Carbs on Keto

If you’re interested in all the health benefits of Keto and Intermittent Fasting, but may be worried about saying good-bye to carbs forever OR maybe you’re already strict Keto and are afraid to even think about touching carbs, I want to assure you that carbs can absolutely be part of your healthy Keto lifestyle.

I was recently on the Keto for Women Podcast (< listen here – it was AMAZING!!!!) and I talked about how we find our carb tolerance – even when following a Keto lifestyle.  

Carbohydrates are not bad – most of them are essential for good health – especially vegetables – but even other carbohydrate based foods have health benefits – or they simply help us feel more balanced by giving us a wider range of food diversity for our palates, our gut, our hormones and our cells.  Incorporating carbs also helps us feel less restrictive and deprived.

If you’re following a Keto lifestyle, at first, carbs must be limited to non-starchy veggies like leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, cucumbers, celery etc…And they must be eaten with plenty of fats and some protein to support healthy ketone production and metabolism. This beginning stage can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on the individual.

In this phase, your body is learning how to become a fat burner (ketones) instead of a sugar burner (glucose).  It can take time – and there are genetic factors, nervous system (stress) factors, immune, digestive, hormonal, lifestyle and compliance inputs that all play a role in how well and how quickly you adapt to ketosis.

But once you’re “Keto-Adapted”, you can start to experiment with introducing some starchy carbohydrates (potato, rice, beans) or fruit to see how you feel.

This is called ‘metabolic flexibility’ which allows someone to dip out of ketosis temporarily and effortlessly slip back in once the carbs are limited and fat is increased again.  Dipping in and out of ketosis is actually more aligned with our evolution.  Most of our paleolithic ancestors weren’t 100% KETO.  In warmer weather, most would probably eat fruit and in colder months, starchy tubers could be harvested. In fact, there is very limited research on the long term effects of being in a constant state of ketosis – so it’s probably best to dip in and out metabolically anyway.

Over the holidays, I cycled a lot more carbs than I usually do – I’m talking lots of Prosecco (sweeter wine than I usually drink), gluten free bread and treats, some starchy veggies and fruit too – I had a little bit of everything, but it was all good.  My weight stayed pretty balanced – and although I didn’t feel great with the carb derived bloating and blood sugar ups and downs at times, once I got back into my keto way of eating with fasting, I immediately felt better and went back to normal.

This is the beauty of metabolic flexibility and being ‘keto adapted’.

To me, keto (and fasting) is my touchstone – my food foundation.  I can swim off into carb land every now and then, but my tether to ketosis is always there waiting for me, so i just go back when I’ve had enough carb debauchery.

(Note: Non-holiday carb cycling for me is more like one serving of carbs at dinner every other week or so. Maybe a slice of gluten free toast with weekend brunch once in a while. A few glasses of low carb/Dry Farms wine. That’s about it. )

If you’re in or plan on joining the DIY Intermittent Fasting program, you’ll see that there’s a KETO plan option.  To me, it’s the tastiest way to go (compared to Balanced Macros) because – duh – all the fat!  (The balanced macro plan limits fat but allows some whole foods based carbs – but IMO, the fat’s a no brainer! Soooo much better!)

Most choosing the Keto option will become fat adapted by the end of the program.  They’ll be able to tell they’re “fat adapted”  by feelings of improved energy, weight loss, reduced appetite in between meals, etc..

Once those signs are present, and fat loss goals are reached, that’s when I’d encourage a carb up – cycling in a serving of carbs – maybe one evening to see how that feels.  By intuitively listening to how the body responds, you’ll know if you’re on the right track.  You’ll be able to discern habitual carb cravings – a slippery slope for some – from using carbs to boost hormone production, increase energy or to fuel workouts, etc…

Cyclic Keto offers the best of both worlds and is just perfect for women seeking more balance and less restriction, which I know – anyone who’s here with me reading – is down with :).

OK that’s Carb Cycling in a nutshell.   Reply directly to this post with any questions or comments.

xo,
Ev

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