Keto Diet: Mastering Meals And Macros

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that can be effective for weight loss and certain health conditions. To be in ketosis, the body needs to burn fat for fuel, which happens when you cut back on carbohydrates. On a keto diet, you need to limit your carbs to 20 or fewer grams of net carbs per day, or 5 to 10% of calories. This means eating lots of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and other protein-rich foods, as well as leafy greens, non-starchy veggies, and salads. You can also include fats like olive oil for flavor and to fill in calories.

What to eat on a keto diet

A keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that can be effective for weight loss and certain health conditions. It is important to understand your macronutrients or "macros" to ensure you are hitting your goals. Macros refer to the amount of protein, carbs, and fat that your body needs to enter nutritional ketosis.

To achieve ketosis, most people must eat less than 30-50 grams of net carbs per day. This will prevent an increase in blood sugar levels, deplete your stored glycogen, and force your body to burn fat to create ketones. The keto diet also requires that most of your daily calories come from healthy fats, with protein in moderate amounts to boost metabolism and support lean muscle mass.

• Red meat, such as beef, pork, and lamb
• Poultry, such as chicken and turkey
• Fish of all types, including salmon, tuna, sole, trout, and halibut
• Natural fats, such as butter and olive oil
• Above-ground vegetables, including leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and eggplant

Here’s what you should avoid on a keto diet:

• Bread, tortillas, muffins, bagels, pancakes
• Cakes, cookies, and other baked goods
• Sugar and anything made with sugar
• Most fruits and fruit juice

It is also important to note that the fewer carbs you eat, the more effective the diet appears to be for reaching ketosis, losing weight, or improving type 2 diabetes.

How to get into ketosis

Ketosis is a metabolic state in which the body uses stored fat instead of glucose as its primary energy source. This happens when there is a lack of glucose, and the body burns fat for energy instead. Ketosis can be challenging to reach and maintain, but there are several strategies to help encourage the body to enter this state.

Reduce Carbohydrate Intake

The body typically uses glucose, or sugar, as its primary energy source. By reducing the intake of carbohydrates, the body is forced to use fat as its primary energy source instead. It is recommended to reduce carb consumption to 50 grams or less per day to reach ketosis, though this limit can vary from person to person.

Increase Physical Activity

The more energy used during the day, the more fuel the body needs. Exercise helps to reduce the body's stores of glycogen, a form of glucose. Eating carbs usually restores glycogen levels, but on a low-carb diet, these stores are not sufficiently replenished, and the body turns to fat as a source of fuel instead.

Fasting for Short Periods

Intermittent fasting can help a person reach a state of ketosis. In some cases, a doctor may recommend fasting periods of 24-48 hours, but most people do not need to fast this long to reach ketosis. Intermittent fasting may also help manage obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, but more research is needed to confirm these benefits.

Increase Healthy Fat Intake

Most people aiming for ketosis replace lost carbohydrates with an increase in healthy fats. Good sources of healthy fats include avocados, avocado oil, and fatty fish such as salmon. It is generally advisable to limit saturated and trans fats, such as those from fried foods.

Test Ketone Levels

Testing ketone levels can help a person track their progress and make adjustments to their diet. Simple ketone tests, such as strips and monitors, are available to purchase online. There are three types of ketones that can be measured through urine, breath, and blood.

Check Protein Intake

A person following the keto diet typically eats more dietary fat than protein. Recommended amounts of protein vary, but one standard recommendation is consuming about 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight each day. People who exercise heavily may need up to 1.5 grams per pound.

Consume More MCT Oil

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which can be purchased as oil, can help a person reach ketosis even when eating less fat and more protein and carbs than a typical keto diet.

It is important to note that ketosis is not safe for everyone. Remaining in ketosis for prolonged periods can have adverse effects, especially for people with type 1 diabetes, as it increases the risk of developing ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening condition. Anyone considering the keto diet should consult a healthcare professional first.

Intermittent fasting and keto

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves rotating between periods of fasting and normal eating. Popular methods include the 5:2 and 16/8 methods. The 16/8 method, for example, involves eating during an eight-hour window and fasting for the remaining 16 hours of the day. Intermittent fasting is mainly used as a weight-loss technique, but it has also been shown to reduce inflammation, improve brain function and control blood sugar.

The ketogenic (keto) diet is a high-fat, very low-carb way of eating. On the keto diet, carbs are typically reduced to 20-50 grams per day, which forces your body to rely on fats instead of glucose for energy. This metabolic process is called ketosis. The keto diet is an effective way to lose weight and has been used to treat epilepsy and other neurological disorders. It may also reduce blood sugar, improve insulin resistance and lower heart disease risk factors.

Potential Benefits of Combining Intermittent Fasting and Keto

Combining the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting is likely safe for most people, but there are some exceptions. Pregnant or breastfeeding women and those with a history of disordered eating should avoid intermittent fasting. People with certain health conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease, should consult a doctor before trying this combination.

If you commit to the ketogenic diet while doing intermittent fasting, it could offer the following benefits:

• May smooth your path to ketosis: Intermittent fasting may help your body reach ketosis quicker than the keto diet alone. During fasting, your body shifts its fuel source from carbs to fats. As this is the exact premise of the keto diet, combining the two may help you reach ketosis faster.
• May lead to more fat loss: Combining the diet and the fast may help you burn more fat than the diet alone. Intermittent fasting boosts metabolism and promotes thermogenesis, or heat production, which may cause your body to start burning stubborn fat stores. Several studies reveal that intermittent fasting can powerfully and safely reduce excess body fat.
• May preserve muscle mass: Intermittent fasting may preserve muscle mass during weight loss and improve energy levels, which may be helpful for keto dieters looking to improve athletic performance.

