KETO Supplements, YES or NO?

I think most people have heard about the KETO Diet. For those who never heard of it, the KETO Diet or ketogenic diet is a low-carb, moderate protein, higher-fat diet that can help you burn fat more effectively.

While you eat far fewer carbohydrates on a keto diet, you maintain moderate protein consumption and may increase your intake of fat. The reduction in carb intake puts your body in a metabolic state called ketosis, where fat, from your diet and from your body, is burned for energy instead of glucose. 

This is a diet used by millions of people around the world and that allows a kind of fast weight loss. But it's not for everybody and it's definitely not a magic diet.

It requires a serious commitment and a lot of discipline. You will be counting every gram of whatever you are putting in your mouth, especially carbs. You will be measuring your glucose, your ketones, your insulin, and the pounds you are losing. Because if you follow the rules you will lose your extra weight, and you will lose a lot of fat. 

Benefits of following a Keto Diet

When you eat very few carbs or very few calories, your liver starts producing ketones from fat to compensate. These ketones then serve as a fuel source throughout the body, especially for the brain.

Your brain is a hungry organ that consumes lots of energy every day, and it can only run on glucose, or ketones.

On a ketogenic diet, your entire body switches its fuel supply to run mostly on fat, burning fat 24-7. When insulin levels drop very low, fat burning can increase dramatically. It becomes easier to access your fat stores to burn them off.

This is great if you’re trying to lose weight, but there are also other benefits, such as less hunger and a steady supply of energy — without the sugar peaks and valleys that often occur when eating high-carb meals. This may help keep you alert and focused.

Ketogenic diets can cause massive reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels.

 

Diabetes is characterized by changes in metabolism, high blood sugar and impaired insulin function.

The ketogenic diet can help you lose excess fat, which is closely linked to type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and metabolic syndrome.

One study found that the ketogenic diet improved insulin sensitivity by a whopping 75%.

Another study in people with type 2 diabetes found that 7 of the 21 participants were able to stop using all diabetes medications.

It can also improve cardiovascular risk factors like body fat, HDL cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood sugar.

Lower insulin levels and eating less sugar or processed foods may help improve acne and PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).

 

What can you eat (or not) when you follow a KETO Diet

 

WHAT TO EAT

WHAT TO AVOID

Meat: Red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken and turkey. Fatty fish: Such as salmon, trout, tuna and mackerel. Eggs: Look for pastured or omega-3 whole eggs. Butter and cream: Look for grass-fed when possible. Cheese: Unprocessed cheese (cheddar, goat, cream, blue or mozzarella). Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc. Healthy oils: Primarily extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil. Avocados: Whole avocados or freshly made guacamole. Low-carb veggies: Most green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc. Condiments: You can use salt, pepper and various healthy herbs and spices.

Sugary foods: Soda, fruit juice, smoothies, cake, ice cream, candy, etc. Grains or starches: Wheat-based products, rice, pasta, cereal, etc. Fruit: All fruit, except small portions of berries. Beans or legumes: Peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc. Root vegetables and tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc. Low-fat or diet products: These are highly processed and often high in carbs. Condiments or sauces: These often contain sugar and unhealthy fat. Alcohol: Due to their carb content, many alcoholic beverages can throw you out of ketosis. Sugar-free diet foods: These are often high in sugar alcohols, which can affect ketone levels in some cases. These foods also tend to be highly processed.

 

The KETO FLU

Although the ketogenic diet is safe for healthy people, there may be some initial side effects while your body adapts.

This is often referred to as the keto flu and is usually over within a few days.

The keto flu is a collection of symptoms experienced by some people when they first start the keto diet.

These symptoms, which can feel similar to the flu, are caused by the body adapting to a new diet consisting of very little carbohydrates.

Reducing your carb intake forces your body to burn ketones for energy instead of glucose.

This drastic reduction can come as a shock to the body and may cause withdrawal-like symptoms, similar to those experienced when weaning off an addictive substance like caffeine. For some people, this transition period can be especially difficult.

