A keto diet involves consuming foods rich in fat along with moderate proteins and minimal carbohydrates in order to transform your metabolism. By default, cell metabolism in your body relies on glucose energy from digested carbs as the main energy supply. When you go a keto diet, meaning a process that induces a condition like fasting in your body, your blood sugar level from food reduces. The body initiates the process of ketosis to break down fat deposits in your body to generate energy using ketone bodies molecules. Ketone bodies maintain the energy supplies needed for cell metabolism and other body functions until you start ingesting carbohydrates.
Your body’s metabolism undergoes a major shift and to avoid any mishaps, you should support it with essential nutrients to sustain your health. Keto diet supplements are your health and metabolic companion to keep your body steadily replenished as you go on a keto diet.
What Are Keto Supplements?
Keto supplements are reserves of nutritional supplies that complement the process of shifting from a high-carb diet to a fat-rich diet. As you cut food choices when you’re on a keto diet, your body still needs nutrients for normal functioning. Keto supplements assist you to stay in shape through provision of specific nutrients to meet the demands of your body. The supplements help your body respond normally by achieving balance in its nutritional composition as it adjusts to the ketosis.
Specific Ways Keto Diet Supplements Help
Your body needs a combination of nutrients to function optimally. Keto diet supplements contain different nutritional supplies with specific health benefits. Knowing the function of each keto diet supplement will allow you to understand which ones you need to meet your body’s needs.
Exogenous Ketones
Naturally, your body’s ketogenesis process produces endogenous ketones. However, when you acquire them from an external source, they are called exogenous ketones. Their main function is to support ketosis by increasing the level of ketones in your blood. Keto Ignite is a rich source of exogenous ketones even if you’re not on a keto diet because it supplies you with quick energy when fasting, between meals, or when you’re warming up for a workout. Although this is a greater requirement when your body is adjusting to a keto diet, it’s useful throughout the keto diet because your body always needs the benefits.
Studies have shown that exogenous ketones decrease appetite, increase general body energy, improve athletic performance, and increase concentration by enhancing the ability to focus. Ketone esters are popular exogenous ketones diet supplements as they offer notable health benefits to users.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The human body needs three essential omega-3 fatty acids that include docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). You will find EPA and DHA in fish and seafood supplements, and ALA in plant oils sourced from canola oils extracted from rapeseed, soybean, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and flaxseed oils. Keto diet supplements should mainly contain EPA and DHA because the body can’t produce them on its own. Although the body can convert ALA to EPA and DHA, the process is not fast enough to meet the needs of the body especially when on a keto diet. Keto diet supplement rich in high-quality fatty fish oils will provide quicker and richer supplies of EPA and DHA for your nutritional needs. Eat keto foods with omega-6s in moderation while balancing the ratio with omega-3 foods to avoid inflammation.
Omega-3 fatty acid keto supplements complement keto diets in lowering triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, BMI, and burning body fat. High levels of triglyceride in the blood increase vulnerabilities to cardiovascular diseases. Studies reveal that omega-3 fatty acids can neutralize symptoms of depression and ease inflammation. Keto diet supplements with krill oil will also give you more health benefits. The oil contains astaxanthin, a predominant antioxidant that relieves oxidative stress, protecting the central nervous system and the brain from induced damage.
Vitamin D
Depending only on food might not give you adequate supplies of vitamin D – an important body hormone and nutrient. That said, you are not necessarily at risk of vitamin D deficiency while on a keto diet. However, because the vitamin has a general scarcity, a supplement backup will ensure that you obtain sufficient quantities. You can also get vitamin D from the sun. However, you should be careful regarding overexposure to avoid the risk of sun-induced skin cancer.
Vitamin D supplements facilitate quick absorption of essential minerals into your body, including magnesium and calcium. Studies reveal a key role of vitamin D in lowering the risk of inflammation, promoting healthy bones, and moderating growth of body cells. When on a keto diet, it’s best to include supplements with vitamin D to avoid any deficiency of this essential nutrient.
Electrolyte Supplements
Most foods in a keto diet might not contain key minerals like calcium, sodium, magnesium, and potassium that are important for optimal body health. You need them the most as your body shifts to a fat-rich diet. As you adopt a keto diet, your kidneys which are responsible for balancing body fluids, discharge excessive water because the body is no longer digesting carb-rich foods. In the process, your body loses essential electrolytes together with the water.
Decline of essential minerals in the body can initiate keto flu, manifesting signs of constipation, fatigue, and headaches. Electrolyte supplements will protect you against deficiencies and keto-associated conditions. Keto supplements can supply your body with calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium.
Calcium: Calcium is a mineral responsible for muscle contraction, blood clotting, and strengthening bones. Your need strong bones for a health body and to support your exercises as one of the ways to keep fit at home. Commendable calcium-rich supplements have vitamin D to help in absorption into the blood stream.
Magnesium: Magnesium supplements are necessary to sustain muscle and nerve function, promote your immunity, and maintain a healthy heart beat. Studies suggest that a combination of magnesium with calcium is helpful in maintain healthy levels of testosterone and ensuring good sleep. While you’re on a keto diet, it’s challenging to eat foods rich in magnesium since they contain carbs. So, magnesium supplements will fulfill your keto needs.
Sodium: Sodium has water retention properties – a condition useful in regulating other electrolytes. It also supports muscle and nerve function. Although normally you would keep sodium levels low, you may increase its intake during keto to balance water loss. You can obtain sodium from foods like red meat, bone broth, and adding salt to your drinks especially water.
Potassium: Your heart rate, body fluids, and blood pressure depends on mineral potassium for stability. Prioritize intake of potassium from keto foods, and only take it in small quantities when you get it from keto supplements.
MCT Oil
MCT oils - medium-chain triglycerides - increase fat efficiency. They supply the body with ready-to-use energy. The liver can metabolize them quickly because of their light structure and they can supply energy rapidly to your muscles and brain. Keto coconut oil supplements have rich MCT oil supplies because coconut oil is naturally high in MCTs. However, if you need higher MCT concentration, you can go for supplements with MCT extracts from coconut or palm oil.
Concluding Thoughts
Keto diet supplements are required for the healthy functioning of your metabolism as you draw benefits from your keto diet. Exogenous ketones increase ketone in your blood, supplying your body with its energy needs. Omega-3 fatty acids can stabilize your BMI, burn body fat, and lower the triglycerides responsible for cardiovascular diseases. Vitamin D supplements increase the absorption of essential minerals in your body. Electrolyte supplements replenish your body with minerals that are lost when your kidneys flush out excess water from reduced gut processes. MCT oil has a structure that’s easily broken down to provide quick energy needs for your body. For all these reasons, you should seriously consider including keto supplements in your diet.
