The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and very low-carbohydrate diet. Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of energy, but on a strict ketogenic diet, only 5% to 10% of energy intake comes from carbohydrates. The reduction in carbohydrates puts the body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns stored fat for energy. While the keto diet can lead to weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, and other health benefits, it also has some potential downsides. One common issue is keto flu, which can cause people to feel unwell and tempted to quit the diet. Additionally, the diet can be challenging to follow and may negatively impact your relationship with food. Another potential downside is carbohydrate intolerance, where the body becomes more efficient at using fat as fuel and less efficient at using carbohydrates, leading to temporary insulin resistance and carbohydrate sensitivity. This can cause various symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, fatigue, and digestive issues. To mitigate these issues, it's important to slowly reintroduce carbohydrates and increase fiber intake gradually.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
What to do if you eat carbs by mistake on keto | - Allow your body to adjust over time |
- Increase your daily carb intake by 25% each week until you reach your desired level | |
- Eat fibre (vegetables) and proteins/fats first, then carbs | |
- Drink a glass of water with apple cider vinegar before or during your meal | |
- Avoid eating carbs later in the evening | |
- Incorporate post-meal walks into your daily routine | |
- Exercise regularly | |
- Get adequate sleep | |
- Track your progress with a CGM |
What You'll Learn
You may experience a spike in glucose levels
If you accidentally eat carbs while on a keto diet, you may experience a spike in glucose levels. This is because your body has become accustomed to a low-carb diet, and when you suddenly introduce carbs, your body may not be able to process them effectively.
There are a few things you can do to manage this spike in glucose levels:
- Test your glucose levels regularly: Monitoring your glucose levels will help you understand how your body is responding to the accidental carb intake. You can use a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to get real-time feedback and track your levels over time.
- Understand your carb threshold: Everyone has a unique carb threshold, which is the amount of carbs they can eat while still maintaining ketosis. By gradually increasing your carb intake and monitoring your ketone and glucose levels, you can find your threshold. This will help you maintain metabolic flexibility.
- Focus on glycemic variability: While on a keto diet, it is important to monitor your glycemic variability, or glucose swings. A common trend is to have low glycemic variability or very stable glucose levels. Large glucose swings are not desirable.
- Monitor other health metrics: In addition to glucose levels, it is important to monitor other health metrics such as fasting insulin, HDL, triglycerides, and liver enzymes. This will give you a more comprehensive understanding of your health and ensure that any spike in glucose levels is not causing other issues.
- Understand physiological insulin resistance: Elevated fasting glucose levels, also known as "glucose sparing," is a common adaptation to a long-term keto diet. This is because your muscles, which typically prefer glucose, start to prefer fatty acids for fuel. This can lead to larger glucose elevations when consuming carbs. Understanding this physiological insulin resistance can help you manage your glucose levels effectively.
- Experiment with portion sizes: The amount of carbs you can eat while staying in ketosis varies from person to person. By using a CGM, you can experiment with different portion sizes and find the amount of carbs that works best for your body.
Remember, it is normal to experience fluctuations in glucose levels, especially if you accidentally eat carbs while on a keto diet. By following the above tips and continuing to monitor your health, you can effectively manage any spikes in glucose levels and maintain your keto diet.
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Your body may struggle to metabolise carbohydrates
The human body relies on carbohydrates for energy, but low-carb diets like keto can temporarily disrupt the body's glucose and insulin response. This can lead to a condition known as carbohydrate intolerance, where the body has difficulty metabolising carbohydrates, also known as temporary insulin resistance.
When you're on a keto or low-carb diet, your body enters a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns stored fat for energy. This is because when you reduce your carbohydrate intake, your body becomes more efficient at using fat as a fuel source and less efficient at using carbohydrates. As a result, your body's cells become less responsive to insulin, leading to elevated blood sugar levels.
This temporary insulin resistance and carbohydrate sensitivity can cause a variety of symptoms, including abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhoea, constipation, and fatigue. It's important to note that this is a normal response as your body adjusts to these dietary changes. Just like when you start keto, transitioning back to carbohydrates requires a slow and gradual process.
To add carbohydrates back into your diet after following keto, it's crucial to allow your body to adjust over time. Start by estimating your daily carbohydrate intake on keto and increase it by 25% every week until you reach your desired level. This gradual approach will help you monitor how you feel and adjust your carb intake accordingly.
Additionally, since fibre is often lacking in a low-carb or keto diet, slowly reintroducing carbs, especially fibre, is essential to maintaining weight loss and avoiding gastrointestinal discomfort. It's also beneficial to incorporate strategies such as eating fibre and proteins/fats before carbs, drinking apple cider vinegar with water before meals, avoiding carbs later in the evening, and incorporating regular exercise and adequate sleep.
In summary, your body may struggle to metabolise carbohydrates after a keto or low-carb diet due to temporary insulin resistance and carbohydrate sensitivity. To reintroduce carbs effectively, increase your intake gradually, focus on fibre, and implement strategies to manage blood sugar spikes.
