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.
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.
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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
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.
