The keto diet is a popular diet that involves low-carb, moderate-protein, and high-fat intake.
Offering many health benefits, this diet has been found to help you lose weight and improve your health. It has benefits against epilepsy, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
So here we provide a detailed beginner’s guide to the ketogenic diet.
What is a ketogenic diet?
Basics of keto diet
The ketogenic diet is quite similar with Atkins and other low-carb diets. It involves very low carb, moderate protein, and high fat.
When following the keto diet, you basically reduce and limit your carb intake to get into full ketosis—a metabolic state where your body uses fat, instead of glucose, for energy.
During ketosis, your body becomes efficient at burning fat for energy and turning it into ketones in the liver to provide energy for the brain.
The keto diet, being able to reduce insulin and blood sugar levels, offers some potential health benefits.
Types of ketogenic diets
There are different versions of this diet.
Standard ketogenic diet (SKD)
SKD involves very low carb (10%), moderate protein (20%), and high fat (70%).
High protein ketogenic diet
High protein ketogenic diet is quite similar to the SKD, but it only includes more protein with a usual ratio of 5% carbs, 35% protein, and 60% fat.
Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD)
CKD involves higher carb refeed periods, such as 2 high carb days after 5 ketogenic days.
Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD)
TKD allows you to consume carbs around workouts.
However, only the first two types, the standard and high protein ketogenic diets, have been extensively studied. The other two, targeted or cyclical ketogenic diets, are primarily used by bodybuilders or athletes, as they are more advanced methods.
In this article, we mostly focus on the SKD.
What is ketosis?
Ketosis is a metabolic state where the body relies on fat, instead of carbs, for fuel. It happens when there is a limited supply of glucose in your body, which is your body cells’ main energy source.
The most effective way to get into full ketosis is following a keto diet, which involves limiting your carb intake to ~20–50 grams a day and filling up on fats, including eggs, fish, meat, healthy oils, avocado, and nuts.
If consumed in high amounts, proteins can also be converted into glucose. Thus, it’s highly essential that you also consume protein in moderation; otherwise, your transition into ketosis might get affected.
Intermittent fasting can also help you get into full ketosis faster. Although many different forms of intermittent fasting are available, the 16/8 intermittent fasting is the most popular. It involves fasting for 16 hours and limiting food intake to ~ 8 hours.
To determine whether or not you’ve reached ketosis, breath, urine, and blood tests are available where you can measure the amount of ketones produced by your body.
Certain symptoms, including dry mouth, bad breath, increased thirst, frequent urination, and decreased appetite, may also indicate that you’ve reached the ketosis state.
Ketogenic diets for weight loss
A keto diet is an effective tool to achieve weight loss and reduce risk factors for disease.
In fact, it has been shown to be as effective for weight loss as a diet that involves low fat.
What’s more, you can lose weight without having to keep track of your food or calorie intake, as it is so filling.
Following a very low-carb keto diet was found to be slightly more effective when it comes to long-term weight loss than a diet that involves low fat. Keto dieters also lost an average of 2 pounds more than those who followed a low-fat diet.
In addition, this diet also caused a reduction in triglyceride and diastolic blood pressure levels.
Another study also demonstrated that keto dieters lost nearly five times as much total body fat as compared with those who followed a low-fat diet, in just 8 weeks.
The improved insulin sensitivity, reduced blood sugar levels, and increased ketones may also play a key role.
Ketogenic diets for diabetes and prediabetes
Diabetes involves high blood sugar, impaired insulin function, and changes in metabolism.
Following a keto diet leads to an excess fat loss, which is closely linked to metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes.
The keto diet was found to improve insulin sensitivity by a whopping 75%.
A small study also found that following a 90-day keto diet significantly reduced hemoglobin A1C levels, which is a measure of glucose attached to hemoglobin.
Another study in people with type 2 diabetes demonstrated that those who adhered to a keto diet experienced weight loss (average of 26.2 pounds) over a period of 2 years. This can be beneficial for them.
What’s more, their use of certain medications decreased, and their blood sugar management also improved throughout the course of the study.
Other keto health benefits
Originally, the keto diet was used as a tool to treat neurological diseases, including epilepsy.
As time goes by, the diet has been shown to be beneficial for various health conditions:
Heart disease. The keto diet has been found to improve risk factors like blood sugar, blood pressure, body fat, and HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
Cancer. The keto diet has also been studied as an additional treatment for cancer, as it may help slow the growth of tumors.
Polycystic ovary syndrome. The keto diet was found to help reduce levels of insulin, which may play an important role in PCOS.
