Food Freedom Friday Edition 201 - Are You Keto Adapted?

When you are keto adapted, a large portion (but not all) of your body's energy comes from ketones. The opposite of ketosis is glycolysis – the body's main metabolic pathway that converts glucose into energy. Glycolysis is what your body is accustomed to but it can be unhealthy when excessive and a carbohydrate-based standard diet makes it easy to be in this potentially unhealthy energy usage.

Ketosis is defined as having elevated blood ketones with concentrations of 0.5–7 mM. Normally, blood ketone levels register below 0.5 mM and any reading above 7mM qualifies as ketoacidosis – abnormally high ketone levels that make the blood acidic. This is a dangerous condition caused by insulin-related diseases and not seen in healthy people.

In case you are not familiar with keto terminology:

·       Ketones (aka ketone bodies) - water-soluble molecules that replace glucose when carbohydrate intake is low, like when on a ketogenic diet or during fasting or starvation.

·       Glucose – A simple sugar that your body makes from carbohydrates. Your cells use glucose to produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

·       Insulin – A hormone your pancreas makes that regulates the uptake of glucose. Think of it as a key that opens the cell so that glucose can enter it.

Benefits of Ketosis

Nature designed ketosis to ensure survival during times of starvation. The brain cannot run on fatty acids and completely rely on glucose for energy. When there is insufficient glucose to fuel the brain, the mitochondria in the liver make ketone bodies from free fatty acids. Ketone bodies provide energy to other tissue in the body besides the brain, but the brain is the main consumer of ketones.

Since, from an evolutionary perspective, starvation is not an option, the way to enter ketosis is by consuming fewer carbohydrates. The ketogenic diet suggests eating up to 80% fats to support ketone production as well as to provide all the necessary energy and nutrients. In other words, the ketogenic diet mimics starvation in terms of how it affects metabolism. However, unlike starvation, it can still provide nourishment for the body through consuming nutrient dense foods.

Studies show that ketosis boosts weight loss, reduces seizures, prevents brain diseases, stops type II diabetes, and reduces heart disease risk. However, ketosis is not the ultimate goal of ketogenic diets. Becoming keto-adapted is what you want to aim for.

Becoming Keto-Adapted

Being keto-adapted means that your body has adapted to running on fats and ketones instead of glucose. Keto adaptation can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a few months to occur after starting a ketogenic diet. It takes only 3-5 days of going low-carb to get into ketosis. You may be wondering why the body could not adapt to running on ketones as soon as levels rise? The body needs time to adjust to the changes brought on by ketosis.

Your body makes ketones in the first week of a ketogenic diet, but not enough to fuel the entire body. This is one reason that during the initial stages of the ketogenic diet, energy levels fall. The body also does not have enough fat-burning enzymes to convert the extra fat consumed into ketones and energy. Furthermore, the body has lost water and electrolytes when glycogen stores ran out as glycogen binds to water.

Studies also show that in the early stages of ketosis, muscles use 50% of the ketones but later this drops to about 5% when blood ketone levels reach higher concentrations. The brain will eventually utilize most of the ketones produced because, unlike muscles, the brain cannot run on fatty acids. Once keto adapted the body shuttles as many ketones to the brain as needed.

The Keto-Adapted Body

The keto-adapted body is metabolically different from the glucose-burning one. You may have heard that you need carbs to spare muscle during workouts. This is not the case when keto-adapted. Research shows that keto-adapted athletes burn more fat during workouts than sugar burners and that muscle is not lost in the process.

When you are keto-adapted, your body also organizes fuel sources based on importance: the brain can't run on fatty acids so the majority of ketones produced are reserved for the brain. Blood cells, the liver, and the kidneys, can't run on ketones and use glucose instead, and muscles can utilize both fatty acids and glucose.

The keto-adapted body is also more efficient at making energy in general. Fat is a more powerful fuel source than carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide quick energy, but they also get burned quickly. Glycogen reserves are only around 600 grams in total which is sufficient for a mere 24 hours. Blood sugar imbalances and dips can also leave you feeling hungry and tired. None of this happens when your body finally starts burning fat.

Your body can use fat to make energy from two sources: your fat stores and fat from food. It's best to keep your intake of fat on a ketogenic diet at recommended deficits or surplus to avoid losing too much or gaining too much weight. A ketogenic diet is not simply about weight loss, it's a diet that supports good health.

Importance of Metabolic Flexibility

Metabolic flexibility refers to your body's ability to adapt fuel burning to fuel availability. In other words, it is your body's ability to switch from sugar burning to fat burning when carbohydrates are not available. This is particularly relevant for keto adaptation. When adhering to high carbohydrate diets, most people are not metabolically flexible.

