Keto has gotten a ton of buzz in the last few years. Many people thought it was a fad that would die out but as time goes by more people are realizing how powerful it truly can be. In this post we’ll go over 10 massive benefits of ketosis.
Keto diet explained: What is Keto?
The ketogenic diet was originally developed in 1921 as a therapeutic way to help treat children with epilepsy. Along with treating epilepsy, it was found to be a powerful weight-loss tool. It works by depleting the body’s stores of glycogen to the point where the liver starts producing ketones. A state called ketosis, more on this later.
How many carbs can I have?
There are many ways to customize the diet. Ultimately, most of your calories come from fat (50% to 75%). Next, protein (20% to 45%) and carbs (5%). For the best results, your carbs should be under 20 grams per day. Here’s a helpful keto diet calculator tool.
Benefits:
- Fat Loss
When the body goes into ketosis it converts fat stores into ketones. Burning fat for fuel instead of sugar. We call it being “Fat-adapted” and it leads to a slimmer figure over time, often very quickly.
- Reduce inflammation
The keto diet reduces inflammation by improving the quality of food we ingest. So many foods we normally eat are hard for the body to process. Things like gluten, sugar, and hyper-processed foods get replaced with anti-inflammatory, high-nutrient eggs, olive oil, avocados, and broccoli. Ketones activate specific genes that reduce oxidative stress. Due to this, it’s being looked at as a possible treatment for Alzheimer’s. Incredibly, it brings down inflammation all over the body from the digestive tract to the brain.
- Reduce appetite
Many people have trouble losing weight due to appetite. Ketones naturally help you feel satiated for longer. To produce ketones, your body has to borrow fat from your reserves(aka belly fat). If you have large fat stores, your body feeds on this and reduces the hunger signal.
- Improved mental function
Ketones are a cleaner energy for your brain, clearing up “brain fog” caused by sugar. The brain loves ketones. When your body runs on sugar there are spikes followed by massive lulls. Since your blood sugar stays stabilized on keto, your mental cognition remains elevated longer.
- More Energy
Ever noticed that low that happens in the middle of the day? Or how you get sleepy after lunch? This is because the carbs we eat, from sugar or bread, get used then run out. That midday crash hits hard. When the body uses fat for fuel, energy levels stabilize throughout the day keeping you more alert and productive. Note on keto diet explained – One complaint is trouble falling asleep because of the extra energy. Try meditation or melatonin to help your body rest at night.
- Increased insulin sensitivity
Your insulin sensitivity is the blood cells ability to absorb the glucose in the bloodstream. As the body switches to ketones it also lowers the insulin response. As you lose weight insulin resistance goes down and your body can go back to a better homeostatic state. Therefore, a keto diet benefits diabetes.
- Reduce Anxiety
Anxiety and inflammation are linked. Your body clears out the inflammation from the poor diets we’re accustomed to and starts to heal. It gets a chance to relax. Your brain-gut link sends happy signals to your brain. It creates an upward spiral of good emotions. Note – as you lose weight and feel more energy you’ll be more confident as a bonus!
- Improved gut microbiome
A healthy gut impacts almost every system in your body, as it is intricately connected with your immune system. Since it reduces inflammation all around the body and lowers sugar coming in, you have a natural healing way to improve gut health. Add in intermittent fasting, you’ll see massive improvements in no time.
- Potentially help seizures
Originally developed as a treatment for seizures, ask your doctor if it’s right for you or your family. According to this study by Frontiers in Neuroscience the Keto diet should be considered as an alternative to surgery, having shown many promising results since its development, though more studies are needed for verification.
- Increased metabolic rate
One study done by Biomed Central found that the resting metabolic rate of those on a ketogenic diet was increased. That means, the body is burning more calories in a rested state. As the body loses weight this improves over time creating a positive shift in many aspects of your life.
Keto diet explained: To wrap it up…
The Keto diet is more than just a fad. Many people claim they can’t do ketosis long term, but it must not be viewed as a temporary diet but a complete lifestyle change. Choose healthy, whole foods and organic grass-fed meat because your body is your only vehicle through life and you need to put premium fuel in it. Let’s stop loading ourselves up with sugar, that is short-lived and destroys our body over time. We all know it. Let’s break the addiction to low-quality, quick meals without any nutrients. Let’s make a change for the better and reimagine the way we eat. Thanks, have a great day.