If you are reading this you have undoubtedly by now heard of the ketogenic diet. Either you know someone who is “eating keto” or you ran across a pin on Pinterest boasting extreme weight loss results in an extremely short amount of time eating meat and cheese. Naturally, your interest is piqued. So what the heck is it?
Table of Contents
The Ketogenic Diet: Not A Diet, But A Metabolic State
Ketosis is a metabolic state our bodies enter in the absence of carbohydrates, burning fat for fuel instead of sugar. Essentially what happens during starvation, but not nearly as severe.
Our ancient ancestors needed a second source of energy when food sources where scarce, and our bodies being the amazing, adaptive machines they are gave them that energy from the metabolism of stored fat.
When we burn fat as our primary fuel source we release ketones placing us in a state of ketosis.
This is not to be confused with ketoacidosis. Our bodies use glucose (sugar) more readily than it does fat for energy so in order to produce ketones (enter ketosis) you need to drastically restrict your carbohydrate intake, moderate your protein and increase your dietary fat intake.
Your body over time will become fat-adapted, meaning that your body will more easily choose to burn fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates, more specifically the fat stores on our bodies.
How Low Carb is Keto?
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the average carbohydrate percentage of total calories consumed per day by women 20 and older is 49.6%.
Classic keto practitioners traditionally restrict their carbohydrate intake to 5% percent of their total daily calories or between 20-50 grams of carbohydrate/ day.
The average American consumes between 250-300 grams of carbohydrate a day. To illustrate how little 20-25 grams is:
- 1 can of Coca Cola 39 grams of carbohydrate
- Yoplait Original Strawberry single serving yogurt has 26 grams of carbohydrate
- Naked Juice Green Machine 15.2oz bottle 65 grams
- One slice of wheat bread 12-24 grams
- 1 medium-sized white potato 37 grams
So you can see how it does not take much at all to meet your daily carbohydrate limit.
Why Moderate Protein?
Our bodies are complex amazing organisms and in the absence of dietary carbohydrate and after our liver has been depleted of glycogen (stored glucose) our body can convert excess protein into glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis.
High Fat
The majority of your calories, 75% or higher, is going to come from fat.
I know, sounds insane, especially since most of us grew up during the “fat makes you fat” era, but fat is essential for many of our metabolic processes and hormone regulation.
The goal is to give our bodies an alternate fuel source, fat. So if we are restricting our carbohydrate intake and moderating our protein to avoid gluconeogenesis then we need to make up that calorie deficit with fat, but all fat is not created equal.
How Much Should Each of my Macros be?
Well, that depends on you. Every individual is different Carbohydrate, protein and fat are macronutrients which you will often hear referred to as “macros” in the keto community and in the right ratios you will reach ketosis. There is a general ratios of macros that are commonly used to achieve ketosis. Your daily caloric intake would consist of
- 5% carbohydrate
- 20% protein
- 75% fat.
There are keto macro calculators out there that will give your ratios broken down into grams that will facilitate you achieving ketosis based on various factors including sex, age, height, weight, activity level, whether you desire to lose, gain or maintain weight etc.
You can plug this info into tracking apps like My Fitness Pal and it will help you log everything you eat and see how close you are to your macro limits each day.
These are helpful in the beginning to help make you more aware of foods that could potentially throw you out of ketosis or are using up a significant portion of your calories, but I, personally did not use a fitness tracker long term and instead decided to keep a food/ mood journal so I could really assess how the diet was making me feel and affecting my body. What Happened When I Stopped Dieting
What Should I Eat?
Vegetables
Do not neglect your veggies! Green leafy veggies are essential for a healthy ketogenic lifestyle because they are full of vitamins and fiber and low on the glycemic index.
So load up on spinach, kale, collards, cucumbers, asparagus, zucchini. Basically, if it grows above the ground it’s typically good to go and will not kick you out of ketosis.
Tread lightly with starchy root vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, and corn. They tend to be higher in carbohydrates, but as I said before, some people will be able to tolerate a higher amount of carbs and remain in ketosis and these veggies can be consumed without fear if you practice cyclical keto. More on that later.
Fruits
Most fruits are high in fructose, especially citrus fruits, and will knock you out of ketosis so proceed with caution. Keto safe fruits include:
- strawberries
- blueberries
- blackberries
- avocados
- coconut
- Lemon and lime juices are great to flavor your water or dishes.
Protein
Quality is the name of the game when it comes to your protein. Toxins are stored in the fat cells of animal and consuming sub-standard meat can transfer these toxins to you causing inflammation. Try and buy grass-fed and finished, pasture-raised, wild-caught, organic, antibiotic free, fatty cuts of:
- beef
- pork
- chicken
- salmon
- eggs
Grass finished means that the cow was fed grass throughout its entire life. It can be misconceiving when a product claims to be grass-fed but in actuality the cow was grass-fed for a short while then switched over to a grain-fed diet, negating the health benefits of a grass-fed diet.
