Ketogenic diet is an eating pattern that focuses on low amounts of carbohydrates, moderate proteins and high amounts of fat, in a rough proportion of 10-20-70 per cent of daily calorie intake. The most common and well-known complication of is something called the keto flu.

What is Keto flu?

"It is a group of symptoms like headache, brain fog, fatigue, nausea, constipation, irritability and insomnia, which usually pop up two to six days after starting a keto diet. Since good quality studies on this effect have not been performed, it is not a standard condition recognised by evidence-based medicine," said Dr Ayush Shukla, MBBS.

"Hence, we don’t really know why some people feel so awful after switching to keto diet. These symptoms may not even be unique to the ketogenic diet as several individuals describe similar symptoms when they make a radical shift in their diet by cutting processed foods or eliminating one or more major components of their diet, he said.

On the other hand, the Ketogenic diet attempts to mimic ketosis, a condition in which your body prepares for starvation on account of low carbohydrates, the preferred energy currency of the body. By tricking the body and lowering carbohydrate intake, one essentially forces the body to use alternative sources of energy, namely fat stores; thereby reducing weight through loss of body fat.

Dr Shukla said, "Most recent studies have shown promising results in favour of keto diets, proving that one may shed a few kilos, most certainly early on, within the first few weeks of starting the diet. However, there is insufficient data on the long-term benefits and achievements of keto diets."

Tips to combat Keto Flu

There is no need to bring yet another radical shift in your diet by simply giving up on the keto diet or pouring unnecessary, expensive supplements into the mix. Despite the name, it is not a real flu. "Be rest assured, you will not develop a fever and the symptoms can rarely incapacitate, Dr. Shukla mentioned.

Visit your doctor if you have serious symptoms because there may be a far more serious underlying problem, and remember to keep yourself hydrated, moderate your caffeine intake and roll into the diet grad.