Keto Diet: Counting Daily Macronutrient Points For Success

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that has been gaining popularity over the last decade. The diet involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where it becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. The keto diet is advertised as a weight-loss solution, but it also has several health benefits and risks.

To achieve ketosis, you need to restrict your carb intake to around 20 to 50 grams per day and fill up on fats, such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and healthy oils. The optimal ketone range for weight loss is 0.5 to 3 millimoles per liter.

While the keto diet can help with weight loss and certain health conditions, it also has some potential risks and side effects. It is important to consult a doctor or dietitian before starting the keto diet to ensure it is safe and suitable for you.

What is the keto diet?

The ketogenic diet, or keto diet, is a low-carb, high-fat diet. It involves drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where it becomes very efficient at burning fat for energy.

On a keto diet, your body breaks down fat in the liver, producing ketones, which are by-products of your metabolism. These ketones are then used to fuel your body in the absence of glucose.

There are several versions of the keto diet, including the standard ketogenic diet (SKD), the cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD), the targeted ketogenic diet (TKD), and the high-protein ketogenic diet. The SKD is the most researched and most recommended.

On the SKD, your diet typically contains 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs. To achieve ketosis, you need to restrict your carb intake to less than 50 grams per day, or 25 grams of net carbs (total carbs minus fibre).

The keto diet has been shown to have many health benefits, including weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and reduced risk factors for heart disease. It is also being explored as a potential additional treatment for cancer, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease.

However, there are some potential risks and side effects associated with the keto diet. It is high in saturated fat, which has been linked to heart disease. It may also lead to nutrient deficiencies, liver and kidney problems, constipation, and fuzzy thinking and mood swings.

Additionally, the keto diet can be challenging to stick to due to its restrictive nature, and it may not be suitable for everyone. It is important to consult a healthcare professional before starting the keto diet or any other restrictive diet.

How does the keto diet work?

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that offers many health benefits. 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 very efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain. Ketogenic diets can cause significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels, which, along with the increased ketones, has some health benefits.

On a ketogenic diet, you should base the majority of your meals on meat, fish, eggs, butter, nuts, healthy oils, avocados, and plenty of low-carb veggies.

The keto diet aims to force your body into using a different type of fuel. Instead of relying on sugar (glucose) that comes from carbohydrates, the keto diet relies on ketone bodies, a type of fuel that the liver produces from stored fat.

To reach a state of ketosis, you need to deprive yourself of carbohydrates—this means consuming fewer than 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day. It usually takes a few days to enter ketosis.

Because the keto diet has such high-fat requirements, followers must eat fat at every meal. In a daily 2,000-calorie diet, this might look like 165 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbs, and 75 grams of protein. However, the exact ratio depends on your particular needs.

The keto diet is typically rich in foods like butter, cheese, eggs, meat, nuts, oils, seafood, and seeds. It does not allow much room for fruits, vegetables, grains, potatoes, sweets, or other carbohydrate-rich foods.

A typical ketogenic eating plan aims for about 5% of calories from carbohydrates, 20% from protein, and 75% from dietary fats. On a 2,000-calorie-per-day ketogenic diet, this equates to about 100 calories (25 grams) of carbohydrates, 400 calories (100 grams) of protein, and 1,500 calories (167 grams) of dietary fat.

What are the health benefits of the keto diet?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat eating plan that has been shown to have many health benefits. Here are some of the most notable ones:

• Weight Loss: The keto diet can help you lose weight and lower your risk for certain diseases. In fact, research shows that the ketogenic diet may be as effective for weight loss as a low-fat diet.
• Improved Blood Sugar Control: The keto diet can help improve blood sugar control and even reverse type 2 diabetes.
• Improved Metabolic Health: The keto diet can improve metabolic health and blood pressure.
• Reduced Risk of Certain Cancers: The keto diet is currently being explored as an additional treatment for cancer, as it may help slow tumour growth.
• Improved Brain Function: The keto diet may help reduce symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and slow its progression. It has also been shown to reduce seizures in people with epilepsy.
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: The keto diet can help reduce insulin levels, which may play a key role in polycystic ovary syndrome.

