Why are so many people saying Keto is bad for health?
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Thanks for the the point of views so far... I'm currently experiencing the keto - flu. .. I'm craving apples for some reason and I was so close to crashing a minute ago because of people saying bad things about ketosis.. I'm on zero carbs at the moment.. actually for the first time.. I've had limited fruits and some starchy veg but kept my carb intake less then 100g.. Never felt "the flu".. But now that I have cut out all starchy veg and 100% fruits, the flu has kicked in... Most of my calories Come from far now. I had no energy at the gym this morning, didn't even bother. Sat on my back side the whole entire day feeling lethargic and depressed...
Is this a good sign?
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Anicamarais wrote: »Thanks for the the point of views so far... I'm currently experiencing the keto - flu. .. I'm craving apples for some reason and I was so close to crashing a minute ago because of people saying bad things about ketosis.. I'm on zero carbs at the moment.. actually for the first time.. I've had limited fruits and some starchy veg but kept my carb intake less then 100g.. Never felt "the flu".. But now that I have cut out all starchy veg and 100% fruits, the flu has kicked in... Most of my calories Come from far now. I had no energy at the gym this morning, didn't even bother. Sat on my back side the whole entire day feeling lethargic and depressed...
Is this a good sign?
As @Sunny_Bunny_ mentioned above, this 'keto flu' is avoidable. You need to increase your sodium intake.
As you lower carbs, you lose water which flushes out the sodium in your body. You need to bring it back or else you will experience headaches and lack of energy.
This is not a 'good sign' and is not mandatory for living la vida low carb.
This is a common misconception that it is a requirement.
Eat a few pickles or have some broth.
Read the Launch Pad, especially the post about electrolytes.7 -
Anicamarais wrote: »Thanks for the the point of views so far... I'm currently experiencing the keto - flu. .. I'm craving apples for some reason and I was so close to crashing a minute ago because of people saying bad things about ketosis.. I'm on zero carbs at the moment.. actually for the first time.. I've had limited fruits and some starchy veg but kept my carb intake less then 100g.. Never felt "the flu".. But now that I have cut out all starchy veg and 100% fruits, the flu has kicked in... Most of my calories Come from far now. I had no energy at the gym this morning, didn't even bother. Sat on my back side the whole entire day feeling lethargic and depressed...
Is this a good sign?
Are you getting enough fats? are you getting enough sodium? Are you sufficiently hydrated?
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I have MS, and in one of the promising diets being studied for MS (the Wahls Protocol), Dr. Wahls recommends a version of a keto diet for MS patients. Her research points to it being good for brain health. I also have PCOS and probably insulin resistance and have heard keto/LCHF recommended for that as well.
As anecdotal evidence, benefits I noticed when I switched to eating keto/LCHF:
* started losing weight much more easily (and continued to goal)
* joint pain decreased significantly
* acid reflux and other GI problems dramatically improved
* more energy
* stopped feeling hungry "all the time"
* developed a more healthy relationship with food (seeing it more as fuel rather than reward)
* cravings became far more manageable
* periods became more regular4 -
I have a niece who had severe seizures (dozens per day) from the time she was born. The doctors tried every drug available. Every time it would work for a week or two and then go right back. Finally, after exhausting all the drug options, they wanted to to do brain surgery and separate her lobes to try to cure it. My cousin looked at all the non-traditional options and was referred to a doctor in Memphis who put her on a LC VHF diet, along with taking out all the artificial colors and dyes and additives. Where drugs failed, LCHF worked! Seizure free for years now, just went for the last checkup which included a 48 hours brain scan (IIRC). The doctor said she was free and clear and didn't need to come back again!
Modern medicine is only masking many of the problems caused by our diets.12 -
I drink lots of water and eat lost of salt so I can't see why the flu is getting me so bad... I'm pretty sure my body is just adapting to using ketones instead of glucose.... I've only been fat fasting for 2 or 3 days so maybe the metabolic change is taking place... who knows?0
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Anicamarais wrote: »I drink lots of water and eat lost of salt so I can't see why the flu is getting me so bad... I'm pretty sure my body is just adapting to using ketones instead of glucose.... I've only been fat fasting for 2 or 3 days so maybe the metabolic change is taking place... who knows?
Are you drinking because you are actually thirsty or drinking water just to drink water?
The more water you drink, the more sodium you flush out.
At your levels of low carb (I am assuming very low because you said 'fat fast), you would need upwards of 3000mg of sodium. It is hard to get that much with just salting your food.
