Your Keto Flu Symptoms and Remedies Master Plan
If you recently began a ketogenic diet you will almost surely get what is known as the Keto flu or carb withdrawal. Learn when does the Keto flu start? How long will the Keto flu last? And the best remedy for the Keto flu.
What is the Keto flu?
If you recently began a low carb or Ketogenic diet you are bound to get symptoms of what is known and the Keto flu. You will actually get symptoms of the flu for up to 1 week.
Our bodies rely on carbohydrates for fuel. Shifting away from burning carbs for fuel to using fats for fuel is a process and not the most comfortable one.
Some people experience the Keto flu for only a day or 2 but most feel the symptoms for a full week. (Personally it lasted 6 days for me.) Some are reported to suffer from these symptoms for up to 2 weeks in rare occasions.
Symptoms of the Keto Flu include:
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Stomach Discomfort
- Brain Fog
- Difficulty Focusing
- Tiredness
- Insomnia
- Sugar Cravings
- Headache
- Muscle Soreness
- Sore Throat
RELATED: What is the Keto Diet and 7 Delicious Keto Dinner Recipes
The Ketogenic Diet is known to be phenomenal for weight loss as well as aiding in many other physical ailments. Whatever the reason is that you’ve decided to attempt a HFLC (high fat low carb) diet,
I urge you to stick with it at least 6 weeks to go into full Ketosis and discover the effects on your own body.
What is KETOSIS?
Ketosis is a fancy term for when your metabolism switches gears to burning fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. Your body is literally breaking down the fat that you consume as well as your fat stores to use as energy. The transition can be rough and nauseating.
In a typical diet, your body is slowly converting glucose (from carbohydrates) for energy.
When your body is in a state of Ketosis your body will produce Ketones as a byproduct. These can be tested for in urine or simply by how your body feels once you’ve been doing the diet for a while.
RELATED: A Quick and Easy Keto Dinner Recipe You’ll Adore
When starting a new low carb diet there are a few things that I found to be absolute lifesavers for combatting the Keto flu.
When converting to a low carb diet you do need to be extremely aware of your macros. Macronutrients, or macros, refers to the nutritional amounts of what you are eating. How many grams and calories of your diet are coming from fat, carbohydrates, and protein specifically.
The easiest way to keep track of these is to try out an app on your phone. Simply insert everything you are eating into the app to be sure that you are staying within the directed super-low amount of carbs and high amounts of fat to give your body the energy and nutrition it needs. (Energy once you end the Keto flu of course.)
Don’t be discouraged by the discomfort you feel while you train your body to burn fat and create energy in an entirely new way.
REALTED: Keto Snacks to Keep on Hand at all Times to Ensure Diet Success
Master Plan to Beat the Keto Flu
1. Increase Calories
You should definitely be aware of the amount of calories that you are consuming in a HFLC diet. But the transition into Ketosis may require you to increase your calorie intake temporarily to combat the Keto flu. Chocolate Cheesecake Blueberry Fat Bombs are a delicious way to quickly increase your calories and healthy fats in a low carb way. I keep them on hand at all times!
2. Increase Carbs… Slightly
Don’t cave to the Keto flu by having a slice of toast. Instead choose low calorie options that will slightly increase your carbohydrates without throwing off the hard work you are doing to switch into Ketosis. Nuts and low carb veggies like dark leafy greens are a great way to add in extra calories and carbs without going overboard. Raw spinach dipped in organic virgin olive oil was an absolute lifesaver for me. A handful of peanuts or other nuts works well too. (Pecans, macadamia, and Brazil nuts are the most low carb nuts you will find.
3. Lemon Water with Sea Salt
This is the absolute best drink to have all day to stave off the Keto flu. Every time I began to suffer from a bit of nausea after a high fat low carb meal I’d a have few glasses of lemon water with sea salt. It is the most amazing trick to satiating your cravings and combating carb withdrawal symptoms. The sea salt (Himalayan salt works wonders too) will help replenish your body with electrolytes that you desperately need during this diet transition.
4. Bone Broth
Bone broth is another healthy and low carb way to almost immediately curb the Keto flu. It provides the additional electrolytes and extra fluids that you need right now. You can either use a store bought variety or make your own by boiling organic grass fed meat bones in a slow cooker (or on the stove if you’d like) for 6 hours on high. Season with some sea salt and you have another perfect drink to sip on all day to beat the Keto flu.
5. Increase Fat
Chances are if you’ve already taken the dive into a high fat low carb diet you already are aware that I am referring to only healthy fats. Avocado, unrefined coconut oil, full fat cream cheese, butter, and raw unfiltered olive oil are the perfect choices! Try dipping some bacon in Keto guacamole for a satisfying fat filled low carb snack. Eat more cheese. Or create some delicious fat bombs to have on hand at all times.
6. Roasted Seaweed
This is an affordable, salt filled, crunchy and satisfying low carb snack that you should keep on hand at all times. Any time the Keto flu would strike me I’d munch on a dry roasted seaweed snack and sip salted lemon water until the intense nausea subsided.
The Keto flu is real and it can really suck! You completely have the strength to push through it now with these life saving tips! Remember to hydrate well and before long your brain fog will fade, the nausea will subside, and your body will more easily convert fat into fuel.
I want to know what else you’d love to know about KETO! Please pin this to all your Keto boards! And let me know in the comments below!
More about how to begin a Keto diet? What my experience has been on Keto? Other popular weight loss diets right now? Please let me know and I’d be happy to craft a post about it soon!