You might think that the Keto diet is another fad diet but in fact it has been used for years for its numerous health benefits and weight loss powers.
But what exactly is the Keto diet and how can you started? Read on for the basics of the Keto diet as well as tips and tricks for creating a diet plan that you will stick to.
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What Is The Keto Diet?
The Keto Diet (ketogenic diet) is a low-carb, high-fat diet. As a diet plan, it shares many of the same foods and drinks as the Atkins diet and other low-carb diets.
What makes a Keto diet different is that it focuses on drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing those carbohydrates with fat. This drastic reduction in carbohydrates puts your body into a metabolic state that is called ketosis.
The point of going into ketosis is to help your body become efficient at burning fat for energy. While this is happening, your body turns the fat into ketones in the liver, supplying energy to the brain.
A cautionary note: ketogenic diets can cause massive reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels. So while this can be a good thing for some people, it can cause problems for other people.
Why Go Keto?
There are a number of reasons why people go on a ketogenic diet. In most cases, it is to lose weight. In some cases, they are medically supervised and use the ketogenic diet as part of a treatment plan.
Weight Loss.
Due to lowered insulin levels and the body’s ability to burn stored fat, those who adhere to the diet find that they lose weight more quickly than with conventional diets.
Cancer Prevention
I hesitate to ever suggest that one diet is a cure for cancer but I do want to mention that research on the Keto diet shows it may be effect at reducing certain types of tumour. Read more at this MD Anderson Cancer Clinic page.
Lower Cholesterol
A modified Ketogenic diet, what might be called a moderately low-carb diet, is beneficial for healthy adults who are at risk for metabolic syndrome, those struggling with losing weight or controlling levels of blood sugar.
Improve Cognitive Function
Ketogenic diets are being used to help treat Alzheimer’s symptoms and those on the diet have shown a reduction in those symptoms and improved cognitive function.
Reduced Seizures in Epileptics
The Epilepsy Foundation endorses the ketogenic diet because it has been shown to help control seizures in some people with epilepsy.
Doctors usually recommend the ketogenic diet for children whose seizures have not responded to several different seizure medicines.
As you can see, the ketogenic diet is more than just a low-carb/high-fat diet to lose weight. It is being studied and used now as a part of the treatment of many different diseases.
The Health Benefits Of Going Keto
There are many health benefits experienced by those on the ketogenic diet. The basis of the diet is that it is designed to get a certain response from the body. Those on the keto diet eat normal amounts of protein, higher amounts of fat, and they keep their carbohydrate intake very low.
Because carbohydrate intake is low, the blood sugar (glucose) level is low, and the brain pulls from this alternative energy source, which is fat. Before fats can be used by the body, the liver has to first convert them to ketones. It is ketones that are used as energy for the body and brain when there is lack of glucose.
The ketogenic diet actually originated as a tool for treating neurological diseases, such as epilepsy. Studies have shown that this diet can have benefits for a wide variety of health conditions.
Before we list these health conditions, a few wonderful side effects most people on the diet will experience include:
Weight Loss
Due to lowered insulin levels and the body’s ability to burn stored fat, those who adhere to the diet find that they lose weight more quickly than with conventional diets.
Clarity of Mind
An unbalanced diet can lead to lack of mental clarity, and it feels like a foggy People find it difficult to remember facts or struggle with staying focused on tasks. The Keto diet, by helping the body burn fat as energy, sends energy to the brain and helps it to stay focused.
Improve Productivity
Many people are not aware that ketones are a more efficient energy source than glucose. And for the brain, energy is everything. This type of energy helps better protect the brain — and the rest of the body — from oxidative stress, which negatively affects mental performance and brain aging. Improved mental performance, improved clarity, improved memory all combine to improve productivity.
Acne
Lower insulin levels and eating less sugar and processed foods help improve acne. In addition, an increase in water intake will occur due to the lack of carbohydrates, offering good hydration of the skin.
How To Calculate Net Carbs
On any low-carb diet, you will be reducing your net carb gram intake. It is important that you understand how to actually count net carbs.
First, net carbs are simply the grams of total carbohydrates in a portion of food minus its grams of fiber. Because fiber is a carbohydrate that your body cannot digest, it does not raise your blood sugar levels or trigger an insulin response.
Foods that are low in net carbs, which include nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits, are less likely to interfere with weight loss and do not have a significant impact on blood sugar.
