What is Keto Flu? Our Top 5 Remedies to Overcome It

The ketogenic diet has become quite popular in recent times as a way to lose weight fast as well as improve health, especially by keeping lifestyle diseases in check. 

While it is mostly safe to follow, the high-fat, low-carb diet also comes with certain side effects in its early stages if not followed properly. Due to its similarity with flu-like symptoms, this is commonly referred to as keto flu or carb flu.

In this article, we will help you understand what is keto flu, what are the signs of keto flu as well as what can prevent it from happening.

What is Keto Flu?

Keto flu is a term used to describe flu-like symptoms that present themselves at the beginning of a low-carb diet. 

During the ketogenic diet, one has to keep their daily carb intake to 20-50 gms/day. Following this regime for a few days in a row, one’s body enters into ketosis. This basically means, your body switches from a ‘glucose burning’ machine to a ‘fat burning’ one. 

Instead of relying on carbs for the energy supply, during ketosis, our body turns to fats as its main source of fuel.

Ketones are by-products produced when our body breaks down fats to energy. 

To put it in simple words, it’s like training your body to erase its default settings and set up a new program on its system.

While there are several health benefits that follow with this new lifestyle, there is no doubt that ketosis brings about some major changes in our bodies. 

It is this transition period when we experience withdrawal from sugar and carbohydrates and as a result of the sudden change, our body responds by exhibiting certain side effects, also known as keto flu.

Normally, for a healthy person, these side effects don’t last very long and they bounce back quickly. Though, if you are someone with serious metabolic conditions like diabetes, you should follow this diet under your doctor’s supervision. 

Symptoms of Keto Flu

Let’s take a look at some of the keto flu symptoms one can experience – 

• Exhaustion/low energy
• Cravings for carbs and sugar
• Dehydration
• Loss of appetite
• Bad breath
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Heartburn or other symptoms of indigestion
• Low motivation to exercise and poor recovery from workouts
• Low libido
• Muscle aches or weakness
• Brain fog
• Dizziness
• Trouble sleeping
• Moodiness or irritability
• Rarely, a small percentage of people (including children following the keto diet) may experience vomiting, high cholesterol, kidney stones, growth slowing, and severe gastrointestinal upset.

When does Keto Flu Start?

You may start getting these symptoms a few days into your keto diet. 

Your body first uses up stored glycogen. If you are consuming carbs between 20-50gms per day, then these stored deposits get exhausted within a few days, usually ranging from 3 days to a week. 

Once you run out of glucose, the body starts looking for a secondary source of fuel. At this point, you will enter ketosis and might start experiencing some of the above-mentioned symptoms.

How long does Keto Flu last?

If you maintain your diet long enough, the body gets used to the idea of using fats as its primary fuel source and it no longer resists. This is when you become ‘keto adapted’. 

Once this happens, you shouldn’t struggle with keto flu any longer. Not just this, once you are ‘keto adapted’, transitioning in and out of the diet also becomes relatively easier in the future. 

The exact number may differ for each person, depending on their health parameters at the time of starting the diet. Some might start feeling better within a few days, while others might take up to six weeks!

Then there are also some who, when following all the do’s and don’ts carefully, may not get keto flu at all! 

Keto Flu Remedies

Here are some useful tips that can help you reduce keto flu symptoms or prevent them altogether – 

Stay Hydrated – 

Drinking enough water is the key to healthy living, no matter what diet you are following. Though in the ketogenic diet, it becomes extremely crucial to stay hydrated at all times as in this diet, one can get dehydrated very quickly. 

This is even more important for those experiencing keto-flu-related diarrhea and muscle cramps. 

Consume Enough Fats –

Sometimes in this diet, our entire concentration goes into watching our carb intake and we end up not eating enough fats, proteins, and calories as a whole. 

While consuming fats, in the beginning, might seem against our natural instincts, please understand that now this food group has taken over as our main source of fuel. Not consuming enough fats will cause fatigue. 

If you are craving carbs or you feel hungry all the time while on a Keto diet, this is an indication you are not consuming enough fats.

Keep the protein amount to 20-25% of your diet. When taking higher amounts of protein than required, some of the amino acids can also convert into glucose, thus interfering with ketosis.

Electrolytes –

Adding keto-friendly electrolytes in your diet may help bring down keto-flu symptoms considerably.

One of the main benefits of the ketogenic diet is bringing down the production of insulin hormones in our bodies. Though as that happens, our kidneys start releasing excess sodium from our body. 

Also, this diet also restricts certain foods that are rich in micro-nutrients like potassium and magnesium. 

Adding adequate amounts of keto-friendly vegetables like avocados, leafy greens, etc on a daily basis can help restore the electrolyte balance in our body.

Also, one can add magnesium supplements to their diet to help with symptoms like lack of sleep, headaches, and muscle cramps.

Eat Sufficient Fiber –

Constipation and diarrhea are some of the most common side effects of the keto diet. When we go for a low-carb diet, we also end up reducing our dietary fiber that is otherwise naturally present in starchy vegetables and grains, thus disturbing our gut health.

Make sure you include enough fiber-rich keto-friendly vegetables in every meal you have in a day.

Additionally, you can also consume psyllium husk to meet your fiber requirement.

Get Ample Rest – 

As your body is transitioning to a new way of living, give it the time it needs to heal. 

Do not beat yourself up for not being able to follow through with your regular workout routine during this period. Do as much as you comfortably can and don’t push yourself too hard in the first few weeks. 

Also, make sure you get enough sleep and take breaks to relax during the day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Keto flu is a combination of side effects we might experience as our body weans off carbohydrates and sugar. 

The duration and severity of these might differ from person to person, depending on their health.

All these symptoms can very well be contained by following our 5-step checklist – staying hydrated, eating enough fats, keeping tabs on electrolytes, maintaining fiber content, and getting ample rest. 

Are you a vegetarian and wondering if the keto diet is for you? Click here to find out how you can follow the diet with Indian vegetarian lifestyle.

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