The Health Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet
The western diet involves the use of refined carbohydrates in a wide variety of food products. We all love our breakfast cereals, divine pasta dishes, freshly baked bread, and candy bars. However, these food products are incredibly dangerous for our health. Heart disease, diabetes, and diabetes are all examples of health disorders and diseases that are the result of a diet that is high in refined carbohydrates.
What is a Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet eliminates the consumption of carbohydrates, removing this harmful macronutrient from your diet and preventing your body from contracting diseases and health disorders associated with eating carbs. Instead, it focuses on consuming nutrient-dense forms of healthy fats as the primary macronutrient in the diet. A ketogenic diet will be typically 80% fat and 20% protein, with no carbohydrates whatsoever.
How Does it work?
The body runs on a metabolic process known as gluconeogenesis. This biological process converts carbohydrates into glycogen which fuels metabolic function. In the absence of glycogen, the body changes its fuel source to ketones. The liver produces ketones by metabolizing them from dietary fat sources and adipose body tissue stores.
The body will deplete glycogen over a three to five-day period, and you may feel lethargic and sluggish while this process unfolds. However, when ketone production begins, you will feel instantly renewed and energized.
The Health Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet
#1 Reduce Dietary Inflammation
Eating a ketogenic diet will remove this inflammation from the GI tract and help your body absorb energy from food more efficiently. Removing inflammation also helps the body fight off intestinal and digestive disorders such as IBS and lactose intolerance. In some cases, using a ketogenic diet has eliminated these diseases and disorders.
#2 Improve Fasted Blood Sugar Levels
Since you are no longer eating carbohydrates, your blood sugar does not reach a high enough level to spike production of the hormone insulin. This lowered blood sugar level creates a better insulin response and insulin resistance in the body, allowing you to efficiently regulate blood sugar and prevent diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
#3 Improve Your Cholesterol Profile
Ketosis improves your cholesterol profile by reducing the total amount of cholesterol in the blood. At the same time, it drops the production of bad cholesterol and increases levels of good cholesterol. The ketogenic diet strategy is ideal for preventing heart disease and hypertension.
#4 Accelerate a Fat Loss Strategy
Ketosis uses dietary and body fat stores as metabolic fuel. Combining a ketogenic diet with a caloric deficit will increase the rate of fat loss as your body burns its fat stores for energy.
#5 Improve Cognitive Capabilities
Inflammation is not limited to the GI tract, it spreads throughout the body and can affect the nervous system and cognitive function as well. If your thoughts feel foggy and you can't concentrate, that is likely the result of cognitive inflammation. Ketogenic diets will keep your mind clear and your decision making quick.
Wrapping Up
Try out the ketogenic diet for thirty days and see if it works for you. However, it doesn't work well for everyone. If you need carbs, then use them responsibly by following a proven diet strategy that will be effective, check out the whole30 before and after results and give it a try as an introduction to healthy eating.