The keto diet has also been shown to be beneficial for people with Parkinson's disease and traumatic brain injuries.

What foods can I eat on the keto diet?

The ketogenic (keto) diet is a high-fat, very low-carbohydrate, and moderate-protein 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 very efficient at burning fat for energy.

• Meat: red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken, and turkey
• Fatty fish: salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel
• Eggs: pastured or omega-3 whole eggs
• Butter and cream: grass-fed butter and heavy cream
• Cheese: unprocessed cheeses like cheddar, goat, cream, blue, or mozzarella
• Nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, etc
• Healthy oils: extra virgin olive oil, and avocado oil
• Avocados: whole avocados or freshly made guacamole
• Low-carb veggies: green veggies, tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc
• Condiments: salt, pepper, herbs, and spices

It's important to base your diet mostly on whole, single-ingredient foods.

• Veggie and egg muffins with tomatoes
• Chicken salad with olive oil, feta cheese, olives, and a side salad
• Salmon with asparagus cooked in butter
• Egg, tomato, basil, and spinach omelet
• Almond milk, peanut butter, spinach, cocoa powder, and stevia milkshake with a side of sliced strawberries
• Nut milk chia pudding topped with coconut and blackberries
• Avocado shrimp salad
• Pork chops with Parmesan cheese, broccoli, and salad
• Omelet with avocado, salsa, peppers, onion, and spices
• Greek, whole milk yogurt with peanut butter, cocoa powder, and berries
• Ground beef lettuce wrap tacos with sliced bell peppers
• Loaded cauliflower and mixed veggies
• Cream cheese pancakes with blueberries and a side of grilled mushrooms
• Zucchini and beet "noodle" salad
• White fish cooked in olive oil with kale and toasted pine nuts
• Fried eggs with mushrooms
• Low-carb sesame chicken and broccoli
• Spaghetti squash Bolognese

What are the side effects of the keto diet?

The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that offers many health benefits. It can help with weight loss and improve your health, including reducing the risk of certain diseases. However, there are some side effects to be aware of.

Firstly, the keto diet can lead to the "keto flu". This is due to the body depleting its carb stores and switching to using ketones and fat for fuel. This can cause flu-like symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and constipation, as well as dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. These symptoms usually pass within a few weeks but should be monitored.

Secondly, the keto diet may stress your kidneys. The high intake of animal foods can cause your blood and urine to become more acidic, leading to an increased excretion of calcium in your urine and a higher risk of kidney stones. The keto diet is also moderate to high in protein, which can overload the kidneys.

Thirdly, the keto diet may cause digestive issues and changes in gut bacteria. It can be difficult to meet your daily fibre needs as the diet restricts carbs, and some of the richest sources of fibre are eliminated. This can lead to digestive discomfort and constipation.

Fourthly, the keto diet may lead to nutrient deficiencies. It restricts several nutrient-dense foods, including fruits, whole grains, and legumes, and may not provide enough vitamins and minerals such as calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Fifthly, the keto diet may cause dangerously low blood sugar. While low-carb diets can help manage blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, they may also increase the risk of low blood sugar events, especially in those with type 1 diabetes.

Sixthly, the keto diet may damage bone health. Several studies have linked the keto diet to decreased bone strength and bone mineral density loss.

Finally, the keto diet may increase your risk of chronic diseases and early death. Some evidence suggests that high-fat, low-carb diets that focus on animal foods may lead to poor health outcomes, while diets emphasising vegetable sources of fats and proteins provide benefits.

Therefore, it is important to speak to a doctor and a registered dietitian before attempting a ketogenic diet, and to consult a dietitian to plan balanced meals and monitor nutrient levels while on the diet.

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