Supplements are not a mandatory component of a keto diet. By adhering closely to this diet, you should be capable of fulfilling all your nutritional requirements from the meals you consume, eliminating the need for reliance on supplements to achieve the desired outcomes.
However, some supplements can help to support your body making it easier to keep going with your keto challenge but make sure you seek medical advice before taking anything new, particularly if you are on medication or have a health condition.
Some supplements can interact with medication or exacerbate health conditions so while you should have talked to your doctor before beginning keto if you had any concerns, you should also do the same again before taking new supplements.
Here is a list of a few supplements which you might want to consider taking while you are following on your keto journey, but these are all optional:
Magnesium
Magnesium is the most common deficiency that keto follows experience, particularly among beginners who might not be following the diet correctly. It’s the mineral most likely to be lacking in a keto person and can cause muscle cramps and lack of sleep.
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Taking a magnesium supplement can help to avoid all of those problems and beat that deficiency. This supplement can cause you to feel tired so it’s best taken at night for safety reasons.
Omega 3
Omega 3 is well known for its amazing health effects, helping to support the brain, reduce heart disease risk and lower the risk of inflammation in the body. Supplementing with fish oil will ensure you have the right levels of Omega 3 in your body during your keto journey.
MCT oil
MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides and this is a kind of fat that provides energy for your body to use immediately. It is broken down and enters your body straight away after you take it, giving your muscles and brain an energy boost.
Taking this ensures you are getting healthy fats and can help with weight loss as it can boost your metabolism. It’s important to take a small dose initially as too much of it can cause unfortunate stomach upsets.
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Minerals
On a low-carb diet, your body starts to lose some of its key vitamins and minerals and while these can be found in vegetables and other foods, if you don’t replace them adequately you can end up with headaches, fatigue, and other unpleasant symptoms.
The four key minerals which you are likely to be low on when you start out with keto are potassium, magnesium, sodium, and calcium so choosing a supplement that tops up these four minerals could be the key to avoiding unpleasant symptoms.
Greens
When starting out with keto a common mistake beginners make is not eating enough greens to replace the nutrients their body is losing so adding in a greens powder is a great way to make sure you are getting that nutrition.
Greens powder should never be used instead of eating greens, it should be in addition, as a quick boost to make sure you are getting the right levels but ideally, you want all your vitamins and minerals to come from your food.
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Ketones
One of the most popular supplements for those on the keto diet is exogenous ketones, which are ketones in a bottle and can raise your ketone level straight away. They are also used for regulating your hungry feelings and they help your body use ketones from energy instead of carbs.
They are only advised for short-term use as you need your body to be good at producing ketones by itself, for the diet to work long-term. It’s important not to rely on supplements to support you but to follow the correct way of eating and use them only for an extra boost when you need it.
Conclusion
Starting out on a new keto diet can be challenging for beginners and if you don’t get your levels of nutrients right you can end up with some deficiencies which can cause rather unpleasant symptoms and leave you wondering if it’s all worth it.
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So while supplements should never be used to replace food, and you should definitely be able to get all the nutrients you need from a correctly followed keto diet, it is worth supplementing some of the minerals in particular, when you are just starting out.
That way you can be confident your body has what it needs and you won’t suffer from any unwanted issues like fatigue and headaches either. It can make it easier to continue on your keto journey for the success you are seeking rather than be tempted to give up because it’s too hard and seems to be making you feel bad. Never replace food with supplements.
