One of the most popular diet trends in the fitness community right now, is the ketogenic diet, also known as the keto diet. What is is? And why has it been gaining popularity?
From a fitness perspective, t’s a great way to maintain muscle while shedding fat at the same time. In contrast to traditional weight loss diets, keto dieting has a rather unique method of protecting against muscle wasting while under a calorie deficit, but it’s also shown to be beneficial for a number of health conditions that we’ll get into later.
Okay, science time. Lets briefly discuss how it works.
What is ketosis?
Before we dive into the specifics of ketogenic dieting, it’s important to understand what ketosis is. Ketosis is a metabolic state where your body shifts from using carbohydrates as its primary source of energy, to using fat. This process occurs when your carbohydrate intake is significantly reduced, typically below 50 grams per day.
When the body is in a state of ketosis, ketones are a by-product. By testing the blood, or urine, for ketones we can gauge whether or not the body is in ketosis
What are the Benefits?
Aside from weight loss, there are a number of potential benefits to following a keto diet. These include improved blood sugar control, reduced appetite and cravings, increased energy levels, and improved brain function. Additionally, studies have shown that the keto diet may be beneficial for conditions such as epilepsy, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and type 2 diabetes.
Additionaly, the ketogenic diet creates a metabolic state that is unfavorable for cancer cells. Consequently, there is emerging evidence that a ketogenic diet can be favourable when used alongside traditional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. More extensive research is needed to substantiate these claims.
What’s the difference between a healthy ketogenic state and ketoacidosis (a metabolic disaster)?
Ketoacidosis occurs primarily in type I diabetics who are not producing enough insulin; less commonly it can occur with type 2 diabetics. It occurs when the body begins to metabolise fat at a rapid rate, causing the body to produce ketone bodies at an equally rapid rate. The build-up of these ketone bodies in the blood can lead to a potentially life-threatening condition called ketoacidosis.
As ketones are acidic compounds by nature, an excessive number can poison the body by negatively tipping the pH balance. Fortunately, for healthy individuals following a ketogenic diet, it’s highly unlikely they’ll produce ketones to this excess, but not impossible.
Symptoms of ketoacidosis include nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, weakness or fatigue, shortness of breath, fruity-smelling breath, confusion or difficulty thinking clearly, and excessive thirst or urination.
How Does the Ketogenic Diet Work? The Science Behind the Theory
The keto diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and very low-carb diet. The goal of this diet is to shift the body’s energy source from carbs to fats, forcing the body to use stored fat as its primary fuel source. This process leads to weight loss and can also improve overall health by stabilising blood sugar levels and reducing inflammation.
Consuming too many carbohydrates, or protein, will signal to the body to switch from ketosis and back to the default, a carb burning state. Remaining in a state of ketosis is one of the toughest hurdles to succeeding with ketogenic dieting.
Ketogenetic dieting requires carbohydrates intake to be kept mega low, typically less than 50 grams per day. Some may need to keep carbs to less than 30 grams a day, while others may get away with 100 grams. By denying the body carbohydrates, it is forced to use fat as a source of energy. This is why fatty foods make up the majority of the calorie intake on a keto diet.
In addition to restricting carbohydrate intake, protein consumption must also be controlled. A moderate intake to cover the bodies protein requirements is suggested, but an excess must be avoided.
Contrary to popular belief, the body only requires a small amount of protein. As little as 0.8g per kg is plenty for the average Joe, though very physically active athletes may require up to 2 grams of protein per kg of body weight. Consumption above 2g per kg is likely wasted.
Unlike fats and carbohydrates, the body cannot store protein. Instead via a process called gluconeogenesis (GNG), the excess is converted to glucose, a carbohydrate. Therefore protein consumption must be controlled to prevent the conversion of protein to glucose.
Myth: Eating too much protein will not make you fat.
Truth: Eating too much of anything will contribute to weight gain. Excess protein is converted to glucose, and unless this glucose is needed at the time, it will be stored as glycogen or converted to fat.
Myth: On a keto diet, you do not need to watch how much you eat
Truth: Eating any macronutrient in excess may result in weight gain, including fat. On the plus side, fats and proteins tend to be more satising than carbohydrates. As such, those on a keto diet may notice they naturally eat less before they’re full.
How to succeed with ketogenic dieting?
Prepping your meals in advance will be critical. There aren’t any (or many) keto restaurants around and high carb foods are everywhere. Once you start this diet, you’ll begin to notice the extent to which you previously relied on carbohydrates, but with time you’ll adapt, or fail miserably.
When preparing meals, carbohydrates should be limited to green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, kale, green beans, etc which are low in carbs but high in nutrients – this is essential to maintain healthy skin, nails and hair.
How to get into Ketosis
A keto diet is not a diet that you can whimfully choose to go on and off of at any point. The huma body needs time to adjust to the change, but the time needed can be reduced. Depending on your diet, body type and activity levels, the process of getting into ketosis can take anywhere from 2-14 days.
