Why Get into the State of Ketosis?
Elimination of carbohydrates in the body is one of the main goals of a keto diet. This is because if there’s not enough carbohydrates, the body will use fats for energy which can result into faster weight loss. The body also needs to consistently undergo ketosis to know that one is successful with his new diet plan.
Maintaining a diet that is low in carbs is simple for most people. There are specific diet guides online, like Keto Methods that teach people how to limit their daily carb intake. There are also countless videos, articles, and communities made for those who want to get started with keto. Starting the diet is easy, but knowing that you made some progress can be a bit more challenging.
It can be confusing for some people whether their bodies are burning ketones for fuel or burning the muscles in their bodies. If you are one of the people who are into this diet and want to know more about whether you are in ketosis or not, here are some helpful guides to make your journey easier.
What is Ketosis Anyway?
Ketosis is the body’s state where it burns ketones because there’s not much sugar left to consume. This level is reached when the blood’s ketone levels reach the threshold of 0.5 mmol/L.
Most people deliberately restrict their carbohydrates so that they can enter this state. This means that they might fast for days and eat a diet that contains little to no carbs. Depending on an individual’s overall health, it can take two days to two weeks before they can enter a sustained state of ketosis.
It is essential to keep in mind that the body won’t enter ketosis if there are many carbs available. The body will use its stored glycogen, which is technically sugar, or get the carbohydrates from food to provide energy for the cells.
Why Get into This State?
For most people, achieving the state of ketosis means that they can have a more robust immune system and they can lose weight faster. They can optimize their body for exercise, and they recover faster from chronic diseases. A lot of studies documented the benefits of using ketones, but the mechanism is not entirely understood.
One thing is for sure, the diet can enhance the cells’ mitochondria, which significantly reduces stress and inflammation. Read more about the mitochondria when you click here. Optimizing the body’s use of energy can combat a lot of stressors that many people face in today’s modern society.
How to Get into Ketosis?
When you are starting to put your body into ketosis and keeping it in this state, you need to minimize your carb intake to no more than 10 to 40 grams a day. For example, a pear fruit contains about 25 grams of carbs, and non-starchy veggies can still contribute, so it’s best to look for other alternatives.
If you are starting the diet, you also need to watch out for your protein intake. This is because the body can convert the proteins that you consume into carbs in a process called gluconeogenesis. Some people achieve the state of ketosis with the help of fasting.
The good news is that you won’t have to go for days without eating. Instead, you will practice intermittent fasting to eat for 8 hours and stop for the next 16. You also need to eat low-calorie foods so that your body will use the fats stored in it as fuel.
What to Eat and Avoid
For protein, you need to eat chicken, meat, salmon, and grass-fed beef in liberal amounts. You can eat bacon and shrimp, but they should be occasional. You should never eat the cold cuts with the extra sugar or the chicken nuggets since these won’t help you in the long run.
When you are using oil, you can use liberal amounts of butter, heavy cream, coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil. You should limit yourself from eating corn, safflower, and sunflower oil, or those that usually comes from pre-packaged foods. You should never include margarine and trans fats into any of your meals.
The options for fruits and veggies include asparagus, celery, green leafy vegetables, and avocado. Every carbohydrate count, so you may want to eat leeks, eggplants, and spaghetti squash occasionally. It’s not a good idea to mix corn, potatoes, and raisins into your meals as they provide you with lots of carbohydrates. You can know more about low-carb mistakes to be avoided while in the keto diet here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/5-most-common-low-carb-mistakes.
For beverages, drink plenty of water, plain tea, bone broth, and almond milk. It would be best to watch out your caffeine consumption, diet soda, and avoid other zero-calorie drinks. It would be best if you never drank sodas, fruit juices, and lemonades.
If you want to incorporate herbs and spices to your recipes, you can have generous amounts of pepper, thyme, cayenne, paprika, and salt in your meals. Use ground ginger, onion, and garlic powder occasionally. The herbs and spices are generally fine if you add only small amounts to flavor your food. Unless otherwise stated in the diet you are following, you can add spices to enjoy your food better.
How Long Should You Follow the Ketogenic Way?
For many people, three months is the average commitment required so that their bodies will adapt to ketosis. Some therapies can help with the trial period to help people get into the keto diet easier. For many people in Western countries, their general diet was not proficient in fat metabolism. Thus, they are well-adapted to fats, and the body should be given the time to change and adapt a new way of utilizing its resources.
Some of the nutritional plans’ flexibility allows people to slip into the ketogenic way of life without too much difficulty. This is a life-long tool that should be adopted since it can improve one’s wellbeing. If you are not sure where to start, you can reach out to nutritionists and gurus online for help. These experts can also set long-term commitments that can enhance your lifestyle and incorporate the keto diet in the easiest way possible.
