Food and Metabolic Health

How to Enter Ketosis in a Keto-Omnivore Diet Safely and Quickly

Here’s why and how dietary ketosis for omnivores might be a flexible option to adopt safely

What is a keto-omnivore diet, and how can it benefit you?

Keto-omnivore diet is the new kid on the block even though it is practiced by millions for many years.

It is possible to achieve ketosis both in animal and plant-based diets. However, combining both types of food sources seems to be more flexible and beneficial for some people.

These people are known as omnivorous. They can enjoy both plant and animal products in different ratios. However, the keto-omnivore diet is not a familiar concept yet, even though millions of people have practiced it for years.

Based on my search, this is possibly the first article on this platform. I hope this article might inspire health and nutrition writers to write about it more.

Unlike some animals, human beings are more flexible in dietary choices for survival. For example, humans can survive as carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores.

However, some people might perform better in a specific choice, possibly due to genetic predispositions.

There will always be exceptional needs for extreme ends, as some people cannot eat animal products, and some cannot consume plant sources for various reasons.

For example, even though I enjoyed vegetables immensely. I had to give up plant sources due to autoimmune conditions caused by some anti-nutrient plant molecules, such as lectins.

There might be other reasons too. For example, some people don’t enjoy eating vegetables. And some people don’t enjoy eating meat, fish, seafood, eggs, or dairy.

Diet is a personal choice. There is no point in arguing about personal preferences. I see diet as a health matter, but some people see it as an ethical or spiritual matter.

Even though I follow keto-carnivore for personal and health reasons, I choose to remain neutral in diets as it is impossible and irrelevant to say one type of diet is better than another.

In reality, there is no one size fits all diet. I encourage and support my family members and friends to try various diets. I cook for my vegan friends their favorite dishes when they visit me.

Multiple factors affect dietary choices, such as individual goals, lifestyle preferences, health conditions, culture, religion, and circumstances such as the economy. One thing working for one does not mean it will work for another. We are unique.

I wrote about both Keto-Vegan and Keto-Carnivore diets to inform my readers who restrict their diets to plant or animal sources. They are two extreme ends of the spectrum. I also wrote about the benefits of an omnivorous diet in a case study but did not delve into the ketogenic aspect of it.

Therefore, in this post, I focus on a larger group in the middle enjoying the benefits of both worlds and getting desired results. Some readers requested practical tips for entering ketosis on an omnivorous diet.

Why ketosis matters and how to enter it

Ketosis is a metabolic state indicating that the body uses an alternative energy source when the primary energy reserve (glucose) is restricted due to dietary changes or rapid utilization of the sugar in the bloodstream and glycogen stores.

In short, this alternative energy creation (ketosis) is a built-in survival mechanism that our bodies evolved over millions of years as adequate sugar from food was not always available. It is how humans survived famines, wars, and food scarcity.

More specifically, the human body has a unique mechanism called gluconeogenesis to manufacture sugar even in the absence of it in the diet for a long time, as some organs need glucose as an energy source. Our bodies can convert amino acids and even fat molecules to glucose in a controlled manner.

Even though some people think that ketosis might indicate starvation in theory, if it is practiced diligently, this unique energy source representing a metabolic shift can bring many health benefits. For example, it can be ideal for treating impaired glucose metabolism affecting physical and mental performance.

Some people think that ketone bodies like BHP (β-hydroxybutyrate) are just an energy source, but they play an important role in our metabolism. The reason for my focus on ketosis is that it changed my metabolic and mental health more than any other intervention.

This alternative energy source for the brain and other organs is cleaner than glucose in the metabolic process. In addition, ketone bodies act as signaling molecules in the metabolic pathway. For example, BHP can influence gene expression and reduce inflammation. Moreover, it can increase BDNF improving neural and mental health.

Ketosis is used as an intervention method for various metabolic and neurological conditions caused by the malfunctioning of glucose in the body. The prime example is the treatment of seizures with ketogenic diets since the 1920s.

So ketosis can be a practical survival mechanism when one cannot consume sugar for various reasons, such as carb intolerance. These people can have adequate physical and mental energy even if they don’t consume any sugar-containing foods.

Besides addressing metabolic issues, ketosis might also be used to make the body more metabolically flexible. This value proposition is my main reason for entering ketosis deliberately and staying in this state for a prolonged time.

Like thousands of people following OMAD, I have been on a near-zero carb diet for many years by choice and thrived.

After this background, I’d like to summarize and highlight three key benefits of ketosis in any type of diet. For example, a friend of mine, Amy, achieved ketosis without using a ketogenic diet.

Three Key Benefits of Ketosis and a Caution

The first is reducing the risks of metabolic and mental health disorders as a proactive health measure. For example, ketosis can make the body more insulin sensitive.

The second is using ketosis as a treatment method for some conditions, such as chronic inflammation or insulin resistance, and some disorders, such as seizures, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, and dementia.

And the third reason is increasing physical energy, enhancing mood, and improving both mental and physical performance. As I explained these benefits in a previous article, I won’t repeat them here.

However, like all good things, ketosis might not work for everyone posing risks for people with underlying health conditions.

One of the well-documented risks for attempting ketosis relates to people with type I diabetes whose bodies don’t create adequate insulin or with type II diabetes experiencing high alcohol consumption.

