There are a number of health fads that come and go, and various diets that include different ratios of different food groups. You’ve probably heard of the Paleo Diet, the Atkins Diet, and perhaps even the Juice Diet, but one of the dieting crazes that’s been around for quite some time now is the Keto Diet.
Of course, diets aren’t the only health crazes around, and often times certain supplements or particular ‘superfoods’ become popular. Lately, the greatest trend to hit the shelves is CBD, with many people turning toward CBD as a means to treat the symptoms of certain conditions — or simply to stay healthy and promote general well-being.
So, what happens if you combine CBD and the Keto Diet? Is it a match made in heaven, or can you have too much of a good thing? Let’s take a look.
What is the Keto Diet?
Keto is short for ketogenic, and this diet is one centered around a low carbohydrate and high fat intake. In some ways, it is quite similar to the Atkins Diet or any other low-carb diet.
When you drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake this way, your body enters a metabolic state called ketosis, where the body becomes much more efficient at burning fat for energy. Moreover, the fat is turned into ketones in the liver, supplying energy for the brain.
Foods to eat on the Keto Diet
- Meats like steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken and turkey
- Fatty fish like salmon, trout, tuna and mackerel
- Eggs
- Butter and cream
- Unprocessed cheese like cheddar, goat cheese, cream cheese, blue cheese or mozzarella
- Nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.
- Healthy oils (e.g. extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil)
- Avocados
- Low-carb vegetables (including most green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.)
Foods to avoid on the keto diet
- Sugary foods including soda, fruit juices, smoothies, candies, ice cream, cake, etc.
- Grains or starchy foods such as rice, pasta, cereal, or anything wheat-based
- Fruit (except small portions of berries)
- Beans or legumes
- Root vegetables and tubers
- Low-fat or diet products
- Some condiments and sauces that contain sugars or unhealthy fats
- Alcohol (these can disrupt ketosis due to carb content)
- Sugar-free diet foods
Different types of Keto Diet
There are several varieties of the keto diet, and different people choose different options that work best for them. There is no one way to diet, after all.
- Standard ketogenic diet: A very low-carb, moderate protein and high-fat diet. Typically, this means 5% carbs, 20% protein, and 75% fat.
- Cyclical ketogenic diet: This involves periods of higher-carb refeeds. For example, you might eat 5 days on the ketogenic diet followed by 2 high-carb days.
- Targeted ketogenic diet: If you’re an athlete or you work out a lot, TKD might be the option for you. It involves adding in carbohydrates around workouts.
- High-protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to the standard keto diet, but with more protein. Typically, this means 5% carbs, 35% protein and 60% fat.
The standard ketogenic diet has the most research to back it up, but the high-protein keto diet has also been studied a little.
What can the Keto Diet do?
Many people start out on the Keto Diet in order to lose weight. Studies such as this one by Westman et al. have found that this diet is much better for weight loss than a low-fat diet. It’s also easier to maintain because foods included in this diet are very filling, meaning you don’t have to bother counting calories and worrying about going hungry. This is partly due to increased protein intake.
Another popular reason for starting the Keto Diet is diabetes or pre-diabetes. Since excess weight is linked to Type 2 diabetes, the weight loss aspect of this diet is in part why it can help with this condition. But there’s more. A 2005 study at the Temple University School of Medicine found that the Keto Diet improved insulin sensitivity by 75%. This is excellent news for people suffering from Type 2 diabetes.
The Keto Diet has shown to be helpful for patients of numerous conditions, in fact. Among these are epilepsy, acne, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and more.
What is cannabidiol, and how does it fit into the keto diet?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound found in the Cannabis sativa plant. It is becoming widely researched for purported health benefits, having been confirmed by the World Health Organization to be safe and well-tolerated in most humans, as well as being non-addictive since it has no psychoactive properties.
There is plenty of research surrounding CBD and its potential to treat the symptoms of various conditions, ranging from depression to epilepsy.
Since CBD and keto are used to treat many of the same condition, it stands to reason that they should be able to work synergistically to accelerate the healing process. Is this true?
With studies proving the effectiveness of keto and those testifying to the positive effects of CBD, it seems that combining the two is the best way to become a healthier, leaner you. Any hemp products, including CBD hemp oil by PremiumJane Australia, includes fatty acids, omega-3, and proteins, which fits very neatly into the Keto Diet.
On top of that, CBD has been shown to help the body maintain homeostasis by interacting with a biological network called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). By helping you stay in balance, you can achieve better results on the Keto Diet. Let’s look at how this works in more detail.
How could a combination of Keto and CBD help your health?
Some people worry about the cravings they might experience when starting out on a new diet. Often, people associate cannabis with the munchies, and so it might seem counterintuitive to take a cannabis-derived product when you’re cutting down on food. However, since CBD is known to help regulate homeostasis, it likely has a large influence on appetite. As a result, CBD may be able to counteract those cravings you get as a result of plunging straight into the Keto Diet, keeping you on track and ensuring you don’t slip up.
If you’re starting a diet, it’s likely that you’re interested in leading a healthy (or at least healthier) lifestyle. As a result, you’ll probably want to start exercising or being more active. However, some people struggle with this – sometimes excess weight causes pains that prevents exercise. CBD has been shown to relieve pain, as demonstrated in various studies, meaning that it can help you get into a generally active and healthy lifestyle instead of just dieting.
Next, the Keto Diet can improve your emotional and mental health. Being healthy and eating good foods is one of the best ways to improve mental wellbeing as it boosts your confidence and provides your body with all the goodness it needs. It turns out that CBD might be able to improve emotional wellbeing, too, with a potential to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression. Combining the two seems like an excellent way to sharpen the mind.
The Keto Diet was actually developed to help treat epilepsy, and CBD was also introduced to the medical community initially to help those suffering from the condition. Both of these tools are natural, meaning that patients might no longer need to take anti-seizure medication. Instead, a combination of CBD and the Keto Diet could be a natural way to reduce the risk and severity of seizures.
With the vast array of benefits attributed to both keto and CBD, it’s apparent that a combination of the two could help those suffering from conditions such as epilepsy as well as boosting the general wellbeing of any individual who chooses to try it. If you have tried out CBD alongside the Keto Diet, let us know how it worked for you in the comments!