Examples of Zero Carb foods
- Beef
- Lamb
- Chicken
- Pork
- Bacon (but avoid the bacon cured in sugar)
- Salmon
- Trout
Low Carb Vegetables
- Broccoli – 6 grams per cup or 7 grams per 100 grams.
- Tomatoes – 7 grams in a large tomato, or 4 grams per 100 grams.
- Onions – 11 grams per cup or 9 grams per 100 grams.
- Brussels Sprouts – 6 grams per half cup, or 7 grams per 100 grams.
- Cauliflower – 5 grams per cup and 5 grams per 100 grams.
- Kale – 7 grams per cup or 10 grams per 100 grams.
- Cucumber – 2 grams per half cup or 4 grams per 100 grams.
Low Carb Fruits
Be careful, as you can see fruits are higher in carbs than vegetables due to their sugar content.
- Strawberries – 11 grams per cup or 8 grams per 100 grams.
- Apricots – 8 grams in 2 apricots, or 11 grams per 100 grams.
- Avocado – 13 grams per cup or 8.5 grams per 100 grams.
- Grapefruit – 13 grams in a half grapefruit, or 11 grams per 100 grams.
You can calculate,the approximate number of net carb grams in a low-carb product.
First look at the information on the food label:
Total Carbohydrates
– Dietary Fiber
– Sugar alcohol
= Net carbs
Often, the food label will break down carbohydrates into total carbohydrates, fiber, and sugars.
Total carbohydrates combine all of the carbs and include fiber, sugars, starches, sugar alcohols and glycerin. The label will show the amount found per serving and is measured in grams. They are found in starches, vegetables, fruits, sweets, and milk.
Dietary fiber is the amount of indigestible or partially digestible bulk from plant foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, oats, nuts and seeds and is measured in grams.
Sugar alcohols are found most often in foods labeled “sugar-free,” including candy, cookies, chewing gums, and soda, but have recently become popular in packaged health foods. Sugar alcohol gets its name from its molecular structure, which is a hybrid between a sugar molecule and an alcohol molecule. Biochemically speaking, sugar alcohols are structurally similar to sugar but are either poorly digested or poorly metabolized.
Sugar alcohol has grown in popularity as a sugar replacement in foods because they contain few calories, have a minimal impact on insulin levels, and are safe for those with diabetes
Here’s a list of some popular sugar alcohols so you can identify them when you look at a nutrition label:
- Erythritol
- Maltitol
- Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates
- Isomalt
- Lactitol
- Mannitol
- Sorbitol
- Xylitol
How The Keto Diet Works
It’s all about ketosis.
Attaining it and maintaining it.
First, the Keto Diet is similar to many low-carb, high-fat diets. But, there is a difference. That difference is the intentional reduction of carbohydrates to the point of putting your body into ketosis. No other low-carb, high-fat diet does this.
Ketosis is a normal process that the body does every day, regardless of the number of carbs you eat. Your body processes different types of nutrients into the fuels that it needs. Proteins, fats, and carbs are all processed for use. The ketogenic diet, which is a low carb, high fat diet, ramps up this process.
When in ketosis, your body is in a metabolic state where most of the body’s energy comes from ketone bodies in the blood. Ketones are molecules that occur when your body burns fat as an energy source.
This is in contrast to a glycolysis state where blood glucose provides most of the energy. So this means your body is burning fat for energy instead of carbohydrates.
Why does this happen? Our bodies normally run on glucose for energy. We can’t create glucose and only store 24 hours-worth in our muscles and liver. Once this glucose is no longer available, we begin to burn stored fat. The ketogenic diet, therefore, eliminates glucose and causes the body to burn stored fat.
The Keto Diet
The Keto Diet is low-carb, high fat, high protein and these elements are eaten daily in these amounts: at least 65% of your food intake is from fat. This leaves you with about 30% proteins and the last 5% can be an additional 5% of fat or 5% of dark green low carb vegetables like dandelion leaves, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, etc.
Understanding what can and cannot be eaten is vital to making the keto diet work as a weight loss diet. Macronutrient, and tracking the intake of those nutrients, becomes part of the process of attaining and maintaining ketosis.
Macronutrients are the largest class of nutrients the body requires for energy. They include protein, carbohydrates, and fats. When we refer to “macros,” we are referring to these major nutrients. Since “macros” means large, macronutrients are those nutrients we need in large amounts.
There are three major macronutrients important to health and energy:
- Carbohydrates
- Healthy Fats
- Protein
Remember, the Keto Diet is low-carb, not no-carb.
