Ketosis is a normal metabolic process that causes numerous health benefits. That is, during this process, body fat is being converted into compounds called ketones, which are used as the main source of energy.
Researchers have found that diets that lead to ketosis are extremely beneficial as they suppress appetite and lead to weight loss. In addition, ketosis has also been found to be beneficial in the treatment of various conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and neurological disorders.
This process is not achieved by simply eliminating carbohydrates, but also required planning and great efforts.
These are 7 successful tips for getting into a ketosis state:
1. Reduce your intake of carbohydrates
Consuming a low-carbohydrate diet is crucial to achieving ketosis, as cells use sugar or glucose as the main source of energy. However, cells can also use other sources of fuel, such as fatty acids and ketones, known as ketone bodies.
Glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles, and in the case of low carbohydrate intake, these stores are reduced and insulin levels are reduced, releasing fatty acids from fat stores.
The liver transforms some of these fatty acids into ketone bodies acetone, acetoacetate and beta-hydroxybutyric, which can be used as fuel for the brain.
The level of carbohydrate restriction to achieve ketosis is dependent on the individual. For example, while some people need to reduce liquid carbohydrates (total carbohydrates minus fiber) to 20 grams daily, some can consume significantly more.
Because of this, the Atkins diet recommends limiting the intake to 20 or fewer grams per day for two weeks to ensure that ketosis is achieved. Then the amounts of carbohydrates are gradually increased.
One study involved overweight people with type 2 diabetes who reduced their carbohydrate intake to 21 or fewer grams a day for a week. The results showed that daily levels of urinary ketone excretion were 27 times higher than baseline levels.
Another study involved adults with type 2 diabetes who received 20 to 50 grams of digestible carbohydrates per day depending on the number of grams that allowed them to maintain blood ketone levels within a target range of 0.5 to 3.0 mmol / L (8).
These ranges of carbohydrates and ketones are recommended for individuals who wish to enter a ketosis state in order to lose weight, reduce the risk of heart disease and regulate blood sugar.
On the other hand, therapeutic ketogenic diets used for epilepsy or as an experimental cancer therapy limit carbohydrate intake to less than 5% of calories or less than 15 grams daily to further increase ketone levels.
Therefore, reducing carbohydrate intake to 20-50 grams per day reduces blood sugar and insulin levels, causing the release of stored fatty acids that are converted to ketones by the liver.
2. Increase the intake of healthy fats
The consumption of healthy fats increases ketone levels and helps to achieve ketosis. That is, a ketogenic diet with low carbohydrates is low in carbohydrates but high in fat.
Ketogenic diets for metabolic health, weight loss, and exercise performance get between 60-80% of calories from fat, while the classic ketogenic diet used in the treatment of epilepsy is even higher in fat, typically 85-90% calories of fat.
This does not mean that excessive consumption of fat leads to high levels of ketone in all cases.
A study involving 11 healthy people over three weeks examined the effects of fasting with different amounts of fat on respiratory ketone levels and found that ketone levels were similar in people who consume 79% or 90% of calories from fat.
As fat constitutes a large percentage of a ketogenic diet, you should always use high-quality sources such as avocado oil, coconut oil, lard, butter, olive oil, and sebum.
However, if you want to lose weight, you should not consume too many calories.
Consumption of at least 60% of calories from fat therefore increases ketone levels. However, make sure you choose healthy fats of plant and animal origin.
3. Incorporate coconut oil into your diet
The consumption of coconut oil helps it enter the ketosis state because it is rich in fats known as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are quickly absorbed and taken directly to the liver, where they can be immediately used to energy or converted to ketones.
In fact, it is one of the best ways to achieve ketosis in the case of Alzheimer's disease and other disorders of the nervous system. This oil contains 4 types of MCTs, but still, half the fat comes from the lauric acid.
Researchers have confirmed that fat sources rich in lauric acid can produce a more sustained level of ketosis, as they are metabolized more gradually than other types of MCT.
Numerous studies have found that a diet rich in MCTs containing 20% of calories produced by carbohydrates produces effects similar to those of the classical ketogenic diet, which provides less than 5% of calories from carbohydrates.
You should slowly add coconut oil to your diet in order to avoid digestive side effects such as diarrhea and stomach cramps.
You can start with a teaspoon daily and gradually increase up to 2-3 tablespoons per day within a week. Thus, coconut oil provides MCTs, which are rapidly absorbed and transformed into ketone bodies by the liver.
