4 Things You Never Knew About the Ketogenic Diet

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A Ketogenic Diet is one that forces your body to burn fat instead of carbs. It’s been around for about 100 years but didn’t really take hold in the popular imagination until about 20 years ago. Since then, it has developed a broad following of people who recognize it as an extremely effective method for losing weight. Athletes are also attracted to it as a way to keep body fat to a minimum and enhance their endurance, while there are signs it may also help diabetics maintain more stable blood sugar levels. Below we’re going to shine a light on 4 things that don’t come up all the time in discussions about the Ketogenic Diet.

4 Keto Tidbits to Chew On

Here are 4 things about the Ketogenic Diet – or Keto Diet as it’s commonly called today – you may not be aware of.

  • It was Originally Developed to Treat Pediatric Epilepsy – Something that’s become a bit lost in the flurry of interest around the weight loss possibilities of the Keto Diet is the fact that it was originally developed as a way to control epileptic seizures in children. Under normal circumstances, the carbs we eat are converted into glucose which aids in brain function. The Keto Diet eliminates most carbs which force the body to convert fat into Ketone bodies that fulfill the role of the lost glucose in the brain. This process leads to a measurable reduction in seizure activity. Although still used as an epilepsy treatment in some places new and effective anticonvulsant drugs developed after World War II caused the diet to largely fade from public view for many years.
  • You May Come Down with “Keto Flu” – The Keto Diet is more involved than a typical diet where you simply limit the number of calories you consume. With the Keto Diet, you’re eliminating most carbs and that is going to force your body to adjust by falling back on a process known as “Ketosis”. Ketosis – where the body burns fat instead of carbs and produces Ketones – is not something most healthy people eating balanced diets experience. As a result of Ketosis, you’re likely to experience mild flu-like symptoms as your body adjusts to the process. But these symptoms should pass fairly quickly.
  • Results Require Discipline – Unless you want to get on a Ketosis roller coaster you’re going to have to approach the Keto Diet with determination and commitment. There’s no “going Keto” for lunch and then eating carbs at dinner. Or “doing the Keto thing” for a couple of days and then binging on carbs before returning to a Keto Diet. You’ll have to be constantly mindful of the amount of fat, carbs, and protein you’re eating and you should definitely pay a visit to sites like ketogenicsupplementreviews.com in order to find a first class Keto supplement to aid in your weight loss efforts.
  • The Keto Diet can Reduce Free Radicals – Studies have shown that the Keto Diet can drastically reduce the body’s production of free radicals. Free radicals are produced by the mitochondria as a byproduct of burning sugar. Once loose in your system free radicals are known to attack and damage all forms of molecules including lipids, proteins and even DNA itself.

Conclusion

Because it requires a the commitment in order to be effective the Keto diet is not for the casual dieter or those who want to just drop a couple of pounds so they can button their trousers. However, if you’re committed to achieving and maintaining a slimmer, healthier, stronger and more toned self the Keto Diet could very well be the one for you.


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