Michigan's Foremost Authority on Natural Health

What is Ketosis?

Posted on by Herbs etc
woman looking confused

There’s a lot of great buzz going on about the ketogenic diet, being in a state of ketosis, or being keto adapted. A year ago, I didn’t know much about ketones, but I can say in the past 12 months I’ve immersed myself with most things keto and what a great experience it’s been!! For instance, I’ve been learning about how to change my diet to a more ketogenic one and how to get my body into a state of ketosis from exogenous ketones. This is the first in a series of blogs that explains what ketosis is and why it’s so important for natural health. My hope is to pass on the knowledge I’ve gained about ketosis to benefit as many people as possible.

First off what does it mean to be in a state of ketosis or keto adapted? Basically, this means the body burns fat, not sugar, for fuel. Though that sounds easy enough, those who have tried know how hard getting into a state of ketosis actually is. For starters, we live in a sugar and carbohydrate world. Though sugar and carbs taste great, they are not contributing to our health and are doing us a lot of harm. Our ancestors naturally went into and out of ketosis because of their diets. Today, we have to be very specific about our food choices to accomplish this.

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Why would someone want to eat a ketogenic diet? Well this particular diet has many amazing health benefits, as research is showing. These benefits include but are not limited to:

  • Improving brain health and mitochondria energy
  • Eliminating migraines
  • Improving mood and helping depression
  • Controlling seizures and epilepsy
  • Helping with autism and Alzheimer’s
  • Improving the skin from acne, eczema, and psoriasis
  • Decreasing the risk of coronary artery disease
  • Eliminating sinus issues and improving asthma symptoms
  • Eliminating acid reflux
  • Eliminating chronic pain
  • Improving fertility and optimizing pregnancy
  • Eliminating candida
  • Starving cancer cell

Dr. R. M. Wilder, in 1921, developed the ketogenic diet at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to treat patients with seizures and it was nearly forgotten for over 70 years. Fortunately, it is making a comeback and many people are converting from the standard American diet (SAD) loaded with sugar and carbohydrates to a more ketogenic diet that is based on high-healthy, fat, moderate protein and low-carb foods.

A person can get into a state of ketosis through diet, where the body starts to produce its own ketones for fuel or by taking exogenous ketones, like betahydroxybuterates (BHB) from ketone salts or ketone esthers that naturally puts a person into a state of ketosis in about thirty minutes. When taking exogenous ketones, it is essential for them to be bioavailable and be as clean as possible. As with any supplement, it is important to know the source and the quality of ingredients. Exogenous ketones are a great way to help jump start the body into a state of ketosis and can be used in conjunction as one transitions to a more ketogenic diet. I have used exogenous ketones for about a year now and have been very impressed with how they have helped my physical and mental health. Being in a state of ketosis helps the body function at an optimal level and the positive effects are felt almost immediately. I hope you take the plunge and look into a ketogenic diet and/or supplementing with exogenous ketones. HAPPY KETOSIS :)