“Keto diet” has been trending since last year, and we hear everyone is talking about the latest trend. But what exactly is a keto diet? Well, ketogenic (keto) diet is a low-carb and low-fat diet that turns your body into a fat-burning machine. In order to put your body in ketosis (a type of metabolic state), you will have to reduce your intake of carbs to the maximum and replace it with fat in your everyday meal. Hence, when you limit your carbs, your body looks for other sources such as fat for fuel instead and this could eventually lead to effective weight-loss results.
However, cutting out carbohydrates, such as rice, from your diet could be very damaging long-term as your body will send up breaking down other fuels for energy and cause you to lose muscle tissue. Also, the keto diet may not be for everyone, especially for pregnant or nursing women and those with certain health problems like diabetes and liver problems.
So, does the keto diet works for you? Here are three main indicators to look out for if these symptoms persist on for more than a month:
1. You feel tired
It is common to feel tired within the first few weeks of the keto diet as your body tries to adapt from burning glucose to burning fats for energy. However, if you feel extremely wiped out all the time, you might look to switching to a gentler diet and avoid cutting a huge chunk of carbohydrates too drastically. You may consider embarking on a good start by consuming brown rice as it contains 6% lesser carbohydrates than white rice, and helps you to feel fuller for a longer period of time.
2. You feel anxious or irritated
Been under stress lately? If you have been undergoing the keto diet and yet still feel anxious, it’s about time that you increase your intake of protein and carbohydrates in little increments. Carb-rich foods can help to trigger the production of brain chemicals to boost your mood, but when your brain does not get enough of these chemicals, it can lead to a negative impact on your mood.
3. You have digestive issues
While it is normal to suffer from digestive issues such as bloatedness and constipation during the keto diet process, such symptoms may persist for an extended period of time if your body is unable to cope with the decrease of carbohydrates and fiber. As insoluble fibers such as brown rice can aid in better digestion, you may consider including the fiber-rich brown rice in your diet for a period of time before embarking on the keto diet.
