Some contain huge amounts of sugars, too much protein. Most contain far too little healthy fats.

Want to know what should be in your health shake? Here’s our list:

5 Must-Have Ingredients in a Health Shake

1. Healthy Fats as Ingredients in a Health Shake

Especially if you are in the Keto Zone, healthy fats are likely the most important ingredient in your health shake. Here’s what healthy fats do, and which ones you should choose:

Benefits of Healthy Fats:

There are many benefits of including enough healthy fats in your diet.  They include:

1. Having the right nutrients to get into ketosis. Although your body will enter ketosis anytime you consume very little carbohydrates, it will do so more efficiently when adequate fats are present in the diet.
2. Weight loss without hunger. Fats help you feel full and satisfied, even when losing weight (1).
3. More abdominal fat loss. When carbohydrates are replaced with fats, people lose more abdominal fat. This is great news since abdominal fat is associated with heart disease and other chronic conditions (2, 3).
4. Improved health once in ketosis. Ketosis provides many health benefits including improved cholesterol ratios, reduced dangerous triglycerides, optimal blood sugars and insulin, improved brain and eye health, and reduced inflammation.
5. Ketones that are brain fuel. Not only does high-fat, Keto Zone eating provide brain fuel that improves focus and clarity, it also has neuroprotective properties (4).

Healthy Fats in Keto Zone Shakes:

MCT Oil: MCT oil is one of the best fats for ketosis. It is quickly digested, used for ketones, and provides many health benefits.

Avocado Oil Powder: Avocado fats promote health in many ways, including fighting cancer cells, fighting metabolic syndrome, improving heart health, and more.

Healthy Fats NOT in Keto Zone Shakes:

No inflammatory hydrogenated fats (trans fats), soybean oil, or other high omega-6 oils.

2. Whole Food Fibers

Especially if you are in the Keto Zone, it’s important to look for low-carb fiber sources as ingredients in a health shake. Contrary to popular belief , you can easily get enough fiber when in the Keto Zone.

Benefits of Fiber:

Dietary fiber is associated with digestive health, optimal cholesterol levels, improved blood glucose, and weight loss.

Fibers in Keto Zone Shakes:

Keto Zone Shakes pack in 8 grams of fiber per serving! These grams come from sweet potato fiber, broccoli powder, and chicory root, a fructooligosaccharide (FOS). Fructooligosaccharides provide amazing nourishment for the healthy bacteria in the gut, keeping the whole body healthy (5, 6, 7).

Carbohydrates NOT in Keto Zone Shakes:

You won’t find refined grains, sugars, aspartame or saccharin in Keto Zone Shakes. High inflammatory foods not only spike blood sugars and promote insulin resistance, but they can also alter your gut flora.

3. High-Absorption Protein

Although you don’t need much protein in Keto Zone, even if trying to build muscle, you need good sources of protein. Whey protein isolate is one of the best.

Benefits of Bioavailable Proteins:

Proteins do a lot in the body. They help your muscles rebuild after stressing your muscles, support immune function, support hormone balance, and help you feel full even with fewer calories.

Healthy Fats in Keto Zone Shakes:

Whey protein isolate is the protein of choice for Keto Zone Shakes. This highly bioavailable (absorbable) protein works quickly to repair muscles and impact cells. It is a lean protein and is generally well-digested even for anyone who is lactose intolerant.

Protein Powders NOT in Keto Zone Shakes:

You won’t find incomplete vegetarian proteins as the protein source in Keto Zone Shakes. While proteins like pea protein and rice protein are not necessarily harmful, they do not contain the complete array of needed dietary amino acids, are not nearly as bioavailable, create a chalky mouthfeel and taste, and can cause digestive issues.

4. Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients

Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods are crucial for whole-body health. Especially if you’re depending on a health shake for all your daily nutrients (for a limited amount of time), it’s incredibly important that they contain these powerful nutrients.

Benefits of Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammatory Foods:

Every day that you live, different biochemical reactions occur in your body. These reactions are necessary for life, but they can also produce free radicals. In addition, environmental and dietary toxins, unhealthy foods, and more can contribute to free radical build-up called oxidative stress.

One of the most dangerous things about free radicals is that they can oxidize cholesterol, allowing it to enter artery walls and form plaques.

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and render them harmless.

In much the same way, anti-inflammatories reduce chronic inflammation in the body, which can lead to many chronic diseases including heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cognitive decline, and more.

Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammatory Sources in Keto Zone Shakes:

Sweet Potato Powder: Sweet potatoes are loaded with beta-carotene, a strong antioxidant. What’s more, they promote gut health, supports healthy vision, contain cancer-fighting properties, enhance brain function and support the immune system.

