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Keto BHBoost
Keto flu

Content

The first week or so of your ketogenic journey may have you feeling less than epic. The reason this initial steppingstone happens to us is a simple question of adaptation. As our bodies get used to using fats for fuel and oxidizing ketones for energy, we start to feel more and more amazing, until we become "fat adapted".

Author

Chelsea De Beer

Date

April 22, 2022

Category

Health and wellness

Tags

Immunity, Lifestyle, Longevity
Keto flu

Keto Flu: The Science of Fat Adaptation

Immunity, Lifestyle, Longevity

Author

Author

Chelsea De Beer

April 22, 2022

Chelsea De Beer

The first week or so of your ketogenic journey may have you feeling less than epic.

The reason this initial steppingstone happens to us is a simple question of adaptation.

As our bodies get used to using fats for fuel and oxidizing ketones for energy, we start to feel more and more amazing, until we become "fat adapted".

The key ingredients in beating the “keto flu” are patience and preparedness, and we are certainly able to help you with the latter.

As for patience? Well… At least you’ll have something interesting to read while you’re keeping calm and keto-ing on!

Why Keto Flu Happens

Although completely unrelated to the influenza virus, folks who've taken on keto flu attest to experiencing feelings like fatigue, brain fog, headaches, muscle stiffness and cravings in the first 2 – 7 days.

In this section, we’ll be dissecting what makes keto-ers feel “off” during this period, by analyzing changes our body goes through as we adapt to being in ketosis.

Keto flu

Why Keto Flu Happens

When we restrict carbohydrate intake to such a degree as the ketogenic diet demands, our blood sugar levels decline.

By lowering our blood-glucose dramatically we compel the body to find alternative sources of fuel.

The first available source of carbohydrates to metabolize is the stored glycogen in the liver and muscles, waiting to be metabolized.

Here’s where things get interesting.

Something important to note, before we look at the consequences of glycogen metabolism, is how carbohydrates affect stored water in the body.

Carbohydrates, as compounds, love to hold onto water.

They do this even as they sit and wait in your liver and muscles. Studies have shown that 1g of glycogen has the propensity to hold up to 3g of water.

Naturally, then, as we burn up our glycogen stores, we get rid of held water at the same time.

This flushing of water is amazing to reduce that bloated feeling and drop a quick few pounds, but there is also a down-side.

When we get rid of water, we also expel certain very important minerals our bodies need to function.

Minerals like potassium, magnesium, and sodium are considered electrolytes and are exceptionally important for regulating the flow of nutrients into, and waste products out of, our cells.

Unfortunately, as we lose water, our electrolyte balance is disrupted and we begin to feel sluggish and run-down.

Adapting to Fat for Fuel

When we first change to a ketogenic eating plan, our system is suddenly deprived of its usual, stable stream of readily-available glucose.

While our bodies learn to acclimatize to the new energy source, fat, people sometimes note feeling fatigued, lethargy, nausea, headaches, and constipation in the first week.

Because the body hasn’t yet had the chance to become fat-adapted, it might not be producing ketones efficiently enough for the first 3 – 5 days.

With no glucose to use for energy and an unreliable stream of ketones fuelling the cells, we simply aren’t running on optimal energy levels in this period.

Adapting to fat

The way to get adapted to fat is just to stick to your ketogenic lifestyle, and let biology do the rest!

Eat enough good, healthy fats loaded with omega 3s (wild-caught salmon, macadamia nuts, avocados) to give your liver everything it needs for ketogenesis.

Also, beware of overloading on “secret starches” (keto-friendly veggies like squash and zucchini) in the first few weeks, as you are aiming for at least 70% of your total daily intake to be from fats.

Helping the Body Fight Keto Flu

Boost Your Ketone Levels

If you can’t imagine getting enough fats into your diet to meet this initial quota, consider adding an exogenous ketone supplement with goBHB (Beta-Hydroxybutyrate) to your routine to induce hyperketonemia.

Your cells will have more bioavailable ketones to utilize for energy as the mitochondria within cells adapt.

Just be sure to get an exogenous ketone supplement that contains goBHB!

