At Konscious Keto, we like to believe the keto diet is the Swiss Army Knife of all diets. We believe nothing else comes close to the all the wonderful benefits someone could experience once their body is in ketosis.
This includes, but is not limited to, accelerated weight loss, more energy, healthier blood sugar levels, a reduction in cholesterol and blood pressure, and a more robust brain.
However, getting into ketosis, and staying there, can pose a problem for most people.
During this time, your body has to make the switch from using mostly sugar for fuel, to ketones.
For this to happen, in the past, you’d have to be very strict with your diet while keeping your carbohydrate levels reasonably low.
But now, with exogenous ketones, no longer do you need to suffer from Keto Flu or be super strict with your diet.
Especially in the beginning.
Within seconds, you can flood your system with the same ketones your body naturally produces once you’re in ketosis, allowing you to feel a jolt of energy and focus that’s stimulating and also addicting.
We believe that once you experience the benefits of using exogenous ketones during the keto diet, you’ll never want to go back to that slow and sluggish feeling ever again.
Ketones are the byproduct of a process known as beta-oxidation which occurs when the body has run out of its primary fuel source (glucose) and uses stored body fat or dietary fat as energy.
These are known as endogenous ketones, meaning produced inside the body, and again, are created whenever the body breaks down fat into fatty acids and converts them into ketones for energy use.
However, as a result of the heavy carb consumption common when eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), the majority of people's bodies use the glucose derived from the foods they eat as their primary energy.
This results in many more opportunities for wild blood sugar, mood, and appetite instability during any given day.
However, once sugar is drastically removed from the diet, and the body reverts to reliance on present and ingested healthy fats as fuel.
Ketone levels in the body elevate, and people begin to experience many of the well-known benefits of the ketogenic diet (e.g., appetite suppression, the ability to fast intermittently for extended periods with ease, increased mental clarity and energy, and enhanced physical performance, et al.).
Increased ketones prevent the body pulling from muscles for energy by acting as a source of bioavailable energy—energy that lasts significantly longer than glucose.
Another promising side effect of eating a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet is that it's been shown to halt or mitigate the adverse effects of chronic disorders like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and various neurological disorders like epilepsy and autism.
The Benefits of Using Exogenous Ketones as Fuel
For many first time Ketoer’s, getting into ketosis and staying there could pose a problem.
Using exogenous ketones to help supplement your keto diet could be the ticket may have been searching for this entire time.
You see, there are so many amazing benefits to being in ketosis, that even if you’ve been in ketosis for quite some time, supplementing your diet with exogenous ketones, could help intensify the effects and skyrocket your results.
This could mean faster weight loss, better performance, less daytime fatigue, deeper sleep patterns, and even a healthier brain.
But for most of our customers who are into working out and being active, exogenous ketones are a unique tool to increase power and performance with a minimal caloric impact.
Besides, ketone-based fuel is hailed for its ability to keep our energy stores fuller longer, which is excellent for speed and endurance.
How Do Exogenous Ketones Occur?
Exogenous ketones are human-made ketones used to increase the level of energy in your body.
We highly recommend anyone who is first starting out on the keto diet to supplement daily with exogenous ketones to help mitigate the symptoms of keto flu, while helping to kickstart ketosis.
However, not all ketone bodies are created equally. There’s one that stands above the rest and seen in most of the research to be highly beneficial.
What are BHBs?
Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is hailed as the most bioavailable of the three exogenous ketone bodies and makes up for 78% of the overall ketones present in the blood.
Also, BHB is the main ketone source of energy in the body, supported by Acetoacetate (AcAc).
The body makes two types of BHB ketones: D-BHB and L-BHB. D-BHB is responsible for the overall anti-aging benefits of BHB and facilitates the body's efficient use of energy.
It’s also the most abundant. However, L-BHB is less abundant in the body, but still relevant since it facilitates the breakdown of fatty acids (1).
You see, unlike glucose, which causes unpredictable energy peaks and blood sugar drops, BHB is the body's perfect fuel.
Aside from its ability to bolster energy and performance, the following is a list of five reasons why ketones and fat-fueled energy beat the production of glucose-based fuel, hands down:
- Mitigates Oxidative Stress: BHB is known to protect the body's cells, particularly in the brain, to maximize neurological function (2).
- Boost Brain Function: Quick-absorbing ketones are beneficial to overall cognitive function. In addition to reducing neuroinflammation in the brain, ketones also protect synapses and neurons in the brain to prevent neurodegeneration.
