The Advantages Of The Keto Diet

1. Introduction
   Most people want to live long and health lives. Eating the right kind of food is a big part of this. But it isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Which foods are healthy? The advice of professionals and government changes almost daily. The food industry markets their products as healthy, to later find out that it was just a marketing strategy. This combined with all the celebrity diet, doctors who advice certain diets, which haven’t been tested yet, no one really knows what works or not.
   Make it almost impossible to make the right choices.

The world of food is becoming more and more complex, while more and more people try and pay eat attention to there eating habits. Most of us are aware that to live healthier, means feeling better, living longer and having fewer health problems.

So why is it so difficult to find the right diet? With the right ingredients?

Let’s talk about the Keto diet. This is a well know diet, which has helped many people lose weight and live healthier lives. It’s a low carb diet, where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy.

1. How does it work?

Glucose
Glucose is a monosaccharide, a simple carbohydrate molecule that is the most important fuel in the metabolism of many organisms.

Glucose is absorbed directly from the small intestine through the blood. The glucose in the blood comes from mainly starch, which has been broken down by enzymes earlier, in the digestive tract. After transport through the bloodstream, glucose from the blood is absorbed into the cells of the various tissues. Glucose is the easiest molecule for the body to convert into energy. The body will choose it over any other source of energy.

Insulin
Insulin regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates (processing of insulin), fats and protein by promoting the absorption of glucose from the blood, into liver, fat and skeletal muscle cells.
It is an anabolic hormone that promotes the conversion of small molecules, which reside in the blood stream, into larger molecules inside cells.

The beta cells are sensitive to glucose levels, also known as blood sugar. When the glucose levels are high, the beta cells produce insulin into the blood stream. When glucose levels are low the production of insulin is inhibited.

In short
Our bodies metabolise carbs converting them into the bloodstream as glucose. Which activates the beta cells to start producing, insulin. Which, we need to absorb the glucose from our blood into our organs and cells.

Eating Carbs
When you eat products that have a high carbo-load the body will need to produce glucose and insulin to process these carbs. Glucose is the bodies main source of energy. Since the glucose is being used as a primary energy, your fats are not needed and are therefore stored.

Typically on a normal, higher carbohydrate diet, the body will use glucose as the main form of energy. By lowering the intake of carbs, the body is induced into a state known as ketosis.

Ketosis
Ketosis is a natural process that body initiates to help us survive when food intake is scarce. During this state, we produce ketones, which are produced from the body breakdown fats in the liver. The end goal of a properly maintained keto diet is to force your body into this metabolic state. We don’t do this through starvation of calories but starvation of carbohydrates.

1. Keto diet
   Our bodies are incredibly adaptive, the moment you change the input, the body will automatically change the metabolic process. With the Keto diet, you change the input from carbs to fat. The body quickly adjust to and starts to burn fat instead of carbs. Making the main source of energy, ketone. Which results in weight loss, physical and mental performance benefits.

2. Benefits
   There are numerous benefits when going on a Keto diet. From weight loss, to increased energy levels, to therapeutic medical applications. The best thing about the Keto diet, it’s proven to be a safe way of losing weight. No harm will come to your body, if you try this diet. The second best part, you don’t have to deal with the feeling of hunger, you can eat so much that you won’t even notice you are on a diet.

Weight Loss
The Keto diet uses your own body fat as an energy source. Therefor, you start burning fat instead of glucose, which makes your insulin levels drop. Which makes your body burn more fat. Considering your reserves are mainly fat, it’s obvious, that when the body starts to burn fat, it also starts burning the fat recourses. Resulting in weight loss because you lose the reserves, which are the main reason for those extra kilos.

TIP: Many people incorporate MCT Oil into their diet (it increases ketone production and fat loss) by drinking ketoproof coffee in the morning.

Scientifically, the Keto diet shows better results when compared to low-fat and high-carb diets; even in the long term.

No hunger
For most people, hunger is the single worst feeling when on a diet.
It’s a horrible side effect of dieting and makes it almost impossible to keep to your diet. Because when a person is hunger, everything seems that much more appetizing. It’s really one of the main reasons why many people feel miserable and eventually give up on their diets.

That’s why the best things about the keto diet is that low-carb intake leads to an automatic reduction in appetite. Studies consistently show that when people cut carbs and eat more protein and fat, they end up eating much fewer calories.
In fact, when researchers are comparing low-carb and low-fat diets in studies, they need to actively restrict calories in the low-fat groups to make the results comparable.

Control Blood Sugar
The Keto diet let’s you naturally lower your blood sugar levels due to the type of foods you eat. Studies even show that the Keto diet is a more effective way to manage and prevent diabetes compared to any other low-calorie diets.
If you’re pre-diabetic or have Type II diabetes, you should seriously consider a Keto diet.

Mental Focus
Many people that take part in a Keto diet specifically do this to the increased mental performance. This because Ketones are a great source of fuel for the brain. When you lower your carb intake, you avoid the deep highs and lows in your blood sugar spiral. When your blood sugar levels remain on a even level, this can result in many benefit like improved focus, higher productivity etc.

Studies have shown that an increased intake of fatty acids can impact the benefits to our brain’s function.