Brain injuries. The diet was also suggested to improve outcomes of traumatic brain injuries.
Alzheimer’s disease. The keto diet may help reduce symptoms and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Epilepsy. The keto diet has been shown to cause significant reductions in seizures in children with epilepsy.
Parkinson’s disease. One study found that this low-fat, high-fat diet helped improve Parkinson’s disease symptoms, but further research is necessary.
It is however noteworthy that research into most of these areas is far from conclusive. Further human studies are necessary to fully elucidate the diet’s effects on humans.
Foods to avoid
Any high-carb foods should be limited on the keto diet. Here’s a list of foods that you need to reduce or completely eliminate on your diet:
Grains or starches (such as rice, pasta, wheat-based products, and cereal)
Sugary foods (such as fruit juices, smoothies, soda, ice cream, candy, and cake)
Fruit (All fruit, except berries like strawberries, but in small portions only)
Beans or legumes (such as peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, and lentils)
Root vegetables and tubers (such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, and carrots)
Low fat or diet products (such as low-fat mayonnaise and salad dressings)
Some condiments or sauces (such as honey mustard, barbecue sauce, ketchup, and teriyaki sauce)
Unhealthy fats (such as mayonnaise)
Alcohol (such as mixed drinks, beer, wine, and liquor)
Sugar-free diet foods (such as syrups, sugar-free candies, sweeteners, puddings, and desserts)
Foods to eat
When following a keto diet, your meals should be based on the following foods:
Eggs (preferably pastured or omega-3 whole eggs)
Fatty fish (such as herring, mackerel, salmon, and anchovy)
Meat (such as steak, red meat, chicken, turkey, ham, sausage, and bacon)
Cream and butter (choose heavy cream and grass-fed butter)
Cheese (unprocessed cheeses like cream, blue, cheddar, goat, or mozzarella)
Nuts and seeds (such as walnuts, peanuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, and chia seeds)
Healthy oils (such as olive and avocado oil)
Avocados (whole avocados)
Low-carb veggies (such as leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, and onions)
Condiments (such as herbs, salt, and pepper)
A 7-day sample keto meal plan
Here’s a 7-day sample keto meal plan to help you get started.
Monday
Breakfast
Veggie and egg muffins with cucumber
Lunch
Chicken salad with feta cheese, olive oil, and olives
Dinner
Tuna with asparagus cooked in butter
Tuesday
Breakfast
Egg, basil, spinach, and tomato omelet
Lunch
Almond milk, cocoa powder, peanut butter, spinach, and stevia milkshake with a side of sliced strawberries
Dinner
Cheese-shell tacos with salsa
Wednesday
Breakfast
Nut milk chia pudding topped with blueberries and coconut
Lunch
Avocado shrimp salad
Dinner
Beef steak with broccoli, Parmesan cheese, and salad
Thursday
Breakfast
Omelet with avocado, onion, peppers, spices, and salsa
Lunch
Celery sticks with guacamole and salsa and a handful of nuts
Dinner
Turkey stuffed with pesto and cream cheese
Friday
Breakfast
Sugar-free Greek, whole milk yogurt with cocoa powder, peanut butter, and berries
Lunch
Ground pork lettuce wrap tacos with chopped bell peppers
Dinner
Loaded cauliflower and mixed veggies
Saturday
Breakfast
Cream cheese pancakes with berries
Lunch
Zucchini and beet “noodle” salad
Dinner
White fish cooked in coconut oil with toasted pine nuts and kale
Sunday
Breakfast
Fried eggs with tomatoes and mushrooms
Lunch
Low-carb sesame turkey and broccoli
Dinner
Spaghetti squash Bolognese
Each vegetable type provides different nutrients and health benefits; thus, rotating them over the long term is a great idea.
Healthy keto snacks
Here are some healthy, keto-friendly snacks in case you get hungry in between meals.
Fatty meat or fish
Cheese
Hard-boiled or deviled eggs
Keto-friendly snack bars
90% dark chocolate
A handful of nuts or seeds
Keto sushi bites
Olives
Beef jerky
Smaller portions of leftover meals
Fat bombs
Bell peppers and guacamole
Strawberries and plain cottage cheese
Celery with salsa and guacamole
Keto tips and tricks
Transitioning into the keto diet can be quite challenging. So here we give you several tips and tricks for you to easily get started.
- Familiarize yourself with food labels and check the calorie content to determine whether or not that food is appropriate for your diet.
- Plan out your meals in advance.
