A ketone is a molecule your body naturally produces when your carbohydrate intake is low. The term ketogenic means that it produces ketones in the body. Keto = ketone; genic = producing. When your body enters ketosis, fat, rather than glucose, is being burned, providing you with energy. Greatly reducing the amount of carbohydrates while increasing the amount of fats will keep your body in ketosis for a longer period of time.
Studies show that the Inuit, a Native American tribe that’s endured extreme conditions from living in the Arctic, lived most, if not all their lives in a permanent state of ketosis. There are also a few other Great Plains tribes that were seasonally on a ketogenetic diet.
Individuals with epilepsy often undergo keto therapy (another word for the keto diet), which has led to a decrease in the frequency and intensity of seizures. Because of the astonishing results, most individuals who suffer from epilepsy stick with the diet for up to 12 years.
How It Works
The keto diet forces your body to use a different type of fuel to keep you going. Instead of relying on glucose that comes from carbohydrates, the keto diet focuses on ketone bodies, a type of fuel that the liver produces from stored fat.
Burning fat may seem like the best way to shed a few pounds, but putting (and keeping) your body in ketosis is tricky. To do so: you need to eat fewer than 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. Remember, a medium sized banana has about 27 grams of carbs. Additionally, eating too much protein can interfere with this process.
Don’t panic if this takes a few days to achieve. Once your body gets used to burning stored fat from the liver, it will be much easier to enter and remain in ketosis.
Ketone/Ketosis Benefits Include:
- Improves heart health by increasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels and decreasing LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels
- Increased energy
- Prevents heart disease by lowering blood pressure and triglycerides
- Experience better sleep
- Better gastrointestinal and gallbladder health such as less heartburn and acid reflux, decreased risk for gallstones, improved digestion, less gas and bloating
- Weight loss
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