The quality of the food you eat while on a keto diet is extremely important and so is the quality of the supplements you take. Increased ketone levels and deeper levels of ketosis don’t necessarily mean increased overall health and wellness. While you may be noticing decreases in your body’s inflammation, improvements in your metabolism and energy, and a loss of body fat, you are missing one key thing – micronutrients. Bridging the gaps in your diet is vital to maintain optimal performance and health. I mean, you didn't think eating meat and cheese all day was healthy, did you?
By changing what you eat, you can change the way your body creates and expends energy. In doing so, you can improve your overall health and wellness while pursuing bigger health goals, such as weight loss, lowered cholesterol levels, increased energy production, and decreased inflammation within the body, to name a few.
RELATED ARTICLE The Ketogenic Diet: Living A Low Carb Lifestyle
The best way to get the nutrients you need to nourish your body is from whole foods. But whole foods cannot do it alone, especially during the ketogenic diet. Supplements are meant to bridge the gaps in your dietary nutrition and there are a few gaps to fill within the ketogenic diet. By supplementing your keto diet, you can also prevent unpleasant signs and symptoms of the keto flu.
RELATED ARTICLE The Keto Flu: Symptoms And How To Get Rid Of It
Now that you have a fundamental understanding of why supplements on keto matter, we can talk about the best keto supplements to help bridge the gaps.
The 7 Best Supplements For A Keto Diet
Keto-Friendly Supplement: Krill Oil
While we can synthesize most fatty acids in the diet, especially on a high-fat diet such as keto, there are two polyunsaturated fats that we cannot make within our own body and that we must obtain from our diet. The two most important fats in our diet or dietary supplementation are alpha linoleic acid (an omega-3 fat) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fat).
Krill Oil gives the body the essential nutrients found in omega-3 fats, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), that it needs. Naturally, the food you eat on a ketogenic diet will contain some omega-3s, keto food choices are also high in omega-6s. High omega-6s and low omega-3s can lead to excess inflammation and poor overall health and wellness [R]. Well that’s just the opposite of what you were intending, isn’t it?
You may find yourself asking, is krill oil better than fish oil, and the answer is, yes. Krill Oil is better than Fish Oil. Krill oil is sourced from Antarctic krill, a zooplankton crustacean, which also has high levels of phospholipids, flavonoids, EPA and DHA. Not to mention the worlds most potent and powerful antioxidant, Astaxanthin. Krill oil is more bioavailable (easier absorbed) than fish oil and it does not contain the toxins regularly found in fatty fish and fatty fish oil supplements (includes mercury, lead, cadmium, and PCBs).
RELATED ARTICLE Krill Oil Vs Fish Oil: Which One Is Better?
Why Is Krill Oil One Of The Best Supplements For The Ketogenic Diet?
Krill Oil and the ketogenic diet go hand-in-hand. Krill oil helps to decrease inflammation within the body, fight off the keto flu, lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, and increase overall body health. In addition to taking a krill oil supplement, we also recommend increasing your intake of omega-3 rich foods such as brussels sprouts, beef, cauliflower, salmon, shrimp, walnuts, flax seeds, and sardines.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Krill Oil + Astaxanthin (60 Servings)
Keto-Friendly Supplement: Kre-Alkalyn
Yes, you can use creatine with a ketogenic diet. Kre-Alkalyn however compared to creatine monohydrate and other types of creatine, studies show that Kre-Alkalyn is the best form of creatine. Here’s why...
Kre-Alklayn is a patented pH-corrected form of creatine. Kre-Alkalyn was created to address the negative side effects associated with Creatine Monohydrate, namely the toxic conversion to creatinine.
Like creatine, Kre-Alkalyn improves athletic performance and muscle building ability. When there is more creatine in the body, more phosphocreatine, PCr becomes available for high-intensity, short burst muscle contractions. This translates to an increased ability to exert force, like when lifting weights, and increased performance during endurance-type and HIIT exercise bouts.
