Health and fitness has always been a part of the BOA culture, partly because our founders, Matt and Walter, started out together through Capoeira, Brazilian martial arts.
We’ve held some challenges in the past, and we’ve got a new one starting this week!
The “Keto” Challenge – Part of our team have decided to give the Ketogenic Diet a run, with some for the first time, and some that have experience in this diet before. This makes it all the more exciting, as we can encourage each other, share plans, recipes and progress results.
Diet Doctor has a great beginners guide, which we will be using information from there on this post. The images are also from Diet Doctor unless otherwise stated.
Our bodies have become accustomed to burning sugar for energy, and the goal to getting in “ketosis” is to switch your body to using ketones for fuel instead.
The keto diet gets the body to produce small fuel molecules called “ketones” instead of depending on blood sugar (glucose) to use as fuel. When blood sugar is in short supply, the body will use ketones.
“Ketones are produced if you eat very few carbs (that are quickly broken down into blood sugar) and only moderate amounts of protein (excess protein can also be converted to blood sugar.)” – Diet Doctor
It is really important not to load up on protein, since the body will eventually take that extra protein and turn it into blood sugar. The main focus is on healthy fats, and lots of it!
Image: Healthline – https://www.healthline.com
“Ketones are produced in the liver, from fat. They are then used as fuel throughout the body, including the brain. The brain is a hungry organ that consumes lots of energy every day, and it can’t run on fat directly. It can only run on glucose… or ketones.” – Diet Doctor
Interestingly enough, there are three different ketones, or “ketone bodies” used as fuel by the body:
Acetone
Acetoacetate
Beta-hydroxybutyrate
So what does this all mean once your body goes into ketosis?
The body switches its fuel supply to run almost entirely on fat. This also means that the body will access the fat stored to burn them off. The “side effects” are less hunger with a steady supply of energy. People on the diet have reported more energy, feeling more alert and focused.
Interested in how our team is doing?Follow us on Instagramand we will also have an introduction to our team with their game plan and goals in the next post.
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Image: Healthline – https://www.healthline.com