Losing weight it’s a constant struggle for a lot of people. Among the many diets on the market and the most popular dietary programs that may effectively help you manage your weight and also certain conditions, the keto diet is becoming more and more popular.
Ketogenic, also known as the Keto Diet, is a low carbohydrate diet where almost all calories come from protein and healthy fats instead of the usual carbs.
The Keto Diet is not just for those who want to lose weight but it can also help those with cardiovascular diseases, epilepsy and even those with serious skin issues such as acne.
But, as with any other diet, it’s important to consult your doctor and be informed on what you can expect once you’re on this diet.
For example, once you start with your keto diet, you will experience the following symptoms:
1. Keto Flu
Your body will undergo certain changes once you’re body starts to withdrawal from carbs intake.
It will go from burning glucose to burning fats, which will result in having the keto flu. Most people experience nausea along with feelings of irritability, dizziness, and headaches.
Can you avoid having keto flu?
Definitely!
Once you have finally decided this is the best diet program for you, take it slowly by having a low-carb diet first instead of jumping into the keto diet right away. Stay hydrated and eat healthy fats.
2. Weight Loss
Depriving the body of carbs leads to losing weight. This actually holds true for most low carbs diet.
Imagine going from a regular carb diet to having zero carbs a day. It’s quite a shock if you don’t do it gradually.
The body goes through the metabolic state of ketosis. As a result, the body uses protein and fats as the main source of fuel and the ketones are produced in the liver which leads to weight loss.
3. Mental Clarity
Once you start with the keto diet and your body enters the ketosis state, your body will produce a good amount of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) which will act as a neurotransmitter in your brain.
This will result in relieving pain, reducing stress, anxiety and eventually it will help to achieve mental clarity.
On top of improving mental clarity, the keto diet also has other brain benefits, which include:
- Adults who are at risk of having Alzheimer’s disease see improvement in memory
- Improved function of the brain
- Provides relief for those who have been constantly suffering from migraines
4. More Energy
When you eat carbs, these are converted into sugar -also known as glucose- eventually giving your body the energy boost it needs.
While this happens, your body first needs insulin in order to move the sugar molecules from the blood to your body cells. This process alone will require a lot of body energy.
As a result of the keto diet, your body will now rely on fat storage for energy instead of energy-consuming and draining carbs. You can avoid spiking your sugar blood levels at the same time your body enjoys a constant stream of energy.
5. Appetite Reduction
One of the most challenging things for people who want to lose weight is managing their appetite, which to be honest is why I love the keto diet. It totally curbs my appetite!
As a result of ketones suppressing ghrelin, the so-called “hunger hormones”, the body experiences an increase of cholecystokinin which will make your body feel full.
Appetite reduction enables you to go long periods without craving for food.
6. A Good Amount Of Fat Comes From Your Abdominal Cavity
When you’re doing the keto diet, your body has to rely on healthy fats instead of carbs. This switch in the body’s systems is what explains why people who follow the ketogenic diet lose more – especially more visceral fat – than people doing a low-fat diet.
By having a low-carb diet, the insulin level is decreased which then leads to a rapid weight loss in just a matter of the first to two weeks.
7. Triglycerides Tend To Drop
In addition to losing body weight as well as body mass, one of the most beneficial effects of a ketogenic diet is that it also reduces the level of triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood.
With just your regular carb intake, your triglycerides levels increase as the body makes use of those carbs for energy. High triglycerides increase the risk of having heart disease.
8. Reduces Your Insulin and Sugar levels
Keto diet means you are moving away from food groups that have a high content of sugar. Due to this, these foods also have a very high content of starches, which results in being converted to glucose or sugar molecules.
As you focus your diet on more protein-based foods and healthier fats, the body will experience a more steady blood sugar level and there will be a reduction in insulin levels.
9. May Lower Blood Pressure
The ketogenic diet has a significant impact on blood pressure. When a person is overweight, high blood pressure is fairly common, which is not good health-wise.
Once you start your keto diet, you will experience rapid weight loss, low insulin levels, a reduction in your appetite and on top of all of that, the ketogenic diet also reduces blood pressure.
If you happen to be on a keto diet already and your blood pressure increases, there might be a few things happening within your body.
The most common reason as to why this is happening is that your body is adapting to this new diet. It might result in an increase in stress, which can result in higher blood pressure. It can also be simply genetics as a result of high sodium intake.
10. Improves Bad Cholesterol
When people have a low carb intake, the body produces fewer triglycerides which are responsible for increasing HDL cholesterol levels or also known as the good cholesterol.
However, for some people following a keto diet, they may experience an increase in LDL cholesterol which is the bad cholesterol.
And that’s why this diet – like any other diet – is not 100% appropriate for everyone.
Prior to deciding whether the keto diet is indeed for you, you need to talk to your doctor and discuss which diet options are suitable for you.
While the Keto diet has a lot of benefits, especially when it comes to weight loss and management of certain health conditions, one should consider the cons.
Ultimately, every person is different and there’s no one-size-fits-all diet. For this reason, one must consult with a doctor before starting any diet program.
