What Is Keto Flu and How To Avoid It

Most people try a ketogenic diet for weight loss. In this diet, the minimum carbohydrate intake is consumed. When you eat a few carbohydrates, you force your body into a keto state. Some people face keto flu that appears two or seven days after starting the keto diet.

 In keto flu, you may experience a foggy brain, irritability, nausea, difficulty sleeping, and constipation. This happens because of the sudden change in diet.  

Symptoms of Keto Flu

What are the symptoms of the keto flu? Keto flu symptoms start to appear after two to seven days. These relate to the keto virus and vary from person to person. Most of these symptoms face those people who begin keto for the first time. Moreover, a person who is not well hydrated. In the common symptoms, the following are included as

• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• Diminished exercise performance
• Constipation
• Irritability
• Loss of Focus
• Low Energy
• Muscle Cramps

How do you prevent Keto Flu?

Keto flu makes you miserable. However, there are several ways available to reduce flu-like symptoms. Let’s talk about how you can prevent keto flu.

Stay Hydrated

The first step is to drink enough water for optimal health and to reduce symptoms. A Keto diet reduces body water and sheds water stores, increasing the risk of dehydration.

This is because glycogen binds to water in the body. If you stay hydrated, you can overcome fatigue and muscle-cramping symptoms.

Avoid Strenuous Exercise

Physical activity is essential to stay healthy and avoid keto flu symptoms. Muscle cramps, fatigue, and constipation are the symptoms you face in the first week. Therefore, activities like biking, running, weight lifting, and workouts are the best to prevent keto flu symptoms.

Replace Electrolytes

Another important step in reducing keto flu symptoms is replacing dietary electrolytes. In a ketogenic diet, the insulin hormone helps to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. You can use some foods that are high in potassium, such as starchy vegetables, fruits, and beans. It is an excellent way to ensure you are maintaining your electrolyte system. Moreover, these foods also help to reduce muscle cramps and headaches.

Get Adequate Sleep

Fatigue and irritability are the common complaints of people who adopt a ketogenic diet. Lack of sleep raises your cortisol hormone level in the body, negatively impacting you. If your feet have these types of symptoms, then try to reduce caffeine intake and cut out ambient light, such as the light of your bedroom screens and cell phones. Also, taking a bath with adding lavender essential oil in your bath and getting up early will help to normalize your keto flu.

Make sure you are eating enough fat

Low carbs can cause you to crave foods that are restricted in the keto diet, such as cookies, bread, pasta, etc. Eating enough fat will help reduce your cravings. So make sure to slow cutting back on carbs and increase your fat and protein diet to less keto flu symptoms.

How Long Does the Keto Flu Last?

The keto flu typically lasts a week or less for an average person, but in rare circumstances, it can last up to a month. However, you might never have the keto flu, depending on your ancestry. Some people are innately “metabolically flexible,” meaning they can change metabolic states without negative health effects.

What to eat for keto flu?

With the rising popularity of the keto diet, some keto supplements were also introduced. These supplements reduce the symptoms of keto flu and improve your athletic capabilities.

MCT Oils

MCT Oils are famous supplements among keto dieters, which metabolize differently as the most common type of fat. Liver beaks don these supplements and enter quickly into the bloodstream. It can be used as a fuel for your brain and muscles.

Omega 3 fatty Acids

Omega 3 fatty acids supplements reduce inflammation, heart disease risk and prevent mental disorders. Moreover, you can also take omega-6 fatty acids found in vegetable oils and processed foods.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is an important nutrient for everyone’s health. Body functions need to facilitate the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D improves your immune system, regulates cellular growth, promotes bone health, and lowers inflammation.  

Greens Powder

Increasing vegetable intake contains a wide variety of vitamins. It can fight against inflammation, lower disease risk, and help your body function optimally.

Keto flu supplements

Keto flu supplements boost performance on a ketogenic diet by following supplements:

Creatine Monohydrate

It is a dietary supplement that promotes muscle gain and improves performance and strength.

Caffeine

Caffeine gives you extra performance and boosts energy levels, especially when transitioning to a keto diet.

Branched Chain Amino Acids

These supplements reduce muscle damage, muscle soreness, and fatigue during exercise.

Beta-Hydroxy Beta Methlbutyrate

It decreases muscle loss and increases muscle mass. These supplements give your strength and increase the intensity of the workouts.

Beta-Alanine

Beta-alanine supplements may prevent fatigue and muscle burnout when following a ketogenic diet.

Conclusion

Keto flu is a temporary issue that occurs in the first week of the ketogenic diet. But these do not remain long, lasting for ten days. Keto flu can cause serious problems like stomach issues and nutritional deficits. However, these could be decreased by using proper diet, physical activity, and keto supplements.

More about the Ketogenic Diet