Carb Cycling on keto... is it beneficail? Ketogenic diet, Keto for short, is a form of dieting that promotes an extremely low-carb eating plan.
The standard keto diet consists of about 70% of healthy fats, 20% of protein, and 10% of carbs.
When you are on a ketogenic diet, you are expected to consume 50 grams or less of carbohydrates per day instead of eating more fats and protein.
The result is that your body enters into ketogenesis.
Ketogenesis is a process where the body uses ketogens to generate energy.
Your liver usually breaks down body fats into ketogens in the absence of glucose or when your blood sugar is low, which the body uses to power itself.
While entering ketogenesis is a quicker way to shed weight, many experts believe it is not a sustainable dieting formula. Here’s where Keto carb cycling comes in.
Keto carb cycling is a variation of the standard keto diet where one alternates the quantity of carbohydrates consumed.
For instance, when doing cycling, you can opt to go standard keto diet 5-6 days and increase your carb intake 2-1 days.
For instance, on your carb days, your meals might look like this: 70% carbs, 20% protein, and 10% fats.
Carb Cycling Benefits - Improve muscle gain
While you may be aware that standard keto diet hastens weight loss, what you may not know is that keto diet can also help build lean body mass, especially for resistance athletes.
However, some argue that the muscle-building prowess of a keto diet is further enhanced in people on keto carb cycling.
You see, a strict low-carb diet suppresses Insulin, a hormone that is vital for muscle building.
With keto carb cycling, you can strategically raise Insulin level to regulate blood sugar level, which in turn, prevents protein breakdown, a necessary condition for muscle gain.
Carb Cycling Benefits - Boost performance in athletes
Athletes on keto can see improvements in their performance when the switch to keto carb cycling.
The periodic intake of increased carbohydrates helps replenish depleted body glucose, which could help boost energy levels.
And, as some study have found, athletes on keto cycling diets experience significant improvements in performance compared to those on a strictly keto diet.
Carb Cycling Benefits - Adds much-needed fiber to your diet
Most people transitioning to keto diet often experience constipation from low fiber content in their meals.
That is not to say; one can’t obtain enough fiber from keto.
However, since carbs have high fiber content, keto carb cycling diets make it easier to consume enough fiber that is required to minimize the incidence of constipation.
Carb Cycling Benefits - Reduced Side-effects
People on a keto diet for the first time usually experience side-effects like fatigue, weakness, irritability, headaches, and difficulty sleeping.
These symptoms are due to the body’s struggle to adjust to low carb and use of ketones for energy.
Transitioning to high carb days can help reduce the side-effects.
Carb Cycling Benefits - Makes Keto Dieting Easier
Keto diet is notoriously known for being strict and hard to follow for the long term.
However, with carb cycling, you introduce a bit of variation to your diet, which can make the keto diet more bearable.
