Supplementing on keto

Across this series we’ve covered the benefits of the ketogenic diet and how to do it the right way — plenty of colorful low-carb vegetables, antioxidant-rich berries in moderation, quality meats and fish, and unprocessed plant and animal fats. Just as important is knowing how to supplement strategically. Food is your biggest source of “medicine,” but supplements can support your goals, especially in the early stages of transitioning into ketosis. Here are the ones we find most useful.

MCT oil

MCT oil is a medium-chain triglyceride oil, often extracted from coconut oil (and also found in palm oil and dairy). “MCT” means the fat is of medium length — 6 to 12 carbon atoms, versus 13–21+ for long-chain triglycerides. Because they’re shorter, MCTs digest more easily: they go straight from the gut to the liver and are absorbed quickly into the bloodstream as fast energy. While a high intake of long-chain fatty acids may contribute to insulin resistance and diabetes, medium-chain fatty acids can play a role in reduced obesity and increased oxidative metabolism.¹ Compared with long-chain triglycerides, MCTs also give better nitrogen balance, better muscle utilization, and higher ketone levels.²

On keto, MCT oil converts very quickly into ketones and may help you stay in ketosis. It also helps you feel full, which can reduce how much you eat while keeping energy stable.³ There’s evidence MCT oil may improve symptoms of Alzheimer’s⁴ and autism,⁵ help regulate blood sugar,⁶ and help control bad bacteria and yeast in the gut. It may also help you avoid the keto flu — the brain fog, headaches, fatigue, nausea, insomnia, and irritability that can hit as glucose stores run down before ketone production ramps up. By raising ketones sooner, MCT oil can make that switch faster and smoother.

Electrolytes

When you first start keto, you’ll likely urinate more often. As the body switches from glucose to ketones, you shed the glycogen you’re depleting — and for every gram of glycogen, several grams of stored water go with it. That’s why it’s common to lose 5–10 pounds the first week, mostly water. But you also lose electrolytes in that fluid — the electrically charged minerals needed for hydration, nerve and muscle function, blood pressure, and tissue repair:

You may also lose sodium simply from swapping processed foods (which are loaded with it) for whole foods. A great fix: salt your food freely — now that processed foods are gone, you don’t have to worry about excess sodium when you cook. For potassium, bananas are off the keto menu, but avocados have at least twice the potassium of a banana; cooked spinach, cooked broccoli, and leafy greens are great too, and coconut water offers both sodium and potassium.

Our preferred method is to also supplement with an electrolyte powder — most people need that added support when they first begin keto, and workouts raise the need further, so a supplement is especially helpful if you’re starting keto while exercising.

Exogenous ketones

As your body learns to run on fat-derived ketones, you can help it along with exogenous ketones — the same ketones your body makes, in supplement form. They give your system ketones so you can feel some benefits of ketosis before your glycogen stores are fully depleted.⁹ They’re especially useful during the transition, helping reduce fatigue, suppress appetite, and support weight loss — and they can be taken later on to fuel the brain and help you stay in ketosis.

Greens powders

A greens powder blends many ingredients — vegetables, high-antioxidant berries, herbs, probiotics, prebiotics, seaweed, and leafy greens — that you mix into water or a smoothie. It’s not a substitute for a keto diet full of colorful veggies, herbs, and low-carb fruits, but it can help when you’re traveling and away from your kitchen, or when you simply need a nutrient boost on a low-vegetable day.

Greens powders also help ensure you’re getting enough phytonutrients — natural plant chemicals that are important for preventing disease and helping the body function, especially on a high-fat diet. When high-fat diets aren’t done in a healthful way, they’re associated with cancer¹⁰ and inflammation.¹¹ Phytonutrients, on the other hand, can reduce inflammation and help prevent diseases like cancer.¹² And powders that include prebiotics can help feed a wider variety of good gut bacteria while you’re eating keto.

HCl & digestive enzymes

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is made in the stomach’s gastric glands and is central to digesting protein — it prompts the enzyme pepsin to get to work. If your stomach acid is low, you might notice acid reflux,¹³ constipation, or feeling unwell after eating meat. Since keto brings more meat protein to the plate, supplementing with HCl may improve digestion.

Digestive enzymes can help too, especially if you have signs of poor digestion like bloating, nausea, or diarrhea — and particularly during the initial transition to ketosis. Look for a supplement that includes lipase (to break down fats) and proteases (to break down protein).

Activated charcoal

One more thing to consider on keto: the toxins stored in fat (adipose) tissue — things like mold, pesticides, and other environmental pollutants. When you lose weight and fat breaks down, those stored toxins are released into the bloodstream.¹⁴ Activated charcoal can help by binding to these substances and carrying them out of the body through digestion. If you’re carrying extra weight or suspect you’ve been exposed to toxins, activated charcoal may support detoxification — a topic we go deeper on in our work with mold illness.

Food is always your first priority on keto — but the right supplements can support your body a great deal along the way. We’d love to help you build a diet-and-supplement plan that fits you.