Benefits of Cyclical Keto
We’ve talked all about the ketogenic diet and how to do it the right way to give you optimal health benefits. We know the keto diet can help you reach weight loss goals through suppressing hunger hormones as well as burning through fat stores more quickly. We also know it can boost energy and focus by using ketones as its main source of energy. And we know that it can lower inflammation in the body, which may protect against conditions like Alzheimers and cancer and reduce symptoms in autism.
What we haven’t talked about yet is a highly effective variation of the keto diet. If we said there was a way to do the ketogenic diet while also indulging in healthy carb cravings, improving gut bacteria, and improving athletic performance, what would you say? Let us introduce you to cyclical keto.
Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash
What is the cyclical keto diet?
In the cyclical keto diet, you are going in and out of ketosis on a weekly basis. You might remember that on the ketogenic diet, you want your body to switch from functioning on glucose from carbohydrates to functioning on ketones from fat. To do this, you want to have no more than 15-30 grams of net carbs per day. You also want to have a diet that is composed of high fat, moderate protein, and low carbs. This translates to about 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs. For 5-6 days a week, this is the formula you adhere to on the cyclical keto diet to keep your body in ketosis.
Foods to eat on low-carb days (5-6 days/week):
High-quality meats and fish (organic, pastured, wild-caught, and/or grass-fed)
Free-range, organic eggs
Organic fruit and nut oils, like coconut, olive, and avocado oil
Full fat dairy products (if tolerated)
Pastured animal fats
High amounts of fresh, low-carb vegetables
Low-carb berries
High-carb refeeding days (1-2 days/week):
For the other 1-2 days, you switch up your percentages to have one or two high carb days that take you out of ketosis. These days are often referred to as “refeeding days,” which feed your depleted glycogen stores. On these days, your body will function on glucose rather than ketones. During high-carb refeeding days, you want to consume 60-70% carbs, 15-20% protein, and only 5-10% fats.
We still want to focus on the quality of carbs during refeeding days. It’s not time to eat the donut and drink the sugar-filled iced coffee. Your body will be very grateful for the nutrient-dense carbs that you give it. So what kinds of carbs should you focus on during refeeding days? Here are some examples of nutrient-dense, replenishing carbs to enjoy:
Sweet potatoes
Quinoa
Brown or white rice
Butternut squash
Beets
Yams
Beans
Lentils
Your goal with these nutritious carbs is to use them to build muscle and store as glycogen rather than store as body fat. Because you can run into thyroid issues when following a standard ketogenic diet (1), these refeeding days can also negate negative effects from doing standard keto long-term. Your body in ketosis is acting as if it’s in a prolonged fasting state, which can affect adrenal and thyroid function. It also can lead to dry eyes and sinuses, insomnia, and fatigue when done long-term. With carb refeeding days, you don’t have to worry about these issues.
Getting back into ketosis
After refeeding days, it’s recommended to do intermittent fasting to help your body get back into ketosis. This is when you fast for 16 hours and eat within an 8 hour window of the day. It’s also recommended that you do a high-intensity workout the day after refeeding to deplete your glycogen stores and build lean muscle.
Benefits of cyclical keto
Better athletic performance: Though we need more research on the matter, many who do cyclical keto have reported higher athletic performance as well as more lean muscle mass. In one study with elite race-walkers, athletes who periodically consumed high amounts of carbs performed better than athletes who only followed a low-carb diet (2).
Improved digestion- The cyclical keto diet helps digestion, as you have a bit more fiber on your plate. While some can struggle with constipation on the standard keto diet, cyclical keto can help regulate digestion.
Carb indulgence- An added bonus is that you do enjoy days where you indulge in some *healthy* carbs. Again, donuts and white bread are off the table, but your body will benefit from nutrient-dense, strategic carbohydrates.
Improved gut bacteria- A wide variety of foods is always beneficial for your gut microbiome, and widening your plate to include some higher carb foods (especially those that act as prebiotics) one or two days a week will help to feed more of your good gut bacteria. Improved gut bacteria also improves immune function and overall mood and well-being.
Leptin and cyclical keto
Leptin is a hormone that regulates energy, hunger, and satiety and is associated with metabolism. It is a protein that is created in the fat cells, travels in the bloodstream, and communicates to the brain if a person needs to eat (3). Every person has a leptin threshold. When leptin levels are above that threshold, they signal to the brain to stop eating and use energy. When leptin levels are below that threshold, they signal to the brain to eat and conserve energy. Typically, when you have high levels of leptin, your metabolism speeds up, which is beneficial for weight loss. However, with those who are obese and on a high-calorie and high-carbohydrate diet, they can have high levels of leptin, but the brain doesn’t get the message that they are satiated, which can prompt them to continue eating. This is called leptin resistance.
Cyclical keto has the advantage of strategically maneuvering leptin levels. With low-carbohydrate diets, leptin levels are often low, prompting the brain to tell the body to eat, conserve energy, and slow down. This can be problematic for weight loss in those trying to lose those last few pounds. Having higher carbohydrates signals the body to increase leptin levels, stop eating, and speed up metabolism. However, leptin doesn’t increase over a single meal. Rather, it increases over a time period of higher carbohydrate consumption. If you consume high carbohydrates for 1-2 days, that will help to increase and reset leptin levels, which keep us “leptin sensitive.” It will also help you to lose the pesky pounds you’ve been wanting to shed (4).
As you can see, there are some great benefits to strategically including higher carb days in your ketogenic diet. This is a type of ketogenic diet that should be guided by professional expertise. Please contact us to help you reach your health goals.