Keto-Friendly News & Tips

You might have heard of the term “Ketosis”. The Keto diet is named after it.

Eating a strict Keto diet will induce Ketosis in your body. But what does that mean, exactly?

What is Ketosis, and how does it feel?

Medical Definition

Technically speaking, Ketosis is what happens when your body doesn’t have enough carbs to burn to make energy.

Instead, your body makes “ketone bodies”, which are produced from fatty acids. 

Think of it like this: instead of eating that jelly donut you ate for lunch yesterday, once you reach Ketosis, your body will start eating the fat around your belly, or the fat from the juicy steak you ate for lunch.

There are many ways to get to Ketosis.

Eating a strict Keto diet is not the only way to induce Ketosis.

Ketosis is a natural phenomenon that occurs whenever the body is very low on carbs. 

You can enter Ketosis by fasting for a long time, or by actually starving (although this might not be the most fun option). Also, pregnant women sometimes enter Ketosis due to an increased demand for calories from their growing babies.

In any case, the amount of carbs eaten per day has to be very low. The maximum amount varies from person to person, but is usually between 20 and 50 grams (about one to three slices of bread). For comparison, you could eat 20 servings of KBosh’s Cauliflower Keto Crusts and stay within that limit.

Many Keto dieters choose to eat exactly zero carbs, so they can be sure they don’t go over their daily limit.

Ketosis may feel uncomfortable at first, but it gets better.

The experience of Ketosis varies from person to person. It would feel very different to one person who eats a ton of sugary junk food, than it would to someone who already has a fairly healthy and low carb diet.

Typically, when you first enter Ketosis, it is a bit of a shock, and you might feel some very unpleasant symptoms:

• Low appetite
• Bad breath
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Insomnia

Together, these are sometimes called the Keto Flu.

But here’s the good news: if you stick with it, the negative symptoms usually go away within days to weeks.

Once the body adjusts to its new state, it is common to feel much more focused and alert, and also to rapidly lose weight.

Of course, this is typical for people who deliberately induce Ketosis. If you are starving to death on a desert island somewhere, your body will never adjust to Ketosis!

Those who are prone to epilepsy will often find that they have fewer strokes, or none at all, under Ketosis. That’s why the Keto diet was first invented: to treat epilepsy patients.

Also, some people who have Type 2 diabetes may find that Ketosis helps them manage blood sugar.

Summary

Ketosis is what your body does when you stop eating carbs. 

It makes your body switch from burning carbs, to burning ketones, which are made from fatty acids. 

Ketosis is experienced by anyone who is fasting or eating a Keto diet. It may feel uncomfortable for a few days to weeks, but eventually the body adjusts to Ketosis.

If you or any other person has a medical concern, you should consult with your health care provider or seek other professional medical treatment immediately. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something that you have read on this blog, website or in any linked materials.

You might have heard of Keto and Paleo, two popular diets these days. 

On paper, they look pretty similar. Both are healthy alternatives to the modern, unhealthy Standard American Diet (SAD). 

But there are important differences between the two diets. Let’s break down the Keto vs Paleo distinction and find out which diet is right for you.

Keto

The Keto diet is a modern invention. It was first used to treat epilepsy patients in the 1920’s, and is still used for that today.

The term “Keto” comes from the scientific term “Ketosis”, a state in which the body burns fat instead of carbs. Ketosis naturally occurs when you fast for a long time or literally starve yourself. Eventually, the body runs out of carbs to burn, and switches to burning fat.

But instead of actually starving yourself, you can reach Ketosis by simply eating no or very, very few carbs. Instead of carbs, you are supposed to eat lots of fat and protein in the Keto diet. If your body is in Ketosis, it will burn through the fat that you eat instead of making you fat.

Sugar, bread, rice, pasta, candy, and even sugary fruit are out in a pure Keto diet. Tuna, chicken, beef, and milk are all in.

Paleo

The Paleo diet, contrary to popular belief, is also a modern invention. It was first described by the nutritionist Walter Voegtlin in his 1975 book, The Stone Age Diet. 

The term “Paleo” comes from the word “Paleolithic”, meaning Stone Age. The Paleo diet is supposed to be the diet of our Stone Age, caveman ancestors.

Obviously, cave people did not eat ice cream, chicken McNuggets, Snicker’s bars, or hamburgers. But what did they eat?

According to Voegtlin, and people who adopt the Paleo diet, our ancient ancestors ate a lot of protein, fruit, and vegetables, but not a whole lot of grains and dairy, and definitely no processed foods.

The official Paleo diet, then, is pretty similar to the Keto diet. Both are high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diets.

