[tldr]
- It’s no secret that the keto diet helps you lose weight, and quickly. But the high-fat, low-carb eating plan benefits more than just your waistline.
- Keto changes the way your body fuels itself. You go into ketosis, when your liver produces ketones, an alternative source of fuel.
- There are plenty of benefits of the keto diet. Burning ketones boosts weight loss, strengthens your brain, stabilizes blood sugar, increases energy, lowers inflammation, and protects your heart.
[/tldr]
It’s no secret that the keto diet helps you lose weight, and quickly. That’s one of the main reasons why people are clamoring to try the high-fat, low-carb regime. But the keto diet benefits more than just your waistline. Passing on the bread is also good for your brain and your heart, plus it’ll keep you alive for longer. Read on to discover more about the benefits of the keto diet and how it can upgrade your performance, starting today.
Download the Keto Recipes for Beginners & Meal Plan now
Health benefits of the keto diet
Keto changes the way your body fuels itself. When you limit carbs, your body starts to burn fat, rather than glucose, for energy. You go into ketosis — when your liver converts fatty acids into molecules called ketones, an alternative source of fuel. Learn more about keto and how it works with this beginner’s guide. Burning ketones carries all kind of benefits:
The keto diet boosts weight loss
When you’re on keto, your body uses stored body fat and fat from your diet as fuel. The result? Rapid weight loss.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23651522″] Ketones also influence the hormones that control appetite. Ketones suppress ghrelin (your hunger hormone) and increase cholecystokinin (CCK), which tells your brain when you’ve eaten enough.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25402637″]
Learn more here about the keto diet and weight loss.
Fuels and strengthens your brain
Ketones provide your brain with immediate fuel. Ketones are so powerful that they can supply up to 70% of your brain’s energy needs — a more efficient source of energy than glucose.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21489321″]
All those good fats on keto also feed your brain and keep it strong. Your brain is the fattiest organ in the body — made up of more than 60% fat — so it needs lots of good fats to keep it running [ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20329590″] Learn more about why eating fat keeps your brain’s wiring in working order.
Studies show switching to keto can protect your brain from cognitive decline and improve memory.
In one study, women on a low-carb diet showed less confusion and responded more quickly during an attention task than women on a reduced-calorie diet.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18804129″] In another study, elderly men and women at risk for dementia were put on the keto diet. After six weeks, they showed improved memory function compared to participants on a high-carb diet.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3116949/”]
Keto stabilizes blood sugar
Carbs turn into glucose (aka sugar) in the body. Eating too many carbs causes your blood sugar to spike. When you switch from carbs to fat for energy, you stabilize your blood sugar. Keto can be particularly beneficial for diabetics, who have high blood glucose levels. The keto diet may even cure diabetes — many diabetics are able to come off their medication when switching to keto. Find out more about keto and blood sugar here.
Gives you more energy
When your brain uses ketones for fuel, you don’t experience the same energy slumps as you do when you’re eating a lot carbs. On keto, your brain won’t start to panic, wondering when it will get its next hit of energy. When your metabolism is in fat-burning mode, your body can simply tap into its readily available fat stores for energy. The result? No more energy crashes or brain fog.
Ketosis also helps the brain create more mitochondria, the battery packs within your cells.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16807920″] You need lots of strong mitochondria to give your cells and organs sustained energy so they can get their job done.
Keep in mind that your energy might be low the first week or two of starting keto, when many people get what’s known as the keto flu. Once it passes, you should feel better than ever. Find out how to conquer the keto flu.
The keto diet lowers inflammation
Inflammation is your body’s natural response to an invader it deems harmful. Too much inflammation is bad news. Chronic inflammation — when your body constantly pumps out inflammatory chemicals for months, and even years — is at the root of chronic diseases including certain cancers, heart disease, and diabetes.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3492709/”]
The keto diet switches off inflammatory pathways, and ketones produce fewer free radicals compared to glucose.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4124736/#S4title”][ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15230345″] Damage from too many free radicals causes inflammation.[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8862535″]
Make sure you’re eating whole, unprocessed foods when on keto. There are different types of keto diets, and some, like dirty keto, may be low-carb but they’re still full of inflammatory foods. Learn more about how dirty keto works. Your best anti-inflammatory game plan is to emphasize good fats, grass-fed proteins, and fresh, organic vegetables, like on the Bulletproof Diet. Learn more with this Bulletproof Diet Roadmap.
