Category: Benefits

Conceptual B&W photograph "Really ?!?". Click to learn about getting a customized keto diet plan designed based on your activity level, food preferences, weight goals, and other personal criteria.

10 Things About The Keto Diet You Don’t Know

by

August 31

Leave a comment on 10 Things About The Keto Diet You Don’t Know

Benefits, Keto Diet, Keto Flu, ketosis, Weight Loss, Wellness

, , , , , ,

People tend to be very skeptical when they hear about a diet that changes our metabolism in a way that makes our bodies burn fat instead of sugar for its energy. But the keto diet promises just that. It’s a type of low-carb dieting that has been trending in recent years. It’s trending, but it’s not a fad, it’s been in use for ~100 years. Maybe you’ve heard of it?

Conceptual B&W photograph "Really ?!?". Click to learn about getting a customized keto diet plan designed based on your activity level, food preferences, weight goals, and other personal criteria.

** This article contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products and services we can stand behind. Thank you very much for your support. **

Here’s our list of 10 things about the keto diet you don’t know:

1 – The keto diet was developed in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy, not for weight loss. Since its development, it has been used to treat other medical conditions like diabetes.

Related reading: 15 Health Conditions That May Benefit From a Ketogenic Diet

2 – The keto diet is an extremely low-carb diet compared to other low-carb diets. The keto diet works when your body is deprived of carbs to the point it will burn fat for its energy. To do that, the keto restricts your carbohydrate intake to just 50g per day. That’s less than virtually any other diet out there. For example, one cup of cooked brown rice has just under 50g of carbs.

Related reading: Measuring Your Macros: What 50 Grams Of Carbs Looks Like

3 – Most diets limit the amount of rich food you can eat. But the keto diet permits a wide variety of food. It allows you to eat fats, including those from meat and dairy products.Diagram of a keto diet food pyramid. Click to learn about getting a customized keto diet plan designed based on your activity level, food preferences, weight goals, and other personal criteria.

4 – Most fruits are forbidden on the keto diet because they have high amounts of carbohydrates. However, berries are acceptable on the diet because they have low sugar content.

5 – The majority of your calories come from fat while following keto. It’s important to eat only the healthy fats, not all fats.

6 – Keto Flu is a thing. It’s not really the flu but it’s a group of symptoms that may accompany The Flu. Keto flu is the side effect of starting the keto diet. It seldom lasts more than a week or so, and not everyone feels the keto flu.

Related reading: The Keto Flu: Symptoms, Causes, And Remedies

7 – The keto diet quite literally changes your body’s metabolism. It’s called “ketosis”.

Related reading: 10 Ways To Know You Are In Ketosis

8 – Dietary supplements may be needed with keto. Supplements can help your body adjust to the changes in metabolism brought about by ketosis. There’s a wide variety of helpful supplements available.

Related reading: What About Taking Supplements On The Keto Diet

9 – The ketosis can be taken too far. Ketosis can be harmful if you stay in a calorie deficient state and lose too much weight. It’s important to keep your doctor informed of your dietary decisions.

10 – It’s common for a person to lose 2 – 8 pounds when they first start the diet. But, as with any diet, the results vary a lot from person to person. Because it depends on their activity level, metabolism, health issues, and a plethora of other things.

Now that you’ve learned the 10 things about the keto diet you don’t know, you may be asking yourself…..

Will the keto diet work for you?

Even after touching on all of these facts, you may still be skeptical about the effectiveness of the keto diet. Many theories indicate the keto diet will:

  • Decrease you cravings
  • Increase your metabolism, thereby increasing the number of calories you burn
  • Boosts fat loss

Related reading: From Harvard School of Public Health, “Diet Review: Ketogenic Diet for Weight Loss”

 

Are you ready to start your Keto Diet? One way to get started with a Keto Diet is to have an 8-week “Custom Keto Diet Plan” created for you based on your height, weight, age, level of physical activity, and personal weight goals. Click the banner to learn more about your customized keto diet plan, or click here to go straight to your custom keto diet meal planner.