If you don't like things like pickles and olives, you can try sodium tablets. I know some of the members here use that.1 -
Make sure you are drinking enough water and eating enough sodium. making keto-ade helps alot. put some salt in water and squirt a little MiO in there. I havent experienced the keto flu since starting over a month ago because i watch my water and sodium. but sometimes i can tell when my electrolytes are getting low when i start to feel light headed .1
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@silverfiend, what a remarkable health benefit on LC VHF. So happy to hear your niece is incident free.1
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I support keto because the top health and fitness scientists and researchers can't stop talking about all of its benefits. There are a lot of reasons there is garbage floating around about how bad it is and to support higher carb diet - mostly political reasons.0
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@Macchiato1 Hope it helps with the MS. I am seeing improvement for for Cervical Dystonia aka Spasmodic Torticollis. I started LCHF based on undisputed evidence if it's effectiveness for Epilepsy. @silverfiend, so glad your cousin looked into non-traditional options. Question: does your niece need to continue LCHF? Thank you for adding the info regarding dyes/artificials.3
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i drink 150+ oz of water each day and never really experienced the keto flu. I remember hearing when I started to "drink water like it was going out of style". I was drinking broth (I hate the taste of salt) at least once a day to try to get my sodium up to 3000-5000 but then noticed I started retaining water. Now I just have some if I feel I'm getting a headache.2
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@Sunny_Bunny_ I wouldn't have put it if I didn't think it was correct. I will check out your sites, but my reading over the years has led me to understand the brain does not run on Ketones, ever. My understanding is that the body has the ability to convert protein and or ketones to the glucose it needs. If I am misinformed, I apologize.
Not only can it use ketones, it thrives on them. This is precisely why a ketogenic diet was used for treating epilepsy before medications were available and when medications are ineffective. Because the presence of ketones keeps it functioning correctly.
And this is why it's being studied as part of treatment for Alzheimer's and it shows amazing results for people healing from traumatic brain injury.
Ketones produced from consuming coconut oil (because of the short chain fatty acids) will even be used by the brain preferentially to available glucose in a person eating a high carb diet.2 -
Sodium is not the only electrolyte, also. Two common ones that you likely are not getting enough of are potassium and magnesium. In my opinion, the easiest way to get the magnesium is with spinach as it is very low carb and very high in magnesium (40% rda in just one cup). Using "No Salt" salt substitute can help with the potassium, but you may need to find another source to get enough of it. If you are like me, I can easily eat a whole bag of spinach in one sitting and get all the magnesium I need and a chunk of the potassium for only 10 carbs - 7 of which are fiber. Full disclosure - I prefer to avoid supplements when possible.3
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cstehansen wrote: »Sodium is not the only electrolyte, also. Two common ones that you likely are not getting enough of are potassium and magnesium. In my opinion, the easiest way to get the magnesium is with spinach as it is very low carb and very high in magnesium (40% rda in just one cup). Using "No Salt" salt substitute can help with the potassium, but you may need to find another source to get enough of it. If you are like me, I can easily eat a whole bag of spinach in one sitting and get all the magnesium I need and a chunk of the potassium for only 10 carbs - 7 of which are fiber. Full disclosure - I prefer to avoid supplements when possible.
That's in one cup of cooked spinach, you would need a lot more raw spinach to get your daily value of magnesium0 -
cstehansen wrote: »Sodium is not the only electrolyte, also. Two common ones that you likely are not getting enough of are potassium and magnesium. In my opinion, the easiest way to get the magnesium is with spinach as it is very low carb and very high in magnesium (40% rda in just one cup). Using "No Salt" salt substitute can help with the potassium, but you may need to find another source to get enough of it. If you are like me, I can easily eat a whole bag of spinach in one sitting and get all the magnesium I need and a chunk of the potassium for only 10 carbs - 7 of which are fiber. Full disclosure - I prefer to avoid supplements when possible.
Also, from my understanding - the potassium and magnesium get dumped and cause issues when the sodium is too low, in an effort to conserve what little is left. If you take care of the sodium, the potassium and magnesium levels in your body are not used as much.2 -
good catch. Here is a link showing what you get from a 10 oz package of raw spinach:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2626/2
Magnesium - 56%
Potassium - 45%
Still a pretty fair amount for only having the 3 net carbs.2 -
cstehansen wrote: »good catch. Here is a link showing what you get from a 10 oz package of raw spinach:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2626/2
Magnesium - 56%
Potassium - 45%
Still a pretty fair amount for only having the 3 net carbs.
That's a lot of spinach to eat every day0 -
I do it 2-4 times a week. It is usually as a very simple salad including some kind of meat, a couple hard boiled eggs and some bleu cheese dressing. Or I use it as a base for taco salad (no tortilla chips) instead of the typical iceberg lettuce which is a weekly staple in my house. Both of these are great for weeknights when there is not a lot of time to cook after work.3
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My quick pick me up is a hard boiled egg with spinach. Also love wilted spinach with cream. Spinach in my salads. Hmm, I think I might just be addicted.3
