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The Benefits of a Keto Diet
When most people hear the word diet, it implies a temporary way of eating where you “stay on it” for a while until you’ve reached your goals. Assuming you succeed, you then revert to your original way of eating and guess what?
You gain the weight back when you go back to old eating habits. Duh…
“Yo-yo” dieting is bad for your health for a host of reasons. Whatever form of a healthy diet you choose, it needs to be a sustainable lifestyle, not a quick fix.
The keto diet and low-carb diets are two such lifestyles that have grown in popularity over the last several years. Why? Because they are shown to be effective for a wide variety of health outcomes and, if followed properly, they’re sustainable.
Let’s explore the health benefits that you can experience by adopting the keto, low-carb and real food lifestyle.
Low-Carb Diets Reduce Your Appetite
The ketogenic diet and low-carb diets shift your body’s energy source to fat from carbohydrates. Your liver uses fat to create ketones that are used to fuel your body. Nutritional ketosis is the term that represents the chemical state triggered by a keto diet.
During ketosis, the level of the hormone, ghrelin, in your body is reduced, which makes you feel less hungry. A low-carb diet also induces a reduction in ghrelin.
One of the main reasons for failing on many diets is the feeling of being hungry. Low-carb eating solves that problem. You increase your level of healthy fat intake to compensate for carb withdrawal. Fats are the most calorie-dense of the three macronutrients (fats, protein, carbs) needed to sustain your body so they reduce cravings and last longer.
Weight-loss Results
When it comes to reducing weight, cutting carbohydrates is one of the most straightforward and efficient methods.
Studies have shown that low-carb dieters lose more weight, faster, than low-fat dieters, even though the latter are restricting calories.
This is due to the fact that low-carb diets reduce extra fluid from your body, lower insulin levels and initially cause rapid weight loss.
Research demonstrates that people restricting carbohydrates typically lose 2–3 times as much weight compared to those on low-fat diets. Low-carb diets have been shown to be more effective than other dietary plans at accelerating weight reduction for the first 6-12 months.
Reduction in Abdominal Fat
Not all fat is created equal.
How fat is stored in your body has a significant impact on your health and risk of illness.
Subcutaneous fat is located under the skin. Visceral fat builds up in the abdominal cavity and is seen in most overweight persons.
Visceral fat is found deep within your midsection and surrounds your organs. It’s linked to a slew of serious health problems, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, bad cholesterol difficulty breathing, and type 2 diabetes.
Research reveals that low-carb, higher-fat diets are far more effective at reducing dangerous abdominal fat in women and particularly men.
What an irony: eating more fat actually reduces fat! And by lowering visceral fat, you can prevent some very serious health conditions.
Lowering Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of lipid (fat) in your bloodstream. Your body converts calories it doesn’t need immediately into triglycerides. Fat cells store triglycerides. The hormone, glucagon, stimulates the release of triglycerides for energy between meals.
It stands to reason that if you consume more carb-based calories than you need, you elevate your triglycerides and increase visceral fat.
Once again, research shows that low-carb diets reduce fat in the blood, benefiting health.
Higher Levels of “Good” HDL Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that can be found in all of your cells and has several important functions, including the formation of your body’s cells. Proteins called lipoproteins, transport cholesterol through your bloodstream.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is considered the “good” type of cholesterol because it aids in the removal of “bad cholesterol” from your circulation. HDL cholesterol levels are linked with a decreased chance of heart disease.
Studies prove that a high-fat diet increases HDL. Just make sure you’re eating good fats.
Eating high-fat = a healthy heart!
Better ‘Bad’ LDL Cholesterol Levels
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is deemed the “bad” cholesterol because it can clog your arteries with plaque and result in atherosclerosis. Restricting the arteries lowers blood flow and raises the probability of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease.
A 2006 clinical trial concluded that a restricted carb diet lowers LDL and elevates HDL. Based on that scientific evidence, ketogenic and low-carb diets can improve the health of your heart.
Improved Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels
Obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance continue to grow and they have reached global epidemic proportions.
Keto and low-carb diets reduce blood sugar levels significantly since glucose (sugar) is no longer feeding your energy system.
Conclusive evidence published in 2021, shows the potential of low-carb eating for the remission of diabetes:
“Low-carbohydrate diets are grounded across the time-span of human evolution, have well-established biochemical principles, and are now supported by multiple clinical trials in humans that demonstrate consistent improvements in multiple established risk factors associated with insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently recognized a low carbohydrate eating pattern as an effective approach for patients with diabetes.” (Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34684300/)
The science is well-documented but it is imperative that you consult with your doctor before embarking on a low-carb regimen if you are currently taking any medications.
Reducing Hypertension
The risks of high blood pressure (hypertension) are well-known and include heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and dementia.
A peer-reviewed report in 2020 states “that a low-carbohydrate diet was significantly related to reductions in body weight, diastolic blood pressure, plasma triglycerides, and fasting glucose levels and an increase in HDL-C levels.”
The facts support a low-carb diet. By altering the quantity, quality, and proportions of macronutrients, you can lower your blood pressure eliminate many serious conditions without medicinal intervention.
Pointing Yourself Toward a Low-Carb Future
You may want to lose weight to look better and self-image is a powerful motivation on its own. Looking beyond your appearance, the evidence illustrates that low-carb or keto dieting can have immeasurable benefits for your overall health and prevent numerous non-communicable diseases.
If you’re unsure whether you want to go full classic keto or low-carb, contact eat@thekelliekitchen.com for some seasoned advice.
Keto Accountability Program
21 day Keto & Fasting Jump Start Program
If you’re new to low carb and fasting you may need someone like me to hold you accountable. I have a one on one program. Click on this link for The Kellie Kitchen Keto Accountability Coaching Program.
I’ll teach you how to eat delicious food and still lose weight, look great and feel AMAZING.
The DIY Keto WorkBook
However, if you’re a “Do It Yourself” kind of person I have created a workbook to take you through the 21 day Jump Start Journey.
Click HERE find the 21 day Keto Guide Workbook on Amazon…
You can find the downloadable Keto workbook version at a discount here…