What is the keto diet?

Answer 1

Sounds a little like a 4:00 AM infomercial type of diet, doesn’t it?

But that’s the promise of the Ketogenic Diet (keto) diet and the reason it’s hot, hot, hot.

Depending on who you ask, keto is either the best diet ever or a dangerous fraud.

Keto is a high fat, moderate protein and low carb diet. You’re going to be eating a boat load of fat while nearly eliminating carbs from your diet. That means skipping pasta, bread, Pizza and beer. Instead you’ll eat nuts, avocados, pork rinds and full fat cheese.

The only real difference between keto and Atkins or other low carb diets is protein consumption. Protein consumption is much more limited in keto.

I’ll cut through the hype to explain what you need to know so you can make an informed decision. (Teaser alert: the truth lies somewhere between the extreme positions. And there are different strokes for different folks. Your personality type and ability to stick with a very restricted diet should play a huge role in your decision.)

Before we dive into the #sciencey stuff and cautions, let’s get to the good stuff.

THE GOOD PART: THE BENEFITS OF KETO

The Ketogenic Diet has some pretty sweet benefits, including putting a high priority on bacon consumption. Beyond that, there’s:

Weight Loss – As explained below, keto uses your body fat for energy, helping you lose weight. Fat burning becomes your primary fuel source. Your insulin levels drop which helps prevent fat storage.

Blood Sugar – With a lack of sugar in your system, studies even show that keto is a more effective than low calorie diets in preventing Diabetes. If you’re pre-diabetic or have Type II diabetes, consult your doctor about the wisdom of adopting a Ketogenic Diet.

Insulin Resistance – Insulin resistance can lead to type II diabetes if left unmanaged. If you go low carb, your body can become more insulin sensitive.

Ninja Focus – There’s no denying mental focus is a big draw for keto, ranking right behind fat loss. By limiting the up and downs of insulin spikes with a carb diet, you’ll be able to improve focus and concentration.

Increase Energy and Normalize Hunger – By giving your body a more consistent energy sources, you’ll avoid the dips after the insulin spike. On top of that, fat is naturally more satisfying and ends up leaving you in a full state for longer.

Epilepsy – This is the reason the Ketogenic Diet came into existence. It is still one of the most widely used therapies for people who have medicine-resistent epilepsy.

Cholesterol and Blood Pressure – A ketogenic diet has shown to improve triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels most associated with arterial buildup despite the high fat. Low-carb, high-fat diets show a dramatic increase in HDL (good cholesterol) and decrease in LDL (bad cholesterol) particle concentration compared to low-fat diets..

Acne – It’s common to see improvements in your skin when you switch to a ketogenic diet.

THE BAD PART: SIDE EFFECTS OF KETO

When introducing something new to your body, there are always side effects. The big thing to ask yourself is Are the benefit orders of magnitude better than the side effects?

For example, if you were to take a medicine for a social anxiety and a side effect was loss of bladder control, I might opt to keep thinking people are judging me rather than fear peeing in my pants at free random.

Thankfully, loss of bladder control and leakage aren’t on the table with the Ketogenic diet. I’ve also sprinkled in some remedies to mitigate the downside. You’re welcome..

Keto flu – ask anyone that has tried a low carb diet they’ll tell you the struggle is real. The first 2-3 days are a rough.

The most common symptoms:

Headache Fatigue Dizziness Nausea Irritability

As you get further into ketosis these subside, within a week you’ll be fine.

Now the Keto marketers in the group will tell you that the Keto flu is your body detoxing from the harmful effects of carbs or ridding your body of toxic sludge.

When you go low carb, you end up pissing all those out, much like you would after a good night of drinking.

Notice the symptoms are the same as a hangover?

Once your body adapts to the new environment you’re aces. Or if you want to make a smoother transition into ketosis, increase salt intake by drinking a cup of bouillon or chicken broth a couple times a day.

If that doesn’t sound appetizing, just add extra salt your food or water.

Within just a couple days of cutting out carbs, the body will increase ketone concentrations and the brain will begin making the switch. From beginning to full ketosis is about a four week process, provided it’s done consistently.

If you’ve gotten this far I guess you’re interested. You still have a lot of questions? There is a really good resource on keto diet and recipes you can check out.

Answer 2

A keto diet is well known for being a low carb diet, where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy.

( You can get a personalized keto diet plan via the link here: cutt.us/ketoplan)

Low-carb, high-fat diets show a dramatic increase in HDL and a decrease in LDL particle concentration compared to low-fat diets.3A study in the long-term effects of a ketogenic diet shows a significant reduction in cholesterol levels, body weight, and blood glucose.

Another study that shows a probable connection between high-carb eating and increased acne, so it’s likely that keto can help.

If you’re interested in starting a ketogenic diet for your skin, consider reading the article on keto and acne >

Fat is the primary source of energy on keto – so make sure you’re feeding your body enough of it.

If for some reason you need to put on body fat you can achieve your goals through different types of a Ketogenic Diet.

( You can get a personalized keto diet plan via the link here: cutt.us/ketoplan)

People sometimes get keto confused with high fat, high carb diets which are terrible for the body.

Keto flu is a very common experience for people new to a ketogenic diet, but it often goes away after just a few days – and there are ways to minimize or even eliminate it.

After increasing water intake and replacing electrolytes, it should relieve most all symptoms of Keto Flu. For an average person that is starting a ketogenic diet, eating 20-30g of net carbs a day, the entire adaptation process will take about 4-5 days.

( You can get a personalized keto diet plan via the link here: cutt.us/ketoplan)

You may see some limitations on your performance when you first begin a keto diet, but it’s usually just from your body adapting to using fat.

If you’re experiencing hair loss within five months of starting a ketogenic diet, it’s most likely temporary.

Loss in water weight is common when you first start a low carb diet.

The first thing people typically recommend is re-tracking your macros to make sure you’ve been on track, making sure you’re drinking enough water and supplementing electrolytes, and reducing the amount of dairy being used.

Aside from the broad guidelines stated above, there are no real “rules” so long as you’re low carb, moderate protein and getting the rest of your calories from fat.

Many people find they stick to keto or a low-carb diet because it makes them feel better.

Overall, eating a high amount of fat, moderate protein, and a low amount of carbs can have a massive impact on your health – lowering your cholesterol, body weight, blood sugar, and raising your energy and mood levels.