Optimize Your Brain by Eating Good Fats

Low-Carb and Ketogenic diets have many health benefits including benefits for the brain. Although there is enormous similarity in low-carb diets, it is important to understand that a regular low-carb menu plan and a strict ketogenic menu plan will differ. Both are useful for losing weight and restoring good health, but not all low-carb diets have protein restrictions and may not be as dependent upon fat content. This is why it is important to work with a weight loss specialist to determine the best menu plan to meet your body's unique needs. At the Metabolic Research Center, we've been personalizing diet plans for more than 30 years.

Low-Carb versus Strict Keto

Standard low-carb diets do not restrict the consumption of protein to the degree of a "strict keto" diet. In addition, there can be a broad variance in the actual amount of carbs allowed for daily consumption with low-carb menus. Some low-carb diets are designed to be low-fat based on individual requirements. The high-fat component of the ketogenic diet coupled with carb starvation is important when trying to induce a state of ketosis. That way the brain is mainly fueled by ketones on the keto diet, whereas a low-carb may leave the brain dependent upon glucose for energy, but can still burn more ketones than a routine meal plan.

Nutritional Ketosis Is a Healthy for the Brain

Nutritional ketosis is a healthy state in which your body burns fat as its primary fuel rather than glucose. When you eat carbohydrates unrestricted, they are easily broken down into glucose in your blood and extra calories are more easily stored as body fat. The keto diet is similar to other strict low-carb diets that simply end up being ketogenic by accident. Inducing a metabolic state of ketosis involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. When following a strict low-carb high-fat menu plan, your fat storing hormone levels drop greatly which will turn your body into a fat burning machine forcing the brain to use ketones for energy.

Generally speaking, your brain will work better overall when burning fat rather than glucose. Studies show that an increased intake of fatty acids can have impacting benefits to our brain’s function such as alertness, memory and mental focus. To discover which low-carb diet will work best for you, schedule a free consultation with a Metabolic Research Center near you.