- Increase Fat Loss and Exercise Performance: Exercise improves the absorption of BHB, and elevated BHB levels in the body contribute to improved energy, fat-burning, and the body's ability to recover quickly after intense physical exertion.
- Reverse Insulin Resistance: Consuming BHB helps maintain low glucose and insulin levels which promotes healthy insulin regulation and prevents insulin sensitivity.
- Support Healthy Heart Function: BHB protects the heart against oxidative stress and related heart damage and prevents heart disease. Also, BHB helps facilitate the efficient mechanical functioning of the heart and increases blood flow.
Metabolic Signs You are in Ketosis
Being in ketosis is like running on a clean supply of natural energy that will never dip or crash.
Making the keto diet one of our favorite ways to help men and women improve their focus and drive. However, knowing when you're in ketosis could be tricky in the beginning.
But there’s plenty of cues and tests you could do in the comfort of your own home to see if you’re body has made the switch.
First, you might experience the signs and symptoms of Keto Flu. This is normal in the beginning and happens to many.
Don’t worry - you won’t be dealing with fevers or chills, but you could notice a dip in energy levels and fogginess.
Plus, if you’re active, you also might see your performance has suffered.
Again, this will only be temporary and could be handled altogether by supplementing with exogenous ketones.
Now, you could also use urine test strips to measure the level of ketones in your body. This is very simple, quick and accurate.
However, once your body is genuinely in ketosis, you will likely notice the following:
- Reduced or eliminated carb and sugar cravings
- An overall reduction in appetite
- Sustained energy and glucose levels for extended periods of time
- The ability to intermittent fast with ease
- Drastic reduction or elimination of snacking between meals
What are the Benefits of Exogenous Ketones?
Physical Benefits
The physical benefits are going to be so noticeable; you’ll love the difference once your body makes the full switch to using its stored body fat to fuel ketosis.
This could mean a boost in stamina to power through your day, an increase in endurance when and if you're active, plus a noticeable difference in the scale and mirror.
Cognitive Benefits
The ketogenic diet has been around since the early 1920s and celebrated for its ability to help ease seizures in those with epilepsy.
And later for its ability to aid in safe and rapid weight loss…
Plus, increased cognitive function.
You see, when consuming a diet very low in carbs, with moderate protein and the majority of calories coming from quality fats, the body enters the fat-adapted state of ketosis.
Once this happens, endogenous ketone production goes through the roof, allowing you to begin experiencing all the incredible cognitive benefits of being in ketosis.
Ketones, both exogenous and endogenous are like rocket fuel for your brain.
Elevated ketones could help reduce inflammation to guard against disease and help preserve cells from aging.
That’s why there’s been so much research with promising results showing numerous neuroprotective effects to guard against degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s disease, and other aging-related cognitive diseases.
Spiritual and Wellness Benefits
A stable mood and sense of happiness contribute to a definite sense of well-being.
Ketones play a significant role in this area with their ability to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels, thereby helping to avoid extreme energy and mood changes that often wreak havoc with our overall sense of well-being.
Also, many note experiencing a sense of calm when elevated ketone levels are present in their system.
Even noting they provide some relief from chronic and debilitating conditions like anxiety and depression.
When are Exogenous Ketones Necessary?
Our body's native fuel is ketones, not glucose.
The standard Western diet is loaded with carb-heavy food and is the main reason type II diabetes, and obesity rates are on the rise in this country.
That’s why the keto diet can help with many of these issues.
Once carbs are cut from the diet, and the body becomes more ketone-dominant, blood sugar levels naturally decline, and body fat gets used as the primary fuel source.
With the help of exogenous ketones, this process becomes a whole lot easier.
Can Exogenous Ketones Help Me Get into Ketosis Faster?
Accelerated ketosis is one of the main reasons people take exogenous ketone supplements.
If you couple exogenous ketones with a ketogenic diet that inherently boosts ketone bodies, better still.
Will I Lose Weight Faster?
The amount of weight any given person will lose in the same time span may vary, but exogenous ketones have appetite-suppressing properties that will facilitate more efficient and expedient body fat loss.
Will I have Improved Cognitive Function Using Exogenous Ketones?
Yes. Improved cognitive function and mental sharpness are both commonly reported by those who take exogenous ketones regularly (3).
Should I Take Exogenous Ketones in Nutritional Ketosis?
