A keto diet is recognized for being a very low carb diet, in which the body produces ketones in the liver to be utilized as energy. It's known as many distinct titles - ketogenic diet, low carb diet, low carb high fat (LCHF), etc..
When you eat something high in carbohydrates, your body will produce insulin and glucose. Glucose is the simplest molecule in the human body to convert and utilize energy so that it'll be chosen over any other energy source. Insulin is made to process the glucose in your blood by carrying it around the body.
Since the glucose is being used as the main energy, your fats aren't required and are therefore stored. Typically on a normal, higher carbohydrate diet, the body will use glucose as the major type of energy. By lowering the consumption of carbohydrates, the body is induced into a state called ketosis.
Ketosis is a natural process the body accomplishes to help us survive when food intake is reduced. In this condition, we create ketones, which can be generated by the breakdown of fats in the liver.
The end goal of a properly preserved keto diet is to push your body into this metabolic condition. We do not do so through starvation but the reduction of carbs.
Our bodies are amazingly adaptive to everything you put into it once you overload it with fats and take away carbohydrates, it is going to start to burn ketones as the principal energy source. Optimal ketone levels provide many health, weight reduction, physical and psychological performance advantages.
There are numerous benefits that come with being on keto: from weight loss and increased energy levels to therapeutic medical applications.
The ketogenic diet basically uses your own body fat as an energy source -- so there are obvious weight loss benefits. On keto, your insulin (the fat storing hormone) levels drop greatly which turns your body into a fat burning machine.
Scientifically, the ketogenic diet has shown better outcomes compared to low-carb and high-carb diets; even in the long term.
Many people incorporate MCT Oil into their diet (it raises ketone production and fat reduction) by ingesting with coffee in the morning.
Keto naturally lowers blood sugar levels because of the type of foods you eat. Studies even show that the ketogenic diet is a more effective approach to manage and prevent diabetes compared to low-calorie diets.
A lot of people use the ketogenic diet specifically for the increased mental performance.
By giving your body a better and more reliable energy supply, you will feel more energized during the day. Fats are shown to be the most effective molecule to burn as fuel.
The ketogenic diet has been used since the early 1900's to treat epilepsy successfully. It is still one of the most widely used therapies for children who have uncontrolled epilepsy today.
A keto diet has shown to increase triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels most associated with arterial buildup. More specifically low-carb, high-fat diets show a dramatic increase in HDL and decrease in LDL particle concentration compared to low-fat diets.
Insulin resistance can lead to type II diabetes if left unmanaged. An abundant amount of research demonstrates that a low carb, the ketogenic diet can help people lower their insulin levels to healthy ranges.
Charles Weller
Author