Keto flu is not a virus that infects only those who decide to try a ketogenic diet. This is the body's response to carbohydrate restriction.
The most common symptoms of keto-flu are craving for sugar, dizziness, irritability, fog in the head and poor concentration, stomach pain, nausea, cramps, muscle soreness and insomnia.
To avoid this, follow these simple rules:
1. Drink more water (with a pinch of unrefined salt).
Hydration is vital, especially when you are on a ketogenic diet. If during a keto diet you do not drink enough water, you can easily dehydrate and experience side effects.
2. Supplement your diet with sodium, potassium and magnesium.
To get enough potassium, add avocados and leafy greens such as spinach to your diet. Add a little crude salt to each meal and to water to replenish sodium levels.
Magnesium is another important mineral that can significantly ease your transition to ketosis. Although you do not lose magnesium, while limiting carbohydrates, it is important to help you prevent and eliminate cramps, improve sleep quality and increase insulin sensitivity. Simply add pumpkin seeds, almonds and spinach to your diet.
3. Eat more fat.
To help your body adapt, eat more fat. Fat provides Acetyl-CoA liver cells, which they can use to make ketones.
4. In the morning, do exercises with low intensity.
When you wake up, fill the bottle with water and a pinch of salt, and go for a walk. The walk should be at a pace where you can easily talk without gasping. It is desirable to walk about an hour.
As you continue walking, you should feel better and better and more and more awake. This is a form of low intensity exercise that will help increase fat burning, and you will not have to suffer from keto flu.
5. Relieve stress through meditation.
When you start a ketogenic diet, you may be tenser and more irritable than usual. This is due to the fact that your cortisol levels are slightly higher than usual.
To help reduce cortisol levels and improve overall well-being, it is best to do daily meditation.
Every day, for 15 minutes, just sit silently, inhaling and exhaling slowly and deeply.
The purpose of meditation is not to be thoughtless, so as not to be distracted by the thought, but to concentrate on breathing. This is how you train your mind so that life is less stressful.
6. A good sleep is the key to success.
Another way to reduce stress levels is to ensure good sleep. Good sleep is especially important for ketogenic diets. Without this, cortisol levels will increase, which complicates keto-flu and keto-adaptation. Sleep at least 7-9 hours every night, and if you feel tired in the middle of the day, lie down for 30 minutes or meditate.
To fall asleep faster at night, turn off all lights (including the phone) at least 30 minutes before you go to bed. This will help you translate your mind from work mode to sleep mode.