5 Common Mistakes of Having a Keto Diet

The ketogenic diet, better known as the keto diet, is a diet that limits carbohydrate intake. Because of these restrictions, this diet is able to lose weight quickly. The keto diet can also reduce blood sugar levels. Those who run this diet replace carbohydrates with foods that are high in protein and fat. Because of its ability to reduce weight and blood sugar levels due to restrictions on carbohydrate consumption, this diet was initially used by diabetics. Keto diets are considered capable of helping diabetics control blood sugar because of their low carbohydrate, especially if they also have obesity.

When undergoing a ketogenic diet, a person is restricted to consuming carbohydrates no more than 30 grams per day. The rest, they are advised to consume protein and fat. Diabetics are recommended to reduce carbohydrates, but that does not mean eliminating completely from the composition of daily food.

Running a keto diet for diabetics may be risky if it is not done under the supervision of a nutritionist. Because, a diabetics still need carbohydrates as a source of energy. At the very least, they need around 130 grams per day and are recommended to come from complex carbohydrates.

Common mistakes that occur when making a keto diet

1. Not drinking enough water

Water is very important to keep the fluids in our body fulfilled. Lack of fluid will lead to new problems, such as kidney disease.

If in normal circumstances the presence of water is very necessary for the body, when undergoing a keto diet water needs must be considered more. When limiting carbohydrate consumption, many adjustments will occur to the body. One of them is decreased blood sugar and insulin levels. When insulin levels decrease, the kidneys release fluid. This is what will then cause dehydration.

At the beginning of the keto diet, most people will feel dizzy and have a headache due to the imbalance of electrolytes in the body. For that, you should consume around 3.5 liters of water to maintain fluid intake in the body.

2. Don't consume enough fat

In the metabolic process, our bodies are used to burning carbohydrates that have changed shape to glucose and then broken down into energy.

However, in the keto diet, the body is ordered to no longer break down glucose, because the amount of intake is limited, but is encouraged to burn fat. Unfortunately, many people who undergo this keto diet have an incorrect understanding. Most of them forget to replace lost carbohydrates with fat. One reason is the concern in consuming fat. In fact, the consumption of fat from natural and healthy ingredients, such as milk, yogurt, fish, meat, nuts, and vegetable fats such as avocados and olive oil will not adversely affect health.

3. Ignore sleep time

Not only for those who go on a diet, this is actually done by almost everyone, especially those who live in big cities with a myriad of time-consuming activities and congestion.

Many consider trivial sleep problems because the effects are not immediately felt. In fact, this will greatly affect the success of the diet program that we live.

Some people who undergo a keto diet program want to be able to maintain blood sugar levels in the body and lose weight as a bonus. In fact, lack of sleep will affect sugar levels in the body.

If you ignore sleep habits, it's like practicing swimming to cure asthma but smoking when exiting the pool. It's like taking a health step, but "countering it" (even worsening it) with bad habits that affect health.

4. Limiting salt intake is too tight

Excessive salt consumption will affect blood pressure. However, lack of sodium obtained from salt will also have an adverse effect on the body, such as cardiovascular disease. That is, the consumption of salt that enters the body must be right.

In the early days of undergoing a keto diet, the body will lose considerable amounts of sodium through the fluids released by the body. That is why, the body needs sodium substitutes to keep the electrolyte levels in balance.

Phinney and Volek, one of the researchers about a low-calorie diet recommends consuming 3-5 grams of sodium every day. To maintain salt intake in the body, we can eat foods that contain salt, such as soup or broth and fermented vegetables.

5. Eating too much fat

The principle of the keto diet is to reduce carbohydrates and replace them with fat and protein. This sometimes makes people mistaken by consuming as much fat as possible.

Although fat acts as a substitute for carbohydrates, keep in mind that not all fats are good. Even if fat is good, it does not mean consuming it excessively will bring better health too.

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