5 Ways Your Health Can Benefit From the Ketogenic Diet

You’ve probably heard plenty about the keto diet, but do you know what the potential benefits are? The basic idea of the ketogenic diet is to get your body into ketosis (burning fat for energy instead of glucose). When this is achieved, lots of health benefits can start to occur and many of these are backed by science. Here are just 5 of the things that can happen when you start eating keto!

Healthy and sustainable weight loss

According to studies, people feel fuller and consume fewer calories when they’re eating a high fat, low carb keto diet. If you’re looking to lose belly fat in particular, low carb diets work really well for this.

The main reason for this is ketosis. When your body reaches this state, your blood sugar and insulin levels go down. If you’ve been holding onto any excess water, it’s likely that this will be released straight away. The initial weight you lose on the keto diet is often linked to this.

Beyond this, you’re training your body to use fat (and not glucose) for energy and to burn its fat stores as part of this. The end result? Instead of gaining extra weight, you’re much more likely to lose it and keep it off.

Most people find that they have far fewer cravings when they eat keto. A huge amount of this is because you’re just not hungry for snacks, as you’re eating plenty of fat and subbing out most of the carbs that are linked to unhealthy snacking. This is where eating keto has a big advantage over most other eating plans as it’s much more sustainable than the average “diet” and doesn’t massively restrict calorie intake.

More energy

In the early days, some people experience a type of fatigue known as “keto flu”. Even though it feels like the flu, don’t worry, you’re not contagious! You can be feeling super tired, achy, and maybe even have a few sniffles, but once you settle into eating keto, most people notice that they have a lot more energy than before.

Moving away from sugar highs and the crashes that follow afterwards are a big part of this. One of the big benefits of the keto diet is stable energy levels, which don’t fluctuate throughout the day. This means that your energy levels can stay constant and don’t spike or crash.

Heart disease risk markers can decrease

Have you heard of triglycerides? They’re fat molecules that are found in your bloodstream and they can be a risk factor for heart disease. Carbs can be a big culprit, especially if you’re not very active. Cutting back on carbs often leads to a big reduction in blood triglycerides whereas low fat diets can make them increase.

Cholesterol is another area that can improve on a low carb diet. Studies have suggested that you can increase your “good” HDL cholesterol by eating more fats. And guess what? You’ll consume plenty of these on the keto diet! There’s another factor involved here and this relates to the size of “bad” LDL cholesterol particles. Having bigger particles can mean a lower risk of heart attacks and this is more likely to be the case on a low carb diet.

Other research has also found that a keto diet can improve metabolic syndrome. This is a cluster of symptoms such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides that can make you more likely to develop cardiovascular problems and diabetes in the future.

In short, low carb diets can be a game changer in keeping you healthy and improving heart health in particular!

Better Cognition

When you’re eating a lot of carbs, your blood sugar will be going up and down throughout the day. This makes it hard for your brain to focus well and it can have other cognitive effects too.

Take those carbs out of the equation and your body has a much more stable source of energy. It also paves the way for a clearer mind. If you’ve been struggling with “brain fog”, it could be down to your carb consumption.

Eating keto gets rid of carb related “brain fog” and can make you feel sharper and more focused. Mental clarity, memory, learning and recall are just a few of the cognitive functions that can improve on a keto-style diet.

Studies on rats have shown great promise for this and the results have extended to humans too. One study found that a keto diet can improve mild cognitive impairment, for example.

Treating Migraines

If you suffer from debilitating migraines, eating keto could be life changing. Several studies have found that it can improve symptoms and make you less dependent on pain relief. According to a study published in the Journal of Headache Pain, a keto diet is recommended for helping to prevent migraines. It’s thought that encouraging the body to get into ketosis reduces neural inflammation and that this has an impact on how many migraines develop.

Want to start keto?

If you are ready to get started on a ketogenic diet and reap the benefits, join me! I have put together a 6 week program, KickAss Keto, that gives you all the tools and information you need to be successful: 6 weeks of menu plans and grocery lists, exercise manual, sweetener options, understanding the keto flu, keto swaps and substitutes, testing your ketones, and 12 educational videos!
Learn More or Enrol Now!

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17228046. The effects of a low-carbohydrate diet and a low-fat diet on mood, hunger, and other self-reported symptoms.
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1262445. Induction of hypertriglyceridemia by a low-fat diet.
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1386252. Effect of dietary fatty acids on serum lipids and lipoproteins. A meta-analysis of 27 trials.
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16424116. Carbohydrate restriction alters lipoprotein metabolism by modifying VLDL, LDL, and HDL subfraction distribution and size in overweight men.
5. https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-2-31. Carbohydrate restriction improves the features of Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome may be defined by the response to carbohydrate restriction
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21130529. Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment.
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3620251/ Short term improvement of migraine headaches during ketogenic diet: a prospective observational study in a dietician clinical setting.

What Is The KickAss Keto Diet Program All About?

