What is Stevia & Importance of Water Intake in the Keto Diet?

What is Stevia & Importance of Water Intake in the Keto Diet?

What is stevia?

Stevia is a sweetener and substitute for sugar. It is derived from stevia plants. It is sweeter than table sugar but does not any contain carbs, calories, or artificial ingredients. Stevia is accessible in various forms and each differs in its making process.

Stevia is often called the best replacement for sugar as it has the ability to sweeten up foods without affecting your health. It is also a prevalent choice for people who want to lose weight and drop sugar intake.

Types of stevia

Stevia is found in three forms:

i) Green leaf stevia

This is the least processed form of stevia. It contains no calories and is safe for human consumption.

ii) Stevia extracts

This sweetener also provides a sweet taste without adding any calories to foods.

iii) Altered stevia: This is the most processed form of stevia and includes some added ingredients.

Stevia and weight loss

Because stevia contains almost zero calories, you can replace it with sugar if you are looking to lose weight.

Blood diabetes

Its ability to manage blood sugar is widely praised. If you are on a low-carb diet, this is a great replacement. Stevia-based sweeteners are herbal as opposed to artificial sweeteners. You can eat food containing stevia without worrying about diabetic confusion.

Prevents cancer

The presence of antioxidant compounds in stevia makes it a supplement that can be used to prevent some types of cancer.

Controls cholesterol

Stevia leads to an increase in HDL (High-density lipoprotein), which is a good lipid. It also helps in reducing bad LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins) levels.

Good for skin

Stevia is effective for those who are struggling with skin-related problems such as wrinkles, signs of ageing, and dull skin.

Is there any side effect?

Stevia is a zero-calorie, natural sweetener with so many benefits. Using it does not impact your blood sugar. However, excess use may add up some carbs. In any case, overconsumption of anything is not ideal for our bodies. So, consuming a recommended quantity is an ideal practice.

Staying hydrated is as important — no matter what diet you follow. Whether it’s the Indian Keto diet or any other low carb diet. It is necessary that you drink enough water but don’t overdo it.

Here I’m walking you through the significance of water intake on the Keto diet.

Importance of water intake in Keto diet

Why do you need to drink more water on the Keto diet?

Maintains fluid level: One of the basic reasons for drinking more water in Keto is to maintain the proper fluid level. When carbs are eliminated from your body, water also gets flushed out along with it. So, it becomes mandatory to drink enough water to meet the shortage of fluid.

Faster metabolism: More water utilization will help your body reduce fats more adequately.

Prevents side effects: Drinking more water curtails side effects like dehydration, cramps, dull skin, etc.

Curbs appetite: When you’re on a Keto diet, keeping a bottle of water around is helpful. Water intake supports suppressing your appetite.

Strengthens your kidneys: Whenever you start following a Keto diet, your body goes through a change. It is imperative that you drink enough water to aid the kidneys because they filter waste from your blood in the form of urine.

How much water intake is ideal in a Keto diet?

Many people don’t know how much water they should be drinking while on a Keto diet. You should consume at least 2.5 litres per day. The amount of water consumption may vary from case to case, as it depends on the person’s lifestyle and age. You may face slight dehydration on your Keto journey, which is common in any low carb diet.

Drinking water is good because it flushes toxins out of your body. Water is also the main source of minerals — which act as major nutrients for healthy hair and skin.

Also, water doesn’t contain any carbohydrates, protein, sugar, or fibre unless you add flavour to it, so it’s a zero carb, sugar, and protein drink.