How to Decide if the Keto Diet is Right for You
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the keto diet - also known as the ketogenic diet. “Eating keto” means opting for low-carb, high-fat meals. Popular in the CrossFit community and among people who want to reap the diet’s health benefits, the keto diet promises to help you lose weight, protect your body from chronic diseases, and live a healthier, fuller life.
If you’re interested in the ketogenic diet, you’ve probably got lots of questions.
How do you know it’s right for you, and what can you expect to eat once you’re on it?
In this post, we’re taking a look at the keto diet, and how our line of stevia-sweetened coffee creamers fits into your journey.
Let’s dive in.
Keto 101
The ketogenic diet revolves around low-carb, high-fat eating. When you commit to a ketogenic diet, you reduce your carbohydrate intake and focus more on eating plenty of healthy fats. This reduction in carb levels puts the body into a metabolic state known as ketosis.
In ketosis, the body burns fat for energy. It also transforms fat into ketones in the liver. This provides a consistent source of energy for the brain. Over time, keto diets can reduce blood sugar and insulin levels in the body. This effect, combined with the increase in ketones, can provide powerful health benefits for people on the keto diet.
As it stands now, following a ketogenic diet is the best, safest, and easiest way to enter ketosis. To enter ketosis, the keto diet generally recommends that people limit their carb consumption to about 20-50 grams daily. In addition to limiting carbs, they fill their plates with healthy fats, like meats, eggs, nuts, and fish.
Different Kinds of Keto Diets
There are several versions of the ketogenic diet, including:
- The standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a low-carb, high-fat diet that includes moderate levels of protein. It usually consists of 70% fat, 20% protein, and just 10% carbs.
- The cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods where people eat higher levels of carbs. For example, someone may eat strictly keto for five days out of the week, then eat high-carb for two days of the week.
- The targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows people to add carbs, as needed, around heavy workout days.
- High protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet, except that it involves more protein. The ratio is usually 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.
While there are different types of keto diets out there, the standard and high-protein ketogenic diets are the only ones backed by large bodies of research. They’re also the easiest diets to follow.
The Biggest Benefits of a Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet offers many benefits, including the following:
Weight Loss
If your goal is weight loss, the keto diet might be a good option. According to recent research, ketogenic eating is just as effective for weight loss as a low-fat diet. And if you’re someone who hates dieting, you’ll be happy to know that it also doesn’t feel like a diet.
Instead of leaving you hungry, the keto diet is so filling that you can lose weight without counting calories.
According to a review of several studies, the keto diet was more effective for long-term weight loss than a low-fat diet. Plus, people who followed the keto diet lost an average of 2 pounds more than the people on a low-fat diet.
Reduced Risk of Diabetes
Diabetes changes a person’s metabolism and insulin function. Fortunately for anyone suffering from diabetes or pre-diabetes, the ketogenic diet can help you lose excess fat, thus reducing your risk of diabetes and other metabolic syndromes.
Older studies have found that ketogenic diets improve insulin sensitivity by as much as 75%.
Other Health Benefits
In addition to the benefits listed above, ketogenic diets also cut the risk of heart disease, slows tumor growth, reduces symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, and helps reduce seizures in people with epilepsy.
As you can see, keto diets are a great way to protect your whole health.
Is Keto Right for You?
In recent years, the keto diet has gained popularity among athletes and hard-core fitness enthusiasts. They’re not the only ones for whom the diet offers benefits, though. Regular people can see a dramatic improvement in both body composition and health on the ketogenic diet.
If you’re wondering whether this eating style could be right for you, consider these pros and cons:
Pros
- Weight loss
- Reductions in total cholesterol and increases in beneficial HDL cholesterol
- No “crashes” like you’d experience with diets that focus on limiting calories
- Helpful in treating PCOS, acne, type 2 diabetes, and more
Cons
- Side effects of entering ketosis for the first time include bad breath, headaches, nausea, and fatigue - sometimes referred to as the “keto flu”
- Initial phase may include bloating and constipation
- The diet requires a robust regimen of supplements
- It is possible to develop micronutrient deficiencies on the diet
- You may gain the weight back if you return to your standard eating habits
What to Eat Once You go Keto
The biggest change associated with a keto diet is that you’ll focus on limiting carbs, and increasing healthy fats. For example, you can eat a burger, minus the bun and fries, plus a side of veggies.
You’ll also focus on cutting dairy and sugar, which can pack a surprising load of carbs.
That’s where our stevia-sweetened coffee creamers come in. Keto, whole 30, and diabetic-friendly, our sugar-free salted caramel coffee creamer is a great way to maintain the sweetness that you love, without sidetracking your new keto lifestyle.
Keto, Here You Come!
While “going keto'' may sound intimidating, it’s not nearly as difficult as you may imagine.
By focusing on swapping out highly processed, sugar-packed foods for whole varieties, you can shed excess weight, avoid chronic conditions, and safeguard your overall health, wellbeing, and vibrancy.
Whether you go Ketogenic or opt for another health plan, our lineup of stevia-sweetened sugar-free coffee creamers, including our white chocolate, and salted caramel varieties can help you stick to your health and fitness goals.
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