RELATED ARTICLE Kre-Alkalyn Vs. Creatine Monohydrate: Which One Is Better?
Why Is Kre-Alkalyn One Of The Best Supplements For The Ketogenic Diet?
So why is supplementing with creatine important for keto a lifestyle? Our bodies naturally create creatine, but as we age these levels can naturally decline. By regularly supplementing with Kre-Alkalyn prior to exercise on a ketogenic diet, you provide your body the essential nutrients to build muscle and naturally increase energy levels.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Kre-Alkalyn (Unflavored, 100 Servings)
Keto-Friendly Supplement: L-Glutamine
When you’re on a ketogenic diet you’re a carb cutting machine. That also means you’re pretty good at cutting out fruits and vegetables rich in anti-oxidants. L-Glutamine is clinically proven to improve digestive health, reduce inflammation, enhance muscle recovery, boost endurance, and reduce soreness from exercise. Glutamine also acts as an antioxidant, which helps remove harmful toxins from your body.
Why Is L-Glutamine One Of The Best Supplements For The Ketogenic Diet?
Supplementing with glutamine for your ketogenic lifestyle will help your system from depleting l-glutamine levels faster than they need to so you can repair everything from your muscle, to your stomach lining, to your intestinal wall and even your joints. Think of Glutamine and Keto as the supplement to your missing fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.
RELATED ARTICLE L-Glutamine: The Best Supplement For Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Some individuals may be more sensitive to the effects of Glutamine than others. Those who are measuring ketosis and ketone levels in your urine with Ketostix may find that glutamine will push them out of ketosis. This is not the case for all. Unless you are trying to achieve deep ketosis and are accurately measuring it every single time, this should not be of concern to you.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT L-Glutamine (Unflavored, 100 Servings)
Keto-Friendly Supplement: Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an integral component of overall health and wellness. Vitamin D is unique in the fact, that it doesn’t function like a vitamin, but more like a hormone. Classified as a pro-hormone, Vitamin D is an essential component in bone and mineral metabolism. Often hard to obtain through dietary sources alone, supplementation is crucial for health and wellness. According to a national nutrition examination survey 41.6% of US adults exhibited vitamin d deficiency, with the highest rate seen in African Americans at 82.1% followed by those of Hispanic descent at 69.2% [R]. Since Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it’s crucial that you pair vitamin d with a fat, to enable optimal absorption and calcium uptake. Swolverine’s Vitamin D3 is 10,000 IUS suspended in olive oil for optimal absorption and potency.
Why Is Vitamin D3 One Of The Best Supplements For The Ketogenic Diet?
While Vitamin D may have nothing to do with you going into ketosis, vitamin D is an imperative micronutrient because chances are you aren’t getting enough of it from your diet. It’s estimated that nearly 1 billion people or 50% of the population, has a vitamin D deficiency. Being deficient in Vitamin D can result in poor calcium and phosphorous levels, depressed mood, and decreased bone density.
Studies have proven that individuals with low vitamin D concentrations have a direct correlation with obesity. In a 2-year clinical trial, 383 obese women were found to have a positive correlation with increased Vitamin D concentrations, when they achieved higher weight loss [R]. In addition to weight loss and other benefits, in terms of ketosis and the ketogenic diet, vitamin d is important to increase the ability for electrolyte absorption, which can be a saving grace on a ketogenic diet.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Vitamin D3 10,000 IU (90 Servings)
Keto-Friendly Supplement: Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium)
When you’re on a ketogenic diet, electrolyte imbalances can occur due to the depletion of glycogen from the consumption of more fat for energy. When you deplete your glycogen stores you’re also depleting water from the kidneys, which creates an imbalance of electrolytes. By managing your levels of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, you can successfully avoid many of the negative side-effects of a low carbohydrate lifestyle, such as Keto Flu.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT BCAA (Lemon-Lime, 50 Servings)
Why Are Electrolytes One Of The Best Supplements For The Ketogenic Diet?