The ketogenic diet has become hugely popular over the last few years but there’s still a lot of confusion around what it involves. It’s one of the more well-known low carb lifestyles but it is quite different to the Atkins diet and many other diets that restrict carbs. As a naturopathic doctor, I add a little spin to it as well, trying to keep it anti-inflammatory!

So here’s what you need to know about eating a healthy keto lifestyle and what’s involved.

Benefits of a Low Carb or Keto Diet

Low carb diets have numerous benefits, including:
• Balanced blood sugar and insulin levels
• Hormone production and rebalancing
• Increased fat loss
• Reduced Triglycerides
• Increased your levels of HDL (the good cholesterol)
• You’ll be able to go hours without eating because your body will tap into its own body fat for energy
• Blood pressure will naturally go down
• Improved brain health and increased protection against dementia and other disorders
• Improved memory and clear brain fog
• Improved digestion
• Has been shown to slow cancer and tumor growth
• Increased energy levels
• Better fertility
• Help you achieve higher quality and longer restorative sleep
• Decreased anxiety and mood swings
• Reduced cravings & appetite
• Skin improvements
• Even possibly increased lifespan

So what is ketosis?

In a nutshell, ketosis is a fat-burning state that your body enters into when it has to burn fat for energy (instead of glucose).

To fully understand what ketosis means, let’s talk briefly about how your body normally burns energy and how that changes on the keto diet.

If glucose (sugar) is readily available in the body, it will automatically be used up first. Once this starts to happen, insulin is produced to help the process along. Because fats aren’t needed for energy, they are stored by your body instead.

With a ketogenic diet, this all changes. Because glucose isn’t the main source of energy for your body, fat is. So, your body has to turn to fats instead. When the liver starts to break down fat, it produces three types of ketones. The ketones enter our cells to be burned for energy. This is the state of ketosis. It’s the same state that your body enters if you’re fasting but it’s a lot easier to maintain in the longer term.

Eating keto is all about getting your body into ketosis. Once you’re in ketosis, your body burns ketones more efficiently than it would burn glucose, so you have more energy. Mental clarity improves. The body won’t store fats in the same way either: excess fat is a lot easier to burn off and weight loss is an inevitable result of this. So being in ketosis just means you are burning fat!

How do you encourage ketosis?

Most weight loss plans are restrictive in terms of calories, but this isn’t the case with the keto diet. Instead, ketosis is encouraged by limiting how many grams of carbohydrates and protein you eat and increasing the amount of fats in your diet. These three nutrients are known as “macros”.
This ketogenic nutrition plan is composed of the macronutrients fat, protein, and carbohydrates. The ketogenic diet is generally 60-80% fat, 10-30% protein and 5-10% carbohydrates. The variance in the ranges depends upon how active the individual is and how carbohydrate and protein sensitive they are.

Carb intake: It’s generally recommended that you stay below 35-50g for total carbs and 20g for net carbs. Net carbs can cause some confusion, but this just refers to the amount of carbs you’re left with when you subtract the fiber intake from the carb intake. For example, If you eat something that has 15g of carbs and 5g of fiber, the net carb amount is 10g. Eating less carbohydrate makes it easier for your body to get into ketosis, which is why the lower limit is often recommended most. Starchy foods are a big no-no so pasta, rice, bread and potato is best avoided, along with anything that contains lots of sugar. Sweeteners are okay as long as they’re keto friendly, like stevia and erythritol.

Protein intake: Protein is also restricted on the keto diet as it can raise blood sugar levels if it’s eaten in excess. The exact amount you should eat is usually based on your body weight. Experts generally recommend eating 0.6-0.8g of protein per kilogram of lean body mass, especially if weight loss is your main keto goal.

Fat intake: Fat is the big source of energy when you’re eating keto. This is one diet where you definitely don’t need to worry about how much fat you’re consuming! The bulk of your calories are going to come from fats.

Drinking water is super important when you go keto. This is for hydration and to help you to feel fuller. Tea and coffee are also acceptable keto drinks. Just don’t add any sugar to your cups! If you like sweet hot drinks, add keto sweeteners instead.

What does ketosis do to your body?

For most of us, our bodies are very used to breaking down carbs for energy and have a whole host of enzymes to help with this. When you go keto, your body is forced to switch focus and increase the enzymes to help it to break down fat instead.

In the meantime, your body will use up the glucose that’s still there and take glycogen from your muscles. This is why a lot of people find themselves feeling groggy and tired when they first go keto. It actually has a name … keto flu! Don’t worry though, this is just a temporary state. Upping your water intake and replacing electrolytes can help to reduce the effects.

Is it safe for everyone?

Most healthy people should do fine with keto eating but it’s worth checking with your doctor first if you’re on medication (especially for diabetes or high blood pressure), if you have any existing health conditions or you’re breastfeeding.

Want to start keto?

If you are ready to get started on a ketogenic diet and reap the benefits, join me! I have put together a 6 week program, KickAss Keto, that gives you all the tools and information you need to be successful: 6 weeks of menu plans and grocery lists, exercise manual, sweetener options, understanding the keto flu, keto swaps and substitutes, testing your ketones, and 12 educational videos!

Learn More & Enrol