee revs up the body’s metabolism making it an ideal medium for weight loss. Consumption of ghee makes it burn the other fats in the body and thus causes weight loss.’

Marketing Manager Fresh Dairy – Vincent Omoth noted that Fresh Dairy is a family brand constantly ensuring that families have access to dairy products that maintain their health and nutrition.

‘For instance, Fresh Dairy Ghee is pasteurized making it safe for human consumption, comes in 500ml and 1 Litre tins and is available countrywide at stores nearest you. Fresh Dairy Ghee is great as a blend in Uganda’s popular Katogo, can be used to replace oil in daily frying, adds aroma and taste to food among several other benefits,’ he added.

Dr Kitaka highlights the following as nutritional values of consuming ghee:

• Ghee is a calorie-dense food. 100 ml of ghee gives as much as 883 calories of energy.
• Ghee is also rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin K especially if the source of ghee is the milk from grass-fed cows. It also contains butyric acid.
• Ghee has healthy fats. Research proves that ghee is low in fat. It has healthy fats which make it add good cholesterol to the body. Ghee does not cause heart diseases like other forms of fat.
• Ghee helps the digestive system. In the olden times, our ancestors used to have a spoonful of ghee before every meal. It lined the gut and reduced chances of ulcers and cancer.
• Ghee strengthens the immune system
• Ghee is rich in Butyric Acid, which helps the body in producing T cells that fight diseases.
• Ghee is a dependable source of critical oil-soluble vitamins A and E that are needed for a healthy liver, balanced hormones, and fertility.
• Ghee is also an anti-inflammatory because of the antioxidants it contains
• Ghee is good for lactose intolerant individuals because it doesn’t cause allergies in those who suffer from dairy or casein intolerance.
• Ghee is one of the safest dermatological cosmetics. It is skin-friendly and helps treat burns. Ghee is rich in antioxidants, fatty acids and a natural emollient, hence helping you with maintaining healthy skin by locking in moisture, improving skin repair, treating cracks and softening the skin. This is also one of the popular traditional benefits of ghee.
• Ghee is an appetizer in children and adults alike. This is another reason to add Ghee to your child’s food.
• Ghee is great for applying to your hair and scalp because it eases a dry, itchy scalp due to its moisturizing properties.
• Ghee is rich in Vitamin K, which helps in calcium absorption. It helps in the prevention of tooth decay and prevents atherosclerosis.
• Ghee helps with thyroid dysfunction since its usage results in balancing hormones
• Ghee does not break into free radicals at a high temperature. Free radicals are responsible for cancer, amongst other diseases. This makes it an ideal medium and a stable fat to cook and fry food in.
• Ghee treats Menstrual problems. Ghee tends to balance the hormones in the body making it an ideal contender if you are looking to relieve yourself of menstrual issues like PMS and irregular periods.
• Ghee enhance taste of any dish that it is added to – a bowl of offals becomes tastier after adding ghee.

Regular consumption of ghee leads to a reduction in stress and anxiety levels.