3 Benefits Of The Keto Diet

Carbs are an important part of the human metabolic process. They are stored in our liver and muscle cells in the form of glycogen. Their role is to serve as a quick source of energy for our body.

Once our body gets depleted of glycogen, the liver starts producing organic compounds called ketones. These compounds are formed when our body burns fat for fuel, and that is how the high-in-fat keto diet contributes to effective weight loss.

Besides enabling our liver to convert fat into ketones, leading to a lean figure, the keto diet has many other physical and mental health benefits.

#1 - Reduced Appetite

When your body begins breaking down fats, you typically experience significant appetite reduction. Feeling full for more extended periods can be highly beneficial for weight loss.

The keto diet helps in reducing food cravings and urges to binge. Such conditions are the most significant obstacle to successful dieting and can cause the so-called yo-yo effect. In the absence of these obstructions, it’s more likely that you’ll stick to your desired diet regime.

Our brain, heart, and muscle tissue are more inclined towards burning ketones than glycogen. When ketones are burned, we can conserve blood sugar and function more effectively.

#2 - Decreased Levels Of Triglycerides

Production of triglycerides happens when the dietary fat (the fat that we consume through food) and our body fat turns into Free Fatty Acids (FAA). When FAA’s start freely flowing through our body, they get attached to insulin, and this combination forms triglycerides.

High levels of triglycerides are hazardous for our health as they’re known to cause obesity, heart disease, and seizures.

Cutting down on carbohydrates, especially refined sugars, decreases insulin stimulation, resulting in lower levels of fat in the blood. The keto diet limits many types of carbs, including refined sugar, starch, alcohol, and fruit - all of them known to be insulin stimulators.

#3 - Supports The Treatment Of Mental Health Disorders

The keto diet has a lot of applications and benefits for people who have epilepsy, bipolar disorder, seizures, and other mental health conditions. It has been clinically used to treat anxiety and depression.

For people whose brain health is optimal, the keto diet is proven to contribute to more focus and clarity.

Summary

If you are interested in improving your figure, focus, or health condition by going on a keto diet, it’s wise to consult your dietitian or doctor in choosing a safe and supportive plan suitable for you.

Introduction Of Ketogenic Diet: A Beginner’s Guide

We’ve been told that a high-fat diet has always been synonymous with weight gain for years, and in some cases, people will do their best to avoid all sources of fat. However, according to research, a different style of dieting claims it can help you lose weight, burn fat, and provide more energy throughout the day. This diet is called the ketogenic or “KETO” diet.

What Is The KETO Diet?

The ketogenic diet is a diet that recommends the opposite of many other traditional diets. Rather than avoiding fatty foods, a low-carb diet utilizes a high amount of unsaturated fats and moderate intakes of saturated fats as a staple.

In addition to high intakes of fat, the keto diet also requires that you remove much of the carbohydrates in your diet and replace them with lean protein sources. A low-carb, keto diet contains approximately 60% of calories from fat, 25% from protein, and 15% from carbohydrates.

Why Try The KETO Diet?

Many of us have been struggling hard to lose weight and effectively live a healthy life with the current foods we’re eating. A low-carb diet may just be the best chance you can make to start losing weight and feeling great.

A ketogenic diet works to induce a state of fat oxidation. This state is called ketosis and will occur when the body has a higher supply of fat and the frequency of meals decreases. Your body will enter a mild starvation or fasting phase. At this time your body can start to utilize stored fat as fuel, effectively burning calories and fat you may have had stored for years.

What To Eat on a KETO Diet?

The keto diet works best when you’re in a moderate fasted state, with high amounts of fat as your primary source of calories.

So what foods are best? The main idea on a keto diet is to eat as few carbs as possible. Of course, you’ll need some carbohydrates in your diet, but avoiding high carbohydrate foods will help you to enter ketosis much more effectively.

Is Keto Right for You?

The ketogenic diet isn’t right for everyone. While many people may benefit, others could struggle with the specific dietary requirements needed to succeed. Chances are, if you’ve been struggling to lose a few pounds, you could use a suitable change to your diet.

A Keto diet will help you to become more conscious of what you’re eating. You can’t eat any junk food on this diet - no desserts, candy, or baked goods. All of them are replaced with whole foods. The weight is sure to drop off if you achieved a state of ketosis.

There are more benefits other than losing pounds, but we don’t want to overwhelm you here with all this information. So for more keto benefits, stay tuned with us!

I've lost A LOT of weight and I know all the struggles you can go through when you are trying to change your lifestyle and habits.  I have also worked with two different groups of people on their weight loss goals through KETO diet based practices. 

