Supplementing on Keto
In our ketogenic diet series, we’ve talked a good bit about the benefits of this low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein diet. The ketogenic diet can help with weight loss, brain health, reducing inflammation, and stabilizing blood sugar. To effectively optimize the keto diet, it’s important to do it the right way and include lots of colorful and low-carb vegetables, moderate amounts of antioxidant rich berries, high-quality meats and fish, and unprocessed plant and animal fats.
It’s also important to know how to supplement strategically on the ketogenic diet. While food is your biggest source of “medicine” and health, supplements can support your body in your health goals, especially in the beginning stages when you are transitioning to ketosis. We review some effective supplements below.
MCT Oil
MCT oil is a medium-chain triglyceride oil that is often extracted from coconut oil, but can be found in other foods, such as palm oil and dairy products. MCT stands for medium-chain triglyceride, which means it’s a triglyceride (type of fat) that is of medium length. Medium-chain triglycerides are made up of 6 to 12 carbon atoms, while long-chain triglycerides are made up of 13 to 21 carbon atoms, or even more for very long-chain triglycerides. Because MCTs have a shorter length, they are more easily digested. They go right from the gut to the liver. They are also absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly, which turns into energy you can use quickly. While high intake of long-chain fatty acids may contribute to insulin resistance and diabetes, medium-chain fatty acids can play a role in reduced obesity and increased oxidative metabolism (1). Consumption of medium-chain triglycerides in comparison to long-chain triglycerides also results in better nitrogen balance, better muscle utilization, and higher levels of ketones (2).
When you’re on the ketogenic diet, MCT oil is converted very quickly into ketones and may help you stay in ketosis. MCTs also allow you to feel full, which can reduce food consumption while still providing stable energy (3). There’s also evidence that MCT oil can improve symptoms of Alzheimers (4) and autism (5), help regulate blood sugar (6), and control bad bacteria and yeast in the gut.
MCT oil may also help you to avoid the “keto flu.” If you remember from our previous article, when you begin the ketogenic diet, your body transitions from using glucose to ketones as energy (ketosis). As your glucose stores are depleted, ketone production may not have started quite yet. This can create a loss of energy source for a short period, which results in the keto flu. With the keto flu, you may experience a variety of unpleasant symptoms, including brain fog, headaches, fatigue, nausea, insomnia, irritability, or digestive issues. It may truly feel like you have the flu. The keto flu may last from a few days all the way to a month in extreme cases. By using MCT oil, you will increase your ketones, which may make the switch to ketosis a bit faster and help you avoid this unpleasant part of the transition.
You may be confused about MCT oil versus coconut oil, since MCT oil is often extracted from coconut oil. While coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides, 42% of its medium-chain triglycerides are lauric acids, which behave more like long-chain triglycerides with slow digestion and absorption (7). One study found that caprylic acid (a medium-chain triglyceride found in large quantities in MCT oil) was about six times as ketogenic as lauric acid (8), making MCT oil a far superior choice to coconut oil for the purpose of producing ketones. You can take MCT oil by adding it to shakes, smoothies, salads, or even just taking it by the spoonful. It’s important NOT to cook with it, as its smoke point is very low.
Electrolytes
When you first begin the ketogenic diet, you might find yourself going to the bathroom to urinate pretty frequently. When switching from a high-carb diet to a low-carb diet, this is inevitable. As your body switches from using glucose (from carbs) as its energy source to ketones (from fat), you lose water weight along with the glycogen stores you are depleting. For every gram of glycogen that you lose, you also lose several grams of water that were retained with that glycogen. It’s not uncommon for people to lose 5-10 pounds the first week on the ketogenic diet, and that is primarily from water weight.
However, while you are losing water from your glycogen store, you are losing electrolytes with the expelled fluid. Electrolytes are electrically charged minerals that are found in your blood, sweat, and urine. Electrolytes are needed for hydrating the body, regulating nerve and muscle function, regulating blood pressure, and rebuilding damaged tissue. They include:
Sodium
Potassium
Chloride
Calcium
Magnesium
Phosphate
Bicarbonate
An additional loss of electrolytes may come from the change of consuming processed foods to unprocessed foods. While eating whole foods is ideal for countless reasons, processed foods contain a lot of sodium, so you may experience a loss of sodium in the diet change.
