Health Sabz

Keto Stomach Pain: Causes and Symptoms

Everyone is willing to lose weight to be fit and smart. For this reason, we move towards the Keto diet; it is a low carb, moderate protein and high-fat intake plan, which mean that your body burns fat instead of glucose.

Little carb food includes eggs, fish, vegetables and natural fats. You must keep in mind that healthy fat adds an essential part in your diet, but some people cannot digest it, resulting in Keto stomach pain.

Having this kind of diet plan may change your life, but other means may affect you badly.

The gastrointestinal system often severely affected due to this high-fat diet, which may lead to diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, cramping, nausea, etc.

Causes of Keto Stomach Pain

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is the most common cause of having a Ketogenic diet. When the body is unable to metabolize the high amount of fat, and when the unabsorbed fat gets into the small intestine and colon, watery diarrhea occurs.

The extra fat does not come out in the form of stools but in the way of fluid.  This is another reason for Keto stomach pain.

keto stomach pain

How to maintain a healthy diet

The protein intake in your body increases when cutting carbs, but the body requires 10-20% protein diet to fulfill the need for energy.

Due to wrong food choices, people suffer from various problems. Diarrhea can lead to dysentery and constipation as well.

If the Keto diet becomes a daily habit in your life, it will help you to make an easier lifestyle.

Artificial sweeteners

Sugar-free beverages, candies, protein bars, and sugar substitutes contain sugar alcohols to give a sweet taste to the tongue instead of having the fruit sugar, sucrose.

Due to these sugar alcohols, gastrointestinal problems take place.

They reach the large intestine in an unprocessed form. According to the research, people having a high-fat diet with soybeans, corn, safflower, or sunflower oils made them feel sick, and it is one of the causes of diarrhea.

Symptoms are not Limited to Diarrhea:-

Apart from diarrhea, people suffer from painful cramping, bloating as well as constipation due to lack of fiber and fluid content in the Keto diet.

Dietary fiber is essential for healthy gut functioning, but it is in less quantity in the Keto diet resulting in Keto stomach pain.

Being hydrated resolves many stomach problems and having a sudden change in the diet leads the body to react differently.

Who Should Avoid Ketogenic Diet?

The Ketogenic diet is beneficial for many people who are conscious of losing weight and are capable of adapting this diet.

Not only this, but they do not suffer from Keto stomach pain. For example, the Ketogenic diet is not suitable for pregnant women, children, and teens until and unless the doctor recommends this diet.

Furthermore, this diet is not appropriate for people who are having kidney, liver or pancreatic disease. People with diabetes must consult their doctors before having a Ketogenic diet.

Moreover, individuals who are oversensitive to dietary cholesterol must not have this Ketogenic diet; otherwise, they will suffer many gastrointestinal disorders.

Why Ketosis Causes Stomach Pain?

It causes Keto stomach pain because of dehydration. The Ketogenic diet is having high-fat intake and low fiber and fluid content.

Due to this reason, the person lacks water in his body. It results in different gastrointestinal disorders although ketones speed up keto-adaptation so that the person can get used to it.

Why does Ketosis Dehydrate?

Keto diet moves us from using glycogen and carbs to using fat and ketones. There are two essential reasons, as follows:

  • Glycogen and carbs require a large amount of water for storage. It takes about 4 grams of water to save a gram of glycogen. When our body lacks glycogen, the amount of water in our body gradually decreases, leading to dehydration.
  • On a high carb diet, the level of insulin rises. Due to this rise, more water retained that inhibits sodium excretion. But the keto diet lowers the insulin level, allowing excess fluid to be released from the body.

These symptoms lead to Keto stomach pain, which holds a significant effect on the person’s entire internal body system.

keto stomach pain

Focus Your Intake

PRACTICAL CURES TO STOMACH PAIN:-

  • WATER– Drink a large amount of water. Make sure that when you are taking a Ketogenic diet, you must drink plenty amount of water.
  • SALT– Make sure to add salt whatever food you eat.
  • TIME– It takes time to bring everything to the right place. Wait and watch over yourself. You must use every possible thing to keep your body system in an excellent working condition.
  • MORE FAT– You are already having a high-fat intake as you are on a Ketogenic diet. Use more fat as it helps you to retain higher energy. Make sure to use fat in a limited level rather than using it on the extreme.

How can you get things back on track?

People who suffer from keto diet end up taking fiber supplements, but many nutritionists are against it.

  • It is better to increase your fiber intake with nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and cruciferous veggies.
  • Dairy products cause gastrointestinal tract disturbed. Therefore, try removing cream and cheese from your diet. Furthermore, people make use of many anti-diarrheal medications, but that may only work for the time being. These medications can further disrupt the alimentary canal and can lead to more significant issues.
  • Dietitians recommend people different foods which have different fat tolerance level until and unless they find what is suitable and best for them.
  • The most important part of the cure is to stay hydrated. People who are consuming a keto diet must make sure that they may not get dehydrated and must drink plenty amount of water.
  • They can also use different electrolytes to avoid dehydration. People are suffering from keto diarrhea encounter dehydration.

The person loses less weight when dehydrated, and therefore, he needs to work harder to burn off fat to balance the course of his keto diet.

Leave a Reply