There are six common side effects on a keto diet and in this video you will learn how to avoid them. Most people feel great on keto, full of energy and mental clarity but not in the first week. There is something called “keto flu” and in the first week most people experience it especially on days 2 to 5.

You can feel like the flu: headache, fatigue, perhaps you feel irritable and experience a lack of motivation, perhaps some nausea. You’ll just feel unwell. Fortunately there’s a simple reason for this and there is a simple solution.

Fortunately there’s a simple reason for this and there is a simple solution. 

Some people think of this week as detoxing from sugar, getting off the sugar drug, ending the carb dependency and adapting to burning fat instead. 

That’s part of the explanation, but there is something even more important going on. 

When you start a keto diet your levels of the fat storing hormone insulin drop. 

And this is what gets your fat burning going. 

But lowering insulin has a few more effects. 

Your kidneys will start excreting more salt and water so you may experience that your urine production increases and you’ll pee more. 

Until the body adapts to this you may end up a bit dehydrated and salt deficient and this can result in a headache, fatigue, feeling irritable, demotivated, perhaps dizzy with some nausea. The keto flu. 

The solution is very simple. 

Drink more fluids and make sure you get enough salt. 

So how should you do that? 

The simple and tasty way is to drink a cup of bouillon one or two times per day. 

Just dissolve half a bouillon cube in hot water and stir. And then drink. 

An even simpler option if you don’t mind the taste is to dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a large glass of water and drink that. 

Or any other way to get enough salt and water. This can almost feel like magic. 

Within 15 or 30 minutes most symptoms of the keto flu usually just vanish. 

And you can keep doing this for as long as you need. 

You should probably do it at least once a day during the first week to feel good. 

And after that if you feel you need it. If you still don’t feel great, make sure you eat enough fat, so that you’re not hungry. 

And if you still don’t feel good you could add back some carbs. 

That will definitely take care of the initial keto flu. Other side effects on keto are less common, so we’ll go through them fairly quickly. There are five more that you may want to know about. 

Leg cramps can happen. 

Like the keto flu this is caused by the increased urination and a connected loss of minerals like sodium and magnesium. 

Usually getting enough fluid and salt can stop leg cramps from happening, but occasionally supplementing with magnesium can be helpful. 

Constipation also happens occasionally for some people. 

But note that when you eat highly nutritious foods like meat, fish, eggs and fat these foods are almost completely absorbed in the gut. 

So there will be less stuff left to get rid of and you may not need to go to the bathroom as often. 

That’s normal, nothing is broken and there’s no need to fix it. 

So when I talk about constipation, I mean if there’s significant discomfort involved and again drinking enough and getting enough salt is helpful as dehydration can result in constipation. 

Also eating non-starchy vegetables can help prevent it. And likely that’s enough. 

But if you still end up having issues with constipation use the link below for more tips on how to handle it. 

Keto breath. 

When you get into ketosis some people experience a characteristic smell from their breath, a fruity small that can remind people of nail polish remover. 

And this is the ketone body acetone. 

And it’s a sign that you’ve started to burn tons of fat. 

Not everyone experiences this and for those who do it often disappears after some time as your body adapts. 

If keto breath is a problem for you there’s a link below with tips on what to do about it. Heart palpitations. 

Now it’s not uncommon for people to experience that their heart beats a bit harder and a bit faster initially. 

And this can again be partially due to dehydration and salt deficiency, because a reduced fluid volume in the blood can result in the heart having to beat a bit more often. 

And again enough salt and water should help. Finally reduced physical performance. 

Don’t plan any personal records in the gym or fits of endurance during the first week or two. 

Because adapting to burning fat for fuel can take a few weeks so be kind to yourself and take it a bit easier at first. 

Also if you don’t feel strong when exercising make sure you’re getting enough fluid and salt because that is crucial for physical performance. 

And taking extra salt and fluid, about 30 minutes before you exercise, can make a huge difference. 

Those are the six side effects that is good to be aware of. 

For more rare potential side effects and how to handle them check out the link below. 

Primarily however what most people are going to experience are some minor keto flu symptoms like headache that can be handled well with enough fluid and salt. 

That’s the bottom line and that’s what I recommend that you remember from this video. 

Make sure you get enough salt and fluid during the first week on keto. 

For example have a cup of bouillon one or two times a day that’s going to make the whole experience way more enjoyable and you’ll likely feel fine again in no time again. 

In the next video we’ll look closer at how to get into ketosis because it’s not only about the carbs.