Absolutely!
Exogenous ketones can significantly help you reach your ideal body goals by helping to power through workouts while fueling ketosis.
Why Should I consume MCT Oil on a Ketogenic Diet?
Medium chain triglyceride oil, or MCT oil, is an extraordinary fatty acid shown to boost ketone production, glucose regulation, and also could help reduce inflammation in the body.
Adding MCT oil to any variation of the low-carb lifestyle provides many positive benefits.
What’s the Difference between MCT Oil and Coconut Oil?
In essence MCT oil and coconut oil are the same, but MCT oil has a much higher concentration of medium chain triglycerides—an excellent supplement for anyone hoping to increase ketone levels in the body.
Also, the shorter-chain fatty acids found in coconut-based MCT oil are easier for the body to digest and assimilate than longer-chain options (e.g., olive oil, soybean oil, etc.).
It’s also worth noting that the daily use of a high-quality MCT oil is associated with obesity prevention and increased brain and heart health.
Should you take Raspberry Ketones on the Ketogenic Diet?
Based on all information reviewed, raspberry ketones are entirely useless concerning the acceleration or facilitation of getting the body into a state of ketosis.
Opt for a quality BHB supplement to bolster ketone levels instead.
Ketosis vs. Ketoacidosis
Ketosis is an optimal metabolic state where the body uses ketones (metabolized fat) as its primary source of fuel.
Remember, ketosis is usually achieved when fasting, starving, or living a ketogenic (low-carb, high-fat) lifestyle—which, in practice, feels nothing like starving.
Nutritional ketosis produces a multitude of health benefits including appetite suppression, accelerated fat loss, mental clarity, and increased energy.
Ketoacidosis, on the other hand, is ketosis' overbearing, close-talking, fourth cousin, twice removed—you want to steer clear of this metabolic state.
Ketoacidosis occurs when the body isn't producing an adequate amount of ketone bodies via ketogenesis, or the breaking down of fatty acids for energy.
The deficiency may result in hypoglycemia as well as the overproduction of ketone bodies—leading to ketoacidosis.
Ketoacidosis is often linked to those suffering from diabetes or alcoholism and can result in feelings of excessive fatigue.
Fortunately, keto is a lifestyle where we can take advantage of ketosis and side-step ketoacidosis by drastically restricting carbs, eating a moderate amount of quality protein and feasting on premium fats to energize us throughout the day.
Also, the body intuitively knows to switch to an alternative fuel source when it's stripped of sugar and carbohydrates, as is required to achieve a state of nutritional ketosis.
The body is made to run on ketones and our body, specifically our brain, thrives on quality fats.
However, with ketoacidosis, the body is in a bit of a vicious cycle. The body cannot produce glucose due to insufficient insulin production in the pancreas.
Unfortunately, the body's signals misfire in this state and generate even more glucose to fuel the body because the body knows its energy is insufficient despite being unable to process the glucose it's flooding into its system efficiently.
In this state, glucose continues to pile up in the body without a functioning processor or outlet, a recipe for type 2 diabetes and insulin sensitivity.
Can BHBs Put Me into Ketoacidosis (No!)
Absolutely not! Alternatively, BHBs will help accelerate and facilitate the process of getting into a beneficial, sustainable state of ketosis.
Why Exogenous Ketones are Safe to Consume on a Ketogenic Diet
Drinking exogenous ketones on a ketogenic diet is not a good idea, it's a great idea! A ketogenic diet naturally promotes the production of high levels of endogenous ketones.
Adding a quality exogenous ketone supplement will help achieve improved overall health, fat loss, and gain lean muscle mass; all while eating a low-carb, high-fat, ketogenic diet.
Put Ketones to Work for You
There are many easy ways to get in your BHBs every day. Whether you opt for ketone salts, esters or oils, daily consumption of exogenous ketones is proven to provide a host of health benefits and is an affordable tool we can use to enhance our wellness efforts.
Most ketones can be incorporated into food or beverages for convenience and make taking ketones a low-maintenance but high-impact way to integrate into any daily self-care regimen.
Where to Buy Exogenous Ketones
You may be able to find some ketone options locally, and there are a lot of quality exogenous ketone supplements available, such as Keto Activate by Konscious Keto.
Consider adding ketones into your low-carb lifestyle to supercharge your fitness efforts and support your overall health. And don't forget to grab your 7-day keto menu guide here.