Signs of the keto flu may start popping up within the first few days of cutting back on carbs and symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary from person to person:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Irritability
• Weakness
• Muscle cramps
• Dizziness
• Poor concentration
• Stomach pain
• Muscle soreness
• Difficulty sleeping
• Sugar cravings

These symptoms are commonly reported by those who have just begun the ketogenic diet and typically last about a week, though some people may experience them for a longer period of time.

While these side effects may cause some dieters to throw in the towel, there are ways to reduce them.

KETO Supplements: Myth and Reality

KETO supplements are promoted as the magic pill for weight loss. Well, there's no magic when it comes to losing weight, and there's no magical KETO supplement to help you. However, there are amazing KETO supplements that can help you reach your health goals if you follow certain rules. 

KETO Supplements replicate the benefits of the keto diet without following the KETO diet: ❌ MYTH

KETO supplements work when paired with the KETO diet. The objective is to deplete your body of its store of sugar so it starts breaking down protein and fat for energy, causing ketosis (and weight loss). If you don't follow a KETO diet, the exogenous ketones you are consuming in your supplement will only be burned after your body has finished burning the glucose. And if you don't follow the KETO diet this might never happen, which means that taking a KETO supplement won't have an impact on your body and your weight loss journey. 

KETO Supplements help get rid of the KETO flu: ✅ TRUE

KETO flu includes poor energy and mental function, increased hunger, sleep issues, nausea, digestive discomfort and decreased exercise performance. A ketogenic diet can also change the water and mineral balance of your body, so adding extra salt to your meals or taking mineral supplements can help. Most KETO Supplements include in their formulas BHBs or Ketone Salts. BHB stands for beta-hydroxybutyrate, and it serves us as the most abundant ketone body of the three that are produced by the liver during the process of ketosis. Ketone salts are simply ketone bodies bound to a salt such as sodium, potassium, calcium, or magnesium and they help with shifts in water and mineral balance. 

KETO supplements will also help you get into ketosis faster (when paired with a KETO diet, don't forget about that little detail) and will help alleviate the symptoms of the KETO flu in just a couple of days. And if you have a privileged metabolism they might even help you avoid the KETO flu completely.

KETO Supplements burn the extra fat in your body: ❌ MYTH

Your body is the one doing all the dirty work. No supplement will burn the extra fat in your body, but the right KETO supplement along with a KETO diet will help your body reach the ketosis state so it can burn that rebel fat you want to get rid of. If you don't restrict your carbs intake you won't deplete your body from glucose, and no KETO supplement will do that for you.

KETO Supplements help with feelings of hunger and fullness: ✅ TRUE

Well, most KETO supplements do as they contain MCT oil and Apple Cider Vinegar.

As the name suggests, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil contains medium-length chains of fats called triglycerides. Due to their shorter length, MCTs are easily digested and many health benefits are linked to the way your body processes these fats. Your body can use MCT oil as an instant source of energy, making it unnecessary to store fat for this purpose, and MCTs can be converted into ketones, which are produced from the breakdown of fat when carb intake is low. If you’re following a ketogenic diet, which is very low in carbs yet high in fat, then taking MCT oil can help you stay in the fat-burning state known as ketosis. 

MCTs can increase the release of hormones that help you feel fuller longer.

On the other hand, KETO supplements that include Apple Cider Vinegar help curb feelings of hunger and sugar cravings. ACV can reduce bad LDL cholesterol while increasing the good HDL cholesterol. It may also help by effectively blocking the actions of specific enzymes that raise blood sugar. Apple Cider Vinegar has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and significantly lower blood sugar and insulin responses. 

ACV has also an alkalizing effect and many viruses and bad bacteria are unable to live in an alkaline environment. This way, ACV can introduce more healthy and beneficial bacteria to your gut. This helps to enhance the health of your digestive system, increase immunity and improve the ability to digest and absorb nutrients. It also increases your metabolism, helping to burn off calories more effectively when moving and exercising.

So, KETO supplements, YES OR NO? Well, the answer is YES if you also pair them with a KETO diet.That way you can attack the problem from two sides and you can give your body the well-rounded support it needs to seriously torch your weight loss.