 Custom Keto Diet Banner - Click to get your own Custom Keto Diet Plan

Get your FREE eBook

Book cover image of the "Deliciously Easy Keto Recipes" eBook written by Rachel Roberts.

Get your FREE eBook, "Deliciously Easy Keto Recipes", delivered directly to your inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.
Photo of a pregnant couple with food at a table. Click to learn about getting a customized keto diet plan designed based on your activity level, food preferences, weight goals, and other personal criteria.

Ketosis And Pregnancy?

by

August 10

Leave a comment on Ketosis And Pregnancy?

Benefits, Keto Diet, Pregnancy

, , , , , ,

Photo of pregnant couple with food at a table. Click to learn about getting a customized keto diet plan designed based on your activity level, food preferences, weight goals, and other personal criteria.What about ketosis and pregnancy?

Photo of pregnant couple with food at a table. Click to learn about getting a customized keto diet plan designed based on your activity level, food preferences, weight goals, and other personal criteria.Photo of a pregnant couple with food at a table. Click to learn about getting a customized keto diet plan designed based on your activity level, food preferences, weight goals, and other personal criteria.It’s clear that the keto diet and the metabolic state of ketosis is safe for most adults. Keto is also known to have a lot of health benefits. But what about ketosis and pregnancy?

The question about ketosis being safe for pregnant woman and their unborn children is an important one to think about. This post will look into ketosis and pregnancy so you’ll be better informed.

** This article contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products and services we can stand behind. Thank you very much for your support. **

Ketosis and pregnancy

Obviously, a woman’s body goes through many changes during their pregnancy. Their awareness and their partner’s awareness concerning food choices increase while trying to conceive. So how does ketosis affect conception?

Conceiving in ketosis

Ketosis may be beneficial to conception. Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which can make conception difficult if not impossible, have been seen in studies to succeed with conception while following a keto diet. Because a well-planned keto diet is safe for the average person, it’s safe for a woman trying to conceive. This is especially so if she were eating the standard American diet or a high-carb diet.

Click to get your own Custom Keto Diet Plan
Is ketosis safe during pregnancy?

One of the prevailing misconceptions about ketosis while pregnant is that ketosis will lead to Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA is quite harmful but entirely different than nutritional ketosis that comes from the keto diet.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis vs. Nutritional Ketosis

  • DKA is a metabolic state found in diabetics that aren’t properly managing their diet or insulin. This results in unnaturally high levels of ketones along with blood sugar levels that are three times higher than normal, or more. Causing a dangerous amount of acid in their body. Ketoacidosis needs to be avoided by everyone, not just women who are pregnant.
  • Nutritional Ketosis is a naturally occurring state of metabolism where the person’s body is using fat instead of carbohydrates for its energy. In this state, there are very low levels of ketones and blood sugar levels are normal. The body also has a healthy acidity.

Sometimes these get confused with one another and if can cause professionals to think that nutritional ketosis has the same effect as Diabetic Ketoacidosis. This is especially so because DKA can be harmful to the development of the fetus’s brain. Because of this, there’s belief ketosis is harmful to the developing baby. But that’s inaccurate!

Now for some facts

Naturally occurring ketosis during pregnancy

Click to get your own Custom Keto Diet PlanThe majority of women who are pregnant suffer from morning sickness at the beginning of their pregnancy. Morning sickness brings nausea, reduced appetite, and aversions to some foods. Eat often becomes intermittent and in smaller amounts. Because of all of this, a pregnant woman is frequently, and temporarily, in and out of ketosis.

Let’s point out that ketosis is part of being human, naturally. For instance, the time between eating dinner and eating our first meal the next day is putting our bodies into a state of fasting. Even our first meal of the day is call breakfast… break the fast. And this happens to everyone, not just pregnant women.

