How to Deal with Side Effects of the Keto Diet?
In recent years, the keto diet has become increasingly popular due to its apparent weight loss effects and overall health benefits. While this diet is safe for most people, many people experience adverse reactions and side effects of the keto diet, also known as the “keto flu,” when they first enter the keto state. This is the physical discomfort caused by the change in diet structure.
If you truly understand what causes it and how to deal with it, you will get through this small period of discomfort very well and eventually begin to experience the real benefits of the keto diet.
What is the Keto Flu?
The keto flu is not true flu and is not contagious, it is just similar in symptoms to the common cold or flu. Typically, it occurs mostly within the first week and improves and eventually goes away as your body adjusts to the new way of eating.
In a traditional diet, our bodies are used to burning glucose as an energy source, and the main source of glucose is carbohydrates. In contrast, strict control of carbohydrate intake on a keto diet lowers insulin levels in the body. When insulin levels are low enough, the liver begins to convert fat into ketones, and this is when the body uses mainly ketones and fat for energy.
This conversion to burning fat as a source of energy is ketosis. Ketosis does not only occur on a keto diet; when you go on a fast (fasting), the body also enters a state of ketosis.
The body also responds by increasing sodium and water in the urine when insulin levels in the body are reduced. So after the first week or so of the keto diet, you will notice more frequent urination and will be surprised to see a very significant weight loss, which is mostly water loss.
If the carbohydrate intake is not enough to meet your body’s demand for glucose metabolism and you shift to fat metabolism, this drastic change will be a shock to your body and your brain will need time to adapt and use this new fuel.
What are the Main Symptoms of Keto Flu?
A complete change in diet, especially a drastic reduction in carbohydrate intake, is a very significant change for the body. Many people experience varying degrees of side effects of the keto diet during the transition period, especially in the first week or so.
The most common symptoms of keto flu are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Lack of energy
- Emotional instability
- Poor concentration
- Muscle cramps
- Muscle aches and pains
- Hair loss
- Bad breath
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Sweet cravings
- A small number of people develop a keto rash
All of these possible symptoms do not usually occur at the same time, and adaptation to the process varies from person to person, as does the length of adverse reactions.
Some people may not experience much discomfort, while others will experience more varied and more severe symptoms. Those who are used to eating a high-carb, high-sugar diet may have a little more difficulty changing to a keto diet and have more severe adverse reactions.
How to Deal with the Side Effects of the Keto Diet?
Although keto flu symptoms don’t last long, they usually subside or disappear in about a week or two. However, the process may be more difficult to go through. However, there are steps we can take to reduce the symptoms so that we can get through this period more easily and smoothly.
1. Drink more water and increase salt
At the beginning of a keto diet, your body loses a lot of water and salt, which is one of the causes of keto flu symptoms. So, when you have a headache, dizziness, nausea, muscle cramps, or some other symptoms, a glass of salt water can relieve the discomfort within 15-30 minutes.
Especially when you have diarrhea symptoms, hydration, and salt can effectively replace the electrolytes lost by your body. Sufficient amounts of water, sodium, and other electrolytes can also help relieve another problem often encountered early in the keto diet: constipation. Also drinking chicken broth, bone broth, and meat broth can be effective.
2. Eat more good fats
Supplementing with adequate amounts of water and salt can effectively reduce most keto flu symptoms, but if you still feel sick, it is recommended that you increase your intake of healthy fats.
A sudden change from a high-carb diet to a low-carb diet can cause symptoms such as fatigue and lethargy because there is not enough glucose to supply energy and your brain will think your body is starving.
The intake of healthy fats in a keto diet is as high as 70-75%. Eating more fat reduces hunger, extends the spacing between meals, and encourages your body to convert to fat metabolism. Once you adapt to this diet, your appetite will decrease and your body will do a better job of burning and using stored lipid defense for energy.
On the other hand, going over to a very low-carb diet can lead to cravings for sweets and refined-carb diets. Eating enough healthy fats early in the keto diet can reduce this craving.
3. Avoid strenuous exercise
Although one of the health benefits of the keto diet is increased stamina and endurance, fatigue, muscle cramps, and stomach upset are common in the early days of ketogenesis, mainly the first week, when the body has not fully converted to fat metabolism, and continued strenuous exercise during this period can exacerbate the symptoms of keto flu. It is best to focus on low-volume aerobic exercises, such as walking and yoga, during this time.
Your body is going through the process of converting from sugar metabolism to fat metabolism, and the stress is already high enough, so try not to add extra burden to your body by trying any kind of strenuous exercise, you can wait until the symptoms are reduced some before gradually increasing the amount of exercise.
4. Supplement dietary electrolytes
In the early stages of following a keto diet, the insulin level in the body will be lowered, resulting in the kidneys releasing more sodium out of the body in the urine.
The keto diet also restricts many foods that are high in potassium, including fruits such as bananas, beans, and starchy vegetables. Potassium is an essential nutrient for the body, and its deficiency can cause nausea, vomiting, bloating dizziness, and weakness. Therefore, getting enough potassium-containing foods during the over-eating period can effectively relieve the discomfort caused by keto flu.
Potassium-rich foods in the keto diet include green leafy vegetables, avocado, and sauerkraut. Eating more of these foods can ensure electrolyte balance. These foods are also high in magnesium, which helps reduce muscle cramps, sleep problems, and headaches.
5. Ensure adequate sleep
Fatigue and restlessness are relatively common problems in the early stages of the keto diet. Lack of sleep can lead to elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body, which can negatively affect mood and exacerbate keto flu symptoms.
If you have trouble sleeping, have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep deeply, try the following:
- Don’t watch intense movies or TV before bedtime
- Drink less coffee or strong tea during the day
- Make sure you have a regular sleep schedule
- Don’t overeat at dinner, especially three hours before bedtime.
- Take a hot bath to help you sleep
- Keep your bedroom quiet and cut off any light sources, including cell phones, computers, and TVs.
- Meditation before bed can relax the mind and help to improve the quality of sleep.
Some people have always slept well, but when they first start a keto diet, they experience varying degrees of sleep disturbance, not falling asleep easily or waking up easily after falling asleep. As with other keto flu symptoms, this is only temporary and sleep quality will return or even get better once your body has fully adapted to the new diet structure.
6. Gradually reduce carbohydrate intake
For people who are used to the traditional high-carb, low-fat diet, it will be more difficult to completely change the diet structure all at once, and the adverse reactions will be a bit more severe. But the keto flu won’t last long, and when your body overdoes it with burning fat for energy, all these symptoms will lessen or disappear.
If you don’t want to experience too much physical discomfort, you can also gradually adapt to a low-carb diet by gradually reducing your carbohydrate intake. For example, reduce from over 200 grams of carbohydrates per day to 100 grams and keep it there for a week, then reduce to 50 grams and keep it there for a while longer.
By doing this, your body will slowly adapt to the new diet structure and it will be a gentle transition. When you feel you have become more accustomed to it, you can try eating fewer carbs again until you find the right amount of carbs for you.
Conclusion
The adverse reactions and side effects of the keto diet are normal, and they will fade away as your body adjusts to this new diet. Despite its many benefits, the keto diet is not suitable for everyone; for example, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children and adolescents amid growth spurts need to be supervised by a physician, as do treatments used for specific diseases.
Also, people with kidney disease, liver disease, pancreatic disease, and people with cholesterol allergies are not candidates for the keto diet. Otherwise, both the keto diet and the low-carb diet are healthy ways to eat to minimize inflammation in the body and reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases.