- What is Keto?
- What can you eat on a keto diet?
- Is the keto diet bad for diabetics?
- What is Keto flu?
- Protein shake fuelling your Keto diet? You may want to try alternatives
- Not losing weight on the keto diet? Here’s why
- The best keto snacks to help ward off that between-meal hunger
Here are some of the benefits of a keto diet:
Focusing on a low-carb, high-fat eating plan, keto encourages the body to burn fat instead of carbs for energy – there do seem to be many advantages to following the diet.
Keto leads to weight loss
The main reason people these days turn to keto is for weight loss – and in a large number of cases, it really does work. When your body can’t get glucose from carbohydrates, your liver converts fat into chemicals called ketones, an alternative source of fuel. This puts you into a metabolic state known as ketosis, which is good for fast weight loss. Some studies have found that people restricting their carbs sometimes lose three times as much weight as people on a low-fat diet.
Keto helps with appetite control
Since the keto diet is high in fats and protein, it doesn’t leave you feeling hungry after a meal like so many diets do – so you may discover you’re able to go for longer periods without eating. And as keto helps to keep your blood sugar levels steady, it reduces the highs and lows that lead to those 3.30pm cravings for sugar and carbs.
Keto reduces seizures
The keto diet was initially used in the 1920s as a treatment for epilepsy, and since then several studies have shown that it does reduce seizures in children whose seizures have failed to be controlled by medications. While the reasons for its effectiveness are yet to be discovered, researchers believe it has something to do with the increased stability of neuron function.
Keto can treat PCOS
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder that causes cysts to grow on the ovaries. Research suggests that PCOS is strongly linked to insulin resistance, and high insulin levels causing the ovaries to produce more androgens (like testosterone). This is where keto can help. Because the diet involves severely restricting carbohydrate intake, this lowers the body’s demand for insulin. Keeping insulin levels low can improve insulin sensitivity, which is just one of the benefits of a keto diet for people with PCOS. It can also help them lose weight, which is often critical in managing PCOS.
Read more: What is keto?