Furthermore, pregnancy might be in favor of ketosis. Because according to the study, “Starvation in human pregnancy: hypoglycemia, hypoinsulinemia, and hyperketonemia”, ketone levels are about three times higher in pregnant women after an overnight fast than in non-pregnant women.

Late-stage pregnancy and ketosis

Ketosis often occurs naturally in late-stage pregnancies. Ketones are used by the baby before and just after birth produce essential fats in the brain during growth. Actually, researchers think the fetus may be making its own ketones. Possibly being the reason ketosis is so common during the third trimester.

Related reading: “Ketonuria in Pregnancy—With Special Reference to Calorie-restricted Food Intake in Obese Diabetics“

The metabolism of pregnant women changes to a catabolic state in late-stage pregnancy. The catabolic state is one of molecular breakdown, meaning ketosis is happening more frequently. Remember food aversions and nausea that many pregnant women experience alone will reduce the amount of food consumed, more easily entering ketosis.

Related reading: “What is a Catabolic State?“

Pregnancy with low-carbs

A low-carb diet is fine during pregnancy so long as enough nutrition is consumed. A balance of ketones and glucose is key for the fetus to grow. The important thing is to ensure normal blood sugar levels and the consumption of enough calories.


Click to get your own Custom Keto Diet Plan

Thing to consider

We know ketosis is safe and natural when done correctly. A woman goes through a lot of changes and there are extra things to consider during pregnancy. Regardless of being in ketosis or not, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Now is not the time for weight loss – The keto diet is a very effective way to lose weight. For most women, losing weight during pregnancy isn’t a good idea. It’s important to consume enough calories regardless of your diet. Proper nutrition is vital.

Eat whole foods – Proper nutrition is especially important for your growing baby. There are some foods with higher carbohydrates that are important to include in the pregnancy diet: fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes, occasionally dairy products.

Avoid added sugar, processed foods, and refined grains – Carbohydrate quality is important because it relates to nutrient-dense foods for both the mother and the growing baby.

Don’t fast intermittently – Even though there are a lot of benefits to intermittent fasting it’s not a good idea while pregnant. It’s more important to pay attention to your hunger cues and consume enough nutrition for growth.

In summary

It’s necessary to consider your diet during your pregnancy, don’t let fear-mongering and ignorance make you think the keto diet is harmful to pregnancy. Especially when you compare it to the diet most people are earring.

Are you ready to start your Keto Diet? One way to get started with a Keto Diet is to have an 8-week “Custom Keto Diet Plan” created for you based on your height, weight, age, level of physical activity, and personal weight goals. Click the banner to learn more about your customized keto diet plan, or click here to go straight to your custom keto diet meal planner.

 Click to get your own Custom Keto Diet Plan

Get your FREE eBook

Book cover image of the "Deliciously Easy Keto Recipes" eBook written by Rachel Roberts.

Get your FREE eBook, "Deliciously Easy Keto Recipes", delivered directly to your inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.
Photograph of a woman kickboxing with the words "Increase Energy" used to illustrate, " ". Click to learn about getting a customized keto diet plan designed based on your activity level, food preferences, weight goals, and other personal criteria.

What About Taking Supplements On The Keto Diet

by

May 11

Leave a comment on What About Taking Supplements On The Keto Diet

Benefits, Keto Diet, ketosis, Wellness

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Taking supplements on the keto diet will accelerate your journey to ketosis and supplement some of the nutrition that you might be missing from eating traditional foods.

Photograph of nutrition supplements with a garnish used to illustrate, "What About Taking Supplements On The Keto Diet". Click to learn about getting a customized keto diet plan designed based on your activity level, food preferences, weight goals, and other personal criteria. You have to understand what supplements can do for you In order to get the fastest results from your keto diet. While getting to the state of ketosis your body is changing from running on carbohydrates to converting your stored fat to ketones for its energy. A variety of supplements will help you with this transformation and continue to get the best results possible from your ketogenic diet.

A ketosis diet can provide you with all the necessary nutrients. The problem is, human nature doesn’t allow for you to follow such a strict diet flawlessly.

