What Is Keto Flu? One Side-Effect Of Ketogenic Diet You Should Know About

We read about all kinds of diets everyday, but if there is one diet that continues to be in news is the Ketogenic Diet. The immensely popular diet that has even found in some of our favourite celebrities is a kind a low-carb diet, where you are supposed to be eating less than 20 grams of carbs per day. The diet is purportedly good for weight loss and diabetes management. However, it also comes with a few side effects.

As we mentioned earlier, the diet requires you to cut down carbs drastically, forcing body to go into ketosis – a process where body starts burning fat, instead of glucose, thereby helping you lose fat. Why so? This is because fat is reserved as secondary fuel source, when your body does not find enough glucose (carbs), it starts burning fat for energy.

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However, the drastic change can come as a shock to some human bodies, causing withdrawal symptoms, like those found in people who are trying to get rid of addictive substances. This transition period is also referred to as the ‘Keto flu’, and its symptoms can range from nausea, diarrhea, difficulty in sleeping, weakness and fatigue.

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While the keto flu does make one feel miserable, but in most people it only lasts for about a weak, post which the body begins to adapt to the new lifestyle, according to experts. The symptom can also be eased by fuelling oneself with proteins and fat.