How to Prevent Ketosis

A person suffers from ketosis when they begin restricting carbohydrates in their diet. The body begins using fat for energy. One of the reasons people are not encouraged to go on a "0" carbohydrate diet is that their body must have some supply of glucose. A diabetic, in particular, must not have an inappropriate level of carbohydrates in their diet. To prevent ketosis, carefully eat fewer carbs.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Prevent negative ketosis with a solid, well-balanced diet. Track everything you eat that involves carbohydrates. Too many carbs and your sugar rises too high. Too few carbs and you put yourself into ketosis. A good option to eat right is to use the "Exchange Diet."
2. Learn the specified amounts of each food you need each day including carbohydrates. As long as you stick by this diet, you prevent ketosis and get all of the nutrients you need and feel satisfied. Otherwise, your body will turn against you and begin to scavenge muscles and organs looking for glucose. Some of this is not a bad thing because some of your body parts need ketosis to burn fat as energy at certain times.
3. Move from a high- to a low-carbohydrate diet slowly in order to allow your body to adjust in a reasonable way and prevent problems. Ketosis is a normal state of the body. Our body simply looks to fat for energy when the carbohydrate count changes. The heart looks to ketones as a preference over carbohydrates, so there is a purpose for some ketosis—not to be confused with ketoacidosis, life threatening for diabetics.
4. Note that if you smell odors on your breath or in your urine, it could be a result of an increased ketosis level. There is a benefit for your body if are in you in ketosis temporarily. The body must use fats for energy. This allows you to get rid of more fat than normal from your body. If there is a steady input of energy from carbohydrates and it slows to a crawl, your system will immediately switch to fat as the energy source when needed. Excess fat excretes through urine.
5. Know your body. As diabetics will tell you, your body functions depend on insulin for many things. The pancreas secretes insulin to keep glucose levels in check. Too many carbohydrates in your diet mean too large an amount of glucose for your body. While there are uses for the ketosis, the body works better its own way and usually prevents problems itself.
6. Keep in mind…ketosis is the conversion process that makes ketones in your body. As your body switches energy sources (from carbohydrates to fats), fatty acids become ketones in your bloodstream through metabolism. The heart, brain and certain organs use ketones to produce energy, so don't completely prevent the process.