In this article, “What about taking supplements on the keto diet”, we’re going to discuss which supplements are the best to take and what they will do for you as well as some of the issues supplements can help you with.

This article contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you very much for your support.

Some issues supplements will help you get over while on a keto diet

The keto flu

Transitioning from a standard American diet to a ketosis diet can give you some flu-like symptoms. We call that the keto flu. The primary reason for the keto flu occurs as your body uses the remnants of the available glucose causing an excessive loss of water and electrolytes.

Related reading – The Keto Flu: Symptoms, Causes, And Remedies

Nutritional disparity

Because the keto diet restricts you to certain foods like fruits that are high in carbohydrates, your body may not be getting enough nutrition that would otherwise come from starchy fruits and vegetables. Using “greens” powders and tablets can supplement this.

Health and wellness goals

Supplements can help you achieve your health and wellness goals. For example, taking a daily tablespoon of MCT oil will ensure you get the good fats you need for achieving ketosis, thereby helping you lose weight.

Supplements can only help you reach your goals if you understand what each one does for you.

The best supplements to take on a keto diet

Not all supplements are created equally, some are a perfect pairing with a ketosis diet, others are not and should be avoided.

Vitamin D

When you are deficient in vitamin D while on the keto diet you might experience a feeling of weakness, reduced bone density, and a loss of muscle mass.

Living in a sunny place and exposing yourself to the sun can be enough. But a safer thing to do would be to take a daily fatty fish oil supplement. Krill tablets will do the trick! You can have a year’s supply of krill tablets for less than $20.

Here’s a snippet from Wikipedia explaining the synthesis of vitamin D from sunlight:

Adequate amounts of vitamin D can be produced with moderate sun exposure to the face, arms and legs (for those with the least melanin), averaging 5–30 minutes twice per week, or approximately 25% of the time for minimal sunburn.

MCT oil for energy

Photograph of a woman kickboxing with the words "Increase Energy" used to illustrate, "What About Taking Supplements On The Keto Diet". Click to learn about getting a customized keto diet plan designed based on your activity level, food preferences, weight goals, and other personal criteria.MCT is a kind of fat that gives your body energy practically immediately. It helps your body to make ketones very quickly. It also can put your body into ketosis in a very short time.

MCT helps to keep you in ketosis and burning fat without you worrying about dropping out of ketosis.

MCT can be found in butter, cheese, coconut oil, and yogurt. A very convenient way to get your dose of MCT is to use one of these coffee creamers with your morning joe, then you also get the benefits of the caffeine too.

Electrolytes

The important electrolytes are calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. All of these electrolytes are present in the keto diet. However, it’s difficult to get enough of them from your food alone.

Calcium

Calcium is found in dairy products. But dairy is limited with a keto diet. Calcium tablets are available. The common recommendation seems to be ~1000mg/day.

Magnesium

Magnesium is found in avocados, leafy greens like spinach, and some fish like mackerel. You can buy magnesium tablets and the daily dose of ~400mg should be enough.

Potassium

Potassium works to build protein and break down carbohydrates. It’s provided by avocados, mushrooms, fish like salmon.

Sodium

Sodium can be had from Himalayan Pink Salt, bone broth, and red meats. Don’t consume too much, three-fourths of a teaspoon should be enough.

Omega-3 fatty acids

The omega-3 fatty acid supplement is very powerful. Even people who aren’t eating a keto diet can benefit from it. The standard American diet includes too many omega-6 fatty acids and an insufficient amount of omega-3.

Because there isn’t enough omega-3 in our diets inflammation and other diseases develop. The omega-3 fish oils reduce the risk of heart disease and it’s a fatty acid that goes well with a keto diet. It’s found in anchovies, salmon, and sardines.

Here’s a good Wikipedia entry about omega-3 fatty acids.

Digestive enzymes

Digestive enzymes are helpful during your transition to a keto diet, preventing diarrhea and nausea.

