The keto diet has been around for years. Recently, however, it has been gaining popularity because of the awesome benefits and successful results.
Also called the ketogenic diet, the biggest reason why people start it is to lose weight quickly. But this is just one of the benefits of a keto diet.
But first, what is keto?
The keto diet is a type of low carb, high-fat diet (LCHF). The goal is to eat lower carbs, moderate protein, and high fats in order to burn fat for energy, rather than carbs.
This ‘fat-fueled’ state is known as ketosis. When your body is in ketosis, it burns the fat that you consume in addition to fat that was already stored. This helps you to lose fat and has many other benefits.
For more details about the keto diet, read this keto diet guide.
Here are some of the benefits of a keto diet.
7 Amazing Benefits of a Keto Diet
1- Weight Loss
As we mentioned earlier, one of the major benefits of a keto diet is weight loss. Your body begins to burn fat instead of carbs for energy, and this will help you to lose weight that has been stubbornly hanging on for years.
The foods that you eat will be responsible for this effect because the higher protein will keep you full and the high fats will give your body the fuel that it needs. This happens when your body is in ketosis. (Which is a fancy word for saying that your body has adapted to burning fat for energy.)
For a list of foods that you can eat on a keto diet, you can read this post or download a list of 101 keto foods. All of the carbs and other macros have been counted for you.
2- Lowers Bad Cholesterol
There are two types of cholesterol in the body- HDL and LDL.
HDL is the good cholesterol that carries cholesterol from the rest of your body back to your liver so that it can be excreted. LDL, the bad cholesterol, allows cholesterol to build up in your arteries. This is bad.
One benefit of a keto diet is that the level of HDL in your body will increase. This is good because a higher HDL level decreases your risk of heart disease and stroke. [1]
To learn more about the 3 keto foods that could be the most beneficial to reverse heart disease, read this article.
3- Increased Energy
When your body isn’t processing too many carbs, your mental and physical energy will increase.
One common symptom of a high carb diet is the fatigue that comes shortly after eating too much sugar. At first, you get some energy as a result of eating carbs but it goes right back down.
This energy rollercoaster promotes sugar cravings and lethargy.
A huge benefit of the keto diet is that it promotes a steady source of energy throughout the day.
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4- Better Mental Focus
Who couldn’t use a more focused brain?
We just mentioned that due to less crazy carb swings, you’ll have more physical energy. The same goes for your brain as well.
Ketones can provide a more sustainable fuel source for your brain. And the small number of carbs that you’ll be eating will give it the glycogen that it needs.
5- Lowers Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is never a good sign.
It can be an indicator of future heart issues and other major complications. Research has proven that the keto diet is beneficial for managing blood pressure.
Of course, if you have any of these health problems, you should talk to your doctor or dietician. In the meantime, you can read these studies to learn about the effect of keto on blood pressure.
6- Less Sugar Cravings
Just the fact that you’ll be eating fewer carbs, and especially no refined carbs or sugars, will dramatically reduce your sugar cravings.
The diet encourages more leafy vegetables and even reduces starchy vegetables and some fruits that are really high in sugar.
This might seem really restrictive, but some fruits contain a high amount of sugar so they should be eaten in moderation anyway. You can say goodbye to midnight snacking and insane cravings.
Less sugar= less glucose= ketosis= weight loss
7- Reduced Chance of Overeating
If you’ve ever had a problem with binge eating or portion control, this diet can be a huge gamechanger for you.
This is because you won’t be hungry as often, and the food that you do eat when you’re hungry will be satiating.
And that’s a big benefit of keto as well. You will have to keep track of your macros but you don’t have to stress over how much calories is in a steak or a piece of cheese. You can just enjoy it.
Of course, you can still overeat if you don’t control your portions reasonably. But being hungry just stay within a specific calorie limit is a big no.
If you’re still not sure if a keto diet is right for you, here are ten things to consider to give you more insight.
Recap
A keto diet is definitely an option for people who followed conventional dieting advice without seeing any results. From weight loss, blood pressure and blood sugar management, and even to acne, there are so many great benefits of a keto diet.
If you like how this sounds but you aren’t interested in a restrictive diet like keto, you can check out other low carb diets to get a feel of it, or just switch over to eating healthy, plant-based foods.
The results will be worth it.
If you want to learn more about keto, these posts provide some great information: