As you begin the ketogenic diet or a diet low in carbs, it’s possible to feel off or a little sick. The lethargic, groggy feeling you have is normal and is known as the keto flu. Don’t panic; it’ll naturally fade away as your body adapts. But, if you want to move past this phase quickly and enjoy the effects a keto diet can bring you in a faster way, taking exogenous ketones could make all the difference.
What Are Exogenous Ketones?
Also known as EK, these are simply a type of ketone that your liver produces as you enter ketosis (when fat is being used as a fuel source for energy by your body), and specifically, they are the ketone BHB (beta-hydroxybutyrate). You can take EK in the form of a supplement. It’s a synthetic item that was created as a means to give your levels of ketone a boost. They’re great supplements to take as you’re on the keto diet.
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Do I Have to be on the Keto Diet to Take Exogenous Ketones?
While taking EK by itself can provide you with some benefits, following the ketogenic diet is the only way that your body will use exogenous ketones the way they’re meant to be used; you won’t feel much of an effect at all if you’re on another kind of diet.
Taking EK can help lower your levels of blood glucose, and it allows more fat to burn as you exercise. For multiple reasons, experts believe that EK is a useful supplement for someone who is beginning the keto diet and can help speed the transition into ketosis. After all–a supplement is just that: an addition to the diet you’re already consuming.
How Can Exogenous Ketones Help Me?
- They can help you overcome the keto flu. One of the biggest reasons why people are interested in taking EK in the first place is that it helps them enter ketosis faster, and they can overcome that sick, foggy feeling that’s very typical during the beginning of the keto diet. The supplement can help you regulate your hydration and your electrolytes, which prevents the dehydration that is very common during the diet.
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- They can help you lose weight. This is true–but it’s important to keep in mind that EK is not a magic pill that’s merely a weight loss supplement. They don’t contain caffeine, so they don’t have an impact on your metabolism directly. EK simply helps your body to burn through more ketones. However, there has been some research that is very encouraging which shows exogenous ketones can aid your efforts in weight loss–for example, EK can lower levels of blood glucose, and the less insulin your body produces, the fewer calories that are stored as fat within the body.
- It can help with your workout performance. Once your body has adjusted to burning fat instead of carbs, your athletic performance will continue to be as it was. However, exogenous ketones can increase your performance and make you even better. Taking EK can boost how intensely you’re able to complete an exercise, and give you that boost you really need.
If you’re thinking of giving exogenous ketones a try, go ahead–the supplement is completely safe.