So there will be carbohydrates in the daily food that is eaten, just a much lower number than the average person eats. And, to replace the lost carbs there is an increase in protein and fat intake.
This is why monitoring and tracking macronutrients each day helps to achieve success while on the keto diet.
What Can You Eat On A Keto Diet
The key to a keto diet is to build ketones. And, the key to building ketones is a mixture of fasting and a diet with at least 65% of your food intake being from fat. This leaves you with about 30% proteins and the last 5% can be an additional 5% of fat or 5% of dark green low carb vegetables like dandelion leaves, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, etc.
The diet has a strict 5% carbohydrate allowance. In general, you can eat from the following food groups: Fats and Oils, Protein, Vegetables and Fruits, Dairy products, Nuts and Seeds, Water and Beverages.
Starting a new diet isn’t easy, especially when you need to eat specific foods and stay from other types of foods.
Ketogenic diet food list
Fats and Oils
Try to get your fat from natural sources like meat and nuts. Supplement with saturated and monounsaturated fats like coconut oil, butter, and olive oil. Here are some to choose from:
Fatty Fish
Animal Fat (non-hydrogenated)
Lard
Tallow
Avocados
Egg Yolks
Macadamia/Brazil Nuts
Butter/Ghee
Coconut Butter
Cocoa Butter
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil
Avocado Oil
Macadamia Oil
MCT Oil
Protein
Fish. Anything that is caught wild like catfish, cod, flounder, halibut, mackerel, mahi-mahi, salmon, snapper, trout, and tuna. Fattier fish is better.
Shellfish. Clams, oysters, lobster, crab, scallops, mussels, and squid.
Whole Eggs. You can prepare them in many different ways like fried, deviled, boiled, poached, and scrambled.
Ground beef, steak, roasts, and stew meat. Stick with fattier cuts where possible.
Pork. Ground pork, pork loin, pork chops, tenderloin, and ham. Watch out for added sugars and try to stick with fattier cuts.
Poultry. Chicken, duck, quail, pheasant and other wild game.
Offal/Organ.Heart, liver, kidney, and tongue. Offal is one of the best sources of vitamins/nutrients.
Other Meat. Veal, Goat, Lamb, Turkey and other wild game. Stick with fattier cuts where possible.
Bacon and Sausage. Check labels for anything cured in sugar, or if it contains extra fillers. Don’t be overly concerned with nitrates.
Nut Butter. Go for natural, unsweetened nuts
Vegetables and Fruits
This includes tomato, eggplant, and peppers.
Root Vegetables
Onions, parsnips, garlic, mushrooms, and squash.
Berries
This includes raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries.
Completely avoid starchy vegetables and large fruits like potatoes and bananas.
Dairy products
Greek yogurt
Heavy whipping cream
Mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
Spreadable items including cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, mascarpone, crème fraiche, etc.
Soft Cheese including mozzarella, brie, blue, Colby, Monterey jack, etc.
Hard Cheese including aged cheddar, parmesan, feta, Swiss, etc.
Nuts and Seeds
Fatty, low carbohydrate nuts
Macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, and pecans can be consumed with meals to supplement fat.
Fatty, moderate carbohydrate nuts
Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and pine nuts can be used in moderation to supplement for texture or flavor.
Higher carbohydrate nuts
Pistachios and cashews should rarely be eaten or avoided as they’re very high in carbohydrates
What to drink on the Keto diet
This will be your staple, go-to source for hydration. You can drink tap, bottled or sparkling water.
Loaded with vitamins and nutrients. More importantly, it will kick start your energy by replenishing your electrolytes.
Improves mental focus and has some added weight loss benefits.
Has the same effect as coffee. Try to stick with black or green.
Coconut/Almond milk
You can use the unsweetened versions in the carton from the store to replace your favorite dairy beverage.
Diet soda
Try to severely reduce or completely stop drinking this. It can lead to sugar cravings and sometimes insulin spikes in the long run.
The small packets that are flavored with sucralose or stevia are fine. You can alternatively add a squeeze of lemon, lime, or orange to your water bottle.
Choose hard liquor. More beer and wine will be too high carb to consume. Frequent consumption of alcohol will slow weight loss down
Foods To Avoid On The Keto Diet
If you are uncertain about any products or food items that might not be keto friendly here is a list of things that you should always be on the lookout for and avoid:
Sugar. It’s typically found in soda, juice, sports drinks, candy, chocolate, and ice cream. Avoid sugar at all costs.