Keto protects your heart
You eat less than 50 grams of net carbs a day on keto. Cutting down on carbs increases your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. HDL is known as the “good” cholesterol — it turns on anti-inflammatory pathways and protects your heart from disease. The keto diet also lowers blood triglycerides[ref url=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23651522″] — fat molecules in your bloodstream. High levels of blood triglycerides are linked to coronary heart disease.[ref url=”https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circulationaha.106.637793″]
Read Next: How to Start Keto and Why Cyclical Ketosis Is Better
Place a light resistance band around both legs, just above your knees. Lie on one side with knees bent, hips stacked and feet together. Make sure your butt is not tucked. Exhale as you lift your top knee, keeping your feet together. Inhale as you return your knee to the starting position. Do 15 reps. Switch sides.
Secure a flat resistance band just above your ankles and stand with your feet at about hip-width, keeping feet forward. Keeping your weight in your heels, step your right foot laterally, maintaining the tension in the band. Keep the band taut as you step your left foot slightly to the right. Continue stepping sideways to your right for about 5 steps. Then step to your left to return to the starting position. Repeat three times.
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place a band above your knees. Exhale as you drive your heels into the ground and lift your hips as high as possible, keeping the band taut. Inhale as you slowly lower your hips back to the starting position. Do 12-15 reps.
Place a band around your ankles. Shift your weight into your right foot and place the toes of your left foot on the ground about an inch behind your right foot, so there is tension in the band. Exhale as you kick your left leg back about six inches. Avoid arching your back and keep your knees straight. Inhale as you return your left foot to the starting position. Do 10-12 reps. Switch sides.
Stand with your feet at shoulder width and position a heavy kettlebell between your feet. Hinge at your hips and bend your knees while lowering your hands to the kettlebell handle. Your shins should stay vertical. Gripping the handle, exhale as you drive through our heels to extend your hips and rise to standing. Inhale as you slowly lower the kettlebell back toward the ground by hinging at the hips and allowing your knees to bend as needed. Do 10 reps.
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width with a kettlebell about a foot in front of you. With your weight in your heels, hinge at your hips while lowering your hands to the kettlebell handle. Grab the kettlebell with an overhand grip, “Hike” the kettlebell back between your legs, catching the force of the moving kettlebell with your hips. Exhale as you swing the kettlebell forward by thrusting your hips, straightening your legs, and squeezing your glutes and abs. Once the kettlebell reaches chest height, inhale as you allow it to fall, and guide it back to the “hiked” position.
Stand with feet at shoulder width, holding a kettlebell at your chest. Inhale as you bend your knees and push your hips back to lower into a squat. Aim for your hips to come as low as your knees and avoid tucking your tailbone. Exhale and drive through your heels to rise to standing. Do 10 to 12 reps.
Holding a kettlebell in your left hand, stand on your right foot and lift your left foot off the ground… Keeping your weight in your midfoot to heel, inhale as you hinge at your hips and slightly bend your knee to push your butt backward. Keep your shin vertical and hips squared forward. Exhale as you drive through your heel to return to standing. Do 10-12 reps. Switch sides.
Stand on your right foot and lift your left foot off the ground. Inhale as you step your left foot back-ward into a lunge, so that your left knee hovers above the ground. Exhale as you drive through your right heel to rise to a single-leg stance, bringing your left leg forward and up to hip height. Do 10-12 reps. Switch sides. Optional: Load this move by holding a kettlebell at your chest or a dumbbell in each hand.
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips to come into a bridge position. Lift your left leg off the ground and extend it in front of you, keeping your pelvis level. Inhale as you slowly lower your hips toward the ground. Exhale as you drive your right heel into the ground and lift your hips. Do 10-12 reps. Switch sides.
Stand with feet together, hips pushed back and knees slightly bent. Push off with your right foot and leap to your left, landing softly on your left foot. Push off with your left foot to leap back to the opposite side. Alternate sides for a total of 20 reps.
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips to come into a bridge position with a neutral spine. Tuck your chin into your chest. Dig your elbows into the ground. Press the bottoms of your feet together and move your heels as close to your butt as possible. Inhale as you lower your hips toward the ground. Exhale as you lift your hips. Do 15 reps.
Step forward with your right foot and lower into a lunge, letting your left knee hover above the ground. Push off with your right foot to rise to a single-leg stance and step your left foot forward, immediately lowering into a lunge on this side. Alternate sides for a total of 20 reps.
Never lift heavy weights without warming up first. Use your warm-up to prepare for the movements in the dumbbell workout and determine the weight you’ll be lifting. For your warm-up, perform two light sets of each workout move in a circuit format.
