One of the goals of the keto lifestyle is to reduce inflammation by lowering carbohydrate consumption to about 8-12% of your total caloric needs and switching to moderate protein and higher percentage of healthy fats. Being “keto adapted” means that your body is primed for functioning with very little glucose. When you restrict your glucose levels your body has to adapt to burning fat for fuel. Different enzymes are involved for breaking down fat than breaking down glucose.
Carbohydrates (sugars) which are vegetables, fruit, beans and grains are your body’s favorite and easiest fuel to access; it breaks them down into glucose. Unfortunately we were never designed to consume 156 pounds of sugar a year according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Imagine it: 31 five-pound bags for each of us. Sugar might be a quick source of fuel but the least desirable to the brain and mitochondria (your organelle cells that make ATP or energy)
Without a steady intake of carbohydrates, your body turns to using protein for fuel. But if you also are limiting how much protein you eat, your body is forced to burn stored fat as its primary source of fuel. That can result in weight loss and production of ketons protein which support mental and metabolic function. This process produces ketones, which gives these diets their “keto” name..
What are keto adaptive meals?
The ketogenic organic meals includes quality sourced meat, poultry, fresh fish, eggs, selected high quality cheese, vegetables, nuts, along with herbs and spices, oil, butter, heavy cream, mayonnaise, oil-based salad dressings and sauces, and stevia or selective alcohol sweeteners. The main goal of the ketogenic diet plan is to limit carbohydrates so that the body must pull energy from fat stores rather than muscle store. These carefully prepared meals are gluten, soya, and peanut free.
How to KICK START YOUR KETO DIET
When you first enter ketosis, you are using fat for energy, but at first it’s in limited amounts because you don’t have as many fat-converting enzymes.
These enzymes get built up over time. This is what can often cause the tiredness at the beginning of the shift from sugar burning to fat burning.
Once the enzymes are in place, your cells change the way they get energy. It’s really amazing at all the changes that have to happen internally for keto-adaptation to happen.
Once you are keto-adapted (which can take a few weeks to a month depending on the person), fat/ketones becomes the preferred fuel. Hormone levels are changed, glycogen (glucose stored in muscles and liver) is lowered, and you carry less excess water. Once you have adapted you should notice an increase in mental clarity, you’re able to function well – lots of energy, you can exercise, lift, build up endurance etc.
When you’re keto adapted and get an “overdose” of carbs (more than your body needs at the time) different things happen. First, glycogen gets replenished, which causes water retention. Secondly, insulin rises, which can affect other hormone levels as well. While your body processes the carbs, you are not burning ketones. Once the glucose is dealt with, you will go back into ketosis.
When you’re keto adapted, this doesn’t take long because you already have the enzymes and are “primed” to use fat for energy.
When you’re starting keto, the more often you have sugar, the longer it takes to become keto adapted. When you are keto adapted, sugar will still take precedence over fat for fuel (because excess blood sugar is fatal and so your body needs to handle the sugar first).
If your goal is weight loss or prevention of inflammation, excess glucose is counterproductive. There is no “need” for a carb up, even with endurance sports, but some people find the boost helpful depending on their goals.