Grains. Any wheat products, pasta, cereal, cakes, pastries, rice, corn, and beer should be avoided. This includes whole grains like wheat, rye, barley, buckwheat, and quinoa.
Starch. Avoid vegetables like potatoes and yams and other things like oats, muesli, etc. Some root vegetables are okay in moderation – be sure to read the section on vegetables.
Trans Fats. Margarine or any other spreadable replacement butter should be avoided as they contain hydrogenated fats.
Fruit. Avoid any large fruits such as apples, oranges, bananas as they’re extremely high in sugar. Some berries can be consumed in moderation – be sure to read the section on fruits.
Low-fat foods. These tend to be much higher in carbs and sugar than full-fat versions. Make sure you read the package.
A meal plan for a day could look like this:
Breakfast: 2 eggs cooked any way with yolks. Sausage containing no carbs or sugar. Bacon.
Lunch: Chicken with as much skin and oily gooey bits as possible. Steamed spinach or broccoli.
Supper: Steak with cheese. Fried mushrooms. Leafy green salad.
Before bed 1 glass of wine with a slice of cheese.
Tracking Your Macros To Stay In Ketosis
What is Ketosis?
Ketosis is a process that the body does every day, regardless of the number of carbs you eat. Your body processes different types of nutrients into the fuels that it needs. Proteins, fats, and carbs are all processed for use. The ketogenic diet ramps up this process.
This process, ketosis, is a metabolic state where most of the body’s energy comes from ketone bodies in the blood. Ketone bodies are molecules that occur when your body burns fat as an energy source.
What Are Macros?
Macronutrients are the largest class of nutrients the body requires for energy. They include protein, carbohydrates, and fats. When we refer to “macros,” we are referring to these major nutrients. Since “macros” means large, macronutrients are those nutrients we need in large amounts.
There are three major macronutrients important to health and energy:
Carbohydrates
Healthy Fats
Protein
On a low carb diet, the point is to limit the carbohydrate intake to force the body to burn fat for energy instead of carbs or sugar. This is done by limiting your carbs to achieve a state of ketosis.
How to Track Macros
On a low-carb diet, it is important to track the net carbs with a limit of 20 net carbs per day as a maximum number.
It is also important to track the healthy fats, protein, and fiber because on the keto diet the goal is to maintain ketosis, the state of burning fat as energy.
To do this, the fat is to be 70% of the daily intake and protein is to be 25% and the net carb intake is to be 5%
An excellent free Macro Calculator is MyFitnessPal. It is a fun app that gives you free access to the world’s largest nutrition and calorie database with over 5 million foods listed.
It is a great way to keep up with your progress. It also allows you track exercise and calories burned, water intake, and determine accurate nutrition facts for your recipes.
Is Ketosis Dangerous?
No, not at all. Many people confuse ketosis with ketoacidosis and they are not the same at all.
In addition, your body fluctuates throughout the day and can be in and out of ketosis With the ketogenic diet, the purpose is to achieve and maintain a state of ketosis, and that is not dangerous.
Ketosis and Ketoacidosis
Despite the similarity in name, ketosis and ketoacidosis are two different things. And because of the similarity in the name, it can be easy to confuse the two.
What is Ketosis?
Ketosis is a process that the body does every day, regardless of the number of carbs you eat. Your body processes different types of nutrients into the fuels that it needs. Proteins, fats, and carbs are all processed for use. The ketogenic diet, a low carb, high fat diet, ramps up this process.
This process, ketosis, is a metabolic state where most of the body’s energy comes from ketone bodies in the blood. Ketone bodies are molecules that occur when your body burns fat as an energy source.
You can be in ketosis if you’re on a low-carbohydrate diet or fasting, or if you’ve consumed too much alcohol. If you are in ketosis, you have a higher than usual level of ketones in your blood or urine, but not high enough to cause acidosis.
Symptoms when you are in ketosis:
- Bad Breath: Bad breath is a common side effect due to elevated ketone levels. The culprit is acetone. Sugar-free gum or mints can be used to solve the issue. And rest assured, it is not a permanent thing, it will go away.
- Weight Loss: Fast weight losscan occur during the first week.
- Increased Ketones in the Blood: Reduction in blood sugar levels and an increase in ketones
- Appetite Suppression: Many people report decreased hunger while following a ketogenic diet.
