There are many health- and weight loss-related benefits of eating a ketogenic diet, but there’s another potential benefit you might not expect: preventing hair loss and hair thinning.
Let’s look at how the keto diet may actually support hair growth along with its other health benefits. (more…)
How long can you go without eating?
What are ketones- We all fast while we sleep (unless you get up for a midnight snack). That’s why the first meal of the day is referred to as breakfast – it breaks the fast.
Although most people in modern society seem unable to go more than a few hours without food, it actually turns out that the human body is designed to fast.
Fasting creates ketones.
Starting a new diet can seem overwhelming, even if it’s as healthy as a ketogenic diet. But thankfully, there are lots of ways to make the keto diet easy—starting with simple keto meals—and we’re here to help!
These super simple meals have minimal ingredients and take less than 30 minutes (some much less than that). And oh yeah—they’re delicious and satisfying too! (more…)
Most people don’t get nearly enough fiber, especially on a ketogenic diet. But with the right information, it doesn’t need to be a problem!
Our bodies need fiber for good gut health, disease prevention, preventing constipation, and more. Since a keto diet is very low in carbs, it cuts out common fiber sources—but not to worry! There are still great options, which we’ll cover below, for how to get enough fiber on a keto diet. (more…)
If your gallbladder has been removed (or you have gallbladder problems), it can be more difficult to digest fats because the gallbladder is known for secreting bile that helps with fat processing. This might make you wonder whether a ketogenic diet (which is very high in fats) is possible for you at all.
The short answer is yes, you can absolutely eat keto without a gallbladder! But there are a few extra precautions that will ensure you follow the diet safely. (more…)
Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, and more than a third of Americans are obese, according to the CDC. Something clearly needs to change.
Unfortunately, mainstream advice about heart health is still misguided and not up-to-date on the most recent research—including the positive connection between the keto diet and heart health.
Here’s what you need to know.
When it comes to heart health, there are three factors that matter:
Most doctors will still tell you that to have a healthy heart and cholesterol, you need to reduce any foods with cholesterol and saturated fats, keep carbohydrates between 45-65 percent of total calories, exercise more to lose weight, and take statin drugs to lower your LDL cholesterol if that doesn’t work.
The truth says otherwise.
The real culprit when it comes to heart disease is oxidized cholesterol (from LDL pattern B) and inflammation resulting from:
(See the Truth About Cholesterol for more on this.)
Thankfully, the Keto Zone diet addresses these issues.
The Keto Zone diet can lower your triglycerides and the harmful LDL pattern B while converting LDL pattern B into neutral LDL pattern A. It can also help raise HDL “good” cholesterol.
There are two main ways the diet does this:
Here are some examples of the heart healthy benefits of the ketogenic diet at work:
In a 2004 study on the long-term effects of a ketogenic diet on obese patients, the researchers found the diet significantly reduced the BMI and weight, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and blood glucose of the patients while increasing their HDL cholesterol levels. The long-term use of the diet also didn’t cause any detrimental side effects [1].
Another study from 2006 showed eating 20 grams of carbs or less per day significantly decreased the BMI, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and blood glucose levels of obese subjects. Their HDL cholesterol levels also increased significantly [2].
A third study from 2007 looked at the effects of a ketogenic diet on 64 obese diabetic patients. At the end of 52 weeks, the patients’ total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, and urea levels decreased significantly and HDL cholesterol increased significantly [3].
For more information on the keto diet and heart health, check out Dr. Colbert’s Keto Zone Diet book.
Sources:
Ketone Levels- When your body is in ketosis, it creates ketones as a byproduct of breaking down fat for energy.
When you’re newly in ketosis, these excess ketone bodies can spill out of the your body through your breath, urine, or blood. This means you can test your ketone levels in a few different ways.
Here are your options for how to test ketone levels in your body, the pros and cons of each, and the surprising best way to know if you’re in the Keto Zone. (more…)
Experiencing leg or muscle cramps on a keto diet? You’re not alone! Muscle cramping is a common “side effect” of a ketogenic diet. But thankfully, it’s temporary and easily remedied. Here’s why you might get muscle cramps on keto and two simple ways to handle them, starting today. (more…)