People with metabolic disorders like insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity, for example are often metabolically inflexible. Fat burning in these disorders is sluggish or non-existent. Even with insulin shots, the body has trouble burning fat leading to excess weight gain. The risk of developing metabolic inflexibility also rises with physical inactivity.

Humans are built to go without food from time to time and hunt, collect, and scavenge. Western society has switched from being hunter-gatherers to having a range of energy-dense foods available at arm's-length. In addition to that, there is a large amount of chronic stress and lack of movement when compared to our ancestors. With all these changes, there's no need to eat many carbohydrates which lead to metabolic inflexibility and subsequent weight gain and metabolic disorders.

Studies show that moderate daily exercise improves metabolic flexibility. Building muscle mass through exercising helps boost metabolic flexibility because muscles burn more energy than fat. You may also need to reduce your calorie intake, whilst ensuring sufficient protein consumption for muscle building and workout energy.

How to Become Keto Adapted

Begin by following the ketogenic diet. You can follow the general rule of eating 5% carbs, 20-30% proteins, and 65-75% fats or use one of the many online calculators to determine your precise, individual needs. As long as your carbohydrate intake is less than 30-gram net carbs per day, you are starting off well.

You will enter ketosis within three to seven days of eating this way. You may start feeling sluggish, achy, and generally unwell. With persistence you will see your energy levels rise soon enough. This is a good sign that you are well on your way to becoming keto-adapted.

Including exercising and intermittent fasting will speed up the process of becoming keto-adapted. Exercise and movement boost metabolic flexibility, and having metabolic flexibility is essential for keto adaptation. Exercising also depletes glycogen stores in the muscles and liver more quickly. Intermittent fasting increases ketone production and is great for reducing calorie intake.

Other considerations:

Sleep

Sleep is essential for normal metabolism functioning. As little as one sleepless night leads to short-term insulin resistance. Avoid late-night screen time, go to bed early, don't' drink caffeine after noon to get well-deserved sleep.

Stress

 Stress is the leading cause of chronic conditions like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. It also messes with your metabolism. When trying to boost fat-burning and keto-adaptation, de-stressing is key. Yoga, meditation, rhythmic breathing, or walks through the park can all help keep stress under control.

Fat

Some keto dieters initially fear fat. They may have never eaten so much fat-rich foods in their life and are afraid of going overboard. Fat is your friend on a keto diet. It is essential for ketone production and keto-adaptation.

Signs of Keto Adaptation

After a few weeks on a ketogenic diet, you may begin wondering if you're finally keto-adapted. Luckily, becoming keto-adapted comes with some signs, both internal and external that are difficult to ignore. These include:

Increased Energy

Your body is finally adapted to burning a powerful source of energy – fat. Fat provides more energy per gram than both carbohydrates and protein. The sources of energy used for physical activity in daily life and sports are primarily lipids and carbohydrates. Your body also stores it in abundance and you will be eating plenty of it on a keto diet.

Decreased Appetite

When keto-adapted, carbohydrate cravings tend to vanish completely. No more mid-day slumps and late-night visits to the fridge. Ketosis is proven to suppress appetite in itself. Your body is also getting plenty of energy from fat already contributing to this new decrease in appetite.

Mental Clarity

Refined and processed carbohydrates impair memory. Ketones, on the other hand, improve all aspects of brain health. Ketone bodies protect the brain from oxidative stress and improve mitochondrial functioning. This results in greater mental clarity and acuity once you become keto-adapted.

Better Sleep

Keto adherents tend to lose sleep when first experiencing ketosis. However, once keto-adapted, many report getting more restful, quality sleep. Sleep depends on your brain health and functioning. Since the keto diet improves both, you can expect to sleep well when following a ketogenic protocol.

Improved Exercise

When keto-adapted, the body also fuels workouts more effectively. Ketones provide muscles with some energy during workouts, but fatty acids also supply energy to muscle cells. The body also breaks down a few of the proteins eaten to make glucose – further supporting muscle functioning.

Once keto adapted, you will have a general feeling of wellness. Keto-adaptation is supposed to be comfortable. If you find yourself experiencing any negative signs like fatigue and brain fog on a ketogenic diet, your body may be struggling to adapt. Try adjusting your workout and dieting regimen to boost your chances of success.

In Summary

Many mistakenly believe that ketosis and ketones are the ultimate goal of the ketogenic diet. In reality, keto-adaptation is what you should be aiming for. Keto-adaptation simply means your body has become an efficient fat burner.

Burning fat for fuel is not solely for weight loss. The ability to burn fat efficiently comes with many health benefits including diabetes prevention, lower inflammation, a reduced risk of heart disease, and more.

Becoming keto-adapted, requires both persistence and consistency with your ketogenic protocol. This will help you enter ketosis and get your body to the point where it begins to utilize fat and ketones. After decades of being a sugar-burner, give yourself time and practice some patience to allow your body adjust. You will find yourself keto-adapted before you know it.