Main Pros & Cons of the Keto Diet for Athletes

Is keto a good choice for athletes! Join us to find out! 

Description:

Among the many diets that we keep hearing about, the keto diet is maybe the most popular! But, but while some people swear in it, others raise some concerns about it! Join us today as we are exploring the safety of keto for athletes!

Many of us who are practicing sports, both professionally and recreationally, are always looking for ways to improve our performance and get better results. Some get the effects they want from taking supplements such as appetite suppressant, etc. Nevertheless, some of us have a desire to go beyond that and find ways to maximize the effects of exercise by changing the diet. With such desire, when you start to research, you come to realize that there is an ocean of nutrition plans marketed as super-efficient for literally everything you can imagine. One of them, that stands out for quite some time as particularly beneficial for losing weight and building muscles is the keto diet. What makes keto especially interesting is that some prominent public figures promote it. Given that one of them is Lebron James, we decided to do a bit of research to understand the effects of a keto diet with exercise.

Pros & Cons of Keto Diet 

Anti Inflammatory Effects

As you know, the keto diet is based on high amounts of fat, some protein, and almost no carbohydrates at all. Some studies show that this way of eating has some anti-inflammatory effects, which can be beneficial for people who are practicing sport. It is pretty interesting if you consider that many of the foods that have potent anti-inflammatory properties aren’t allowed when you are on a ketogenic regime.  However, the idea is that ketones that are released because of the elimination of sugar have this effect. 

Helps With Digestive Problems 

So, another reason to say there are keto diet safe options is that it can help people who have some problems with digestion, especially Irritable Bowels Syndrome (IBS).

The idea is that elimination of sugar and controlled intake of protein contributes to better digestion. However, some people believe that the lack of fiber in the diet causes problems in the long run.

Inhibits Muscle Gain

The problem is that when you are on keto, you are not eating enough protein, which is crucial for those who want to build muscles and increase strength. If you do increase, the amount of protein you eat, you will stop the process of ketosis, which is kind of the whole point of going keto in the first place. Therefore, if you are thinking about the keto diet to gain muscle, you need to know that it is completely counterproductive.

Keto Flu 

During training, you are using a lot of energy, which normally comes from carbs. However, when you follow a keto diet regime, the source of your fuel is fat. That, nonetheless, might not be enough when you are doing high-intensity workouts, and you can develop keto flu.

Conclusion

That’s all for today about the keto diet for athletes, guys! As you can see, there isn’t a thing as a straightforward answer here. At best we can say that it can be the keto diet yes and no when you are practicing sport, depending on the results, that you aim to get. Have you tried keto already? Are you engaged in some sport? What are your experiences?

Author’s bio:

Randolph Ray works as a nutritionist for years and can explain the nutrition contents in food to help you resolve eating disorders. A man who’s dedicated his entire life to studying healthy food habits and other related stuff that has to be definitely incorporated for a healthy living.