Broccoli Powder: Broccoli is one of the most nutrient-packed vegetables available. It has great amounts of antioxidants, detox nutrients, and can even help slow the natural aging process and supports a healthy brain function.

Avocado Oil Powder: Avocado fats are both antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. In fact, they fight metabolic syndrome specifically by reducing inflammation (8).

Junk Ingredients NOT in Keto Zone Shakes:

You won’t find fake flavorings and colorings in Keto Zone Shakes. Many poor-quality shakes rely on man-made flavors and dyes for flavor. Why, when you can have great flavor and incredible nutrition from real foods?

5. The Right Macro Make-Up

Keto Zone Shakes are perfect for ketosis. The percentage of fats, and grams of carbohydrates is incredibly important to maintain the Keto Zone.

Benefits of a High-Fat, Low-Carb Macro Make-Up:

To stay in the Keto Zone, you need an overall fat percentage greater than 70%. You also want less than 25 net grams of carbohydrates. With high-fat and low-carbs, you can efficiently get into the Keto Zone and enjoy all the benefits of ketones.

Macro Make-Up of Keto Zone Shakes:

Keto Zone Shakes contain 74% fats, from MCT oil and avocado oil powder. It contains just 7 grams of net carbs, including 15 grams of carbohydrates and 8 grams of fiber from sweet potato powder, avocado oil, and chicory root.

Macro Make-up of Other Shakes:

Most shakes have 15-30 grams of carbs per shake, and often very high protein. Neither are suitable for Keto Zone. Look to Keto Zone for high-fat and low-carb.

Bottom Line

You’ve got a choice when it comes to health shakes. You can settle for subpar, or know that you’re choosing the best ingredients in a health shake. Keto Zone Shakes have been formulated from top to bottom with your health in the Keto Zone in mind. Your choice.

The post 5 Must-Have Ingredients in a Health Shake appeared first on Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD.

It can be done.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a predominantly high-protein diet to build muscle.

While dieting plays a role, muscle is built by challenging the muscles through weights/resistance, providing enough nutrients for growth, and providing time for recovery.

Sound difficult? It definitely takes work to build muscle on Keto Zone, just like with any eating plan.

Here’s how to build muscle on Keto Zone.

Needed Nutrients to Build Muscle on Keto Zone

First, your body must undergo protein synthesis to build muscle. But, this doesn’t mean that large amounts of protein have to be consumed, just that protein must be broken down and resynthesized in the body.

mTOR is the protein responsible for building muscle mass and is also involved with signaling pathways in the body needed to synthesize muscle mass (1, 2).

Amino Acids and mTOR

Amino acids are necessary for building muscle, plain and simple. However, the amount of protein in your diet isn’t nearly as high as many bodybuilders think. Take a look at vegetarian and vegan bodybuilders for example, many of them consume far fewer grams of protein than traditional bodybuilders.

What’s more, we can target specific amino acids post-workout to improve muscle building.

Amino acids stimulate mTOR directly. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), a group that includes valine, leucine, and isoleucine, are the most effective amino acids for stimulating muscle growth and reducing breakdown.

It makes sense, then, to increase BCAAs on the Keto Zone Diet while building muscle. In fact, consuming 20-30 grams of protein post-workout (including 2 grams leucine) can maximize protein synthesis.

You do need protein with every meal, even when not training if you want to stimulate mTOR and build muscle. You just don’t need to consume protein in huge amounts.

How does this fit into the Keto Zone Diet? Keep reading and find out how to put it all together.

Carbohydrates and mTOR

Resistance Training Notes

It’s not all about diet. As most know, resistance training is essential for muscle building.

Our bodies walk a thin line between protein synthesis and protein breakdown. When we are inactive and not challenging our muscles, the balance it tipped toward muscle breakdown. When muscles are “overloaded” and challenged with weight lifting, protein synthesis takes place. mTOR is activated. Muscle breakdown is reduced.

If your goal is truly to build muscle on Keto Zone, you must engage in a serious and consistent resistance training program while putting the above Keto Zone Diet adjustment in place.

Research Support to Build Muscle On Keto Zone

Real-life research supports building muscle on Keto Zone.

Take this 2017 study on 25 men, for example. When combined with resistance training, both a Keto Diet and a Western Diet produced increases in lean body mass (muscle). However, the Keto Zone Diet also produced more fat loss, resulting in optimal body composition (4).

There’s little doubt that you can build muscle on a keto diet.

Bottom Line

If you want to build muscle on Keto Zone, it’s imperative to take steps to include a good resistance training program, increased calories, slightly increased protein, and adequate fluids and electrolytes. Gaining muscle on keto is absolutely possible and you can obtain the results you want.

The post How To Build Muscle On Keto Zone appeared first on Keto Zone® | Dr. Don Colbert, MD.