Fats
The majority of your calories are going to come from fat. Quality fats include:
- avocados
- avocado oil
- grass-fed butter
- ghee, coconut oil
- MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil
- olive oil
- lard (pig fat)
- tallow (beef fat)
- duck fat
Nuts and seeds are great sources of fat but should be consumed in moderation because they contain good amounts of carbs and protein.
- almonds
- macadamia nuts
- brazil nuts
- chia seeds
- flax seeds
You want to avoid canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, soy, cottonseed and safflower oils. These are full of omega-6 fatty acids that easily turn rancid when heated and are very inflammatory.
Beverages
Water is your best friend in pretty much any diet but don’t you fear coffee lovers. Java is perfectly fine on keto and so is tea. Black coffee is best but if you must add a creamer use a full-fat heavy cream.
BUT YOU MUST DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!
Tea and coffee do not count towards your liquid intake because they are dehydrating and a low carbohydrate diet already causes you to lose water, so if you are consuming these beverages make sure that you are compensating with water.
Sweeteners
Sweeteners should be used sparingly if at all because they can trigger cravings. But I’m human and cannot go from eating a traditional American diet to nothing sweet overnight. Right? Natural sweeteners like:
- stevia
- monk fruit
- erythritol
These are good sweeteners that if used in moderation will not trigger an insulin response. Insulin is a fat-storing hormone so we want to avoid spikes and improve our insulin sensitivity.
[et_bloom_locked optin_id=optin_2]
Here’s Your List! Click to Download
[/et_bloom_locked]
The Good
Weight loss
This is the main reason most people start keto. The first week of weight loss is water weight.
Expect to urinate a great deal so it is very important that you keep up your water intake to avoid electrolyte imbalances.
I cannot stress this enough. Over the next few weeks (and this happens faster for some than others) you will enter a fat burning mode.
The best way to track your progress is by taking monthly pictures and your measurements. The scale is not always a reliable indicator of your progress considering muscle mass and hormone fluctuations.
Blood Sugar Regulation
Eating low-carb reduces blood sugar highs and lows and over an extended period of time can improve your hemoglobin A1c (average blood glucose levels over a 3 month period.)
Increased Energy
Burning fat for fuel can give you a clean steady stream of energy without the crash that comes from consuming foods high in refined carbs. There are no insulin spikes that leave you feeling lethargic and foggy after a large meal.
Craving Elimination
Cravings can be a signal to our brain that our blood sugar is dropping. When you consume a diet high in carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates, you are constantly triggering an insulin response that lowers your blood glucose and triggers cravings.
When you are burning fat as your primary source of fuel you are maintaining your blood glucose at a constant level and therefore not triggering cravings.
I was a huge snacker. Would eat 6 small meals a day with snacks in between. There are days now when I don’t even think about food. I eat to maintain my nutrient stores but I no longer get hangry or have uncontrollable cravings.
Decreases Inflammation
A lot of afflictions root causes stem from immune responses and inflammation.
The ketogenic diet can greatly reduce inflammation throughout the body and you will definitely notice a difference in your skin and in my case, noticed that my joint pain and sinus congestion improvement dramatically.
Eczema on the back of my legs, creases of my arms, neck, and back that have plagued me my entire life disappeared.
I used to take ibuprofen pretty regularly for pain in my hands in right knee and I was caught off guard when I noticed one day about 3 months into keto that I wasn’t experiencing the aches and pains anymore.
Food Freedom
The sky is the limit with what you can eat on keto, although it will not feel that way in the beginning because most of our diets are primarily made of carbohydrates.
Before when altering my eating habits I felt like I was missing out on things I loved. Although in the beginning your body kind of goes through detox and you will have cravings as you wean off of sugar. (withdrawals).
Eventually, you won’t even miss the junk you used to eat. Your body will want real, nourishing foods. It sounds crazy but it’s true.
The Not So Good
Constipation and Diarrhea
Gastrointestinal discomfort can occur with a ketogenic diet. Some may avoid all vegetables in order to avoid carbohydrates at all costs resulting in low fiber consumption leading to constipation.
High fat consumption may result in loose stools or diarrhea. PLEASE DO NOT STOP EATING VEGETABLES!
I do not advocate the ketogenic diet for weight loss at the expense of your health, messing with your digestive tract can lead to a whole host of issues and part of having a healthy gut means eating micronutrients that are abundant in veggies, especially the green leafy ones, so eat up!
Sleep Disturbances
You may experience poor sleep quality in the initial phases of keto.
Carbohydrates facilitate the passage of L-tryptophan into the brain that aids in the production of serotonin (primarily made in the gut) and melatonin, hormones that relax and help us fall asleep.