Exogenous ketones

Like the digestive enzymes, exogenous ketones will help you transition to ketosis quickly. They also can provide you with a quick bump in energy.

Green powder

Green powder can provide you with the nutrients you’re missing from a lack of vegetables in your diet. Greens powders are made with broccoli, chlorella, kale, and spirulina extracts.

Consuming a keto diet can provide you with all the nutrients you require to stay healthy. But as human beings, we have trouble staying on track all the time. That’s why taking the supplements we’ve talked about here is important to staying in ketosis and not sacrificing our body’s nutritional needs.

Because we don’t stay on track very well, having a custom keto diet plan is extremely helpful. Maybe even vital. Take a minute and watch this video about having a customized keto diet plan based on your activity level, the foods you prefer, and your weight goal.

 

Word cloud of keto concepts and benefits to illustrate, "

Top 7 Benefits Of The Keto Diet

by

April 17

Leave a comment on Top 7 Benefits Of The Keto Diet

Benefits, Keto Diet

, ,

Word cloud of keto concepts and benefits to illustrate, "Top 7 Benefits Of The Keto Diet".The first thing you might think about when you first heard of the ketogenic diet is how can it be as good as people say it is? The short answer is that there are enough benefits to change your life!

What is a Keto diet?

The Keto, or ketogenic, diet is a diet of moderate amounts of protein, high in fat, and low in carbohydrates (carbs). The goal is to dial in your nutritional intake in a way that your body enters a metabolic state known as ketosis.

Ketosis happens when your body has depleted its stores of glycogen sugar used for fueling your energy needs. After the available sugar is consumed your body has to use its stored fats for energy. Our body’s fat is converted into ketones by the liver as a source of energy. This is the reason the Keto diet is such an efficient way to lose body fat.

Top 7 Benefits Of The Keto Diet

Unlike other diets, where the only benefit is weight loss, the Keto diet offers several additional benefits.

1 – Weight loss

There’s no doubt that weight loss is the main goal of a Keto diet. The diet works because it causes your body to use its fat reserves to fuel its metabolism. Let’s go a little deeper into the process.

When a person is deprived of carbohydrates they enter a condition known as ketosis. In ketosis, blood sugar and insulin levels decrease. When our bodies convert fat cells to energy the fat cells release quite a bit of water. The combination of using fat for energy and the accompanying water loss makes for some great weight loss.

The fat is then free to enter the bloodstream and then the liver turns it into ketones to energize the body. So long as you can stay in a caloric deficit you will reap the weight loss benefit of the Keto diet.

2 – Keto curbs your appetite

When your diet isn’t loaded with carbs you won’t have the craving for as much food as you did before. A lot of people who use the Keto diet often fast for much of the day, only eating at mealtimes. They just don’t feel as hungry as they used to.

3 – Greater ability to focus

The Standard American Diet loads you up with a lot of carbs. Our brains have to deal with the resulting rise and fall of blood sugar caused by all those carbs. It’s hard for our brains to focus when we have fluctuating energy levels. But on a Keto diet, our energy levels are more constant and consistent. That makes it easier for the brain to focus and to stay focused longer.

4 – Feeling more energetic

Your body is always on the verge of running out of energy on a regular diet. You have to eat continuously to refuel it. On a Keto diet, your body is tapping into its fat reserve which is nearly an unending source of energy. Then the body can keep its energy level constant all day long. Resulting in you feeling much more energetic!

5 – It can help diabetes

A person who has Type II Diabetes experiences high levels of insulin. Because the Keto diet removes excess sugar from your diet it can help to stabilize their HbA1c counts and may even reverse Type II diabetes.

6 – Keto improves your levels of good cholesterol

HDL cholesterol helps your body get rid of bad cholesterol. After you start a Keto diet your triglyceride level decreases and the levels of HDL cholesterol increase.

7 – Improves your blood pressure

Being on a Keto diet can lower your blood pressure. Many people on a Keto diet are able to decrease their high blood pressure medicine or stop taking it entirely.