Sodium & Keto
The goal of keto is to reduce insulin levels. When insulin levels are low, sodium is excreted from the blood through the kidneys and is excreted in urine. Therefore, it’s important to acquire and supplement more sodium through your diet when you’re on a ketogenic diet.
RELATED ARTICLE How To Control Insulin Sensitivity
Magnesium & Keto
One of the best supplements for the keto diet is Magnesium. Magnesium (Mg) is the second-most abundant cation (positively charged ion) in human cellular systems.
RELATED ARTICLE Why You Need To Take Magnesium
Magnesium is involved in nearly every biological process and has an innumerable amount of health benefits, which include helping with an inflammatory response, immune system health, heart health, muscle contraction, bone health, and improves sleep.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT ZMT (30 Servings)
Potassium & Keto
Being deficient in magnesium can also mean that you’re deficient in potassium. Potassium is important for people who are keto because it helps regulate the fluids within your body
Keto-Friendly Supplement: Probiotics
Chances are that you’re not consuming any dairy products in the way of greek yogurt, milk, or kefir while on your ketogenic journey. That means you’re missing out on a ton of prebiotics and probiotics. Probiotics are the little healthy army within your digestive tract that wards off infection boosts your immune system, keeps a healthy gut flora, and increases the absorption of nutrients from your food intake.
RELATED ARTICLE 3 Powerful Benefits Of Probiotics
Probiotics act as a healthful complement to your lifestyle, especially if you’re going to go low-dairy or dairy-free keto. In addition to supplementing your diet with a probiotic, you can increase your regular intake of probiotic-rich foods such as fermented foods, kimchi, sauerkraut, and sour pickles.
Why Are Probiotics One Of The Best Supplements For The Ketogenic Diet?
Several have shown that probiotics can enhance weight loss, improve brain function, and boost your immune system [R]. Your brain's preferred fuel source for energy and proper function is glycogen which is derived from carbohydrates. Adding a quality probiotic supplement into your keto diet, can be a great way improve your gut health, enhance your weight loss, and improve brain function, since you won't be getting many probiotic rich foods.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT Probiotix (60 Servings)
Keto-Friendly Supplement: MCT Oil
Medium-chain triglycerides, or MCT, is the kind of fat that is most abundant in MCT oil. The source of the oil comes from palm oils and coconuts, leaving it odorless and colorless. Keto dieters often use MCT oil because of its ability to boost your natural ketone production. You can use it on and in a variety of foods. We recommend cooking with it at temperatures below 320 degrees F, putting it in your latte and dressing salads with it. You can even consume MCT Oil straight up on a spoon if you’re up for it!
RELATED ARTICLE The Ultimate Guide To MCT Oil
Best Supplements For Keto: Takeaway
If you're looking for the best supplements to help your keto diet, then we highly suggest taking some of the supplements above. Supplements are not required when you’re on a ketogenic diet. However, supplements can greatly enhance the quality of your ketogenic diet while contributing to positive overall health. As you’ve now learned, whole foods are the first source of nutrients for your keto lifestyle, while supplements should aim to bridge the gaps in your nutrition and optimize your diet. If you’re currently on a keto diet, we highly suggest taking some of the supplements above to optimize your health.
Are you Keto? Looking for the best supplements to use while you're living a low carb lifestyle?
Swolverine's Sports Performance products are 100% keto and contain no sugar, or additives, to ensure you improve your performance while staying in ketosis. Click the image below to get started.
SWOLVERINE is an endurance athlete and active lifestyle brand. Made for the elite athlete, and the strong-willed our products were designed to fuel your athletic performance. We perform when you perform.
We believe that everyone can optimize not only their athletic performance but their human potential. The way we believe we can optimize performance is through transparency, clinically effective doses, and clinically proven ingredients with evidence-based outcomes. We provide the nutrients you need to power your active lifestyle.