There are five ways to reach ketosis fast:
1. Eat more fat
Your gym meals should be full of healthy fats like egg yolks, olives, avocado, drench meats and full fat salad dressings.
2. Keep a moderate protein intake.
Excess protein is converted to glucose and may spike insulin levels. The spike in insulin will knock the body out of ketosis and back to its default carb buring mode.
3. Cut carbs.
This is probably the fastest way to reach ketosis. Choose the lowest carb fruits (or skip completely) and most, if not all, carbs should come from green veggies; cover them with healthy fats for more flavour and a boosted fat intake.
Snacks will be hard to come by so remember to prep in advance. You can try soaking blueberries in unsweetened heavy cream or coconut cream, carry this in your meal prep bag for a delicious snack later.
4. Exercise.
By restricting your carb intake, increasing your water intake and engaging in a high intensity interval training routine, ketosis can be achieved rapidly. As the human body can only store enough glycogen in the muscles and the liver to sustain a 90-120 minute workout, working out on an empty stomach is another shortcut to achieveing ketosis.
5. Fasting.
There are many variations of fasting but the most common one is avoiding food of any kind for 12-24 hours. This depletes the sugar stores in your body and as a result, your body starts taping into stored fat.
What to Expect During the Initial Stages of Ketogenesis
During the first 2 or 3 days, you might experience some mental and physical fogginess – known as the keto flu. The body will be transitioning from using glucose for energy to using fat and this might result in a foggy haze, that may make it hard to concentrate. Other undesirable effects may include: irritability, headaches, nausea and muscle cramps.
During the initial few weeks, some might encounter a decrease in strength and/or endurance. The physical impact may be mitigated by increasing consumption of fresh green vegetables. Increasing consumption of green vergetables, in addition to water, can also mitigate dehydration and constipation , which are also common side effects during the early stages of ketogenesis.
Benefits of Ketosis
1. Improved Fat Loss
When your body is not in ketosis, it prefers to burn carbs while storing fat but when it’s in ketosis, it prefers to burn fats for fuel.
2. Regulates Insulin Levels
Insulin can inhibit the body from using up fatty acids as energy. However, going on a keto diet helps to lower and stabilise the level of insulin in the body, this encourages the release of beneficial hormones such as human growth hormone.
Insulin is also pro inflammatory molecule so stabilising the levels in the blood through keto can be beneficial in a number of conditions with inflammation as a characteristic.
Additionally, it has been shown that following eating, insulin can dip to below baseline levels. These dips in insulin drive the desire to eat again, or snack. Therefore by stabilising insulin, the urge to snack can somewhat be curbed.
3. Decreases Hunger Levels
When your body goes into a state of ketosis, it seems to suppress the appetite. A high carb diet on the other hand increases hunger levels due to fluctuations in insulin.
Dangers of Ketosis
1. Metabolic Shift
During the first few weeks of your ketogenic diet, your body will have to go through what is known as a metabolic shift. Dieters may experience experience dehydration, headaches, fatigue and brain fog. Once the body gets used to the diet however, things will settle.
2. Blood-lipid-profile Issues
Due to the increased amounts of fats in the keto diet, it’s not uncommon for dieters to be concerned about the amount of lipids (fats) in their blood. Besides, from a medical perspective a high blood-lipid profile puts patients at in a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as strokes and heart attacks.
Studies have shown mixed effects on blood lipids, with some studies showing an increase. This appears to be related to the saturated fat content of the diet. Consequently, we recommend limiting saturated fats and incorporating more healthy unsaturated fats.
Some individuals experience extreme effects of a ketogenic diet on LDL-C and this may be related to genetic factors. For this reason the National Lipid Association expressed concern for ketogenic diets being used by people with hypercholesterolaemia, particularly Familial Hypercholesterolaemia. They concluded that this diet is contraindicated for these conditions.
3. Micronutrient Deficiency
A high-fat/carb-restrictive diet like keto could lack the following vitamins and minerals necessary for a healthy diet: vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin B7, vitamin B12, calcium, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus. These are all essential nutrients that your body needs to function properly. Consequently, we recommend those on a keto keto diet to take a daily multivitamin.
Effects of Ketosis on Physical and Mental Performance
According to a study published in the journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition, the keto diet does not affect physical performance of athletes including body builders. The study involved 8 gymnasts who were put on a keto diet for 30 days. It was observed that during those 30 days, the gymnasts were able to continue with their normal training. The results of the study also suggested that power and strength performance can be maintained despite the rapid fat loss.
Ketosis also makes your brain work better. Since your brain is happily deriving energy from ketones, it protects itself from a variety of diseases including Alzeimers.
Are You Considering going Keto?
The keto diet has a lot of pros and cons, but those of us that have tried it have said the pros far outweigh the cons. if you are looking to lose some weight while building some muscles, the keto diet might be for you. Remember it will take a while to get into the state; Even once you can detect ketones in your blood/urine the benefits may take a while to settle. Good Luck!