- Check out some websites, cookbooks, and food blogs that offer keto-friendly recipes and meals so you can also build your own custom menu.
- When you’re short on time, look into healthy frozen keto meals.
- When attending a social gathering, try bringing your own keto-friendly food to curb cravings and stick to your meal plan.
Tips for eating out for keto dieters
Keto dieters can also eat out. There are many keto-friendly restaurant meals.
- Most restaurants offer some low-carb vegetable-, fish-, and meat-based dishes. If there’s any high-carb food included, you can replace it with extra vegetables.
- You can also choose egg-based meals, like bacon and egg.
- You can also opt to have bun-less burgers, and replace the fries with vegetables and add extra eggs, bacon, cheese, or avocado.
- You can also enjoy any type of meat-based dishes at any Mexican restaurants.
- You can also ask for a mixed cheese board or berries with cream for dessert.
Side effects of keto diet
The keto diet is generally safe, but it’s not uncommon for you to experience some initial side effects of keto diet while your body adapts to this new way of eating.
These side effects are often referred to as the “keto flu.” Although these symptoms usually last within a few days, some people may experience it for a longer period of time.
Keto flu symptoms may include digestive discomfort, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, poor energy and mental function, increased hunger, sleep issues, nausea, and decreased exercise performance.
How to minimize them?
To minimize the keto flu symptoms, you can start by following a regular low-carb diet to slowly allow your body to adjust and burn more fat before you fully eliminate carbs in your diet.
The water and mineral balance can also be affected by the diet, so taking mineral supplements or adding extra salt to your meals is recommended.
It is important that you stay hydrated, consume more fat, get plenty of rest, and try light exercise while your body is adjusting to the diet.
A keto diet helps you lose weight without intentional calorie restriction. So as you start transitioning into the diet, try to avoid restricting calories too much and eat until you’re full.
Risks of the keto diet
Following a keto diet in the long term may cause some negative effects, such as risks of kidney stones, extra fat in the liver, micronutrient deficiencies, and low protein in the blood.
People with type 2 diabetes taking a type of medication called sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors should avoid the keto diet, as it can increase the risk for diabetic ketoacidosis—a dangerous condition that raises blood acidity.
More research is being done to determine whether or not the keto diet is safe to follow in the long term. If you are planning to follow this diet, it’s better that you keep your doctor informed so he can guide your choices.
Supplements for a ketogenic diet
Although the keto diet does not require supplements, the following may be useful.
MCT oil. MCT oil, when added to drinks or yogurt, helps increase ketone levels and provides energy.
Caffeine. Caffeine was found to be beneficial for energy, performance, and fat loss.
Exogenous ketones. This supplement may help you get into full ketosis faster by raising the body’s ketone levels.
Creatine. Creatine provides numerous health and performance benefits, especially if you are combining the keto diet with exercise.
Minerals. Since the diet can affect the balance of water and minerals in your body, added salt and other minerals can be essential when starting out.
Whey. Whey protein helps increase your daily protein intake.
Frequently asked questions
Below are some frequently asked questions about the ketogenic diet.
1. Can I still consume carbs?
Yes. But when you’re starting out, you should significantly reduce your carb intake. You can consume carbs on special occasions after 2–3 months on the diet, but just return to the diet right after.
2. Why does my urine smell fruity?
The fruity smell in your urine is due to the excretion of by-products created during ketosis. Don’t be alarmed about that.
3. What do I do? My breath smells.
That’s not an uncommon side effect of the keto diet. You can try chewing sugar-free gum or drinking naturally flavored water.
4. Is ketosis extremely dangerous?
Ketosis and ketoacidosis are different. The former is fine for healthy people; it’s the latter that is dangerous. It’s recommended that you speak to your doctor before transitioning into a new diet, especially if you have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes.
5. What do I do? I am experiencing digestion issues and diarrhea.
Digestion issues and diarrhea are common side effects of keto diet. They usually go after 3–4 weeks. If they still persist, try consuming vegetables that are rich in fiber.
6. What to do if I’m constantly weak, tired, or fatigued?
Your body may not be utilizing fats and ketones efficiently. Taking a supplement like MCT oil or exogenous ketones can help counter this.
Conclusion
A keto diet is beneficial, especially for people who have diabetes, are overweight, and are looking to improve their metabolic health. In addition, it may also be suitable for athletes who wish to improve their muscle or weight.
However, it is not sustainable and suitable for everyone’s lifestyles and preferences. Should you decide on transitioning into a keto diet, make sure you speak with your doctor first.
