Ketogenic Diet - Beginner's Guide

The ketogenic diet has become quite popular recently.A keto or ketogenic diet is a low-carb, moderate protein, higher-fat diet. It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain. A keto diet can be especially useful for losing excess body fat without hunger and for improving type 2 diabetes. It lowers blood sugar and insulin levels, and shifts the body’s metabolism away from carbs and towards fat and ketones.

Types of Ketogenic Diet

There are several versions of the ketogenic diet, including:

1. Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low-carb, moderate-protein and high-fat diet. It typically contains 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbs.
2. Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods of higher-carb re-feeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high-carb days.
3. Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around workouts.
4. High-protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet, but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.

However, only the standard and high-protein ketogenic diets have been studied extensively. Cyclical or targeted ketogenic diets are more advanced methods and primarily used by bodybuilders or athletes.

Keto Benefits

The benefits of a ketogenic diet are similar to those of other low-carb and higher-fat diets, but it appears to be more powerful than liberal low-carb diets. Think of keto as a super-charged, low-carb diet, maximizing the benefits.

Loose Weight

A ketogenic diet is an effective way to lose weight and lower risk factors for disease. Turning your body into a fat-burning machine can be beneficial for weight loss. Fat burning is significantly increased, while insulin – the fat-storing hormone – levels drop greatly. This appears to make it far easier for body fat loss to occur, without hunger.

Appetite Control

On a keto diet you are likely to gain control over your appetite. It is a very common experience for feelings of hunger to decrease dramatically. This usually makes it easy to eat less and lose excess weight – just wait until you are hungry before you eat. It also makes intermittent fasting easier, something that can enhance efforts to reverse type 2 diabetes and speed up weight loss, beyond the effects of keto only.

Control Diabetes

Diabetes is characterized by changes in metabolism, high blood sugar and impaired insulin function. The ketogenic diet can help you lose excess fat, which is closely linked to type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Other benefits of Keto Diet are:

• Heart disease: The ketogenic diet can improve risk factors like body fat, HDL cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood sugar.
• Cancer: The diet is currently being used to treat several types of cancer and slow tumor growth.
• Alzheimer's disease: The keto diet may reduce symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and slow its progression.
• Epilepsy: Research has shown that the ketogenic diet can cause massive reductions in seizures in epileptic children.
• Parkinson's disease: One study found that the diet helped improve symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome: The ketogenic diet can help reduce insulin levels, which may play a key role in polycystic ovary syndrome.
• Brain injuries: One animal study found that the diet can reduce concussions and aid recovery after brain injury.
• Acne: Lower insulin levels and eating less sugar or processed foods may help improve acne.

Foods to Eat

You should base the majority of your meals around these foods:

• Meat: Red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken and turkey.
• Fatty fish: Such as salmon, trout, tuna and mackerel.
• Eggs: Look for pastured or omega-3 whole eggs.
• Butter and cream: Look for grass-fed when possible.
• Cheese: Unprocessed cheese (cheddar, goat, cream, blue or mozzarella).
• Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc.
• Healthy oils: Primarily extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil.
• Avocados: Whole avocados or freshly made guacamole.
• Low-carb veggies: Most green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc.
• Condiments: You can use salt, pepper and various healthy herbs and spices.

It is best to base your diet mostly on whole, single-ingredient foods.

Foods to Avoid

Any food that is high in carbs should be limited.

Here is a list of foods that need to be reduced or eliminated on a ketogenic diet:

• Sugary foods: Soda, fruit juice, smoothies, cake, ice cream, candy, etc.
• Grains or starches: Wheat-based products, rice, pasta, cereal, etc.
• Fruit: All fruit, except small portions of berries like strawberries.
• Beans or legumes: Peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc.
• Root vegetables and tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.
• Low-fat or diet products: These are highly processed and often high in carbs.
• Some condiments or sauces: These often contain sugar and unhealthy fat.
• Unhealthy fats: Limit your intake of processed vegetable oils, mayonnaise, etc.
• Alcohol: Due to their carb content, many alcoholic beverages can throw you out of ketosis.
• Sugar-free diet foods: These are often high in sugar alcohols, which can affect ketone levels in some cases. These foods also tend to be highly processed.

Healthy Keto Snacks

In case you get hungry between meals, here are some healthy, keto-approved snacks:

• Fatty meat or fish
• Cheese
• A handful of nuts or seeds
• Cheese with olives
• 1–2 hard-boiled eggs
• 90% dark chocolate
• A low-carb milkshake with almond milk, cocoa powder and nut butter
• Full-fat yogurt mixed with nut butter and cocoa powder
• Strawberries and cream
• Celery with salsa and guacamole
• Smaller portions of leftover meals

How to know you are in ketosis?

It is possible to measure it by testing urine, blood or breath samples. But there are also telltale symptoms that require no testing: Symptoms of ketosis: dry mouth, thirst, frequent urination

Dry mouth and increased thirst. Unless you drink enough water and get enough electrolytes like salt, you may feel a dry mouth. Try a cup of bouillon or two daily, plus as much water as you need. You may also feel a metallic taste in your mouth.

Increased urination. A ketone body, acetoacetate, may end up in the urine. This makes it possible to test for ketosis using urine strips. It also – at least when starting out – can result in having to go to the bathroom more often. This may be the main cause of the increased thirst.

Keto breath. This is due to a ketone body called acetone escaping via our breath. It can make a person’s breath smell “fruity,” or similar to nail polish remover. This smell can sometimes also come from sweat, when working out. It is often temporary. Learn more 

Other, less specific but more positive signs include:

Reduced hunger. Many people experience a marked reduction in hunger on a keto diet. In fact, many people feel great when they eat just once or twice a day, and may automatically end up doing a form of intermittent fasting. This saves time and money, while also speeding up weight loss.

Possibly increased energy. After a few days of feeling tired (the “keto flu“) many people experience a clear increase in energy levels. This can also be experienced as clear thinking, a lack of “brain fog,” or even a sense of euphoria.

Takeaway

A ketogenic diet can be used to achieve weight loss, blood sugar control and other health-related goals. Fortunately, it can include a wide variety of nutritious, tasty and versatile foods that allow you to remain within your daily carb range.