A great way to restore electrolytes is by freely adding salt to your foods. Now that you’ve cut out processed foods, you don’t have to worry about high sodium when you cook. While bananas are full of potassium, they are not recommended on the ketogenic diet. However, avocados have at least twice the amount of potassium of a banana and are a great choice. Other potassium-rich foods include cooked spinach, cooked broccoli, and leafy greens. Coconut water also contains sodium and potassium.
Another strategic way of replenishing your electrolyte supply is to supplement with electrolytes. This is our preferred method, as most people need the added support of an electrolyte powder when they first begin keto. Workouts also require additional electrolytes, so a supplement is especially important for beginning keto while working out.
Exogenous Ketones
As your body is finding its way in learning how to process and function on ketones from fat, you can also help it by taking exogenous ketones. These are the same ketones that your body produces but in supplement form. Taking exogenous ketones will give your system the ketones you are looking for and allow you to experience some of the benefits of ketosis before your body fully depletes your glycogen stores when going into ketosis (9). Exogenous ketones are great to use in the transition to ketosis to help reduce fatigue, suppress appetite, and support weight loss. They are also beneficial to take at any period of time on the ketogenic diet to fuel your brain and allow you to stay in ketosis
Greens Powders
Another supplement that may be of use when on the ketogenic diet is greens powder. As the name states, this is a green powder that has many different ingredients, including various types of vegetables, high antioxidant berries, herbs, probiotics, prebiotics, seaweed, and leafy greens. You can mix greens powder into a glass of water or even a smoothie. While greens powder is NOT a substitute for eating a ketogenic diet that is chock full of colorful veggies, herbs, and low-carb fruits, it can be helpful to use when you are traveling and away from your kitchen or if you just need a bit of a nutrient boost from not eating enough vegetables.
It also can help to make sure that you are getting enough phytonutrients in your diet. Phytonutrients are natural chemicals that come from plants. They are extremely important in preventing disease and helping your body to function properly, especially when eating a high fat diet. When high fat diets are not done in a healthful manner, they are associated with cancer (10) and inflammation (11). On the other hand, phytonutrients can reduce inflammation in the body and prevent diseases, such as cancer (12). Additionally, the green powders with prebiotics can help feed a wider variety of good bacteria in the gut on the ketogenic diet.
HCl and Digestive Enzymes
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is produced in the gastric glands of the stomach and plays a big role in digesting proteins by prompting digestive enzymes, specifically pepsin, to begin their work. If you have low HCl in your stomach, you might have symptoms, such as acid reflux (13), constipation, or feeling ill after eating meat. When eating meat proteins on the ketogenic diet, supplementing with HCl may improve digestion.
Digestive enzymes are also beneficial on the ketogenic diet, especially if you’re experiencing signs of poor digestion, such as bloating, nausea, and diarrhea. They may be especially beneficial during the initial transition to ketosis. Make sure to take a digestive enzyme supplement that includes lipase, which helps to break down fats, and proteases, which helps to break down protein.
Activated Charcoal
Another thing to think about on the ketogenic diet is the toxins that are typically stored in adipose tissues (fat tissues), such as mold, pesticides, and other environmental pollutants. When you lose weight and the fat is broken down, these toxins are released into the bloodstream. While one study showed that during this process, the body responds by increasing antioxidants to rid the body of the toxins (14), activated charcoal can also be of service in this process. Activated charcoal will bond to these toxic substances and dispel them from the body through digestion. If you are obese or suspect you have been exposed to toxic substances, activated charcoal may help with detoxification from environmental toxins.
While food is your first priority in the ketogenic diet, supplements can help support your body a great deal as you go on your keto journey. We would love to help you figure out a diet and supplement regimen that will best support you.
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