What Is Keto Flu and What Can You Do About It?

So you have started on your new Keto Diet. You’re enthusiastic and looking forward to seeing the pounds drop off. But then after just a few days you start to feel unwell. You wonder why because you don’t normally get sick.

Well, its likely that you are coming down with ‘Keto Flu’. And what exactly is Keto Flu you may ask. Keto Flu is what happens when you change your diet from consuming carbohydrates to consuming fat instead.

Some people suffer from withdrawal symptoms from the carbohydrates. These can be caused from changes in hormonal states and imbalances in electrolytes which can occur during the transition. So, these symptoms occur as a result of your body adapting to the Keto (low carb) Diet. It should be pointed out that this is not unique to the Keto Diet. It happen when transitioning onto any low carb diet.

It can affect people differently. Some people will get different symptoms than others and some people will suffer more severe symptoms. Many people will not experience any of the symptoms at all. But rest assured this is only temporary and there are things you can do to lessen the effects of Keto Flu.

Symptoms

As mentioned already, no two people are the same so the symptoms can vary from none at all to moderate to full on flu-like symptoms. The symptoms can include:

• Mental fog
• Lightheadedness
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Nausea
• Cramps
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Difficulty Sleeping
• In extreme cases, high blood pressure and arrhythmia

How Long Does Keto Flu Last?

Luckily Keto Flu is temporary. In the same way that the severity of Keto Flu varies from one person to the next, the time it lasts also varies from person to person. Some people may only suffer very mild symptoms for a couple of days. However, others could suffer more severe symptoms for a week or even longer. It will depend on how fast your body adjusts to you reducing your intake of carbs.

Once you do make it through the Keto Flu you can expect much higher levels of energy. You will also find that by eliminating sugar from your diet with is part of the Keto Diet, that you will feel much better. You should suffer a lot less brain fog and gain much more mental clarity.

The main thing to do if you experience Keto Flu is to be patient. You will get through it as your body makes the transition to a no carbohydrate diet. The symptoms should not last any longer then two weeks maximum. If for some reason they do then you should seek the advice of a medical professional.

A Common Misunderstanding

It often happens that people who do not know about the Keto Flu and are not expecting it get taken off guard when it happens to them. They think that the problem is with the diet itself and that it is not good for them to be suffering these symptoms. The conclusion becomes that carbs are actually good for them and that they should not quit consuming them.

What it really indicates is how dependent on carbs their bodies were. They are now suffering the withdrawal symptoms from going with carbs and sugar. Some studies have suggested that sugar is as addictive as cocaine.

One only has to look at the growing problems with obesity and diabetes around the world to see the problem with carb addiction. This is regardless whether the carbs come from drinks, sugary desserts, or processed food.

Carbs are almost impossible to avoid if you are not looking out for them. But once you start to look out for them and eliminate them you will reap the benefits of doing so.

What To Do About Keto Flu

As mentioned already, there are things you can do if you suffer from Keto Flu. These will help to reduce the symptoms and hopefully make it easier for you to make it through.

• Replenish your electrolytes: One of the main causes of Keto Flu is a reduction in electrolytes in your body. Electrolytes are important as they affect your muscle function as well as the water in your body and also the acidity of your blood.

In addition when your body starts its transition into ketosis you will start to lose excess water due to lower insulin levels. This causes your kidneys to get rid of the excess water. This loss of water means that you also lose electrolytes. This in turn means lower levels of potassium, sodium and magnesium which will now need to be replenished somehow.

• Add some salt: Because the Keto diet eliminates processed and refined food which contain a lot of salt and encourages the consumption of whole real food, your salt intake will automatically be reduced. Lower salt levels mean less water retention 

For this reason, it is a good idea to add salt to your diet to make up for this loss in salt intake. In general, 5 grams of salt a day should be sufficient to replenish your electrolyte levels. How you get this is up to you. Some easy ways are drink a couple of cups of bone broth or to add sauce to your meals which contain potassium such as soy sauce.

Many people swear by bone broth, even people not on the Keto diet. You only need to simmer some meat bones in water for around a day or so. Its your choice whether they are beef, lamb, or chicken bones. If you don’t want to use bones you can use canned broth from your local store. Be sure though to check the ingredients to make sure there are no unnecessary ingredients.

When making sauces you should also use the dripping from any cooked meat you have as these contain a high level of potassium.

You can also take supplements to help replenish some of the lost minerals. 300mg of magnesium is the average recommended dose for adult females and 400mg for adult males.

Hopefully you will not have to suffer from Keto Flu are you start on the Keto Diet but if you do then these remedies should help to ease the symptoms.