9 Interesting Facts About the Keto Diet
- SimplyyRaii
- Jul 17, 2019
- 3 min read
Everyone has been talking about or at least trying out the Keto Diet Lately! It is a fad, a craze, or an unrealistic expectation diet? I've done a lot of investigating into what it is and the misconceptions behind it. I present to you below, some interesting facts about the KETO diet!
1. The Keto diet triggers a biological process that burns fat
Ketosis is a metabolic state your body enters when switching from burning carbs for fuel to burning fat for fuel. Most carbs are converted into glucose (simple sugar) by the body, which is the body’s primary fuel source. When carbs are eliminated from the diet, the body burns stored fat instead, to provide glucose from triglycerides. This results in ketone production, an acid that builds up in the blood and is eliminated by urine. A minimal amount of ketones in the blood is perfectly safe, but high levels can lead to a dangerous condition called ketoacidosis.
2. The Keto Flu is real…but you can avoid it
The "Keto Flu", is a real thing! Basically this is how you know your body is going into the ketosis state. In first week of practicing the Keto diet, you may experience drowsiness, dizziness, intense sugar and carb cravings, difficulty focusing, nausea, difficulty getting to sleep, and general irritability. Drink lots of water (and some salt water to manage electrolyte loss) to combat these short-lived sensations as your body is transitioning to the Keto diet.
3. Many Keto-adherents practice “intermittent fasting”
Intermittent fasting (aka cutting out any calorie consumption for specific windows of time) can amplify the impacts of the keto diet. For example, someone might finish eating at 8pm and not have another meal until 10am the following day, fasting for 14 hours. This fasting can aid dieters that are trying to move into the state of ketosis.
4. A day on the Keto diet doesn’t even really sound like dieting
This is what a day could like on the Keto diet once you've adjusted.
Breakfast: Coffee with a pat of grass-fed butter. 2 Eggs cooked in grass-fed butter with a side of bacon, a few slices of avocado.
Snacks: A handful of mixed nuts, full-fat string cheese or Greek yogurt, a couple of squares of 88% dark chocolate.
Lunch: A large salad topped with nuts, seeds, avocado, hard-boiled egg and dressed with avocado oil-based dressing.
Dinner: Slow cooker pulled pork and coleslaw dressed with avocado mayonnaise.
5. Many foods conventionally considered as healthy are banned on the Keto diet
Starchy and high sugar vegetables, most fruits (except for small amounts of berries) and whole grains are not suggested on the keto diet. On the contrary, while many would consider a high-fat diet unhealthy, healthy fats are the staple of the ketogenic diet.
6. You might experience increased energy and brainpower
In addition to weight loss, many people are on the Keto diet for the potential benefits of increased energy and brainpower. Here is a short list of benefits I've experienced on the diet. I have lost about 50+ pounds which wound up being quite a bit on my 5’5” frame, 8 dress sizes (14 to 6), cured myself of my chronic migraines, lowered my LDL cholesterol, balanced my hormones, improved my sleep, gained sustainable energy…and this was all within the first year with exercise. Not everyone enjoys exercise, but I did it to tone up.
7. You can use a urine test to check if you’re in ketosis
Because ketone bodies, the byproduct of ketosis, are eliminated through urine, you can use in-home testing strips to test if you’re in the state of ketosis. Keto test strips are sold on Amazon HERE.
8. The Keto diet was originally developed by doctors to treat seizures in children
The Keto diet was originally developed in the 20’s by physicians as a treatment for childhood epilepsy, as the ketogenic diet mimics the effects fasting has on the body (fasting has been used to treat epilepsy since 500BC).
9.You need to cook to follow the keto diet
Like many other whole food diets, Keto requires a decent amount of prep to meet the required macros every-day. It used to be difficult to find snacks for your everyday cravings. Now a days, many companies are adapting to provide end users keto friendly snacks. Check out Atkins snacks, Quest Brand, and Whips Brand.
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