Sample Menu for Keto and Intermittent Fasting

10 a.m.: Black coffee and scrambled eggs topped with avocado slices; water all morning

1 p.m.: Large leafy green salad topped with olive oil, vinegar, and grilled salmon

3 p.m.: ¼ cup macadamia nuts (optional)

5:30 p.m.: Chicken leg (with skin), ¼ cup of cooked wild rice, and 2 cups of zucchini cooked with olive oil

The keto flu and other side effects

The keto flu is a collection of symptoms experienced by some people when they first start the keto diet. The symptoms, which can feel similar to the flu, are caused by the body adapting to a new diet consisting of very few carbohydrates.

The ketogenic diet is very low in carbohydrates, high in fat, and moderate in protein. Reducing your carb intake forces your body to burn ketones for energy instead of glucose. Ketones are byproducts of fat breakdown and become the main fuel source when following a ketogenic diet.

Symptoms of the keto flu include nausea, vomiting, headaches, fatigue, stomach or intestinal pain, and sugar cravings. These symptoms are commonly reported by those who have just begun the ketogenic diet and can be distressing. Symptoms typically last a few days or up to several weeks.

• Drink plenty of water. A keto diet can cause you to rapidly shed water stores, increasing the risk of dehydration.
• Avoid strenuous exercise. Fatigue, muscle cramps, and stomach discomfort are common in the first week of following a ketogenic diet, so it may be a good idea to give your body some rest.
• Replace electrolytes. When following a ketogenic diet, levels of insulin, an important hormone that helps the body absorb glucose from the bloodstream, decrease. When insulin levels decrease, the kidneys release excess sodium from the body. Getting adequate amounts of these important nutrients is an excellent way to power through the adaptation period of the diet.
• Get enough sleep. Fatigue and irritability are common complaints of people who are adapting to a ketogenic diet. Lack of sleep causes levels of the stress hormone cortisol to rise in the body, which can negatively impact mood and make keto-flu symptoms worse.
• Eat enough fat (and carbs). Transitioning to a very low-carb diet can cause you to crave foods that are restricted on the ketogenic diet. Eating enough fat, the primary fuel source on the ketogenic diet, will help reduce cravings and keep you feeling satisfied.

The keto flu is usually temporary, lasting only a few days to a few weeks. However, some people may have a more difficult time adapting to this high-fat, low-carb diet, and their symptoms may last up to a month.

How to start a keto diet now

The keto diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that has gained popularity as a weight loss method. It first surfaced in the 1920s when doctors recommended it to help with conditions like epilepsy and diabetes.

If you're planning to start the keto diet, there are a few things you should know and consider.

Know the Basics

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

Types of Keto Diet

There are several types of keto diets, each focusing on slight changes in the proportion of fat, protein, and carbs in your daily meals:

• Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD): This is a very low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat diet, typically containing 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs.
• Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD): This involves periods of higher-carb "refeeds," such as five ketogenic days followed by two high-carb days.
• Targeted Ketogenic Diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around intense workouts.
• High-Protein Ketogenic Diet (HPKD): Similar to SKD, but with more protein; the ratio is usually 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.

What to Eat and What to Avoid

When on the keto diet, you'll be severely limiting carbs to around 20-50 grams per day. The only foods that don't contain carbs are meat (protein) and pure fats like butter and olive oil.

Foods to eat on the keto diet include:

• Meat: Red meat, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, chicken, and turkey.
• Fatty fish: Salmon, trout, tuna, and mackerel.
• Eggs: Pastured or omega-3 whole eggs.
• Dairy: Full-fat dairy products like butter and cream.
• Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin 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.

Foods to avoid or limit include starchy and high-carb foods like:

• Starchy vegetables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, and beans.
• Fruits: All fruits, except small portions of berries like strawberries.
• Grains or starches: Wheat-based products, rice, pasta, cereal, etc.
• Sugary foods: Soda, fruit juice, smoothies, cake, ice cream, candy, etc.
• Alcohol: Beer, wine, liquor, mixed drinks.

Potential Side Effects and Risks

While the keto diet has been shown to help with weight loss and certain health conditions, it may not be suitable for everyone. Some potential side effects include:

• Keto flu: This term refers to the period after starting the diet when your body is adjusting to burning fat for energy. You may experience lethargy, mental fog, and constipation or diarrhea.
• Increased cholesterol: The keto diet may decrease cholesterol for some people, but it may increase it for others.
• Gut health issues: The diet's restriction of nutrient-dense and fiber-rich foods like legumes, whole grains, starchy vegetables, and fruits may affect gut health.
• Low bone density: There is a risk of low bone density and bone fractures.

How to Start

Before starting the keto diet, it is important to talk to your doctor or a nutritionist, especially if you have other dietary restrictions. They can help you find alternatives or substitutes and create a meal plan that suits your needs.

• Will the keto diet help manage certain health conditions?
• Do I need to lose weight?
• What are some of the side effects?
• Should I take or continue vitamins or supplements during the diet?
• How long should I stay on the keto diet?
• Should I exercise? If so, how much?

Frequently asked questions