Increased Energy
By using fat as a energy source, you will be giving your body a better and more reliable source of energy. This will result in feeling more energized during the day, but also having more energy to spare. The funny things is, even though the body prefers glucose as fuel, fat is the most effective molecule to burn as fuel.

Epilepsy
The keto diet has been around for a long time, in the early 1900’s it was used to treat epilepsy successfully. It is still one of the most widely used therapies for children who have uncontrolled epilepsy. One of the main benefits of the Keto diet as a treatment for epilepsy is that it allows for fewer use of medication while still offering the same excellent control. In the last couple of years, studies have also shown significant results in treating adults who suffer from epilepsy with Keto diet.

Cholesterol
The Keto diet has been instrumental in improve triglyceride levels that are associated with cholesterol levels. Which is one of the main causes of arterial build-up, that leads to hart failure. You might not believe that a high fat diet would be so good for your cholesterol, but once you understand the sciences behind it, it will make more sense.

With the Keto diet, which is high in fats and low in carbs the HDL levels increase with a magnificent rate, while the LDL levels decrease with the same magnificent rate.

• HDL Cholesterol is also referred to as ‘’the good cholesterol.” In addition to transporting cholesterol around the body, HDL collects cholesterol that is not being used by cells and brings them back to the liver to be recycled or destroyed.

• LDL Cholesterol is also reffered to as ‘’the bad Cholesterol’’ It transports the cholesterol produced by the liver and cells throughout your body. But unlike HDL, LDL molecules move slowly through the bloodstream and are vulnerable to oxidizing. Once this happens, LDL can easily burrow itself into the walls of your arteries and impede your cardiovascular function.

Blood Pressure
Many studies on low-carb diets have shown that a low-carb diet improves the blood pressure, moreover than other diets. As commonly know to, some blood pressure issues are associated with excess weight. Which as you know is, that one of the benefit of the Keto diet is weight loss.

Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance can lead to type II diabetes, if left unmanaged. An abundant amount of research has shown that a low carb diet, like the Keto diet can help people lower their insulin levels to a healthy degree.
Even if you’re an athletic, you can benefit from insulin optimization with the Keto diet through eating foods with high level of omega-3.

Acne
It’s common to experience improvements in your skin when you switch to a the Keto diet. In one-studie, lesions and inflammation of the skin improved with a low-carb diet. Other studies have shown a probable connection between high-carb eating and increased acne, so it would make sense that the Keto diet can help with these issues.
TIP: For acne, it might also be beneficial to reduce dairy intake and follow a strict skin-cleaning regimen.

1. What to eat?

Do Eat
• Meats – fish, beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, etc.
• Leafy Greens – spinach, kale, etc.
• Above ground vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
• High Fat Dairy – hard cheeses, high fat cream, butter, etc.
• Nuts and seeds – macadamias, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
• Avocado and berries – raspberries, blackberries, and other low glycemic impact berries
• Sweeteners – stevia, erythritol, monk fruit, and other low-carb sweeteners
• Other fats – coconut oil, high-fat salad dressing, saturated fats, etc.

Do Not Eat
• Grains – wheat, corn, rice, cereal, etc.
• Sugar – honey, agave, maple syrup, etc.
• Fruit – apples, bananas, oranges, etc.
• Tubers – potato, yams, etc.

1. How to Reach Ketosis?
   The goal with the Keto diet is to let your body fall in to Ketosis. Achieving this is pretty straightforward, but can seem complicated and confusing at times. Especially, with all of the information out there. Here’s wait you need to know about following the Keto diet:

1. Restrict your carbohydrates. Most people tend to only focus only on net carbs. If you want great results, limit both. Try to stay below 20g net carbs and below 35g total carbs per day.

2. Restrict your protein intake. A lot of people have started on the Atkins diet and have crossed over to the Keto diet, if this you, don’t forget to limit protein intake. Too much protein can lead to lower levels of ketosis. Ideally for weight loss, you want to eat between 0.6g and 0.8g protein per pound lean body mass.

3. Stop worrying about fat. Fat is the primary source of energy on keto – so make sure you’re feeding your body enough of it. You do not lose weight on keto through starvation!

4. Drink water. Make sure this is around a gallon of water a day, everyday. A regular amount a day will not only keep you hydrated but helps your body get rid of all the toxins that come with burning fat (don’t worry, this is completely harmless).
   Another side effect of drinking a gallon of water a day is that it limits your hunger levels.

1. Stop snacking! When losing weight its better to have fewer insulin spikes during the day. Unnecessary snacking might lead to stalling or slowing down the weight loss process.

2. Start fasting. Fasting can be a great tool to boost ketone levels consistently throughout the day.

3. Add exercise to your daily habits. It’s a known fact that exercise is healthy. If you want to lose weight fast on the Keto diet, we recommend adding 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day. This can be small walk, which can help regulate weight loss and blood sugar levels, or other activities that make your body work hard.

1. Start supplementing. Although, it not necessary if you have a good diet, we do recommend using supplements. Especially in the beginning because you might find it hard to get all of your vitamins and minerals into your diet, at first. There is always a learning curve to everything and the Keto diet is no different. So by using supplement you don’t add the extra stress of worrying about getting enough vitamins and minerals.

Note: Always remember to be vigilant and make sure you’re checking ingredients on labels. It’s too often that you will find hidden carbs in products that seem Keto friendly at first.