- Increased Focus and Energy: Eliminating carbs can help control and stabilize blood sugar levels. This may further increase focus and improve brain function.
- Short-Term Fatigue: Initially, you may suffer from tiredness and low energy. This will pass once your body becomes adapted to running on fat and ketones.
- Short-Term Decreases in Performance: Short-term decreases in performance can occur. However, they tend to improve again after the initial adaptation phase is over.
- Digestive Issues: You might experience digestive issues such as constipation when you first switch to a ketogenic diet.
- Insomnia: Many people report insomnia or waking up at night when they first reduce their carbs drastically. However, this usually improves in a matter of weeks.
What is Ketoacidosis?
Ketoacidosis refers to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and is a complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus, where an individual with uncontrolled diabetes is starving due to the lack of insulin.
Insulin brings glucose into the cells and without it the body switches to ketones. The brain can function with the energy from glucose, fat, or ketones.
Ketoacidosis can be caused by not getting enough insulin, having a severe infection or other illness, becoming severely dehydrated, or some combination of these things.
Symptoms of ketoacidosis:
- Flushed, hot, dry skin.
- Blurred vision.
- Feeling thirsty and urinating a lot.
- Drowsiness or difficulty waking up. Young children may lack interest in their normal activities.
- Rapid, deep breathing.
- A strong, fruity breath odor.
- Loss of appetite, belly pain, and vomiting.
The symptoms are very different and make it easy to see why achieving and maintaining ketosis is not dangerous. And because the symptoms are so different it is easy to determine when you are in ketosis.
How Do I Know I’m In Ketosis?
You are on the ketogenic diet. You are beyond the initial symptoms that come from transitioning into a new diet. You think you are in ketosis, but how do you know for sure?
There are some naturally occurring physical symptoms that you can use to tell that you are in ketosis because you will feel different.
Remember, your body is depending on fat for fuel. This includes dietary fats like oils and fatty meats, but it also includes the extra fat you are carrying on your body. You will feel the loss of some of this fat, whether it is around the belly or on the thighs.
You will notice a decrease in your appetite. As ketones are created and used for energy, there is no more craving for sugary foods or foods you used to eat.
No more cravings mean that you are not as hungry and that means you will not be eating as much or want to eat as much as you did before starting the diet.
Your mental clarity will improve. An unbalanced diet can lead to lack of mental clarity, and it feels like a foggy brain. You have difficulty remembering facts or struggle with staying focused on tasks.
When you are in ketosis, your brain is receiving energy through the ketones using fat as energy, and you will find that you are able to think much more clearly, you will remember facts and details much better.
What Is Keto Flu?
The keto flu. It is a real thing. It can happen when you drastically and suddenly remove carbs from your diet. Most people will experience some of the symptoms, and some people have been known to experience most of the symptoms. Either way, you need to know about it so you can prepare yourself for it.
Also known as the ‘carb flu,’ the keto flu is a natural reaction your body experiences when switching from burning glucose (sugar) as energy to burning fat instead.
In the beginning of practicing the keto diet, you may feel some or all of these symptoms:
- Intense cravings for carbohydrate and sugar
- Fatigue
- Lightheadedness
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Body aches
- Dry mouth
- Nausea
- Irritableness
No need to be alarmed. These symptoms are a natural reaction to removing carbs from your diet, and if you are experiencing them then it means you are doing the diet right.
Most people do not experience all of the symptoms, only some. And, they will pass in less than a week.
Manage the Symptoms
If you know the symptoms are possible, you can prepare yourself and your kitchen cabinet and pantry to manage them.
- Take an electrolyte supplement to replace the salt that has been removed through increased water intake and reduced carbs.
- Hydrate with water, drink when thirsty, and adding a bit of salt will help
- Drink bone broth because it contains a good amount of water, fat, and salt
- Eat more fat by increasing your use of oil in cooking
- Gentle exercise such as walking or yoga.
- Sleep better. Take an Epsom salt bath: soaking in a warm Epsom salt bath can help soothe and relax your muscles and improve electrolyte
- Take an exogenous ketone supplement such Perfect Keto. Exogenous ketones help fight fatigue and boost energy levels by raising the ketone levels in your blood.
Be prepared for the symptoms and make a plan to reduce them so that you only experience them for a few days. Being prepared will help you focus on the end goal, which is to lose weight.
It will also help you be mindful that at the beginning of anything new, there will be a few days of discomfort. If you are prepared for that, you will view the discomfort as simply part of the process.
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