Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could eat cheese roll-ups for breakfast and hamburgers for dinner without having to wait for your cheat day? Does abandoning the gym and indulging in pork chops sound like just what you need right now? There is a way you can be fit and fine without having to give up your favorite foods. Many papers have written about it, many celebrities have endorsed it, everyone is talking about it- a revolutionary diet plan that has swooped across the globe with its plentitude of proven benefits and efficiency, the Keto Diet. 

What is the Keto Diet?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that helps lose weight by drastically reducing the carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fats. The body normally converts glucose in the carbs into energy however, the keto meal plan triggers the body and puts it into a super-charged state where the body fuels on fats instead of sugar. The energy derived from fats is through the conversion of fats into ketone bodies. This puts the body in a metabolic state known as ketosis. Until and unless you are in a constant state of ketosis, you will be able to lose weight while eating high content of fats.

Why does the keto diet cause dry mouth?

If you have been on the keto diet in hopes of losing extra weight, you may also notice some minor changes that might be taking place in your body as a result of this plan. If you are having difficulty quenching your thirst ever since you have been on this diet, do not worry. This is a sign that you are in a state of ketosis.

Switching from a normal well-balanced diet to a ketogenic diet means that you are losing water and electrolytes at an alarming rate. This happens because you have eliminated processed foods that contain high amounts of sodium. Increasing your fat intake by 80% and lowering your carbohydrate intake by 50% can cause significant dehydration. A dehydrating body results in dry mouth or xerostomia along with headache, fatigue, and constipation.

Dry mouth as a direct ripple effect of the keto diet can cause a number of conditions that target the health of the mouth. A dry mouth can cause complications like such:

• Bad breath: One of the ketone bodies produced during ketosis is acetone. This acetone body is mostly excreted in the saliva and can cause bad breath. A metallic taste or a fruity breath is often experienced known particularly as ‘keto breath’.
• Tooth decay: Dry mouth means that the saliva that usually cleanses the mouth of all the stray food debris and bacteria is disrupted. The mouth is turned into an extremely acidic environment and results in bacteria that dissolve the tooth surface. This is tooth decay or cavity.
• Gum disease: A dry mouth is a breeding ground for bad bacteria and when coupled with poor oral hygiene creates a catastrophic state in the mouth, leading to inflammation of gums and other structures.

Do not be discouraged because the onset of dry mouth means that the diet is working and revving up your fat-burning engine! The body is forced to use up the fat banks due to the sudden depletion of carbohydrates to convert into energy. While rapid weight loss is guaranteed with the keto diet, you can also make use of these remedies to relieve your mouth of dryness.

• Make sure you drink lots of water to prevent dehydration
• Chew on sugar-free gum or lozenges from theSt Andrew’s Trust Dry Mouth product range to get rid of bad breath and dry mouth 
• Avoid medications that may cause and worsen dry mouth
• Limit coffee, alcohol and smoking