Keto is the latest in hot diet trends. It works by fundamentally changing how your body processes food and turns your fat reserves into energy. Once your body reaches a ketogenic state, it no longer burns carbs (or sugars), but instead gets all its energy needs form fat.

If you are looking to get into KETO or if you are looking to achieve a better balance or just a better experience, here are a few of my tips to consider!

Here are 5 tips on how to get the best out of a keto diet

#1 - Is this for you?

The first thing you need to think about when starting a new diet, is whether it is the right diet for you.

For example, a keto diet might not work if you are breastfeeding or pregnant. In these instances you need to have a conversation with your doctor which kind of nutrition is needed. Especially during pregnancy, weight loss is not usually advisable.

This is also the case if you are on medication for high blood pressure or diabetes, as these can interfere with how you process foods.

#2 No More Carbs

The main area of focus in a keto diet is the switch form a carb based intake to a fat based one. This means that you will need to eliminate as many carbs as possible. This means no more white bread, no more pasta, no more rice. What you gain, though, is a healthy lifestyle, so it’s not a difficult switch when you really think about it.

One you limit your carb intake, your body does not receive enough glucose (sugar). This will push your cells to use fat reserves to gain energy instead. This process is called ketosis.

How you get to the point where ketosis sets in, however, varies greatly and depends completely on your body type, genetic make-up, and even personal medical history.

Stop thinking of KETO as a quick fix to weight loss and start thinking about KETO as a way to achieve a healthier you. A way to kick sugar cravings. A way to reduce your dependency on all that extra glucose we are feeding our bodies.  A way to improve the type of food we eat on a daily basis.

#3 Think of the Fat

Ketosis will set in when your body is depleted of carbs and sugar to use for energy production. The next best thing for our cells is fat. Fat is high in energy and is normally used to store it for a later date. Sugar is the “quick” source of energy, whereas fat is our long term investment. But switching your body to that source takes work. It also takes a basic understanding of what kind of fat is good for us.

When we switch to a keto diet, we need to consume more fat and fewer carbs. But not just any kind of fat!

“Good” fatty acids can be found in oily fish such as salmon, coconut oil, lard, or ghee.

This does not mean, however, that we can just eat as much fat as we like.

As with any diet, we still need to keep an eye on our overall calorie intake. KETO isn't just a miracle diet that helps you melt the fat away.  Energy balance matters. How much you put in versus how much you use up.

Equally important is protein and while protein is limited on a KETO diet it should not be forgotten. Protein is the building blocks for our muscular structure and should not be ignored.

#4 Hydrate!

The biggest problem that crops up again and again with people who switch to the keto diet is hydration. Side effects of dehydration include very dark urine, feeling dizzy, dry skin or lips, or lack of energy. Your body is going through a major change, it needs a lot of water to keep up and you need to fill your cellular structure back up with the water that is depleted. 

#5 Real Food Matters!

Stop reaching for miracle supplements to get you into KETO.  KETO is a process by which your body switches from using carbs to fat stores. This takes time. Trying to trick your body into KETOSIS by using some fancy supplement is useless. Our body is pretty smart and it is efficient and constantly adapts to stimuli.  Adding supplements may work initially but will distort your results long term. Real food matters. Eating a proper KETO balanced diet filled with nutrient rich foods, foods that will help promote Ketosis matters.  As your body adapts to the FOOD you eat, it will become a habit. Your body's habit changes and it will use your fat stores as fuel. Let it LEARN how to use food rather than depend on supplementation. You will thank yourself in the long run.

Bulletproof Coffee is a rich, creamy coffee drink filled with healthy fats.

We've taken the concept of bulletproof coffee and turned it into a KETOGENIC green tea matcha latte. 

The principle behind a bulletproof coffee for KETO followers is this : When you add additional fat into your morning routine, you will feel fuller longer.  If you are not a morning breakfast person, this is a good go to breakfast when following a KETOGENIC diet to maintain healthy fats and reduce your sugar cravings.

It has been said to help with weight loss for those that nibble all day long or are much more used to snacking on sugary snacks.

Our Bulletproof Matcha Latte Recipe :

1 scoop Do You Bake? KETO Matcha Ginseng Latte Mix

10oz almond milk (0 sugar)

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon unsalted grassfed butter

1/2 tablespoon coconut oil or MCT oil

In a large mug add your milk, butter, coconut oil and heavy cream. Heat in the microwave for about a minute.  Pour in your scoop of Matcha Ginseng latte (1 - 2 tablespoons) and stir away. 

Enjoy!