Keto Diet
Last Updated: August 4, 2022
Keto Diet For Beginners
What Is Ketosis?
Ketosis is a natural metabolic state, whereby the body uses ketones for energy instead of glucose. Ketones come from the breakdown of fats from either our food or from our stored body fat.
We can get into ketosis by eating a very low carbohydrate diet (often called a ketogenic diet). This restricts the availability of glucose for energy, forcing the body to use fat instead.
If you want to know more about how ketones are formed in the body then check out this article.
Why Do Keto?
Both ketogenic and low carbohydrate diets have become popular for their huge success with weight loss.
There are also an increasing number of additional benefits such as:
- reversing Type 2 Diabetes
- reducing cardiovascular risk,
- gaining improved energy
- an mental clarity.
Ketogenic diets were initially developed for, and are still used in the medical treatment of childhood epilepsy as it helps to minimise seizures.
Weight Loss
For a closer look at why a keto diet helps with weight loss then please read this article.
Health Benefits
To understand the additional benefits of a ketogenic and low carbohydrate diet then have a look at this article.
Many of our modern health problems are related to Insulin Resistance and poor energy balance from the types of food that we are eating.
To understand what the signs of insulin resistance are please click here.
If you would like to learn how to reduce insulin levels please check out this article.
Is the ketogenic diet safe?
There are a number of safety concerns that people have when starting out on a ketogenic diet. I’ve written and article called “Is Keto Safe?” where we find out if there is any evidence to support these claims.
How long does it take to get into ketosis?
The time it takes to get into ketosis will vary amongst each of us. It will depend on factors such as:
- How strict your diet is in terms of reducing your carbohydrate intake.
- Your activity levels
- Your underlying metabolic health.
Your body has to learn how to use ketones as its main energy source rather than glucose and these changes don’t happen overnight.
It can take several weeks and even months to become an efficient fat burner. Remember, this is not a short term fix but a whole change in the way you are eating, so please be patient.
There are some key signs that you may notice that will help you determine whether you are in ketosis or not.
We’re going to cover how to test whether you’re in ketosis later on this page. But testing isn’t always necessary because there are other ways to tell. Check out the article I wrote on the 9 Signs You Are In Ketosis (without testing).
Side Effects Of Ketosis
When you first change to a low carbohydrate or ketogenic diet you can sometimes experience some mild side effects.
These are usually quite easily managed and usually only last for 1-2 weeks.
I have produced a guide to help you understand and manage these side effects.
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