The body also views considerable dietary changes as a stressor on the body which in turn raises cortisol levels preventing rest.
This is disrupted at the beginning of keto due to low carbohydrate consumption and is exacerbated by higher than normal energy levels you’ll start to experience.
Over time this should resolve and you’ll experience restorative, better quality sleep with deeper REM cycles.
However, if it does not, then you should consider adding more carbohydrates to your diet. A half of sweet potato at dinner made all of the difference to my night’s sleep and did not kick me out of ketosis.
Keto Rash
Very rarely people develop a red itchy rash over the trunk of there bodies after entering ketosis. Termed “Keto Rash“.
Although the exact cause is unknown, heat and sweating usually irritate the rash leading some believe it is a sensitivity to ketones drying on the skin. It is relieved by eating carbs and falling out of ketosis.
Bad Breath and Body Odor
As you produce ketones your breath can smell like acetone, think nail polish remover. You may also release acetone through your sweat giving you body odor.
This will resolve as your body learns to use the ketones you are producing for energy and you become fat adapted. Adding more carbs is a quick way to relieve the issue.
Hair Loss
Hair loss is common with any major dietary change because it is a stress on the thyroid, especially in women. You may notice hair loss 3-6 months after you start keto but it is usually minimal and temporary.
If your hair loss persists you could be doing damage to your thyroid and should up your carbohydrate intake. Remember EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT and just because Susie is thriving eating 50 grams of carbohydrate a day does not mean you will.
Pay attention to continued hair loss, dry skin, heat intolerance and increased anxiety. These could be signs of stress on your thyroid and you may need to introduce more carbs into your regimen.
Keto Flu
As you decrease carbs in your diet and begin to enter ketosis there will be a lot of water loss through urination. This can result in electrolyte imbalances more specifically Sodium, Magnesium, and Potassium.
You may begin to experience “flu-like” symptoms such as fatigue, muscle cramps, body aches, brain fog, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and irritability.
To learn more about Keto Flu and what I did to remedy my symptoms check out 6 Mistakes I Made Starting Keto.
How Do I know I Am In Ketosis?
The most definitive way to know if you are in ketosis is to test your blood ketone levels. You are in ketosis if your ketones measure at least 0.5mmol/L.
You can do this using a ketone meter that looks similar to the blood glucose meters that diabetics use. This can be expensive, the test strips alone are usually a dollar strip. Urine ketone test strips are a more affordable option.
They are a good way to test whether you are producing ketones in the beginning but as you become fat adapted you will have fewer ketones in your urine because you will be utilizing them for energy, so blood testing will more accurately tell if you’re in ketosis.
More subjective ways of knowing are weight loss, increased energy, focus, and reduced appetite.
Cyclical Keto
Carbohydrates are not the devil as may sometimes be unintendedly implied. They are a necessary macronutrient that should not be completely excluded.
People who are very active may find that they do not have the energy required to complete their workouts as they did before starting a ketogenic diet.
Glucose is necessary to convert ATP to ADP for those sudden bursts of energy required for sprinting and HIIT training.
This is why many athletes carb-load on the days before competitions. With cyclical keto you pick specific days to eat carbs, and I mean really eat, typically once or twice a week depending.
You’ll also hear these days referred to as carb-ups or re-feeds. When you eat a higher percentage of carbohydrate you will need to reduce your fat intake on those days.
Everyone cannot tolerate long term classic keto and find that adding carb-up days helps them better stick to keto longer term and helps restore nutrient and glycogen stores.
Benefits of cyclical keto include Improved sleep, better workouts, better thyroid function, improved gut flora, stronger immune system.
Ketogenic Diet Long Term
Is it safe to always be in a state of ketosis long term? Unfortunately, there is very limited information out there on the effects of adhering to a ketogenic diet long term.
Registered dieticians have voiced concerns that excluding a major macronutrient like carbohydrates for extended time frames can lead to nutrient deficiencies and can be especially dangerous for those with kidney disorders.
You have to decide what works for you and fits your lifestyle. Keto serves a great reboot to my system and I currently eat more of a low-carb/ cyclical keto rotation because I have found that I feel best and my body responds better when I do allow myself to have carbohydrates.
You can live a keto lifestyle without constantly being in a state of ketosis. Once your body has adapted to burning fat it should be easier to jump back into ketosis.
The ketogenic diet was instrumental in helping me get a handle on my health issues and realize that there is a way to end the dependence on fake food that has a grip on a lot of people.
I wish I had known some of this information before starting to make for an easier transition but I would do it again in a heartbeat. I hope this has helped you if you’re thinking of trying a keto lifestyle:)
I hope that you have found this helpful in some way. Feel free to share and f you are currently living the keto lifestyle or are thinking of starting please comment below;)
