The Keto diet is becoming increasingly popular, especially after the recent celebrity transformations, which are just awesome! But, if you have tried it for yourself, there is so much that goes in between those glossy before and after images! Be it the countless delicacies you had to give up or the constant feeling of exhaustion that weighed you down every day, the diet does ask a lot from you!
Though nothing can be done about the food, you should definitely do something about the exhaustion. Here are some of the overlooked side effects that most people following the keto diet suffer from!
The Side Effects
The side effects that arise as a consequence of the diet are clubbed together and categorized under ‘the keto flu. It is essentially referred to as the short-term conditions that the person experiences as their body adjusts to the changes.
Notice, the term short-term does not mean the symptoms go away after a while. It is just that no long-term studies are yet to be conducted to evaluate its gross effects!
Nevertheless, listing down the effects:
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Poor energy
- Digestive problems
- Nausea
Apart from it, apparent problems like osteoporosis, malnourishment, and kidney stones can be indicated owing to the dis-balanced diet.
What To Do!
A keto diet focuses on pushing your body into the state of keto, where the body metabolizes fats instead of carbohydrates. But this is only possible if you don’t supplement your body with any other source of energy, primarily carbohydrates, and protein. However, since the food is not essentially categorized based on the count, when you avoid some things, you lose out on a lot of other things.
Hence, essentially your diet is low on everything your body ideally needs! Thus, it is no surprise; your body goes into a slump as it comes to terms with what is happening.
Thus Here Are A Few Tips To Help You Cope With These Side Effects And Minimize Their Sightings!
- Slowly pull down the carbs. Since your body heavily relies on the carb, shutting it down seventy to eighty percent overnight will not help you. Instead, you’ll always be hungry and drained of energy. So instead, decrease the percentage over a week so that your body gets accustomed to the change!
- Since you are low on the nutrient side, it is essential that you maintain the salt balance in your body. Give a little push of sodium (salt) in your food so that your body has enough electrolytes. Make sure you keep yourself hydrated.
- Don’t cut down the fiber from your diet. Your body (especially the stomach) requires roughage for a healthy gut.
- Switch to organic food sources rather than the commercialized keto diet products.
- Ensure your diet is satisfied from fatty foods. Your body requires a minimum amount of energy to run things around. Whether it obtains it from fats or proteins, there lies little difference. But it must have something. If you don’t make up the carbohydrates with equal healthy fats, you are draining your body!
- If your diet is healthy, it is unlikely you’ll suffer from nutrition deficiency. But generally, it is seen that people following the keto diet end up with one or the other deficiency. Hence it is advisable to choose the food wisely. Also, consult a dietician regarding changes in diet or the addition of nutrient supplements.
- Rest well! Have a good sleep so that your body has enough time to recharge.
Learn From The Best
Remember Jenna Jameson, who rocked Instagram with her keto weight loss transformations? She attributes her full credit to the keto diet.
But if you look closely at her meals, you won’t notice the typical commercialized ‘keto’ meals. Instead, her key mantra is to eat heartily and healthy (of course, not to forget high fat and low carb).
She coupled her diet with intermittent fasting leading to a weight loss of over 80lbs post-pregnancy.
Conclusion:
Keto is a fairly good diet, especially if you follow it the right way. Some studies have found that keto-diet is even helpful for people who have diabetes. But it all lies in how you do it. If you couple the diet with the extreme measures to see drastic weight loss transformations, you are only inviting trouble!