However, the Paleo diet is not really what our ancient ancestors ate. It turns out they did not have one single diet. Some of them even ate lots of dairy and grains. So the Paleo diet is really a modern invention.

Keto Vs Paleo: The Key Difference

If you could sum up the difference between Keto and Paleo in one word, it would be “glucose”.

Our bodies need glucose, a kind of sugar, to function properly. Normally, we get glucose from carbs and sugary food.

Keto strictly limits glucose to make Ketosis happen.

Paleo does not ban glucose. It only bans modern, industrial sources of glucose, like donuts and ice cream. Honey, fruit, and other natural sources of sugar are still allowed.

Which is right for you?

The bottom line is this: Your diet is up to you, and you should only make big changes to your diet after talking to your doctor.

However, both Paleo and Keto are generally healthier than the Standard American Diet, because they both cut out all the junk.

Paleo might be a little easier to try at first, since a Paleo diet doesn’t have to induce Ketosis. 

But it’s important to keep in mind that a lot of recipes will work with both a Keto diet and a Paleo diet. Take Kbosh pizza crusts for example! They are low-carb crusts made out of vegetables and contain no preservatives or added sugar. Kbosh pizza crusts would be welcome at the dinner table of an ancient caveman or a modern day Keto dieter.

If you or any other person has a medical concern, you should consult with your health care provider or seek other professional medical treatment immediately. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something that you have read on this blog, website or in any linked materials.

Intermittent fasting and keto are two separate dietary practices that are growing in popularity these days. Lots of people use them to rapidly burn fat and feel better.

Some people wonder if you can combine a keto diet with intermittent fasting. It turns out, you can. However, you must be prepared, because it can be very difficult to do both at once.

In this guide we will explain how to combine keto with intermittent fasting, and find out if it’s right for you.

What’s the difference between Keto and Intermittent Fasting?

Keto is about food, and intermittent fasting is about timing.

In a regular keto diet, you cut out all the carbs and sugars, and load up on protein and fat. But you can eat whenever you want.

With intermittent fasting, you can only eat during certain hours. But your diet is not restricted during those hours. Depending on your program, you could theoretically even eat Twinkies! 

There are many different kinds of intermittent fasting programs. One common option is called 8/16, where you eat during one 8 hour period and then fast the rest of the day. Another is called One Meal a Day, in which you eat (surprise) exactly one meal every day.

The difference between keto and intermittent fasting lies in the goal. 

The goal of keto is to reach ketosis [link to ketosis article on kboshfood.com], a metabolic state where the body burns fat.

The goal of intermittent fasting is to control cravings by eating within a fixed window of time.

Since they have different goals, you can do both at once. It’s not like being Vegan and trying to eat a hamburger!

Intermittent fasting will help you reach Ketosis faster

One of the main reasons why people choose to do both keto and intermittent fasting is to reach ketosis quickly.

Ketosis is a natural state of the body that occurs when the body runs out of carbs. This happens if you are literally starving, or are eating primarily protein and fat, as in a keto diet.

If you are only doing intermittent fasting, you might not reach ketosis at all. That’s because it can take several days to burn through all the carbs in your body, so as long as you are still eating carbs every day, you will not induce ketosis.

Doing both is harder than just doing one

Both diets will probably make you very, very hungry at first, and even a little tired. Many people experience what is called the “keto flu” when they first reach ketosis. The keto flu will be harder to deal with if you also have a restricted eating window.

If you have never tried keto or intermittent fasting, we recommend you do not jump into both at once. Rather, try each separately, to see how they make you feel. If you rush in and try both at once, it will probably shock your body and be very painful.

You should be very careful with any dietary change, and it’s best to consult your doctor before any sudden, large changes. If you try to change too much at once, you may give up and slide back into old habits.

If you are already doing Keto, you can gradually add Intermittent Fasting

Just take it one step at a time. Start by eating breakfast one hour later than usual for a week. Then eat dinner one hour earlier than usual for a week. Then move breakfast an hour later. And move dinner an hour earlier. Keep this up, and you will rapidly find yourself doing a combined keto / intermittent fasting diet!

If you or any other person has a medical concern, you should consult with your health care provider or seek other professional medical treatment immediately. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something that you have read on this blog, website or in any linked materials.

You might have heard of the term “Ketosis”. The Keto diet is named after it.

Eating a strict Keto diet will induce Ketosis in your body. But what does that mean, exactly?

What is Ketosis, and how does it feel?

Medical Definition

Technically speaking, Ketosis is what happens when your body doesn’t have enough carbs to burn to make energy.

Instead, your body makes “ketone bodies”, which are produced from fatty acids. 