Some supplements advertise themselves to be pro-keto, but are not actually ketone salts at all, just a blend of minerals and oils.

Products like Keto BHBoost tell you in their name that what you’re taking has goBHB it, so looking for very specific product names is always safest to avoid missing out.

Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is an exogenous ketone completely bio-identical to the ones our bodies make, and is chemically fused to a substrate to create a "ketone salt".

Ketone salts are useful because they have energizing BHB, but also because the compounds used in higher quality exogenous ketones like Keto BHBoost are sodium and magnesium, both essential electrolytes.

The endogenous ketones our bodies make naturally can either come from adipose tissue (fat stores) being broken down for energy, or from metabolizing the fat you eat.

Even if you are not on the ketogenic diet, taking exogenous ketones as a supplement will still encourage performance-enhancing effects.

Replace Lost Electrolytes

Stay hydrated with filtered, mineral-enriched water.

The same principle applies as when athletes chug sports drink after a heated performance.

Try dissolving some pink Himalayan salt or sea salt (refined table salt not recommended) into your water to replenish your sodium levels.

If drinking salty water sound kind of gross, and you’re not alone here, perhaps you should consider adding an electrolyte-replenishing supplement to your plan.

Electrolyte Imbalance

Just make sure the capsules are sugar-free and contain Calcium Beta-Hydroxybutyrate, Sodium Beta-Hydroxybutyrate, and Magnesium Beta-Hydroxybutyrate.

Also, why not try adding these mineral-rich, keto-friendly foods to your diet: spinach, almonds, avocado, cocoa, swiss chard, Bulgarian/Greek yogurt, salmon and coconut water.

Conclusion

What's great about the keto-flu is that we know it's a sign that we are sticking properly to the ketogenic diet.

No keto-flu means our liver is not engaging in ketogenesis, and that would be a lot more of a let-down than a few days of brain-fog.

The ultimate lesson here is that, together, if we use the power of patience, electrolytes, exogenous ketones, and clever food choices, we might just cure keto-flu, once and for all.

3 Amazing Deals Available Today

Keto BHBoost helps you get into ketosis without cutting carbs from your diet. The patented GoBHB beta hydroxybutyrate in Keto BHBoost is powerful fuel for the body and brain. The sodium, calcium and magnesium that GoBHB contains prevents dehydration and helps fight the dreaded keto flu. Keto BHBoost helps you stay energized and alert during a fast without stimulants and won’t kick you out of ketosis. This makes BHBoost a powerful tool for anyone looking to experience the benefits of a keto diet.

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Conclusion

Xing, F., Yi, W. J., Miao, F., Su, M. Y., & Lei, T. C. (2018). Baicalin increases hair follicle development by increasing canonical Wnt/ßcatenin signaling and activating dermal papillar cells in mice. International Journal of molecular medicine, 41(4), 2079–2085. doi:10.3892/ijmm.2018.3391

Herman, A & Herman, Andrzej. (2016). Mechanism of action of herbs and their active constituents used in hair loss treatment. Fitoterapia. 114. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306550211_Mechanism_of_action_of_herbs_and_their_active_constituents_used_in_hair_loss_treatment

Li BQ, Fu T, Yan YD, Baylor NW, Ruscetti FW, Kung HF. (1993). Inhibition of HIV infection by baicalin–a flavonoid compound purified from Chinese herbal medicine. Cell Mol Biol Res.; 39(2):119-24. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7693133

Gao Z, Huang K, Yang X et al (1999). Free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of flavonoids extracted from the radix of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. Biochim Biophys Acta 1472:643–650 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/portal/utils/pageresolver.fcgi?recordid=5d888bf839a66e4557b18392

Wang, H & Liao, Jyh-Fei & Chen, C. (2000). Anticonvulsant effect of water extract of Scutellariae radix in mice. Journal of ethnopharmacology. 73. 185-90. 10.1016/S0378-8741(00)00300-7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12298986_Anticonvulsant_effect_of_water_extract_of_Scutellariae_radix_in_mice

Author

Author

Chelsea De Beer

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