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Elevate Christian Network - Health and Wellness

Elevate Christian Network :: Health and Wellness

Healthy Lifestyle - 9 Health Benefits of The Ketogenic Diet

Ketogenic Diet: What might your first few weeks be like? Be prepared, as some people find the adaptation phase rough. | Image: Steve Aitchison

Ketogenic Diet: So far, I don’t feel great yet, as there is a period of body adjustment until your body gets into a state of ketosis.  However I feel more mentally alert and I have lost 9 Ibs in 11 days.  So for me I have lost that little pot belly I was developing.  I have yet to get over the ‘Keto Flu’ symptoms, but they’re getting much better.  So here is some great info on the Ketogenic diet.

Although there has been a lot of buzz about the Ketogenic diet in recent years, which you’ll probably have seen as #LCHF and a LOT of pictures on Instagram of food swimming in cream, it has been around for a long time.

The Mayo Clinic – Ketogenic Diet

Dr Russell Wilder at the Mayo Clinic designed the diet in 1924 to help in the treatment of epilepsy. The diet is very high in fat, contains adequate amounts of protein and is low in carbohydrates. Roughly the amounts are about three to four grams of fat to every gram of carbohydrate and protein, or about 60 percent fat, 35 percent protein and 5 percent carbs, but different promoters of the diet suggest slight-differing amounts with some experts recommending up to 80 percent fat.

There are variations of the Ketogenic diet, such as the first phase of the Atkins diet, which focuses on a very low carbohydrate count (20g), and other popular eating regimes such as the South Beach Diet and even Paleo bear some similarities.

Other approaches include a cyclical plan, where you eat a Ketogenic diet for a period of time, such as five days, and then spend two or three days eating more carbs, or a targeted Ketogenic diet, where you eat carbs to help you through exercise.   Read the full story…. stevenaitchison.co.uk

 

Ketogenic Diet vs. Low Carb Diet: Thomas DeLauer

Ketosis is when your body turns to fat rather than carbohydrates for energy. Ketosis can occur during fasting, when you reduce the amount of carbs or calories in your diet, during pregnancy or after exercising for a long period of time.

Many diets use ketosis as the means of burning fat while maintaining muscle – examples include the Atkins diet and other low-carb diets. This strategy can also lead to decreased hunger. How long does it take to kick your body into fat burning, ketosis mode?

How the Body Uses Ketones

Roughly 3-4 days of consuming less than 50 carbs per day, the equivalent of 2 bananas. Benefits include weight loss, seizure prevention, cardiovascular health and type-2 diabetes help, to name a few.  How does it Work? When glucose is in short supply, your liver will break down fats into ketones, which are then used throughout your body for energy.

Muscles and other tissues in your body use ketones rather than glucose for energy metabolism. In a healthy person, the production of ketones for energy is the body’s natural response to starvation, so this happens when dieting, overnight and during fasting.

Glucose or Ketones: Which is More Effective? Many brain diseases, such as epilepsy, are already being treated by the ketogenic diet. The mechanisms to why it helps the brain are still being studied, but there are some possible reasons that ketones seem to be a good energy source for the brain.

Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB)

One major Ketone, beta-hydroxybutyrate, or BHB, provides more energy per unit of oxygen than glucose, and thus may be even more efficient than glucose at providing energy to the brain.  This diet has also been found to increase the number of mitochondria in brain cells. In a 2004 study on rats, one group was fed a ketogenic diet while the other was fed a normal diet.

A positive impact was found on the gene expression for mitochondrial enzymes in the hippocampus, the memory and learning center of the brain. Ketosis and Body Water Composition: High fat and low carb diets are known to lead to fast weight loss. The fast weight loss is due to water weight being shed.

Maintain Muscle While Losing Fat

When you decrease carbs, you decrease water storage in the body.  Who Can Benefit From Ketosis? If you are looking to shed some body fat, ketosis may be a good tool. This can go along with an exercise regimen as you maintain muscle while losing fat. Ketosis can also benefit those who need to boost brain power as energy may be utilized more effectively in the brain.

*Be careful because those with diabetes can get too high of a level of ketones in their blood, which is very dangerous. This occurs due to the low levels of insulin in the blood, which will signal the body to produce excess ketones that will build up in the blood, making the blood pH too low.

 

See also: Health & Wellness Channel | Health & Fitness Store on Elevate Christian Network

 

 

 

About 

Cee Harmon is the founder of Elevate Christian Network and Elevate Your Potential Magazine. He enjoys helping people improve the quality of their lives - spirit, soul, and body.
 
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