Think of it like this: instead of eating that jelly donut you ate for lunch yesterday, once you reach Ketosis, your body will start eating the fat around your belly, or the fat from the juicy steak you ate for lunch.

There are many ways to get to Ketosis.

Eating a strict Keto diet is not the only way to induce Ketosis.

Ketosis is a natural phenomenon that occurs whenever the body is very low on carbs. 

You can enter Ketosis by fasting for a long time, or by actually starving (although this might not be the most fun option). Also, pregnant women sometimes enter Ketosis due to an increased demand for calories from their growing babies.

In any case, the amount of carbs eaten per day has to be very low. The maximum amount varies from person to person, but is usually between 20 and 50 grams (about one to three slices of bread). For comparison, you could eat 20 servings of KBosh’s Cauliflower Keto Crusts and stay within that limit.

Many Keto dieters choose to eat exactly zero carbs, so they can be sure they don’t go over their daily limit.

Ketosis may feel uncomfortable at first, but it gets better.

The experience of Ketosis varies from person to person. It would feel very different to one person who eats a ton of sugary junk food, than it would to someone who already has a fairly healthy and low carb diet.

Typically, when you first enter Ketosis, it is a bit of a shock, and you might feel some very unpleasant symptoms:

• Low appetite
• Bad breath
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Insomnia

Together, these are sometimes called the Keto Flu.

But here’s the good news: if you stick with it, the negative symptoms usually go away within days to weeks.

Once the body adjusts to its new state, it is common to feel much more focused and alert, and also to rapidly lose weight.

Of course, this is typical for people who deliberately induce Ketosis. If you are starving to death on a desert island somewhere, your body will never adjust to Ketosis!

Those who are prone to epilepsy will often find that they have fewer strokes, or none at all, under Ketosis. That’s why the Keto diet was first invented: to treat epilepsy patients.

Also, some people who have Type 2 diabetes may find that Ketosis helps them manage blood sugar.

Summary

Ketosis is what your body does when you stop eating carbs. 

It makes your body switch from burning carbs, to burning ketones, which are made from fatty acids. 

Ketosis is experienced by anyone who is fasting or eating a Keto diet. It may feel uncomfortable for a few days to weeks, but eventually the body adjusts to Ketosis.

If you or any other person has a medical concern, you should consult with your health care provider or seek other professional medical treatment immediately. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something that you have read on this blog, website or in any linked materials.

Stevia 

Derived from the leaves of a South American plant, which is a part of the sunflower family, the active sweet compounds, called stevia glyosides, are extracted and refined. Liquid Stevia is one of the most popular keto sweeteners.

Many people start the keto diet with the false assumption that eating tons and tons of fat will get you into ketosis faster. But if you eat too much fat, your body will burn that dietary fat first and it will not burn your body’s fat, which is the goal, isn't it? 

So, we get it that fats have gotten a bad rap in the past, right? But, there’s another IMPORTANT thing to note…. Not all fats are created equal. You want to make sure you are feeding your body good, high-quality fats, not the harmful, unhealthy ones! There is a huge difference between good and bad fats.

Getting started on the keto diet takes some good, solid planning. There's a shopping shift that needs to happen initially to begin your ketogenic journey. Since the "rules" of the keto diet fly in the face of every other diet, you'll have to also retrain your brain to understand the way keto works.

Keto is a low carb, moderate protein and high fat diet, so you'll need to stock up on some key foods and pantry items. The best food choices for the keto diet can be found on the outer perimeter of traditional grocery stores; the produce, dairy and meat sections, avoiding all "junk foods “and grains of any kind.

Living the keto lifestyle, whether it's a holiday, a weekend or a special occasion, means sticking to your meal plan no matter what. And it all starts with making sure you have all the tools (foods) you need in your toolbox.

If you grew up in the ’60s, ’70s or ’80s, your brain was washed to believe that eating fats equaled being fat. The myth was that the fat we consumed would become the body fat we’d carry on our tummies and hips. That's about when the reduced-fat diet fad was born. Low-fat, non-fat and skim were the buzz words of the day and foods like yogurt, milk, cheese, mayonnaise, snack foods and salad dressing with these false promises began to line the store shelves. Labels promising weight loss due to fat reduction became the industry norm and consumers, excited at the thought of easy weight-loss, bought it like hotcakes. (Low-fat ones, of course.... ha!)

Popular brands of "Fat-Free" salad dressing appear to be “diet” foods, and the calories are not surprisingly low, but take a look at the carbs... 11 grams in just one serving for many brands! Then, look closely at the list of ingredients. Pretty long, huh? But, here’s the kicker… high fructose corn syrup is number 2 on the list... otherwise known as pure sugar!