The Ketogenic diet (Keto for short) is basically an extremely low carbohydrate, high-fat diet. It has been argued by its proponents to offer a vast array of health benefits. It has many similarities with Atkins and other low-carb diets.
By adhering to a Keto diet you are making your body reduce carbohydrates as an energy source by slowing down their consumption and replacing them with fats.
So, where your body would, for instance, rely on bread and potatoes for its energy it will now rely on meats and the fats contained therein. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state known as Ketosis – hence the name the Keto diet.
By doing this your body will become incredibly efficient at burning fats for energy thus reducing body weight and supplying increased amounts of energy to the brain.
Is a Keto Diet Useful for Building Muscle?
The Ketogenic diet is generally used for weight loss, but that does not always have to be the case as it is also a diet that is high in protein consumption which could be very beneficial if you are trying to build muscle.
If you’re new to the Keto diet you may initially experience quite a large amount of weight loss due to your body adjusting to its new state of ketogenesis.
As explained above the state of being is reliant on the burning of fat hence why you might experience some early weight loss.
To build muscle you need to take in more calories than you burn. To do this on Keto (as with any other diet when trying to build muscle) you simply need to increase your calorie intake as much as you can.
There are various ways you can do this but basically, you want to focus on increasing your protein intake as much as you can. Proteins are the building blocks of muscles and consuming lots of protein will undoubtedly increase your muscle growth.
With a Keto diet, you will mostly be consuming meats because of their high fat, low carb attributes, so high protein intake should not present a problem.
Some proponents of the Keto Diet have expressed concern about too much protein intake but studies have shown that an average human can safely consume around 1 gram of protein per one pound of body weight per day.
What Are Some Other Health Benefits of Keto?
Ketogenic diets were originally created as a tool for treating neurological diseases and have shown a wide array of health benefits besides being able to continue building muscle normally.
Ketogenic diets are a fantastic way to reduce your general body fat and improve cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar. All of this in turn leads to a reduced risk of heart disease.
Keto diets have also proven to be very effective in combatting the neurological diseases that accompany the aging process such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, and other brain-related diseases.
