As of 2022, about 12.9 million Americans are following a keto diet. Of course, everyone has their reasons, but not everyone truly understands the diet!
In this article, you will learn eight interesting keto diet facts and how it works.
Keep reading to learn more!
What Should You Know About the Keto Diet?
The ketogenic diet typically consists of meat, nuts, eggs, seeds, oils, some low-carb green vegetables, cheese, and butter. It’s a diet that’s low in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and high in fat. The diet doesn’t allow grains, most vegetables, potatoes, and other carbohydrate-rich foods.
The general premise of the keto diet is to produce ketones and later utilize them instead of glucose to have the energy required for cells.
How Does The Keto Diet Work?
Carbohydrates are found in almost everything ranging from tomatoes to oatmeal. When you eat carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose. The primary role of glucose is to produce energy for various body processes.
One exciting thing about our bodies is that they don’t discriminate between energy sources. They take the energy generated from crackers, jellybeans, and tomatoes to perform the same functions. However, we know crackers and tomatoes have different health benefits, so are they both equal energy sources?
Glucose and Glycogen
Some of the glucose in our bodies stores in the form of glycogen; however, most is stored in the liver and muscle tissues, while the rest stores in adipose cells.
Almost all body systems, such as the central nervous system, red blood cells, and the brain, depend on glucose as the primary energy source. When we exercise or have gone without food for a while, the glycogen stored in our bodies breaks down to provide quick energy.
When we run out of glycogen, the body starts producing ketones that come in to provide energy to the cells (i.e., we enter a state of ketosis).
Fast Keto Diet Facts
The keto diet has been used for decades in the treatment of various medical conditions. Today, you’ll be able to find all sorts of claims about things that this diet can and can’t do.
As well as being able to help you lose weight quickly, what else can it do? Here are some keto diet facts:
- Keto helps with some medical treatments
- Ketosis burns fat
- Keto Flu is real
- Not all healthy food is allowed in the keto diet
- A keto diet can increase energy levels
- Urine is one of the best tests for ketosis
- Intermittent fasting improves ketosis
- The keto diet can be customized
Keto Helps With Some Medical Treatments
Alongside weight loss, people have been using the keto diet to treat various conditions such as obesity and epilepsy since the 1920s. For example, the keto diet alters the brain energy metabolism, thus making it possible to stabilize the functioning of neurons in patients with epilepsy.
Furthermore, the keto diet has been used in complicated cases of chronic diseases such as cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome, and heart disease. Lastly, the diet is also known to help improve insulin sensitivity, thus helping diabetes management.
Ketosis Burns Fat
Our bodies use glucose as the primary source of energy. However, the keto diet forces the use of fat as the source of energy instead. It effectively achieves this by starvation mimicry, where fats are broken down in the body and converted into ketones through the ketosis process.
Some supplements also help your body get into and maintain ketosis.
Keto Flu Is Real
During their first week on the keto diet, some people report having experienced keto flu. The keto flu is characterized by dizziness, nausea, sleeping difficulties, general irritability, and drowsiness, among other symptoms. You can easily manage keto flu by drinking a lot of water and electrolytes.
We highly recommend Charlie Mike hydration formula to increase electrolytes.
Not all Healthy Food is Allowed in the Keto Diet
There are foods typically considered healthy, such as whole grains, most fruits, and high sugar vegetables, that are banned in the keto diet. On the other hand, while a high-fat diet is conventionally considered unhealthy, it’s highly suggested as the staple component of the keto diet.
A Keto Diet Can Increase Energy Levels
Apart from helping you lose weight, the keto diet benefits brainpower and overall energy. It is known to essentially lessen chronic migraines, improve LDL cholesterol, and improve one’s sleep alongside gaining sustainable energy levels. You can quickly achieve all these benefits in one year, even without exercise.
Urine is one of the Best Tests for Ketosis
Ketone bodies (ketosis by-products) leave the body through urine. You can take a ketone test strip at home to check if you’re in ketosis.
Intermittent Fasting Improves Ketosis
Intermittent fasting significantly amplifies the benefits of the keto diet. For instance, you may have dinner at 8 pm and have the next meal at 9 am the following day. In such a case, you’ll have fasted for 15 hours. Intermittent fasting greatly helps dieters who are struggling to get into ketosis.
The Keto Diet Can be Customized
The general ketogenic guideline is that your diet should consist of 5% carbs, 20% protein, and 75% fat. These are the recommended levels for you to reach ketosis.
However, suppose these percentages aren’t effectively helping you get to where you want to be. In that case, you can easily customize the diet by either lowering or raising the percentages.
Did These Keto Diet Facts Help?
The keto diet isn’t suitable for everyone. Only you can decide what diet is easiest to stick to long-term and get the results you need. With any luck, these keto diet facts can help you make that decision!
If you want to learn more about the keto diet, check out this ultimate keto guide.
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