A person’s life can change dramatically, and in a positive way, on a ketogenic diet. The Keto diet isn’t hard to start either. There are plenty of Keto recipe books. All you need is a willingness to give it a shot.

Why not request our FREE eBook “Deliciously Easy Keto Recipes” and learn more about the ketogenic diet?

Photograph of a woman's small waist in oversized pants to illustrate, "

Ketosis And Weight Loss (Fat Loss)

by

April 8

Leave a comment on Ketosis And Weight Loss (Fat Loss)

Benefits, Keto Diet, ketosis, Weight Loss

, ,

Over the years many diets have come and gone promising miraculous weight loss and an overall improvement in body composition and wellness. But at what cost and how many have actually worked?

Photograph of a woman's small waist in oversized pants to illustrate, "Ketosis And Weight Loss (Fat Loss)".Most diets are designed to keep its practitioner in a caloric deficit. Meaning to consume fewer calories than their body needs to work normally and maintain its weight.

Generally speaking, the average person needs about 2,000 calories a day to function normally and maintain weight. The usual diet is designed to restrict our calorie intake to about 80% of normal, or 1,600 calories per day. These diets concentrate just on calories instead of considering the macronutrients that different food provides.

Obviously, this method of dieting works for many people. The challenge is when we run up against plateaus in our weight loss journey. People have been experimenting, for a number of years now, with high-fat diets and their possible benefits regarding weight and fat loss.

How can a diet high in fat help you lose weight?

It’s not very intuitive, but a high-fat diet can help you lose weight by putting your body into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is very effective at burning body fat.

What is ketosis?

Under everyday circumstances, our bodies can draw upon various sources of energy as needed. The primary energy source is glucose which comes from the carbohydrates that we consume. But when glucose isn’t available our bodies look for other forms of energy, these are called ketones.

So ketosis is our body’s metabolic state when there isn’t enough glucose and we’re using ketones as our energy source.

Eating a high-fat, low-carb diet can put us into the state of ketosis. While we are in ketosis our bodies convert our fat stores into ketones for energy.

Achieving ketosis

Whenever we fast for a prolonged time our bodies will enter a state of ketosis. A lot of the experts think that runners will enter ketosis during a long run, especially so when carb cycling.

Other than fasting or exercising, we can enter ketosis by consuming very few calories. By limiting the number of calories we get from carbohydrate consumption to less than 15% of our caloric intake, our bodies will start taking energy for its stored fat instead of the restricted carbohydrates.

Can ketosis help with fat loss?

There are always instances when any diet won’t work. However, the Keto diet is known for effectively stimulating fat loss and consequently weight loss.

Some recent research has shown the keto diet improves the levels of triglycerides, LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol), blood sugar, and HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol). These effects are all beneficial to your overall health and well-being.

What are the downsides?

Nothing is perfect and diets aren’t any different. Even though we know low carb, high-fat diets are quite effective at getting rid of unwanted fat and weight they might be dangerous for people who have diabetes or a pre-existing heart condition. For that reason, you should talk to your primary health care provider before starting any diet that is a dramatic change from your normal diet.

Converting stored fat to usable energy for our bodies is much slower than readily convertible carbohydrates. So anyone on a Keto diet may find themselves lagging in high-energy activities like sports, cross fit, powerlifting, etc.

A balanced lifestyle is important

Long-term research hasn’t found any major negative health issues brought on from following a Keto diet. In fact, the opposite has been noted citing weight loss and weight control as well as internal health benefits.

Just remember, a balanced lifestyle is important no matter your diet. Don’t think just because you’re on a high fat diet you eat nothing but double bacon cheeseburgers without consequences. The Keto diet is intended to put your body in a state of ketosis by consuming whole foods, healthy oils, lean proteins, seeds, nuts, and plenty of dark leafy greens.

Undoubtedly, a healthy diet will lead to a healthy lifestyle including a healthy weight, more vitality, and deeper satisfaction with your life!