One of the most popular current ways to lose weight is the ketogenic diet. Keto is a high fat, medium protein, low carb diet. Most of us know keto for it is amazing fat-burning benefits. But ketosis provides advantages far beyond mere fat-burning. Here’s how and why the keto diet can come to your rescue. Some reasons for embracing a keto lifestyle are the following:
1. Reducing body fat There are so many people who simply cannot lose weight, or if they do, they gain it right back. Does this sound familiar? Keto has the largest success rate of about 90%. It has been proven by statistics that low carb diets have resulted in greater fat loss than low-fat diets. That is because keto curbs your hunger. You are given a respite from the constant mind struggles that make sticking to a diet so difficult. If you eat more fat and protein, you will feel greater satiety levels and hence won’t tend to overeat.
2. Decrease Inflammation If you feel achy and sore, then you will love keto! Sugar is pretty inflammatory and since keto utilises fat instead of sugar for fuel, keto can put a stop to the surges of insulin from unregulated sugar levels that raise blood sugar and create inflammation in the body.
3. Increased energy levels Who doesn’t want more energy during the day? That’s because your blood sugar levels have stabilised preventing blood sugar spikes.
4. It boosts insulin sensitivity by reducing carb intake A keto diet restricts carbohydrates. This helps balance insulin levels. Insulin is a master hormone that controls blood sugar, and when it’s too high and out of balance, your sex hormone levels can drop. Luckily, following a keto diet makes your body more `insulin sensitive’. This means insulin is well-regulated, in balance, and used properly by your cells. When you’re insulin sensitive, all sorts of metabolic miracles can happen.
5. Eliminating food cravings This is such a blessing, as so many people want the cookie, want the fizzy, want the dessert. Even if they have just eaten. The less you have these sugary snacks, the less you crave them. Kiss goodbye the 3pm sugar slump.
6. It focuses on fat for better hormone support For too long, we’ve been told to be wary of fat, and thus we slashed fat in favour of carbs. Fat is your best friend on a keto diet. Roughly 75% of your calories should come from healthy fat sources such as avocados, nuts and seeds, coconut oil, butter, olives, olive oil, and other high-fat foods. These ‘good’ fats support hormone production & maintain hormone balance because they are the building blocks for estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
7. It eases premenstrual syndrome (PMS) by detoxing the body PMS has a wide variety of symptoms including mood swings, depression, irritability, food cravings, fatigue, acne, headaches, brain fog – the list goes on and on. The keto diet has been scientifically proven to have a positive effect on many of the PMS related symptoms. The underlying cause is a hormone imbalance, estrogen dominance or having too much estrogen and not enough progesterone. One of the causes of estrogen dominance is a diet comprised of too much sugar and refined carbohydrates.
