Ketosis and the Ketogenic Diet
Assessing the Pros and Cons of the Ketogenic Diet
As a Naturopathic Doctor, the ketogenic diet or being in ketosis isn’t new to me. I’ve been recommending it to certain patients for years; due to the documented health benefits of ketosis. It’s exciting to see that people are now talking about it on a global scale.
What is Ketosis?
In a nutshell ketosis can be defined as a “metabolic state that happens when you consume a very low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet (or fast for extended periods) that causes your body to switch from using glucose as it’s primary source of fuel, to running off ketones. Ketones themselves are produced when the body burns fat, and they’re primarily used as an alternative fuel source when glucose isn’t available.” (Keto Clarity). In other words, you switch from being a sugar burner to being a fat burner. But I should point out that simply going on a low carb diet is often not enough to reach nutritional ketosis.
The Pros to Ketosis and the Ketogenic Diet
- Weight Loss
By consuming a higher fat/lower carb diet you also retrain the body to use fat as an energy source. This allows the body to tap into its own fat reserves – burning it as energy.
- Balancing Blood Sugar
The ability to utilise fat and ketones as fuel for the body mean a pre-diabetic or even a type 2 diabetic, no longer has to worry about excess blood sugar levels.
- Better Brain Function
Improved brain function, clarity of thought, and memory recall are some wonderful benefits to the brain.
The Challenges of Ketosis and the Ketogenic Diet
- One Size Doesn’t Fit All
As with any diet, I truly do not believe there is ever a one size fits all. While the ketogenic diet may be great for some, it is not going to work for others. Those who should not follow a ketogenic diet would include pregnant and breastfeeding moms, anyone who is significantly underweight, young children, those with metabolic disorders, gallbladder disease, or those who are prone to kidney stones.
- Thyroid Imbalances
I have also found that thyroid patients do not usually do well on the keto diet, as it is important for them to get enough complex carbohydrates into their diet for proper thyroid function. This is also why people have been known to experience thyroid imbalance when they first go keto. The diet can throw your thyroid balance out of whack.
- Worsening Cardiovascular Issues
Those who have the lipoprotein(a) enzyme (often related to heart disease) may also not be great candidates for this diet. Having this marker in the blood may be key in determining the risk of heart disease. Following a high-fat diet like the keto diet, may increase this marker not making it an ideal option for those who already have elevated Lp(a).
Since this diet focuses on a large amount of fats, most people focus mainly on eating animal and dairy proteins. But this high consumption of animal products has been shown to be extremely inflammatory to health. A long term ketogenic diet may not be a healthier approach to living healthier. To learn which diet is ideal for your body, consider scheduling a consultation to find which diet your body prefers to function at it’s best.
How the Keto IV™can Help
The Keto IV™ will help fortify your health and maximize the benefits of the Ketogenic Diet such as:
- Maintains an alkaline state for the body to sustain Ketosis
- Eliminates brain fog by fueling the brain
- Reduces inflammation
- Increases immunity
When ketones enter our blood, our blood sugar and insulin levels drop and this causes us to urinate more often because we are losing electrolytes at a faster rate than usual. Though they create amazing benefits, ketogenic diets oftentimes create a few drawbacks that sometimes make staying the course difficult. For one, they can increase acid load that shifts urinary chemistry, putting you at risk for problems like kidney stones. Too many acidic foods create a “chronic low-grade acidosis,” depleting precious minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium while adversely affecting your bone health, increasing inflammation, and paving the way for chronic disease. In essence, the body is scavenging minerals to keep the blood pH balanced…at a cost.
That’s why I created the Keto IV™, which compliments a Ketogenic Diet’s benefits with a focus on keeping the body alkaline and nourished with vitamins and minerals that fortify energy and vitality.
The Keto IV™ was formulated to allow the body to absorb nutrients that someone on a ketogenic diet is unable to absorb due to the high intake of fats. With the addition of glutathione to the Keto IV™ you will be taking the excess burden off of the liver simultaneously while relieving possible digestive symptoms related to the high fat intake.
On a ketogenic diet, it may be even more difficult to meet your vitamin needs such as magnesium and B-vitamins, as many of those foods like beans and fruits are also high in carbs. For this reason I made sure to include key nutrients and antioxidants into the Keto IV™ to fortify the body’s needs for vitamins.
Stalls in Weight Loss
If you have noticed a weight loss plateau while on the ketogenic diet, consider adding a Fat Burner Shot to the Keto IV™ to kick start your metabolism. It’s quite common to stall periodically during ketosis after a couple of months as the body’s metabolism will adjust and slow down to compensate for the rapid weight loss.
More about the Keto IV™
To grasp the benefits of the Keto IV™, it would be best received once a week while you are on the Ketogenic Diet. You should feel great after the IV, but make sure to have eaten an hour before to combat any possible nausea from the potency of the nutrients that may be possible on an empty stomach. So no fasting before the IV. The cost of the IV is $225 and is easily administered within an hour. To schedule your appointment to receive your Keto IV™, contact us here.
