{"id":18731,"date":"2020-04-07T23:36:16","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T23:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/?p=18731"},"modified":"2022-05-27T22:21:33","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T22:21:33","slug":"keto-for-beginners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/keto-for-beginners\/","title":{"rendered":"Keto for Beginners: Benefits and How to Get Started"},"content":{"rendered":"Keto expert and cookbook author Brian Stanton offers an easy-to-follow guide to keto for beginners.<\/em>\r\n\r\nIf you\u2019re thinking about going keto\u2014for weight loss<\/a>, brain health, or any other reason\u2014you may be a little overwhelmed with information.\r\n\r\nThere\u2019s so much advice on the keto diet. How do you sift through it all? And how do you start from the beginning and learn the basics of keto dieting?\r\n\r\nStick around for five minutes or so. This article has you covered.\r\n

What Is The Keto Diet?<\/h2>\r\nThe keto diet (short for ketogenic diet) is a high-fat, low-carb regimen<\/a> in which you eat about 60 percent of your daily calories from fat, 30 percent from protein<\/a>, and 10 percent from carbohydrates. Keeping your macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbs) in these ratios helps your body enter a fat-burning state called ketosis.\r\n\r\nCarb restriction is the key to ketosis. That\u2019s because restricting carbs keeps blood sugar and insulin levels low, which in turn signals your liver<\/a> to start burning fat and producing ketones.\r\n\r\nThink of ketones as a backup superfuel for your body and brain. They supply cells\u2014especially brain cells\u2014with clean, efficient energy. Compared to glucose, for instance, ketones create less ROS<\/a> (a form of oxidative stress) when metabolized.\r\n\r\nAll this may seem rather complex, but don\u2019t worry: Your cells know what to do on a low-carb diet. Instead of running on sugar, they start running on fat. And when you run on fat, it\u2019s much easier to lose fat. Let\u2019s go a little deeper on that topic now.\r\n

Keto Diet Health Benefits<\/h2>\r\nThe keto diet is popular for a reason: It works! Here\u2019s what the science says about four health benefits of going keto:\r\n

1. Weight loss<\/h3>\r\nThe keto diet is best known as a weight loss diet.\r\n\r\nThis is no accident. The keto diet not only increases fat burning, it also reduces cravings<\/a>. That\u2019s a potent formula for weight loss.\r\n\r\nIn a 2003 study<\/a>, healthy women on a keto diet lost more weight than women on a calorie-restricted low-fat diet. Yes, the keto women didn\u2019t limit calories, and still lost more weight than calorie cutters.\r\n

2. More stable energy<\/h3>\r\nWhen you eat a high-carb diet, your blood sugar goes up and down like a rollercoaster. The highs are high, but the lows are low. And low blood sugar means low energy.\r\n\r\nThe keto diet gets you off that rollercoaster. With no carbs to spike your blood sugar, you won\u2019t crash every few hours. Instead, you\u2019ll run on a more stable energy source: fat. Bye bye, afternoon slumps.<\/em>\r\n

3. Reduced cravings<\/h3>\r\nWhen you go keto, it triggers a series of hunger-reducing hormonal changes<\/a>. These include:\r\n