4. Adequate protein intake
Adequate protein intake leads to ketosis. The classical ketogenic diet used in patients with epilepsy is limited in carbohydrates and proteins to maximize levels of ketone bodies and is also very helpful in treating cancer because it reduces tumor growth.
However, reducing protein to increase ketone production is not a healthy practice for most people.
Initially, sufficient protein intake is required for the liver to obtain the amino acids that are used for gluconeogenesis, or the production of new glucose, the need for the few cells and organs that can not use ketones as fuel, such as some brain areas and renal function. and red blood cells.
In addition, protein intake is required for maintaining muscle mass in the event of a reduced intake of carbohydrates, especially during weight loss. In most cases, weight loss leads to fat and muscle loss, but proper intake of protein in a ketogenic diet with too little carbohydrate can preserve muscle mass.
Studies have shown that preservation of muscle mass and physical performance is maximized when protein intake is in the range of 0.55 to 0.77 grams per pound of lean mass.
Weight loss studies show that diets very low in carbohydrates with protein intake within this range lead to ketosis.
One study involved 17 obese men who followed a ketogenic diet consisting of 30% protein calories for one month. Researchers found that blood ketone levels were 1.52 mmol / L on average, which is well within the range of 0.5 to 3.0 mmol / L of nutritional ketosis.
To learn the protein levels your body needs in a ketogenic diet, you should multiply your ideal body weight in pounds by 0.55 to 0.77 (1.2 to 1.7 in kilograms).
To conclude, low protein intake causes loss of muscle mass, while excessive intake may suppress its production.
5. A short fast or a fat fast
You can also get ketosis if you do not eat for several hours. In fact, many people get into a mild ketosis between dinner and breakfast.
Before a ketogenic diet, epileptic children usually go fasting for 24 to 48 hours in order to reduce seizures earlier as they enter ketosis faster.
Ketosis can also be achieved by intermittent fasting, which involves regular short-term fasts.
In addition, "fat fasting" is another ketone boosting approach that mimics the effects of fasting. It allows the consumption of about 1,000 calories a day, 85-90% of which are from fat, and low calories and high fat consumption lead to ketosis.
According to the results of a 1965 study, a fat fasting caused a significant loss of fat in overweight patients.
A fat fasting is low in calories and protein, so in order to avoid excessive loss of muscle mass, it should be followed no more than 3-5 days. However, it has been proven that fasting, intermittent fasting, and "fat fasting" help the body achieve ketosis very quickly.
6. Physical activity
Studies have shown that ketosis is useful for some types of athletic performance, such as resistance exercises.
On the other hand, physical activity helps the body to achieve ketosis, since exercise depletes glycogen stores. However, if carbohydrate intake is reduced, these glycogen stores are low, and the liver increases ketone production.
One study found that exercise increases ketone production in the case of low blood ketone concentrations. However, if ketone levels are high, they do not increase with exercise and may, in fact, decrease for a short time.
Also, exercise during fasting was found to increase ketone levels.
A small study involved 9 elderly women who exercised before or after a meal. The results showed that blood ketone levels were 137-314% higher when exercising before a meal.
However, note that your body may need 1-4 weeks to adapt to the use of ketones and fatty acids.
What is a fact is that physical activity raises ketone levels in the case of a restricted intake of carbohydrates, and those effects are even increased in a fasting state?
7. Test ketone levels and adjust your diet
Testing ketone levels to ensure your goals is a recommended step, as achieving and maintaining ketosis is individualized.
The three types of ketone, acetone, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetoacetate, can be evaluated in urine, blood and breathing.
The following three methods can help you test ketones and see if you need to make adjustments to help the body enter a ketosis state:
Acetoacetate is evaluated in the urine by immersing the urine ketone strips in the urine. The different ketone levels color the strips in various shades of pink or purple, a darker color, indicating higher levels of ketone.
These strips are affordable and easy to use, but their long-term accuracy has been questioned. If the individual follows a ketogenic diet, studies have shown that urinary ketones are the highest in the early morning and after dinner.
The ketone blood meter is another way to measure ketones and works in a similar way to a glucose meter. That is, a small drop of blood is placed on a strip and then inserted into the meter.
This assesses blood beta-hydroxybutyric levels as well as ketosis levels. However, the disadvantage of this method is the high price of the blood strips.
Acetone is found in respiration, and researchers have shown that testing for acetone respiratory levels is a successful way of monitoring the state of ketosis in people who ingest a ketogenic diet.
The ketone meter measures these levels in the breath, and after the individual breathes, a color flash and indicates if the person is in ketosis and how high the ketone levels are.
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