Ketogenic diets have been studied extensively over the past several decades and more recent studies show promising benefits from this way of eating for various health conditions including obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, epilepsy , Alzheimer’s disease, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), etc.
Ketosis is a state your body enters when carbohydrate intake is low.
It’s considered a normal metabolic process that occurs when your body doesn’t have enough glucose aka sugars to burn for energy.
Benefits of Ketosis
Related: What is Ketosis
Physical benefits of Ketosis:
– Increased fat loss: Ketosis can help to lose weight by increasing fat loss.
Low carbohydrate intake sends your body into ketosis mode, which makes it rely on fats for energy.
Without carbs, your body will use stored fat as energy and this can result in weight loss.
– Decreased body fat percentage: Since your body is using fat as a source of energy instead of carbohydrates, this will result in decreased levels of triglycerides and cholesterol.
Decreased levels of triglycerides and cholesterol could also lead to a decrease in body fat percentage.
– Decreased hunger – Reduced appetite: Ketosis can help to reduce appetite and hunger.
This is because your body will be using fat for energy instead of carbs, which could result in a decreased appetite.
This means you will be less likely to snack on unhealthy foods throughout the day and crave snacks.
– Decreased insulin levels: Ketosis can help to lower your insulin level, which can result in a reduced fat storage and a decreased fat accumulation in your body.
Low insulin levels can help to improve the way your body takes up glucose and amino acids from food, which means you will have improved muscle growth and recovery.
– Muscle gain or maintenance: Ketosis has been associated with increased muscle mass.
Muscles are able to use fats for energy more efficiently than the brain or other tissues of the body, making muscles a natural fat burner.
– Increased energy levels: Ketosis can help to increase your energy levels by increasing the rate in which ketones are produced and used as an energy source.
This means you will have more stable and abundant energy than if your body was primarily using carbs for energy.
Related: Keto diet tips for beginners
Emotional benefits of Ketosis:
– Boosts brain function: Ketones can be used as a form of energy for the brain, which means that your brain will rely on ketones instead of glucose.
This could result in improved cognitive function and memory recall.
– Reduce anxiety: Ketones works by stabilizing neurotransmitter activity within your body.
This could lead to improved mood and reduced feelings of anxiety.
– Decreased brain fog: Low carbohydrate intake has been associated with decreased mental clarity, also known as “brain fog”.
This is because when you eat carbohydrates they get broken down into glucose and then used for energy.
– Helps with insomnia: The ketogenic diet has been used to improve sleep patterns.
This is because your body needs plenty of time to adjust when switching from burning carbs for energy to using fat.
– Mental focus: Great mental focus for most people once they are adapted to using ketones as their primary fuel source.
Mental clarity, less brain fog and improved cognition are common benefits.
– Helps with depression: Ketones can help with depression because they are natural mood boosters.
They can help to improve neurotransmitter activity within your body, which could lead to reduced feelings of depression.
– Improved mood: Once you enter ketosis, your body will be using fatty acids as its primary source of fuel, which is a more efficient fuel than glucose (sugar).
This means that blood sugar levels won’t spike and crash like they do when we eat carbs and the body will use fat as fuel for longer periods. This can result in improved mood.
The ketogenic diet is a great way to lose weight, but it also has other benefits.
I know the idea of eating fat may not be appetizing for some people, but give this approach a try and see how you feel after adopting the ketosis lifestyle.
You owe yourself at least 30 days to figure out if this would work for you or not.
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