The critical issue is a condition known as ketoacidosis different from natural ketosis. Due to metabolic disorders, excessive ketones in order of magnitude can be toxic to the body and cause serious side effects. Ketosis and ketoacidosis are two different processes.

Four Practical Ways to Enter Ketosis and Stay in It Using an Omnivorous Diet

1 — Refrain from refined carbs.

As omnivorous people eat both plants and animal products, the main consideration is refraining from refined carbs, which can easily turn into sugar and increase blood glucose and quickly fill glycogen stores.

The most common foods with refined carbs are desserts, cakes, lollies, pavlova, donuts, cookies, bread, pastries, potatoes, rice, sugary ice creams, and high-fructose fruits such as mangoes and watermelon.

Most vegetables, complex carbs, healthy fats, and animal products consumed in moderation do not prevent ketosis. Therefore, it is much easier and more flexible to achieve ketosis on an omnivorous diet.

2 — Time-Restricted Eating

This specific eating regimen can apply to herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. In my experience, the most significant contributor to entering ketosis and staying in it is time-restricted eating, also known as intermittent fasting.

When we restrict food, the body consumes glucose in the bloodstream and glycogen stores. During the fasted state, the liver produces ketones from the fat molecules because reduced glucose in the body primes it to create alternative energy from dietary or stored fats.

The longer the fasting period, the more ketones the body produces. Some people practicing intermittent fasting achieve it by skipping one meal. The most common practice is the eight hours eating and 16-hour feeding window which can produce mild ketosis for people on an omnivorous diet.

I also know that some people use long-term fasting, just drinking water to enter deep ketosis. For example, I perform long-term fasting for up to seven days a few times yearly to initiate autophagy and mitophagy to improve my cellular and mitochondrial health.

There is a common trend for omnivorous people to enter ketosis with less effort. It is called a fast-mimicking diet, popularized by Dr. Valter Longo and embraced by science communities. Various fast-mimicking diets are used for numerous reasons, such as weight loss, performance improvement, and treating some health conditions.

3 — Intense Physical Activities

Besides limiting some food types and performing intermittent fasting, intense exercises can also contribute to entering ketosis.

However, exercise itself cannot guarantee ketosis, as unless the body entirely consumes the glycogen stores, ketosis cannot start. The liver starts producing ketones when the body senses glucose deficiency after intense workouts.

As the muscles consume glucose when we move the body, it increases the chance of entering ketosis. As a result, athletes and bodybuilders can enter ketosis better than sedentary people, even if they consume the same type and amount of food in an omnivorous diet.

The bottom line is even though exercise helps, it does not guarantee to put us into ketosis if we frequently overeat refined carbs and proteins. We need to rest well and recover after intense exercise to benefit from its ketogenic effects.

Ironically, too much cardio exercise might cause some people temporarily go out of ketosis due to the effects of the cortisol hormone. The reason is cortisol mainly consumes sugar from muscles. Therefore, it is a catabolic hormone that we need to be careful about muscle loss.

4 — Ketone Supplements or MCT Oil

I left this to the end as even though some supplements might increase the chance of ketosis, their long-term impact and implications are unknown. They are only developed recently, but they look promising.

The most effective supplements are ketone salts, publicly available in powder format, which can be melted in liquids and used as a beverage with different flavors as they taste awful without flavoring.

Manufacturers create supplementary ketones by binding β-hydroxybutyrate to minerals like magnesium, calcium, and sodium in labs. Therefore they are not palatable without flavors. We need to refrain from sugary flavors to maintain ketosis.

The second viable supplement is MCT oil. These oils include four types of acids hexanoic, octanoic, decanoic, and dodecanoic. The most effective ones to create ketones are hexanoic and decanoic acids. They are also known as caproic and caprylic acids.

The body absorbs MCT oil differently than other fats, so a more direct utilization of it might upset some people’s digestive systems. Therefore, in large amounts, they might cause serious issues such as diarrhea, known as disaster pants in health and fitness communities.

Conclusions and Takeaways

Even though ketosis brings numerous health benefits, it is not for everyone. For example, it can be dangerous for people with underlying health issues such as type I diabetes. Therefore, it is vital to discuss the protocols with qualified healthcare professionals before starting.

As I highlighted, it is possible to enter ketosis using an omnivorous diet with a few dietary measures, such as limiting refined carbs, not eating too much protein, and increasing healthy fats. When we refrain from food and exercise for a while, insulin declines, and glucagon takes over to make a metabolic shift causing ketosis.

Unfortunately, frequent snacks, especially with comfort foods, can delay ketosis as they increase blood glucose and cause insulin spikes.

In addition, ketosis can be expedited by performing time-restricted eating, intense workouts, and supplements. The most effective way is intermittent fasting or skipping a meal.

Some people prefer to stay in ketosis most of the day using dietary modifications, time-restricted eating, and intense workouts for various reasons.

However, some people prefer to enter ketosis occasionally to keep metabolic flexibility allowing the body to utilize both dietary sugar and healthy fats. People with fat-adapted bodies can enter or get out of ketosis much more quickly and flexibly with no side effects.

I will cover metabolic flexibility through dietary intervention in another article soon. Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

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