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You may experience abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhoea, constipation, and fatigue
Eating too many carbs by mistake when on a keto diet can cause abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhoea, constipation, and fatigue. These symptoms are often caused by the body adjusting to the diet change and the high fat content of the keto diet.
Abdominal pain can be caused by dehydration, which is a common side effect of transitioning to a keto diet. This is because the body is moving from using glycogen and carbs to using fat and ketones for energy. To combat this, it is recommended to drink plenty of water and increase salt intake.
Bloating can be caused by a gut flora imbalance, which can occur when the diet is changed. To help the gut adjust, it is recommended to take probiotics, either in supplement form or through probiotic-rich foods.
Gas can be caused by a reduction in fiber intake, which is common when transitioning to a keto diet. To reduce gas, it is important to ensure adequate fiber intake, which can be achieved through eating more low-carb, high-fiber veggies.
Diarrhoea can be caused by consuming too much dairy, which is often increased at the beginning of a keto diet. To relieve diarrhoea, it is recommended to reduce dairy intake and increase fiber-rich foods, such as greens, cucumber, broccoli, and cabbage.
Constipation can be caused by a lack of fiber in the diet, which is common when following a keto diet. To prevent constipation, it is important to ensure adequate fiber intake through keto-friendly, high-fiber foods such as non-starchy vegetables, berries, nuts, and seeds.
Fatigue is a common side effect of the keto diet and can be caused by cravings for carbohydrates, not consuming enough calories or fat, irregular eating, and a lack of exercise. To combat fatigue, it is important to ensure adequate calorie and fat intake and maintain a regular eating schedule.
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You can slowly reintroduce carbs to help your body adjust
If you've been on a keto diet for a while, your body will have become more efficient at using fat as fuel and less efficient at using carbohydrates. This means that when you start to reintroduce carbs, you might experience some gastrointestinal issues, such as bloating, abdominal pain, and fatigue.
To help your body adjust, it's important to reintroduce carbs slowly. Start by adding in an additional 10 grams of carbohydrates per day for the first week, or 1-2 servings of carbs per week for the first two weeks. Opt for carbs from healthy sources like whole grains, beans, fruits, and starchy vegetables. You can then increase this number weekly or every other week, depending on your goals and how your body is responding.
As you reintroduce carbs, it's also a good idea to continue eating healthy fats and lean proteins. This will help you stay full and avoid weight gain. Salmon, turkey, chicken, Greek yogurt, nuts, and eggs are all good sources of lean protein. Monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, nuts, and avocados, are also a great addition to your diet.
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Focus on fibre and protein/fats to slow glucose absorption
If you've accidentally eaten carbs while on a keto diet, you can focus on fibre, protein, and fats to slow glucose absorption and mitigate the effects.
Fibre is a type of carbohydrate found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Your body doesn't absorb or break down fibre, so it doesn't cause a spike in blood sugar like other carbohydrates. Fibre moves slowly through the stomach, helping you feel fuller for longer, which can aid in weight management. Soluble fibre dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance in your stomach, slowing digestion and helping to control blood sugar and cholesterol. Good sources of soluble fibre include avocados, oats, apples, bananas, peas, black beans, lima beans, Brussels sprouts, and more. Insoluble fibre, on the other hand, doesn't dissolve in water and helps increase insulin sensitivity while keeping your bowels healthy. Whole wheat flour, bran, nuts, seeds, and the skins of many fruits and vegetables are good sources of insoluble fibre.
Protein has a minimal effect on blood glucose levels, especially when insulin levels are adequate. Protein supplies the body with amino acids, which are building blocks for body tissue, helping to build and repair muscles, organs, bones, and skin. Foods like chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts, nut butter, and pumpkin seeds can take 3-4 hours to be digested, much slower than carbohydrates.
While fat is often necessary, eating too much can cause insulin resistance, which may lead to prolonged high glucose levels. However, when consumed in modest amounts, fat has a minimal impact on glucose levels. Fat slows down the digestive process, resulting in a delayed rise in glucose levels as it takes longer to digest. Avocados, nuts, seeds like flax or chia seeds, and oils like olive, canola, soybean, sunflower, and peanut oils are good sources of dietary fat.
By focusing on fibre-rich, lean protein, and heart-healthy fats, you can help slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and delay their absorption into the bloodstream. This, in turn, can help prevent spikes in glucose levels after eating.
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Frequently asked questions
It is normal to slip up when on a restrictive diet like keto. If you accidentally eat carbs, you can try to reduce the number of carbs you eat for the rest of the day to balance it out. However, it is important to remember that this does not mean skipping meals or restricting your food intake.
Eating carbs can kick your body out of ketosis, which is the metabolic state that the keto diet aims to achieve. This means that your body will switch back to using carbohydrates as its main source of energy instead of fat.
It can take a few days to get back into ketosis after eating carbs. During this time, you may experience symptoms such as fatigue, digestive issues, and increased insulin levels.
To prevent accidentally eating carbs while on keto, it is important to plan your meals and read food labels carefully. Make sure you are aware of the carb content of the foods you are eating and choose low-carb options whenever possible.